Colourful destinations: Miami

To commemorate our new Pop Colour collection, Globe-Trotter has launched a series of destination guides inspired by the three signature colours. Pink has, of course, had quite a moment in 2023 with the onset (and continued onslaught) of Barbie-mania. Our dusky Flamingo Pink hue, paired with cream, is reminiscent of glowing sunsets and the pastel pink Art Deco buildings of Miami, Florida. Here, author and travel writer David Annand explores the Magic City and shows why it’s enjoying a cool, cultural renaissance.

Pop Colour · Carry-On and Check-In | Flamingo Pink
Destination: Miami, Florida

MIAMI, FLORIDA

Miami has always had heat. The year-round sun. The steamy summers. The blazing fervour of the exiled Cubans. But what it didn’t have was cool. Or at least that modern kind of cool. The cool of a cultured, sophisticated city. A place with restaurants and art galleries and neighbourhoods on the up. No longer. These days, Miami is a Twofer. There’s the off-shore barrier island Miami Beach, with its pretty pastel Art Deco hotels and pelicans flying over the surf, and there’s the city proper on the mainland, which is going through a rapid urban renaissance unmatched anywhere in the US. Stay on the beach, swim in the sea and then head into the city for rooftop bars, world-class galleries and a thriving restaurant scene.

EAT

Those who associate museum restaurants with pre-packed sandwiches and juice boxes for the kids will have to reassess after a visit to the Rubell’s Leku, surely the best Basque restaurant this side of Bilbao. Locals talk in hushed tones about their salt cod croquettes and no-flour Basque cheesecake. A mile or two to the north in Little Haiti, you’ll find the city’s best neighbourhood restaurant, Boia De, with its top-end natural wines and sharing plates of tagliolini nero and famed crispy tiramisu. Over on the beach, there are plenty of unremarkable tourist traps but also no shortage of gems: for upscale Italian, head to chef Michael Pirolo’s Macchialina in South Beach, or seek out Joliet for New Orleans-style gumbo and jambalaya.

DRINK

Eighth Street, or Calle Ocho as it’s known locally, is the heart of Little Havana. The sombre Bay of Pigs memorial is there and so is the almost absurdly perky Café La Trova. A three-piece band plays every night and celebrated bartender Julio Cabrera turns out the city’s best daiquiris. If you’re looking for a drink on the beach, head either to the fairy-light courtyard at the Broken Shaker, still first among equals in the city’s cocktail scene, or try to get beyond the velvet rope at Mid-Beach’s always jumping Saxony bar.

DO

With Miami Art Basel now decades old, Miami has established itself as New York’s main rival in the American art scene. While you’re there, be sure to visit the Pérez Art Museum, a thrilling Herzog & de Meuron-designed ‘open structure’ by the water, and don’t miss the brilliantly curated Rubell Museum with its pieces by Basquiat and Kusama. For an old-school alfresco swim, head to the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, where the porticos and grottoes have earned it a place as the only swimming pool on America’s Historic Register. And no trip to Miami would be complete without a visit to the Everglades. Miami Native Tours will take you on a Gentle Ben-style airboat to Big Cypress National Preserve with its abundant manatees and alligators.

STAY

If you want the smart city vibe of downtown, book a room at the EAST Miami in bustling Brickell and head nightly to Sugar, the hotel’s rooftop bar on the 40^th floor for sushi rolls, cocktails and incredible views of the city. On the beach the place to be is still the Faena, which over the last 10 years has transformed mid-Beach into one of the strip’s trendiest addresses. The Filipino-inspired restaurant, Pao, has a gold Damien Hirst as its centrepiece and the on-site south American-inspired Tierra Santa spa is one of the best in the city.

Discover the Pop Colour collection online and at Globe-Trotter Flagship stores.