Mini-Vacation in South Beach

In late April, my wife and I decided to take a mini-vacation to Miami Beach (South Beach), Florida.  We spent 4 nights in the Tides Hotel, a smallish hotel right on Ocean Drive.  We had stayed at the Tides Riviera Maya last May and loved it, so we thought we thought we would try the Tides Hotel in South Beach.  The only similarity between the Tides Riviera Maya and Tides South Beach is the commitment to service and personalization -- both made great efforts in getting to know each guest and responding to questions, requests and concerns.  Thanks to the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts program, we were upgraded to a junior suite.  It was incredibly spacious and offered great views of the beach and ocean (all rooms at the Tides face the beach/ocean so you're guaranteed a great view!).   While we might try another hotel such as the Setai on our next trip to Miami just for a change of pace, we would absolutely return to the Tides on a future trip.  It's perfect if you prefer a little quieter hotel scene than the other, more trendy hotels.  (My tripadvisor review of the Tides can be found at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34439-d111907-r107583979-The_Tides_South_Beach-Miami_Beach_Florida.html)

After walking up and down the length of South Beach, checking out various hotels, we decided that, while the Tides was not exactly on the beach (you had to walk across the street and across a stretch of sand), its location on 12th Street was perfectly situated -- in the midst of restaurants, bars and shopping.  Other hotels, such as the W and Setai, are further up South Beach in what I can only categorize as sketchy-tourist (sketchy at night and packed with wandering tourists during the day).

As a destination, South Beach is an absolute must for a week or long weekend vacation.  It has the people-watching of Vegas, the beach of the Caribbean and the restaurant, bar and club scene of Los Angeles.  Plus, with the multitude of varied cuisines and European tourists, it had a Spanish feel to it.  I highly recommend South Beach if you're thinking of a great beach vacation but don't want to spend the time or money to fly down to the Caribbean.