First time in Miami/Keys
 

Going to Miami & The Keys over the 4th of July weekend. Do they have any great fireworks display for the 4th? I'm going w/my boyfriend and we want to stay somewhere romantic (miami, key largo, key west). We want a resort type of place where you can just chill out by the beach and go see some sights as well. We live in Gramercy Park, NYC so chilling out by the beach is a priority. I need suggestions. BTW, I am also a foodie...Is the food @ Tantra just all a hype or legit?

There is a fireworks display off of South Beach the evening of July 4. I will be there as well! Last year, I slept through it (mojitos were involved-- long story).

Tantra is a VERY special, cool dining experience, and the food is fine for what it is, but it's truly not all that. If you're a true foodie, head to Wish in The Hotel (the old Tiffany), or Azul in the Mandarin Oriental (in Miami itself). If you want great Cuban grub, head WAY downmarket to Puerto Sagua in South Beach. Nasty diner ambience, but friendly staff and incredible Cuban food.

Zengrass do you realize Key West is FAR from Miami? A 3 hour drive easy. The beaches are much better in Miami (don't know about Key Largo). Different ambiance. Have you checked out the hotel reviews here on Fodors in Rants & Raves? You can also do a text search on the message board. Try typing romantic hotel AND keys (or Miami).

If price is no object, try the Delano in South Beach. Someone here just posted a trip report & said they would want the Delano for a honeymoon spot. but very pricey.

Key West is pretty crazy on the 4th. Well, it was back in the 80's when I went there. Wild! People were throwing firecrackers at the passing cars downtown. Smoke all over. We made our way to the side streets for safety sake. Wonder if it's still like that on the 4th....

A young woman that posts on this board recently made a trip to South Beach and, after a less-than-perfect stay at The Hotel, moved to the National. She was delighted. Historic property, lovingly restored, beach access, beautiful pool. Right in the heart of the Action. Might be what you're looking for.

We had a great meal at Louie's Backyard in Key West. The setting was also delightful, very romantic.

In South Beach we had another wonderful meal at the restaurant at the Delano (I forget it the name) ... again ... amazing setting and you get a chance to check out the whole Delano "scene" ... it is quite a scene.

We also loved Sushisamba in SoBe ... a lot more casual but fun and good food.

In Key West, we stayed at the Pier House ... great location with a small beach. We really liked it. In South Beach we stayed at The Royal Palm (a Crowne Plaza Resort) ... brand new and very nice. Right in the heart of the action. The National also looked great, I would check it out if I was going back there.

It is quite a long drive from Miami to Key West. I would highly recommend getting on the road EARLY in the morning to avoid the traffic. We did not do that on the way down, and we were pretty aggravated by the time we finally got to Key West. We were at a dead stop on one of the bridges for 35 minutes. This was a Thursday midday. On the return trip we left Key West at 6am and the trip was much easier.

The restaurant at the Delano is called the Blue Door. It tends to polarize people-- they either love it or hate it. Kinda like the whole Delano. You're either bowled over by the decadence of the place or repulsed by the Schrager attitude (found at all of his properties). But, that's a problem at a lot of South Beach hotels: Snooty attitude of the staff.

The Honeymoon Suite at the Cardozo, on Ocean Drive, is supposed to be absolutely wonderful. But it's a little boutique hotel without the "resort" amenities you might be expecting. It's my favorite hotel in the District, but others are put off by noise levels in some rooms. Still, the staff are among the friendliest in South Beach. Always incredibly helpful.

The Royal Palm just might be the ticket, but I'm a sucker for the National. It's just such a cool step back in time...!

Since you're only going to be in Florida for a long weekend, I suggest you limit your stay to Miami. The drive from Miami to Key West is 4 hours in the best of conditions on a non-holiday weekend, and in bad conditions it can take hours longer. In addition to that, the keys are not beach destinations.

If you want to lounge on the beach, definitely stay in Miami/South Beach area. They usually have good fireworks. Check out the Miami Herald website and see if they have any info under their entertainment section regarding 4th of July activities.

Have a fun and safe 4th!!

Thank you all for replying! I am now TORN between the following Hotels:
Loews, National, The Hotel (any other recommendation?). I cannot seem to decide...help

All 3 are great choices. At The Hotel you will not have direct beach access, but they are supposed to have a nice rooftop pool. It is the smallest of the 3.

From what I saw when we were there, I would choose either Loews or the National. Loews is huge, great pool, lobby ... very contemporary. The National probably has a little more charm/retro feeling while still being rather glamorous.

I agree with SusanCS. If you are only going to Florida for a long weekend stay put in Miami/South beach.

I say this for two reasons. First you said you really want to relax on a beach. As much as I loveeeee Key West and the keys (as other people have said), are NOT known for "great" beaches.

Second, my husband and I went to Key West for our annual vacation this May. We traveled to Key West on Friday of the Memorial Day weekend. What a nightmare. The drive normally takes about 4 hours. There was a major accident at MM 37 and the road was SHUT DOWN (ie. in dead stop) for about 3 1/2 hours. It took us almost 8 1/2 hours to get to Key West from Miami that weekend. So be warned.

Thankfully we were staying longer than the weekend so it was still GREAT. But if all I had was the long weekend I would have felt cheated.

Have fun.

Thanks everybody!!! I am now booked at The Loews Hotel at an amazing price of $150/night through Quickbook. I called the hotel to confirm and they are upgrading me to a deluxe oceanview!!! What service!
Made reservations at Tantra, Pearl and Rumi. I just need to know where to eat for lunch as I do not want to spend a ton of money as I will be doing that for dinner.

Here are some cheap places I know:

-- La Sandwicherie, on Fourteenth between Collins and Washington, behind the Amoco station. Best sandwiches for the money. Gourmet sandwiches, serving locals, club kids, tourists and tattooed drunks stumbling out of Club Deuce.

-- Puerto Sagua, on Collins at Seventh. You'll think you're on Calle Ocho. Great Cuban food, served in an atmosphere- and attitude-free diner.

-- The Front Porch Café, in the Penguin Hotel, Ocean Drive just north of Fourteenth. Best breakfasts/lunches on Ocean. Period. Dinners are actually pretty great too.

-- Thai House on Washington between Eleventh and Twelfth. Not dirt-cheap, but they might have lunch specials (as Thai restos do in southern CA). Still cheaper for sit-down grub than other restos in South Beach.