4 Best Bars in Miami and Miami Beach, Florida

This DJ-fueled, underground adult playground, below The Miami Beach EDITION hotel, features a micro version of famed Studio 54, a four-lane bowling alley, and a very small ice skating rink. The 2,000-square-foot rink might be too tiny for Olympic-quality skaters, but it's a priceless visit if only for the memory of how you skated on your Miami Beach vacation.

Live musicians croon from the corner, with different bands each evening. Shelves house a selection of boutique-label wines with no corkage fee. Artisanal cheeses and meats are also available for the plucking and can be arranged into tapas-board displays. Once your selection is complete, take it back into the “living room” of worn sofas, antique lamps, and old-fashioned wall photos. Additional socializing can be found out in the “backyard” of mismatched seating and strung lighting.

By day, the colorful and chic waterfront alfresco restaurant is an idyllic place to kick back, sip cocktails, and watch bay-side boats and poolside hotties go by. In the evening, lights braided into the surrounding trees illuminate the terrace, sparking a seductive atmosphere. On weekdays from 4 to 7, the bar offers a locals-frequented happy hour.

Smack-dab on the beach, the full-service Nikki Beach is filled more with suburbanites and tourists than the in-crowd but promises plenty of fun nevertheless. The beach club is typically a daytime affair, opening at 10 am and closing at 6 pm (though there are often special evening events, namely on Sunday). Visitors can get their food and drink in the hammocks and beach beds (expect DJ-led tunes on weekends and rental fees all days). Sunday brunch at the club's restaurant is pretty spectacular with a true South Beach party atmosphere.