Help! People knowledgeable about Miami!
 

My husband and I are going to Miami early February.
We're looking for:

Lodging: A reasonably priced (preferably under 100/nt.), clean, fairly quiet, well staffed hotel or b & b that is walking distance to coffee shops, shopping and the beach.

Restaurants: We're into great food. We're both gourmet cooks. We'd like names of restarants that use fresh ingredients. Any price range but especially names of any reasonably priced gems that maybe are "holes in the wall", off the beaten path but the food is very good. Cuban, Italian, sushi, Indian, we like all styles of food. Just not burgers and fried foods.

Attractions: We're not going to be there long 3 days but what are a couple things we can't miss?

Thank you so much for your help.

Karinr, your questions are a little on the vague side but I'll help if I can.

What part of Miami?

Miami Beach? Coconut Grove? Coral Gables?

$100 or under for a room in peak season is going to be tough. Have you looked at Hotwire and priceline?

Restaurants that use fresh ingredients? What kind of food?

To be within walking distance, South Beach may be your best bet.

We're not particular on the area because we don't know Miami. South Beach would be fine. We just want to be in walking distance to coffee shops, shopping and the ocean.

Restaurants: Fresh ingredients vs. frozen foods. A lot of restaurants don't make their foods from scratch thereby the quality is lacking. Do you know any great Cuban restaurants?

Without using Priceline, a "clean, fairly quiet, well-staffed" South Beach hotel will not have rooms for under $100 a night in February. But you will have everything you want within walking distance. At that $100 price point, the pickings are slim: you'd get basic no-amenities properties whose cleanliness would be less than perfect. Either come up in price (I'm thinking $150 is the absolute bottom end of room rates in High Season) or start hitting biddingfortravel.com for Priceline bidding hints.

There are quite a few good eateries in South Beach, some of which are surprisingly reasonably priced. For Cuban, Puerto Sagua, El Viajante Segundo and David's are quite good.

If you're only going to be in the Miami area for three days, one of those days must be spent exploring the wild architecture of South Beach. The whole District is a visual treat.

Thanks so much for the info. What is good hotel around 150?

Restaurants I recommend:
Barton G
Versailles or Havana Harry's
Novecento
(the dulce de leche crepe is out of this world)

Normans
Chispa
Randazzo's