Most first-time visitors book South Beach because it is the name they know, and a meaningful number regret it. It is loud, it is expensive, and Miami Beach is a separate city across a causeway from Miami proper, which matters if you want the food, the art and the Cuban culture that make the place interesting.
The other thing to understand is the resort fee. Miami hotels routinely add $25 to $45 a night on top of the advertised rate, plus tax, plus valet parking at $35 to $55. A $200 room is realistically $300.
The quick answer
South Beach for the Art Deco district, the beach and the nightlife, at the highest prices and the most noise.
Mid-Beach for the same beach with less chaos and better value.
Brickell for a modern, walkable, restaurant-heavy base with no beach.
Wynwood for murals, galleries and bars, in a neighbourhood with few hotels.
Coconut Grove for leafy calm and families.
Key Biscayne for the best beaches and total detachment from the city.
Budget for resort fees of $25 to $45 a night on top of the rate, plus parking.
The neighbourhoods
South Beach. Best for: first-timers, nightlife, the Art Deco architecture. The strip between 5th and 23rd Streets holds the famous pastel buildings, Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road. The beach is excellent and wide. It is also the noisiest part of Miami, the most aggressively priced, and the area where visitors most often feel they are being charged tourist rates, because they are. Rates $250 to $500.
Mid-Beach. Best for: the same beach, more calm, better value. Between roughly 23rd and 63rd Streets, with the Faena District and a string of large resort hotels. Quieter evenings, still walkable to the sand, and a short drive or bus from South Beach. Rates $200 to $400.
North Beach and Surfside. Best for: families and long stays. Residential, low key, good beaches and noticeably cheaper. Rates $170 to $300.
Brickell. Best for: restaurants, walkability, business. The financial district south of downtown, full of towers, with the best concentration of restaurants and bars in the city proper and a free elevated Metromover loop. No beach, and about 20 minutes to South Beach. Rates $200 to $380.
Downtown. Best for: transport links and value. Close to the Pérez Art Museum, the arena and the cruise port, with the free Metromover. Quiet at night and less appealing on foot than Brickell. Rates $150 to $280.
Wynwood. Best for: art, bars and a young crowd. The former warehouse district covered in murals, with breweries and galleries. Hotel stock is limited and it is largely a place to go rather than stay, but that is changing. Rates $180 to $320.
Little Havana. Best for: food and atmosphere rather than accommodation. Calle Ocho, the domino park and the best Cuban food in the country. Very few hotels.
Coconut Grove. Best for: families, leafy calm, sailing. Miami’s oldest neighbourhood, shaded and residential, with waterfront parks and Vizcaya nearby. Rates $180 to $340.
Coral Gables. Best for: architecture and quiet. Planned Mediterranean revival streets, the Biltmore Hotel and the Venetian Pool. Twenty minutes from the beach. Rates $200 to $380.
Key Biscayne. Best for: the best beaches in Miami and getting away from the city entirely. Across a causeway with a toll, holding Crandon Park and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Rates $250 to $450.
How to choose
First visit, three or four nights: South Beach or Mid-Beach, for the architecture and the sand, accepting the price.
Second visit or a longer stay: Brickell or Coconut Grove, where you will eat better and spend less.
With children: Surfside, North Beach or Key Biscayne, for calm beaches and space.
Without a car: Brickell or downtown, which have the Metromover, the Metrorail and enough within walking distance.
For nightlife: South Beach or Wynwood.
For food: Brickell as a base, with Little Havana and Wynwood a short ride away.
Getting around
Miami Beach and Miami are separate cities connected by causeways, and the drive between them takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic.
The Metromover is a free elevated loop covering downtown and Brickell, and it is genuinely useful.
The Metrorail connects the airport to downtown and southwards, but does not reach the beaches.
Rideshare is the practical way to move around and costs $15 to $30 between most neighbourhoods.
A car is a liability in South Beach, where parking is scarce and hotel valet runs $35 to $55 a night. Hire one for day trips to the Everglades or the Keys instead.
What it costs
Rates swing enormously by season. December to April is peak, with South Beach at $250 to $500. June to September is roughly half that.
Resort fees of $25 to $45 a night are near universal in Miami Beach and common elsewhere, added on top of the rate and taxed.
Parking: $35 to $55 a night for hotel valet, and metered street parking is scarce and enforced aggressively.
Tax on accommodation runs around 13 percent on top of rate and resort fee.
Eating: $15 to $22 for a casual meal, $50 to $90 per person for dinner in South Beach and considerably less in Little Havana or Brickell. Many restaurants add an 18 to 20 percent service charge automatically and leave a further tip line, which catches people out.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I stay in Miami for the first time?
South Beach if the Art Deco district and the nightlife are the point, at $250 to $500 a night. Mid-Beach for the same beach with less noise and better value at $200 to $400. If you care more about food than sand, Brickell is the better base.
Is South Beach worth staying in?
For a first visit of three or four nights, yes, for the architecture, the beach and the atmosphere. It is also the loudest and most expensive part of Miami and the area where tourist pricing is most obvious. Returning visitors usually move to Brickell, Mid-Beach or Coconut Grove.
What is a resort fee in Miami?
A mandatory nightly charge of $25 to $45 added on top of the advertised room rate, near universal in Miami Beach, covering wifi, beach chairs and the gym whether you use them or not. Tax applies on top, and parking is separate at $35 to $55 for valet.
Do I need a car in Miami?
Not within the city. Rideshare covers most journeys at $15 to $30, the Metromover is free around downtown and Brickell, and parking in South Beach is scarce and expensive. Hire a car only for day trips to the Everglades or the Keys.
Which Miami neighbourhood has the best food?
Brickell for range and quality in one walkable area, Little Havana for Cuban food, which is the best in the country, and Wynwood for a younger scene alongside the murals. South Beach has the highest prices and not the best cooking.
Where should families stay in Miami?
Surfside or North Beach for calm residential beaches at $170 to $300, or Key Biscayne for the best beaches in the area and complete detachment from the city. Coconut Grove is the leafy, quieter mainland option with parks.
How far is South Beach from Miami?
Miami Beach is a separate city across a causeway, 20 to 40 minutes by road depending on traffic. It matters more than people expect, because the museums, Little Havana, Wynwood and the best restaurants are on the mainland side.
When is Miami cheapest?
June to September, when rates fall to roughly half the winter level. It is hot and humid with daily afternoon storms and it overlaps the hurricane season, but the beaches are warm and the city is far less crowded.
Are Miami restaurants adding service charges?
Frequently, yes, particularly in South Beach, where an 18 to 20 percent service charge is often added automatically and a further tip line left blank on top. Read the bill before adding anything, since paying twice is a common and expensive mistake.
The Florida travel guide covers the wider state, the Everglades are 45 minutes west, and the food guide explains why Little Havana beats Ocean Drive.
