5 Reasons to Visit Miami Beach, Florida
5 Reasons to Visit® · Florida
5 Reasons to Visit Miami Beach, Florida
Where to eat and drink, iconic Art Deco, endless things to do, and a stay at the newly renovated Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
Few destinations capture the essence of sun-soaked glamour quite like Miami Beach. With its iconic coastline, its pastel skyline, and a dining scene that reinvents itself season after season, this narrow barrier island off the coast of Florida has spent a century pulling travelers toward the water — and it shows no sign of slowing down. What began in the 1920s as a real-estate gamble on a mangrove sandbar is now one of the most recognizable stretches of shoreline in the world, a place where architecture, ocean, and appetite converge in the space of a few walkable blocks.
Whether you're planning a quick escape between flights or settling in for a long, unhurried weekend, Miami Beach rewards both. The island is compact enough to cross on foot in an afternoon yet layered enough to keep you occupied for a week. Below are five reasons it belongs near the top of your list — starting, as any great trip should, with where to eat and drink.
Miami Beach at a glance
- Region
- South Florida, USA
- Best for
- Dining, beaches, Art Deco, nightlife
- Where to dine
- Bistro Collins, Loews Miami Beach Hotel
- Don't miss
- Ocean Drive, Lincoln Road, South Pointe Park
- Where to stay
- Loews Miami Beach Hotel
1.Where to Eat & Drink in Miami Beach
Ask any Miami Beach regular where the best trips begin and the answer is rarely the beach — it's the table. Food is the connective tissue of this island, the through-line that ties together its Cuban ventanitas, its stone-crab institutions, and its new-guard kitchens pulling flavor from across the Caribbean and Latin America. Choosing where to eat and drink here isn't an afterthought to the trip; for many travelers, it is the trip.
And when you want one address that captures all of it — the global flavors, the easy glamour, the slow slide from dinner into a night out — the one to book is Bistro Collins, the coastal-inspired restaurant and bar inside the newly renovated Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
Photo: Bistro Collins, Loews Miami Beach Hotel
Bistro Collins
Set inside the newly renovated Loews Miami Beach Hotel, Bistro Collins is where South Beach comes to eat and drink in style. The kitchen turns out vibrant coastal cuisine threaded with Latin and Caribbean influence — bright, sun-warmed cooking built on fresh, locally sourced seafood, bold tropical produce, and the kind of seasonal detail that tastes distinctly of this corner of the map. Plates arrive colorful and confident, made for lingering over in a light-filled, beach-chic dining room.
As evening falls, the room shifts into one of the island's most inviting cocktail destinations, with coastal-inspired drinks built around fresh citrus, tropical fruit, and premium spirits. Whether you're easing into a long, sunlit lunch or opening the night with a single, well-made drink, Bistro Collins captures the effortless social energy that defines Miami Beach — the rare table that works at any hour of the day.
Reserve a Table →What makes Bistro Collins the table to build a trip around is its range. It reads the room at every hour of the day — an unhurried, sunlit spot for a long lunch, a polished dining room after dark, and a genuine cocktail destination when the evening calls for one. That versatility means you don't have to choose between a great meal and a great night out; here, one flows naturally into the other. Book it early in your stay and it quietly becomes the anchor everything else orbits around — the place you return to, the drink you plan the evening from, the meal you're still talking about on the flight home.
2.Iconic Art Deco & Oceanfront Views
Miami Beach is home to the legendary Art Deco Historic District, where pastel façades, curved corners, and glowing neon lines march block after block down Ocean Drive. It is the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture anywhere in the world — roughly 800 preserved buildings packed into a single square mile — and walking it feels like stepping into a 1930s postcard that someone kept impeccably maintained. Look closely and the design language reveals itself: porthole windows borrowed from ocean liners, racing stripes suggesting speed, stylized flora, and terrazzo floors that catch the light.
The district is at its most photogenic twice a day: just after sunrise, when the pastels are soft and the sidewalks are nearly empty, and again at dusk, when the neon flickers on and the whole strip takes on its familiar electric glow. Guided architecture walks run daily from the Art Deco Welcome Center on Ocean Drive, and even an unstructured stroll rewards the curious. Just steps from the historic district, the pristine sands of Miami Beach stretch north along the Atlantic — wide, pale, and framed by the island's signature ranks of colorful lifeguard stands, themselves small works of design.
3.Endless Things to Do Beyond the Beach
While the sand is the headline, Miami Beach offers no shortage of ways to fill an itinerary once you've had your fill of it. Walk or cycle the scenic Miami Beach Boardwalk, a breezy oceanfront path that runs for miles past palm groves and dune grass, connecting South Beach to the quieter mid-Beach neighborhoods. Rent a bike and the whole island opens up in an hour.
Inland, the pedestrian-only stretch of Lincoln Road offers open-air shopping, sidewalk cafés, and enough people-watching to fill an afternoon. At the island's southern tip, South Pointe Park delivers sweeping views of the ship channel — you can watch cruise liners and cargo vessels thread the cut just offshore — along with a splash fountain, shaded lawns, and one of the best sunset perches in the city. Culture seekers can duck into the Bass Museum of Art or the nearby Wolfsonian-FIU, which houses a fascinating collection of design objects from the very era that shaped the island's look. From paddleboarding on the calmer bay side to open-air concerts, Miami Beach strikes a rare balance between doing nothing and doing everything.
4.A Vibrant Nightlife Scene
As the sun drops behind the skyline, Miami Beach shifts registers and becomes one of the country's most spirited nightlife destinations. The energy that begins over cocktails at Bistro Collins spills outward into the surrounding blocks, where the options range from rooftop lounges with skyline views to intimate speakeasies where the bartender still measures by feel.
Ocean Drive glows with neon well past midnight, live music drifts out of open-fronted bars, and the whole island seems to run on a later clock. Whether you're settling in for one last drink with the ocean breeze at your back or setting off for a full night out, the after-dark hours capture the easy social energy that defines South Beach — a place designed, more than most, to be enjoyed after sunset.
5.Stay at a Newly Renovated Oceanfront Resort
Where you stay can define an entire trip — and the newly refreshed Loews Miami Beach Hotel claims one of the best addresses in South Beach. The oceanfront resort has completed a major renovation, introducing modern coastal design, upgraded guestrooms, and refreshed dining venues — including Bistro Collins — while preserving the grand, light-filled lobby that has long been one of the island's signature interiors. Guests enjoy direct beach access, a generous pool deck, and a prime location within easy walking distance of the Art Deco district, Lincoln Road, and the boardwalk.
What sets the property apart is how completely it functions as a destination in its own right. You could spend an entire day without leaving — breakfast on the terrace, hours on the pool deck, dinner and cocktails at Bistro Collins — and still feel you'd made the most of Miami Beach. For travelers who want the option of doing very little, that self-contained ease is its own kind of luxury.
★ Where to Stay: Loews Miami Beach Hotel
For an added touch of luxury, reserve one of the hotel's SOAK Cabanas for a private poolside retreat with personalized service — shaded, stocked, and staffed, they turn an afternoon by the water into something closer to a spa day. The property is also pet-friendly, with thoughtful amenities for travelers bringing their dogs along, making it easy to enjoy a stylish Miami getaway without leaving anyone behind.
From a standout dining scene led by Bistro Collins to its wide Atlantic beaches, iconic architecture, and after-dark energy, Miami Beach delivers a complete travel experience in a single, walkable destination. Pair that with a newly refreshed stay at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, and it's easy to see why this coastal city remains one of Florida's most sought-after getaways.
Book a room at Loews Miami Beach Hotel →Advertiser disclosure + editorial note
Miami Beach, Florida: FAQ
Where should I eat and drink in Miami Beach?
Bistro Collins, inside the newly renovated Loews Miami Beach Hotel, is the standout for both dining and drinks. The kitchen serves vibrant coastal cuisine with Latin and Caribbean influence, and after dark the room becomes one of South Beach's most inviting cocktail destinations, with coastal-inspired drinks built around fresh citrus, tropical fruit, and premium spirits. It's an easy choice for lunch, dinner, or the start of a night out.
Is Miami Beach worth visiting?
Yes. Miami Beach pairs a standout dining scene — led by Bistro Collins at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel — with the iconic Art Deco Historic District, pristine Atlantic sands, and a lively nightlife scene. It works equally well for a quick escape or a long, unhurried weekend.
What are the top things to do in Miami Beach?
Book a table at Bistro Collins, tour the Art Deco Historic District on Ocean Drive, walk or bike the Miami Beach Boardwalk, shop and dine along Lincoln Road, and catch the sunset at South Pointe Park. Culture seekers can add the Bass Museum and the Wolfsonian-FIU.
Where should I stay in Miami Beach?
The newly renovated Loews Miami Beach Hotel offers one of the best oceanfront locations in South Beach, with direct beach access, a spacious pool deck, SOAK Cabanas, the standout Bistro Collins restaurant, and a pet-friendly policy — all within walking distance of the top attractions.
