Miami - Romantic assistance please
Oct 16th, 2003, 08:21 AM
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Miami - Romantic assistance please
I am taking my wife to Miami for an extended weekend in early November (at FountainBleu). We are in our mid-40s, and have been married for almost 20 years. I am unfamiliar with Miami and need some good advice on some activities (beyond beach time)in the following areas: romantic restaurants, scenic spots/day-trips, and evening music clubs.
Restaurants are always tough for me. They need to have ambience as well as quality. They should not be about quantity of food. Furthermore, if the prices are too high, then I am a sucker, and if the prices are too low, then I am too cheap. Anyone who has been married this long knows what I mean.
As for evening entertainment, we are not night owls and rarely out after midnight, which is when most clubs seem to get going. Is there any musical scene that accommodates people like us? By the way, I have two left feet, but am willing to make any effort to please my wife. I have heard of free salsa lessons, but group dancing would not be an option. Maybe meringue or samba? Or, simply live bands where we can listen without ear-breaking volume.
Restaurants are always tough for me. They need to have ambience as well as quality. They should not be about quantity of food. Furthermore, if the prices are too high, then I am a sucker, and if the prices are too low, then I am too cheap. Anyone who has been married this long knows what I mean.
As for evening entertainment, we are not night owls and rarely out after midnight, which is when most clubs seem to get going. Is there any musical scene that accommodates people like us? By the way, I have two left feet, but am willing to make any effort to please my wife. I have heard of free salsa lessons, but group dancing would not be an option. Maybe meringue or samba? Or, simply live bands where we can listen without ear-breaking volume.
Oct 16th, 2003, 08:31 AM
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Either the Fountainbleau or Eden Roc has dinner show The Tropigala. Warning, the food at those things can be hit or miss and I've not seen it but it looks interesting.
How about a day boat trip to the Florida Keys? Check out IslandRocket.com. Also, the Parrot Jungle is an under appreciated Miami gem.
You must stop by the pool bar at the Delano (a walk through the lobby is a South Beach must) for the very best mojitos in Miami. Also, go to The Hotel and check out the very cool rooftop pool.
Wet Willis is a fun place to sip a frozen drink and check out the scene.
News Cafe has reasonably priced good food and is another place to people watch.
Be forwarned, South Beach restaurants can be very very expensive. I have had great meals at Rumi and The Forge. For reasonable 24 hour munching, Jerry's Deli.
How about a day boat trip to the Florida Keys? Check out IslandRocket.com. Also, the Parrot Jungle is an under appreciated Miami gem.
You must stop by the pool bar at the Delano (a walk through the lobby is a South Beach must) for the very best mojitos in Miami. Also, go to The Hotel and check out the very cool rooftop pool.
Wet Willis is a fun place to sip a frozen drink and check out the scene.
News Cafe has reasonably priced good food and is another place to people watch.
Be forwarned, South Beach restaurants can be very very expensive. I have had great meals at Rumi and The Forge. For reasonable 24 hour munching, Jerry's Deli.
Oct 17th, 2003, 02:42 AM
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Oct 17th, 2003, 09:38 PM
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Thanks for these excellant suggestions.
I have one more question.
Is it possible to rent one of those "boats" which looks like it is propelled by a giant fan in the rear, and go skooting around the everglades? This looks like it could be fun.
I have one more question.
Is it possible to rent one of those "boats" which looks like it is propelled by a giant fan in the rear, and go skooting around the everglades? This looks like it could be fun.
Oct 18th, 2003, 05:08 AM
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On your first question, the most beautiful, scenic manmade spot I know in Miami is Vizcaya, an Italian style palazzo built in the early 1900s on Biscayne Bay by industrialist John Deering. It's now a musuem open for viewing along with magnificent gardens. View at vizcayamuseum.org
There is a docent led tour of the first floor included in the price of admission where you learn about the building, architect, owner etc. You then tour the 2nd floor & gardens on your own.
There are a few nice restaurants in the Bal Harbor shops, just north of where you'll be staying. While not romantic, Joe's Stone crab is a famous Miami institution with great stone crabs. They don't accept resrevations & waits can be long.
There are the boats you mention for rental but they're frowned upon by conservationists because they destroy the swamp land & fighten the animals. If you do a text search here for Everglades there's info & a website.
There is a docent led tour of the first floor included in the price of admission where you learn about the building, architect, owner etc. You then tour the 2nd floor & gardens on your own.
There are a few nice restaurants in the Bal Harbor shops, just north of where you'll be staying. While not romantic, Joe's Stone crab is a famous Miami institution with great stone crabs. They don't accept resrevations & waits can be long.
There are the boats you mention for rental but they're frowned upon by conservationists because they destroy the swamp land & fighten the animals. If you do a text search here for Everglades there's info & a website.
Oct 18th, 2003, 05:25 AM
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For totally amazing and romantic atmosphere, I would go for after-dinner drinks at the Delano Hotel in South Beach. It is a stunning place both inside and out. I've never eaten a meal there, but have been for drinks a number of times. I'd think the ambience of this place would certainly qualify as romantic. Think white candles, white calla lilies, black marble and mirrored surfaces and white gauzy floor to ceiling draperies moving in the breeze. Wow. There's another small (off the beach) deco hotel I would love to take my husband to on a long weekend getaway some time (I travel to Miami Beach for a week long conference nearly every year in January. Tough job, but someone's gotta do it.) that has a wonderful restaurant. I'll have to dig through my notes as it's been two years since I was there. I second the recommendation of visiting Vizcaya on a day trip.
Oct 18th, 2003, 02:19 PM
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As someone else mentioned, restaurants tend to be expensive here, especially in Miami Beach. Bar drinks at the Delano Hotel, for example, are about $15. There are two restaurants that are not trendy hot spots, but are romantic: the Rusty Pelican (on the water and has a gorgeous view of the bay & Miami skyline- food is mostly surf & turf) and Perricone's Market & Cafe. Perricone's is more casual (Italian), but it has a nice ambience. It looks like a farm house and has a back deck with tables under a huge Banyan tree.
As for music, the Van Dyke Cafe in Miami Beach has a lounge upstairs where they play live jazz music. I think there's a 2 drink minimum.
As for music, the Van Dyke Cafe in Miami Beach has a lounge upstairs where they play live jazz music. I think there's a 2 drink minimum.
Oct 18th, 2003, 02:25 PM
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Just came across Gourmet Magazine's latest picks for the US. You might check out their Miami choices here.
http://concierge.com/gourmet/lists/b...3/detail/miami
http://concierge.com/gourmet/lists/b...3/detail/miami
