Any recommendations for a good hotel in the South Beach Art Deco area? How about resturaunts in the same area?

Check out the Hotel Delano, We stopped in there and it looked fabulous.

The Tides. We stayed there a couple of years ago. It's very pricey, but worth it.

The Delano, The Tides, Loews, The National and the Shelburne all are excellent SoBe hotels. As for restaurants, I would start on the Lincoln Road Mall. The restaurant Yuca is always a top choice. The restaurant in the Delano is absolutely fabulous too.

You can try the Cardozo Hotel right on Ocean Drive. The awesome art deco hotel is owned by Gloria Estefan and is located across the street from the beach. I know they have a summer special rate of $150. Car rental is not necessary if you're spending most of your time around the SoBe/Miami Beach area.

Two years we booked our SoBe hotel through the South Florida Hotel Network (800-538-3616) and were very satisfied. They tell you what's available in all price ranges.

Tides is a great choice for a hotel. My absolute favorite restaurant in South Beach is Joia. If I lived in Miami, I would eat there every week. It has Italian food and is owned by Ingrid Casares, Madonna's friend. Another fun restaurant is Gloria Estefan's -- the name escapes me for the moment. The Cuban food there is pretty good, but it's fun to listen to the live Cuban music on weekends.

Gloria Estefan's restaurant in SoBe is called "Larios" and its specialites include Cuban cuisine. Excellent place.