Summary: Looking for things to do in Miami that go beyond the ordinary? Few cities on earth pack so much ambition into such a luminous setting. The city is a subtropical metropolis where Art Deco facades shimmer under a year-round sun, where Michelin-starred kitchens and world-famous nightclubs share the same neighborhood, and where the water is never more than a few minutes away. From the electric glamour of South Beach to the quiet canal-lined streets of the Venetian Islands, the Magic City rewards those who know where to look. This guide to the best things Miami has to offer covers top restaurants, celebrated cultural institutions, legendary nightlife venues and the most beautiful beaches in Miami along with the LVH curated collection of private villas across more than 30 distinct neighborhoods.

Miami is the northernmost city in relation to the Caribbean and the southernmost gateway of the continental United States. It is a point of confluence where Latin vigor, Caribbean warmth and cosmopolitan ambition have forged something entirely its own. The result is a city that is both effortlessly cool and relentlessly alive, where the best meal of your life might be followed by a gallery opening and a night stretching well past dawn.

The Art Deco splendor of Ocean Drive, the explosive street art and murals of Wynwood, the old-money discretion of Coral Gables and the billionaires' playground of Indian Creek all coexist within a few miles of each other, connected by causeways and bridges that arc over the shimmering waters of Biscayne Bay. Exploring Miami reveals this geographic complexity at every turn. No two neighborhoods feel quite alike and the city rewards curiosity with genuine surprise. For those visiting Miami seeking the best the destination offers, a private villa transforms the experience entirely. You return each evening to a private, staffed residence set within one of greater Miami's exceptional neighborhoods. The LVH collection spans more than 30 areas, from iconic South Beach penthouses to waterfront estates on the Venetian Islands, placing guests at the heart of the city's finest enclaves.

Choose a vacation residence in Miami that best fits your needs.

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Geographical Overview: Miami's Neighborhoods

Few American cities match the geographic intrigue of exploring Miami's patchwork of islands, peninsulas, bayfront districts and inland suburbs stitched together by an intricate network of bridges and causeways. This tropical metropolis sprawls across Miami-Dade County in a mosaic of communities so distinct that each functions, in many respects, as a self-contained destination. There is no single correct itinerary, no prescribed order in which to experience the city's many faces. The best approach is to understand what each neighborhood offers and to choose accordingly.

Miami Beach

Miami Beach is perhaps the most globally recognized address in Florida and for good reason. This seven-mile island off the coast of mainland Miami contains within it almost every version of the city's mythology. The Art Deco Historic District with its candy-colored buildings and sweeping ocean frontage is the international cachet of the South Beach neighborhood, a runway for models and celebrities that shows no sign of dimming. It is a quieter, more residential stretch of Mid-Beach and North Beach where elegant homes line tree-canopied streets. Wide, white sand beaches run the full length of the island from North Shore Open Space Park to South Pointe Park, with the Atlantic on one side and the bay on the other. Top attractions here extend far beyond the shore. Nobu, Estiatorio Milos and the Michelin-starred Surf Club are among the most celebrated dining addresses in all South Florida.

Bal Harbour

Small in area but immense in prestige, Bal Harbour sits at the northern tip of Miami Beach as a self-contained village of concentrated affluence. It has become one of the top addresses in the area in recent years, defined by its world-famous open-air shopping mall, a handful of exceptional hotels and restaurants and a particular sense of exclusivity setting it apart even within the rarefied context of greater Miami. The beach here is more quiet than the South Beach stretch, attracting a clientele who prefer discretion over spectacle. LVH maintains a private collection of residences in Bal Harbour available upon inquiry.

Brickell

Downtown Miami's gleaming financial district rises along the western shore of the bay in a dense vertical landscape of glass towers, luxury residential buildings and more than 100 international banks and consulates clustered along a single avenue. The neighborhood has evolved rapidly from a purely commercial district into a genuine destination in its own right, with acclaimed restaurants like Cipriani, Komodo and LPM among them and a retail anchor in the form of the sprawling Brickell City Center. Sugar, the rooftop bar with panoramic views of the Miami skyline, has become one of the city's most photographed after-dark perches. LVH's Brickell collection is available privately.

Miami Design District

Luxury fashion, contemporary art and architecture converge in a setting of deliberate aesthetic ambition in the Miami Design District just north of Wynwood. The neighborhood's low-rise blocks have been transformed into a destination combining international luxury flagships like Tom Ford, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent with art installations, art galleries and celebrity-chef dining rooms. Buckminster Fuller's iconic Fly's Eye Dome presides over the open plaza and street-level encounters with serious Miami art are simply part of the environment. Contessa and Cote Miami, are among the top attractions for dining in the district.

Wynwood

Few neighborhoods in America have undergone a more dramatic reinvention than Wynwood, a former warehouse district now one of the world's most important open-air canvases. The Wynwood Walls is an outdoor museum of large-scale commissioned street art and murals, but the neighborhood has grown far beyond a single attraction. Galleries, independent boutiques, creative agencies and some genuinely adventurous restaurants occupy the same blocks, generating a creative energy that feels organic rather than manufactured. Pastis brings Parisian brasserie culture to the district, while the Michelin-starred Hiden operates behind an unmarked door, serving intimate omakase to those who know to seek it out.

The Venetian Islands And Sunset Islands

This chain of six man-made islands strung across the bay between the city and Miami Beach constitutes one of the most storied residential addresses in the area. Palm-lined streets, Mediterranean Revival estates and deep-water dockage make the Venetian Islands a place connected to the city but insulated from its noise. Villa Aria, LVH's Venetian Islands residence, exemplifies this quality of waterfront living, while Villa Shannon on the Sunset Islands offers a similarly private bayfront experience within minutes of South Beach's energy.

Villa Aria

Villa Aria presents the ultimate contemporary waterfront living on Miami's coveted Venetian Islands. Pushing the limits of glamorous residential living, Villa Aria abounds with a cosmopolitan industrial-chic look, the two-story, 5662 sq. ft, featuring five sumptuous bedrooms. 

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Star, Palm And Hibiscus Islands

These three private islands, accessible only via a single causeway bridge, include the most exclusive residential enclave in the city. Home to celebrities, sports figures and business leaders who value absolute privacy, the islands are characterized by grand waterfront estates, deep-water dockage and streets quiet enough to hear the bay. Villa Raya represents LVH's footprint here. It is a genuinely rare opportunity to experience island living at the heart of the city.

Villa Raya

Villa Raya is a masterfully conceived waterfront sanctuary set within the coveted confines of Hibiscus Island, an enclave revered for its seamless connectivity to Miami's most elite experiences. The villa's four meticulously designed bedroom suites encapsulate effortless elegance, each featuring custom furnishings, spa-inspired en-suite bathrooms, and tranquil garden or bay views.

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Upper East Side And Miami Shores

North of the Design District, along the bay, the Upper East Side is emerging as one of the most quietly compelling neighborhoods in the area. A stretch of mid-century modern bungalows and modest apartment buildings undergoing reinvention can be found here. Villa Vlada occupies this neighborhood, while Villa Solena in adjacent Miami Shores offers a similarly residential, low-key alternative to the island's intensities.

Villa Vlada in Upper East Side

Bay Point, Bayshore And Nautilus Bay

These intimate mainland neighborhoods cluster around the causeway approaches to Miami Beach, offering genuinely residential character combined with rapid access to every major destination. Villa Delphis in Bay Point and Villa Claudine in Bayshore represent the kind of private, house-scale luxury larger hotel zones cannot. Villa Neva in Nautilus Bay rounds out this cluster of discreet mainland residences.

Villa Delphis in Bay Point

Golden Beach, Ojus And North Miami Beach

The northern stretch of Miami-Dade County contains some of the area's most spacious residential properties, set back from the coastal intensity of the south. Villa Celine in Golden Beach, Villa Agatha in North Miami Beach and Villa Alianna in Ojus offer a different register of the Miami experience. They are more private, more expansive and with a pace for genuine relaxation. Villa Bethany in La Gorce and Villa Betty in Bay Harbor Islands similarly prioritize residential tranquility.

Villa Agatha

Accommodating sixteen guests comfortably, Villa Agatha is a veritable 7-bedroom statement home designed to entertain large groups. A playroom, a complete gym, and a media room make the properly remarkably autonomous. 

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South Beach, Pinecrest And Biscayne Bay

At the southern end of Miami Beach, Penthouse W One places guests at the apex of South Beach, with the city spread below in every direction. Further south on the mainland, Villa Magdalena in Pinecrest and Apartment Mateo along the Biscayne Bay shoreline extend LVH's reach into more southern areas. Penthouse Paramount One anchors the downtown skyline, delivering the full theater of the city in glass and light.

Penthouse W One

Penthouse W One is an exemplary suite towering over some of Miami's most revered stretches of coastline. Each of the three ensuite bedrooms delivers a unique gradient of South Beach glamor, with bold custom murals interacting gloriously with immersive mirror accents.

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When To Visit

Miami's subtropical climate makes it a genuinely year-round destination, though the character of the city shifts meaningfully with the seasons. The best time to visit Miami for optimal weather runs from December through April. Warm temperatures in the low to mid-70s, low humidity and a full calendar of cultural events, with Art Basel Miami Beach in early December draw the global art world to the Design District and Wynwood. January and February bring the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. From May through October, temperatures climb and humidity builds, but the city remains vibrant. Hurricane season officially runs from June through November, though the city itself rarely bears the brunt of major storms. Summer's intensity has its own reward. The city is at its most Latin, most alive and most authentically itself.

Miami's Restaurant Scene

Miami's rise to genuine culinary capital status is not accidental. The city has become a magnet for some of the country's most skilled chefs and internationally-celebrated restaurateurs, drawn by a clientele of global sophistication, a fertile ground for bold experimentation and a food culture deeply rooted in Caribbean and Latin traditions overlaid with Mediterranean, Asian and contemporary American influences. The best restaurants in Miami are more daring and more global than those of virtually any other American city of comparable size and a reflection of the destination's unique multicultural DNA.

Pastis

Pastis arrives in Wynwood from New York with its Parisian DNA fully intact. The curved zinc bar, hand-painted mirrors and red banquettes transport guests to a timeless French brasserie, while the lush outdoor courtyard leans into the tropical sensibility with genuine warmth. The menu pairs beloved French classics with regional additions such as big eye tuna carpaccio and red snapper provençal, among the standouts. There is also an extensive champagne list, ensuring every evening feels like a proper celebration.

Mother Wolf

Mother Wolf is Chef Evan Funke's homage to Roman culinary tradition, rendered with the kind of precision and integrity making him one of America's most respected pasta makers. The Rome-inspired menu moves through wafer-thin wood-fired pizzas, hyper-seasonal antipasti and Funke's celebrated handmade pastas, each dish reflecting a genuine reverence for the craft. The setting manages to be simultaneously grand and intimate and well-suited to both private dinners and larger group occasions.

Nobu Miami

Nobu Miami has long since graduated from novelty to institution. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's fresh interpretation of Japanese cuisine anchored itself in the Miami Beach culinary landscape years ago, and signature dishes such as the black cod in miso glaze and the rock shrimp tempura retain their power to surprise and satisfy. The Thai butter lettuce and tenderloin with yuzu truffle have added further dimensions to a menu that continues to evolve.

Hakkasan Miami

Hakkasan Miami brings the celebrated Chinese fine dining franchise to Brickell, redefining contemporary Cantonese cuisine in a setting of considerable theatricality. Dim lighting and cozy, private booths establish a seductive atmosphere, while the menu ranges from signature dim sum to elaborate main courses of exceptional technical quality. The wine program is among the best in the city and the cocktail list is a destination in its own right.

Cecconi's At Soho Beach House

Cecconi's at Soho Beach House has established itself as a reference point for the city's upscale social scene, functioning simultaneously as a serious restaurant and an effortlessly stylish gathering place. The Venetian-influenced interior opens onto a gracious alfresco garden and the menu features Italian classics with a contemporary edge. The beef tartare with quail egg and truffle pizza have become signatures and are executed with real care. The sense of place here is distinctive with European rhythms and Miami energy.

Contessa

Contessa is a glamorous all-day trattoria in the Miami Design District whose sophisticated homage to Northern Italian cuisine evokes the charm of Lake Como through lush interiors, an alfresco terrace and a pink-hued bar. The menu celebrates Italian tradition with Piedmontese carpaccio, signature pizzas, tortellini en brodo and bistecca Fiorentina, complemented by a Nebbiolo-rich wine selection. Effortlessly refined yet vibrant, Contessa is as suited to a long celebratory lunch as it is to a late evening in one of the Design District's most stylish rooms.

Casa Tua

Casa Tua has been a pillar of the culinary scene for more than two decades, which in this fast-moving restaurant landscape is a remarkable achievement. The charming outdoor patio, where vines climb the walls and the pace slows perceptibly, is among the most civilized dining environments in South Beach. Truffle gnocchi, short ribs and spaghetti with Maine lobster are among the kitchen's enduring signatures, each prepared with ingredients chosen for quality rather than convenience.

Mila

MILA operates at the intersection of Asian and Mediterranean culinary traditions, delivering an experience that extends well beyond the plate into full sensory immersion. Located in Miami Beach with views of the coastal skyline, the restaurant's sophisticated interiors and Balearic-inflected music set a tone of considered luxury. Its Michelin recognition speaks to the kitchen's ambition and execution.

Joe's Stone Crab

Joe's Stone Crab is a local institution in the truest sense. The restaurant was established more than a century ago and still maintains an unimpeachable reputation for quality and tradition. Stone crabs, harvested daily and served with the restaurant's legendary mustard sauce, are an experience impossible to replicate elsewhere. Lobster bisque, crab cakes and key lime pie complete a menu that has defined the city's seafood dining for generations. No time in Miami is complete without it.

Carbone Miami

Carbone Miami transplanted New York's most celebrated Italian-American retro-glamour destination to the South Beach market with immediately successful results. The iconic house style with deep red booths, suited service, an air of theatrical nostalgia arrived fully formed. The menu added local character through details like the "exclusive red sauce" developed specifically for the Miami kitchen. A reservation here remains one of the city's most coveted.

Lpm Restaurant & Bar

LPM Restaurant & Bar brings the sensibility of the French Riviera to the heart of Brickell with considerable style. The Nicoise and Mediterranean menu including steak tartare, grilled octopus, seared sea bass is precise, fresh and intelligent. The outdoor terrace draped in chic furnishings channels the effortless elegance of Cote d'Azur dining in a setting where you will feel genuinely transported. The wine program, featuring rare and fine bottles from across southern France and beyond, is one of the best in the city.

Michelin-Starred Dining

Miami's receipt of its own inaugural Florida edition Michelin Guide confirmed what the city's most attentive food observers already knew. Miami was no longer a dining destination defined primarily by steakhouses and oceanfront seafood, but a genuine global gastronomic center capable of sustaining some of the world's most rigorous culinary standards. The density and diversity of starred restaurants here is exceptional by any measure and exploring Miami's Michelin constellation is among the most exciting things to do for serious food lovers.

L'atelier De Joël Robuchon

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon holds two Michelin stars and represents the full realization of the late Joël Robuchon's democratic approach to haute cuisine. Set in the Design District, the 34-seat counter-format dining room with rosewood walls, leather chairs and theatrical open kitchen invites guests into the kitchen's working rhythm in a way that formal table service cannot achieve. Chef Christophe Bellanca interprets Robuchon's principles with both fidelity and originality. Seared sea scallops in fragrant spices, tuna sashimi in warm vinaigrette and the iconic le chocolat dessert all appear, each achieving a quality that justifies the restaurant's international reputation. This is the most decorated dining address in the city.

The Surf Club Restaurant

The Surf Club Restaurant carries a single Michelin star and a history that predates it by nearly a century. Since 1930, this Surfside institution has drawn a devoted following to its Mediterranean menu of studied simplicity offering the kind of dishes requiring exceptional ingredients and total confidence to execute without artifice. Chef Antonio Mermolia has preserved the Surf Club's essential character while bringing precision and freshness that have attracted Michelin's recognition. The champagne selection, reportedly the city's most extensive, provides its own considerable argument for an extended evening.

Boia De

Boia De is among Wynwood's most celebrated dining addresses. This gem is tucked into a Buena Vista shopping center where Chef Luciana Giangrandi and Chef Alex Meyer reinterpret Italian tradition with wit and intelligence. A pink neon exclamation mark announces the entrance and sets an appropriately playful tone, though the cooking is anything but casual. Fried potato skins topped with caviar, beef tartare with tonnato-style sauce, chilled tagliolini with king crab and vin jaune are dishes that reveal serious techniques. One Michelin star, deservedly won.

Le Jardinier

Le Jardinier brings a vegetable-first philosophy to the Design District, where Chef Alain Verzeroli, who spent two decades under Joël Robuchon's tutelage, has crafted a menu of seasonal refinement and genuine elegance. The dining room's horticultural aesthetic matches the cooking's priorities perfectly. Seared Hudson Valley foie gras with cherry and tortellini with chanterelles and hazelnuts paired with summer gazpacho represent the kitchen at its most expressive.

Cote Miami

Cote Miami arrived in the Design District, immediately establishing itself as one of the city's most compelling dining propositions. Simon Kim's Korean steakhouse concept is 5,892 square feet of beautifully-appointed space combining the American steakhouse tradition with the communal ritual of Korean barbecue. The establishment had already attracted national recognition in New York before its Miami debut. The resulting experience feels genuinely novel, technically accomplished, convivial and utterly suited to the city's international sensibility.

Hiden

Hiden operates with complete conviction behind an unmarked Wynwood door, serving an intimate omakase counter experience deeply rooted in Japanese culinary tradition with a modern precision that speaks to Chef Seijun Okano's considerable skills. Ingredients include produce flown in directly from Japan multiple times per week. The sake and wine lists are assembled with equivalent care. This is the kind of restaurant that creates converts. Guests return specifically for the combination of technical excellence and the unusually personal quality of the counter interaction.

The Den At Azabu Miami Beach

The Den at Azabu Miami Beach brings the hushed discipline of great sushi to the Stanton Hotel, where beautiful hinoki cypress counters and warm wood-paneled walls establish a context of Japanese aesthetic precision. Itamae chefs work with fish flown in several times weekly, dressing each piece with practiced minimalism allowing quality to speak for itself. Octopus with orange miso glaze and akami nigiri in soy marinade are among the kitchen's signatures.

El Cielo Miami

El Cielo Miami is Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos' South Florida outpost of a concept that originated in Bogotá and has since captivated diners worldwide with its Colombian-rooted, Latin-inflected tasting menu experience. The beautiful dining room with warm lighting, vibrant greenery, a backlit bar frames a menu that blends ancestral Colombian tradition with contemporary technique, using organic ingredients grown in Florida wherever possible. The "chocotherapy," a tableside chocolate ritual, has become one of the most discussed dining experiences regarding the top things to do for food lovers in the city.

Los Félix

Los Félix brings a contemporary vision of Mexican cuisine to a space of considered modernity. Gallery-white walls, natural fibers, sleek wood furniture suit its neighborhood's creative energy. Cooking draws on ingredients from across Latin America to produce dishes of genuine originality. Here, you will find such offerings as carnitas pork cheek served with multiple salsas, snapper crudo over jicama and avocado aioli and grilled octopus on beetroot mole. The result is a restaurant that treats Mexican culinary tradition with both respect and imagination.

Ariete

Ariete in Coconut Grove is perhaps the most personally expressive of the starred restaurants in the city. This is a place where Executive Chef Michael Beltran's Cuban heritage and classical French training converge in cooking of real emotional intelligence. The menu ranges from composed tasting experiences to the theatrical canard à la presse, a dish that requires preparation of rare skill and confidence. It is among the best and most beloved restaurants for good reason.

Dining by the Water

Miami's relationship with water is fundamental and nowhere does the city's watery identity express itself more deliciously than at its waterfront restaurants. The Miami River, the bay, the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic coast between them generate dozens of extraordinary dining situations, from casual beach clubs with sophisticated menus to formal bayfront dining rooms of genuine grandeur.

Lido Restaurant At The Surf Club

Lido Restaurant at the Surf Club occupies one of Miami Beach's most enviable positions with its oceanfront setting within the historic Surf Club complex. The Italian-inspired menu achieves a quality matching the surroundings, with an extensive champagne selection and inventive cocktails complementing seasonal Mediterranean cooking. Sunday brunch on the Ocean Front Terrace or in the intimate Champagne Bar has become a beloved institution among those who know it.

Zuma

Zuma has long anchored the downtown dining scene with an izakaya-style experience of exceptional polish. The Robata Grill produces dishes of smoky intensity. The black cod with miso is frequently cited as the kitchen's standard-bearer, while the broader menu of contemporary Japanese cooking achieves a consistency that has made Zuma one of the city's most reliably excellent evenings. The minimalist interior and organic Far East aesthetic are still beautiful.

La Mar By Gastón Acurio

La Mar by Gastón Acurio takes its position within the Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key, an address that puts the bay directly below the terrace and the Miami skyline as a backdrop to every meal. The Peruvian menu, overseen by chef Diego Oka, specializes in seafood of the highest order. Ceviche of grouper, shrimp and octopus in leche de tigre, jumbo scallops with parmesan foam, lomo saltado of considerable depth can be found here. The pisco sour, served in the traditional style, is the ideal beginning to any meal.

Kiki On The River

Kiki on the River brings the spirit of Mykonos to a stretch of the Miami River waterfront, where the Greek menu is served against views of the downtown skyline on weekdays, with the full energy of a live DJ-driven Mykonos-themed experience on weekends. The contrast is deliberate and effective with genuinely excellent Greek cooking as the through-line, exuberant atmosphere as the amplification.

Seaspice Brasserie And Lounge

Seaspice Brasserie and Lounge occupies a converted post-industrial warehouse on the Miami River's edge, turning an unlikely setting into one of the city's most atmospheric waterfront experiences. The 350-plus seat complex encompasses an outdoor courtyard, garden bar, covered patio and a modern garden space, each offering slightly different perspectives on the river's working character and the Floridian sunsets that light the sky beyond. Wood-fired casseroles are the kitchen's signature, executed with care.

The Deck At Island Gardens

The Deck at Island Gardens sits at the edge of a world-class superyacht marina in a setting that frames Mediterranean sharing plates and fish dishes with views of vessels of extraordinary scale and the wide shimmer of the bay. The European-sourced menu, which draws inspiration from Ibiza, St. Tropez and beyond, achieves a cosmopolitan ease that suits its marina context precisely.

Joia Beach Club

Joia Beach Club operates as a beach destination and serious restaurant simultaneously, offering a seasonal European-inspired menu alongside beachfront bottle service and the considered natural beauty of its waterfront location. Chef Gustavo Vertone's cooking has genuine ambition and execution to match. The dress code, upscale beach attire with shoes and shirts required, reflects the establishment's commitment to a particular kind of outdoor luxury.

Pao By Paul Qui

Pao by Paul Qui at the Faena Hotel places guests within one of the most extraordinary architectural spaces in Miami Beach. The hotel's Oval Room, whose gold-domed ceiling centers on a gilded unicorn by Damien Hirst. The Asian-inflected menu with features like scallop aguachile with pineapple and black lime, smoked Wagyu short rib baos in XO aïoli, matches the theatrical setting with dishes of real complexity and beauty.

Baia Beach Club

Baia Beach Club at the Mondrian South Beach brings Mediterranean coastal living to the heart of the South Beach neighborhood in a newly revitalized format that blends bohemian energy with architectural modernity. The outdoor deck, terraced seating and open-air dining areas all face the bay, where sunsets unfold with considerable drama. The menu emphasizes health-conscious preparation without sacrificing pleasure.

Nikki Beach

Nikki Beach has operated as one of the defining beach club experiences in the city for decades, combining a DJ-driven atmosphere with a globally inspired menu of sushi rolls, fresh salads and locally caught seafood. The tree-lined garden setting provides shade and serenity in a context otherwise defined by energy and movement, a combination that has maintained its appeal across changing tastes and fashions.

To elevate your Miami experience, let our concierge team arrange a private chef dinner to sample local flavors.

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Beaches and Water Activities

Miami's 35-mile beachfront, sweeping from South Pointe Park at the southern tip of Miami Beach northward through Mid-Beach and North Beach to Sunny Isles and beyond, is among the world’s most famous coastlines. The pastel-colored Art Deco architecture of Ocean Drive, the sugar-white sand and the extraordinary quality of light filtering through subtropical sky have been immortalized in film, photography and popular imagination to a degree few places can claim. But the best beaches in Miami extend far beyond the cosmopolitan bustle of the South Beach neighborhood. A different character of coastline awaits, one that is quieter, more wild and possessed of a tranquility the iconic strip cannot offer.

Crandon Park Beach

Crandon Park Beach on Key Biscayne is the city's finest natural beach in the classical sense. This is a splendid two-mile sweep of protected sand within Bear Cut Preserve, where dunes rich with wildlife, from herons to butterflies, create an environment reminiscent of an undeveloped barrier island. Sea turtle nests are found here and the park's mangroves and coastal hammocks shelter rare bird species. Kayaking, paddleboarding and kiteboarding are all easily arranged for a memorable beach day in the area.

Oleta River State Park

Oleta River State Park, accessible within 30 minutes of the city center, is Florida's largest urban park.  It is a remarkable expanse of mangrove forest, sandy shoreline and verdant hiking trail offering genuine immersion in the state's subtropical ecology. Swimmers, cyclists and hikers all find what they seek here and the experience of paddling beneath the shade of mangrove canopies with the city skyline in the distance is one of the most distinctive pleasures of the area.

Virginia Key

Virginia Key Beach Park, just two miles from downtown, preserves 1,200 acres of barrier island ecology within easy reach of the city. Virginia Key beach offers stunning stretches of sand, calm waters and nature trails for fishing, birdwatching, cycling and swimming in an environment of genuine natural beauty. The Seaquarium occupies the island's northern end, while southern reaches remain blissfully undeveloped. Cape Florida State Park on adjacent Key Biscayne further extends these opportunities, with Bill Baggs Cape Florida providing one of the most scenic coastal environments in the region.

Miami's water activities extend the experience far offshore. Jet-ski exploration of the villa-lined canals and intercoastal islands, navigating from South Beach past Star Island to the Venetian Islands, offers an entirely different perspective on the city's waterfront character. Parasailing above the Atlantic coast of Miami Beach reveals a bird's-eye view of the coastline's extraordinary color gradations, from shallow turquoise to deep ocean blue, with the geometry of the city spread below.

For those drawn to wind sports, consistent Atlantic breezes make windsurfing and kiteboarding genuinely rewarding pursuits along the shoreline and across the protected waters of the bay. Paddleboarding through mangrove trail systems is a particularly pleasurable activity in the early morning hours. Kayaking the 35-mile coastal arc from South Beach to Sunny Isles represents slower, more contemplative modes of water exploration. Scuba diving off the Florida Keys opens access to the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States and a graveyard of shipwrecks dating back centuries. Dolphin encounters in the Florida Keys, where visitors can swim with bottlenose rescue dolphins at Islamorada and Key Largo, rank among the most exciting things to do for families and first-time visitors.

For yacht-scale experiences, the LVH fleet includes vessels ranging from the VanDutch 40 to the 103-foot Azimut S Luxury, accommodating groups of varying sizes for half-day excursions, sunset cruises and extended coastal explorations. Fishing charter options from the Hatteras 53 and 60 for deep-sea sport fishing to the more contemplative practice of flats fishing in the clear, shallow waters surrounding the Florida Keys are available for those whose time in Miami is most purposefully spent pursuing the catch.

Nightlife

Miami's nightlife reputation predates every other aspect of its modern identity, stretching back to the South Beach renaissance of the 1980s. That is when the city's nocturnal possibilities first entered the global imagination as something genuinely extraordinary. Decades later, fundamentals have not changed. The city comes alive after dark in ways few places on earth can match and it does so with a specific quality of extravagance. The luxury nightclub perfected as an art form remains entirely its own. Among the most exciting things to do after sunset, top venues below represent the pinnacle of the city's after-dark culture.

E11Even

E11even occupies a category of its own in the nightlife landscape. Billed as the world's only 24/7 ultraclub, the venue has become one of the most consistently celebrated nightclub experiences globally, regularly topping international rankings and establishing entirely new standards for New Year's Eve celebrations. The scale of production here from technical, aesthetic and talent, is commensurate with the ambition of its concept.

Liv At Fontainebleau

LIV at Fontainebleau has undergone continuous reinvention since its opening, most recently emerging from a multimillion-dollar renovation. The result is a club consistently ranking among the world's finest. It is one that has recalibrated the nightlife landscape and maintained its position at the summit through a combination of exceptional bookings, genuine attention to the guest experience and the unique energy of its Fontainebleau setting.

Club Space

Club Space brings a different philosophy to the after-dark offering. An avant-garde architectural vision with a genuine commitment to the music itself, programming world-class DJs through nights that extend into the following day's sunlight is what guests will find here. The rooftop terrace, with its cityscape panorama, provides a remarkable counterpoint to the interior's focused energy and tropical plantings. Cabana-style booths create an exotic and genuinely comfortable atmosphere.

Mynt Lounge

Mynt Lounge has long operated on Collins Avenue as the definitive expression of club exclusivity in South Beach. This intimate space attracts an international crowd of considerable means and consistent beauty, maintaining its reputation through rigorous curation rather than scale. The sense of having arrived somewhere genuinely selective is Mynt's primary offering, and it delivers it without apparent effort.

Story Nightclub

Story Nightclub, from the same creative group responsible for LIV, brings sheer physical scale to the equation with 27,000 square feet accommodating more than 60 exclusive VIP tables and five full-service bars. Premium bottle service is executed here with the same seriousness a fine restaurant might bring to a Michelin-starred wine program.

Others

Beyond these established addresses, the nightlife scene contains other experiences of a different character. Elrow, recently recognized as the best club in North America, is known for immersive themed events of surreal extravagance. Mayan Warrior, the acclaimed Mexican art car and music production, arrives at Art Basel each December to transform Wynwood's streets into one of the most talked-about nocturnal events on the global calendar.

Arts, Culture and Museums

Miami has cemented its position as a global cultural capital with a pace and confidence that continues to accelerate. The annual Art Basel Miami Beach, held each December and drawing galleries, collectors and artists from across the world, is merely the most visible expression of a city-wide commitment to artistic life that continues year-round. Between its performing arts institutions, world-class museum exhibits and the outdoor gallery Wynwood has become, the city offers a cultural program of genuine depth and range. For those wondering what the best things to do beyond the beach and nightlife are, this is where the city surprises most.

The Performing Arts

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts stands as one of the most architecturally significant buildings in the city and its most important cultural institution. As Florida's flagship venue for performing arts, it has hosted and developed some of the nation's most significant talents across its multiple stages, presenting Broadway productions, concerts, opera and locally produced theater with equal commitment and ambition. The scale of the complex reflects the seriousness of the city's cultural aspirations.

The Faena Theater

The Faena Theater, in the extraordinary Faena Hotel on Collins Avenue, operates at the opposite end of the performing arts spectrum in terms of scale but with equal ambition in programming. The velvet-lined interior was designed with deliberate reference to early 20th-century European cabaret spaces. It hosts productions of genuine daring such as cirque nouveau for audiences who have seen everything and still wish to be surprised. It is one of the city’s few cultural venues of genuine shock and seduction simultaneously.

Miami City Ballet

Miami City Ballet has established itself as one of the country's most acclaimed dance companies through productions that transcend classical ballet's traditional boundaries. The company achieves a genre-defying quality of performance that speaks to audiences well beyond dedicated ballet followers. Their international reputation for innovation ensures performances here are genuine cultural events rather than routine institutional programming.

The New World Symphony

The New World Symphony, composed of some of the country's finest young musicians, brings a particular quality of energy and ambition to the city’s orchestral life. Programming ranges from late-night concerts, formal galas, solo recitals to film screenings with live accompaniment. The program reflects a genuine desire to expand what orchestral music can mean for contemporary audiences.

Museums

The Pérez Art Museum Miami

The Pérez Art Museum Miami is the city's primary institution for international modern and contemporary art, housed in a building of considerable architectural distinction at Bayfront Park. Suspended gardens, terraced exterior and outdoor sculpture park create an environment where architecture and art exist in genuine dialogue, while the permanent collection and rotating exhibits maintain a standard of curatorial seriousness earning this art museum Miami-wide recognition and acclaim well beyond Florida. The Pérez is among the top attractions for anyone with a serious interest in art museum experiences.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens represents a different register of cultural heritage entirely. The Italianate palace built in 1916 for industrialist James Deering was intended at the time of its construction to appear centuries older than it was. This is a fantasy of European grandeur transported to the bay's edge by more than a 1,000 craftsmen over five years. The result is one of the most extraordinary historic houses in the United States. It is architecturally opulent, historically rich and set within formal gardens that descend to the water's edge.

The Bass Museum of Art

The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach is a significant platform for multicultural and diverse artistic perspectives, with a collection ranging from historical artifacts to cutting-edge contemporary design. Regular exhibits, workshops and educational programming make it one of the neighborhood's genuine cultural anchors.

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in North Miami maintains a forward-thinking profile, spotlighting local talent alongside international artists working at the edges of current practice. Its exhibits consistently reward attention from visitors who have already exhausted the more established cultural itineraries.

The open-air installations of Wynwood and the Wynwood Walls in particular, add a further dimension to the cultural landscape impossible to replicate elsewhere. Functioning as a rotating outdoor museum of large-scale commissioned works, the walls have become one of the most visited cultural attractions in the United States, drawing an audience far beyond the contemporary art world. Superblue Miami, an immersive art experience near the Design District, similarly pushes the boundaries of what a Miami art encounter can be, offering technologically driven installations captivating all.

Family Activities

Miami is home to some of the finest family-oriented institutions in the country, making it an exceptional destination for multi-generational travel. The city's unique tropical ecosystems and biodiversity provide a natural context for family exploration that goes well beyond the conventional cultural program and with the right planning, every day is a memorable adventure. For those with children considering a stay in Miami, or simply looking for the best things to do that appeal to all ages, venues below are genuinely world-class.

The Philip And Patricia Frost Museum Of Science

The Philip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science also known as the Frost Museum of Science in downtown Miami's Bayfront Park, has established itself as one of the country's most impressive science institutions. Its scope spans a fully operational aquarium, a state-of-the-art planetarium and two expansive science galleries, earning this museum a reputation as an essential activity for curious minds of any age. The rare achievement of maintaining genuine interest for both children and adults makes this an unusually rewarding destination for multi-generational groups. The aquarium alone justifies a full afternoon.

The Miami Children's Museum

The Miami Children's Museum offers hundreds of bilingual interactive exhibits across a curriculum of extraordinary range, from sensory rooms and rock climbing installations to educational camps and specialized courses. As one of the 10 largest children's museums in the United States, the Miami branch has become an integral part of the city's civic life. This is a playground for kids that multiple generations of Miami families return to across years and decades.

Jungle Island

Jungle Island on Watson Island has reinvented itself from its origins as the celebrated Parrot Jungle into a contemporary eco-adventure park of considerable excitement. New attractions like an outdoor wind tunnel, flight experiences, zip lines, an escape room and a Nerf battle stadium sit alongside natural exhibits and wildlife encounters, creating a full-day destination genuinely enjoyable for both children and adults.

The Miami Seaquarium

The Miami Seaquarium, occupying 38 acres on Virginia Key since its establishment in 1955, is one of the oldest and most loved oceanariums in the country. Marine mammals, sharks, sea turtles, birds, reptiles and manatees occupy exhibits of real scale. Various shows and encounter programs provide levels of engagement suited to different ages and interests. Taking the children to the Seaquarium remains one of the most enduring and choicest things to do for families visiting Miami.

Zoo Miami

Zoo Miami, formally the Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens, is the only tropical zoo in North America. This gives the institution a character that colder-climate zoos cannot replicate. More than 3,000 animals inhabit nearly 750 acres of naturalistic enclosures across more than 100 exhibits, connected by three miles of visitor paths served by tram tours, pedal boats, a carousel and seasonal programming.

Shopping

Miami's retail proposition is among the most compelling of any American city, deriving its character from a specific combination: year-round subtropical weather that makes outdoor shopping a pleasure. The area has a high concentration of genuinely affluent international visitors who appreciate the full range of luxury flagships and a civic identity that takes glamour seriously. Destinations below represent Miami's retail sector at its most spectacular.

Aventura Mall

Aventura Mall is the anchor of the luxury retail landscape in South Florida, drawing from across the region with more than 300 boutiques and brand flagships, more than 50 dining and restaurant options and a cultural program of museum-quality art installations that elevates the mall experience toward something more genuinely enriching. Chloe, Christian Louboutin, Cartier, Fendi and Hermès are among the fashion houses with collections that would do credit to any major international shopping destination.

Bal Harbour Shops

Bal Harbour Shops occupies its own category. It is one of the few remaining family-owned luxury shopping centers of international significance, operated by the Whitman family for decades with a commitment to quality and curation that commercial pressures have eroded from many comparable destinations. The open-air format includes Missoni, Ralph Lauren, Loro Piana, Prada and Versace within a setting of genuine elegance. This is more like a private club than a retail destination, which is precisely the point.

The Miami Design District

The Miami Design District transcends conventional shopping entirely, functioning as a hybrid of luxury retail, public art space and cultural district in which the experience of being present is itself the primary draw. Tom Ford, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Isabel Marant and Celine anchor the fashion presence, while Buckminster Fuller's Fly's Eye Dome, gallery spaces and celebrity-chef restaurants ensure that a morning at the shops in Miami's most design-forward enclave can expand naturally into an afternoon's cultural exploration.

Brickell City Center

Brickell City Center, the 500,000-square-foot retail complex at the heart of the financial district, brings premium and contemporary fashion brands like IRO, Maje, Sandro and Bally. The setting is a marriage of architectural ambition and urban energy. For those in Brickell or simply seeking a retail experience integrated with the city's commercial heart, it provides a concentrated and convenient answer.

Sports and Outdoor Recreation

The balmy climate and outdoor orientation that define the character of this city extend naturally into spectator and participatory sports. Miami is home to four major professional sports franchises with genuine civic pride, while golf courses, tennis facilities and recreational infrastructure provide outlets for active visitors throughout the year.

Major League Sports

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium represent not only the city's most storied sports franchise but one of professional football's historic clubs. The stadium has hosted six Super Bowls and has been selected as the venue for the Formula One Miami Grand Prix, confirming its status as a world-class multi-purpose facility. Attending a Dolphins game with private box access is among the most complete expressions of local sports culture.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat at Kaseya Center bring NBA basketball to a venue that hosts more than 80 non-basketball events each year, from major concert tours to national conference events. The arena's private box experience, combined with the Heat's consistently competitive on-court product, makes for an evening of genuine quality.

Miami Marlins

Miami Marlins baseball at loanDepot Park takes place in a facility that exemplifies contemporary ballpark design with a convertible rooftop, striking neomodern architecture and private box and VIP seating making the Major League Baseball experience accessible at a high level of comfort.

Golf

Miami's golf landscape is distinguished by both the quality of its courses and the extraordinary settings that Florida's subtropical terrain provides.

Biltmore Golf Course

Biltmore Golf Course in Coral Gables is the most historically significant of the area's courses. This 18-hole, par-71 championship layout was designed in 1925 by Donald Ross, one of the most important architects in American golf history. The course hosted The Miami–Biltmore Open in its early years, one of the wealthiest professional tournaments of its era and retains a character and dignity that speak to its impressive past.

Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne

Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne offers a counterpoint of natural beauty with its 18-hole championship course set within tropical foliage and surrounded by water and mangroves. Just 10 minutes from downtown, the setting is genuinely remarkable. You get the sense of being immersed in an exotic landscape while playing at a high technical standard is an experience few urban golf destinations can offer.

Miami Beach Golf Club

Miami Beach Golf Club, tracing its history to 1923, occupies a stunning slice of coastal terrain. Originally known as the Bayshore, this course was designed to draw visitors from across the country and continues to deliver that promise today.

Granada Golf Course

Granada Golf Course in Coral Gables, the oldest operating nine-hole course in Florida, provides a more intimate setting with a private-club atmosphere of genuine warmth.

Tennis

Miami has a strong tennis culture and the city's facilities reflect that. Flamingo Park Tennis Courts in South Beach have appeared on "Best of Miami" lists for years and carry a proud legacy including the Jr. Orange Bowl Tournament. Miami Beach Tennis Club offers 10 Har-Tru clay courts and two hard courts maintained to professional standards, with afternoon and nighttime matches available. The North Shore Tennis Center in North Beach and Sans Souci Tennis Center in North Miami round out a network of facilities making organized tennis available across the full length of the coastal strip and beyond.

Elevate Your Wellness Experience

Bring Miami's world-class spa experience directly to your villa

LVH In-home Spa Services

LVH In-Home Services and Wellness

The distinction between a luxury villa rental and a truly exceptional private stay lies entirely in what happens within the home itself. LVH's in-home services program transforms the villa experience into something approaching a private resort. Guests receive a fully staffed, comprehensively serviced residential environment where every aspect of daily life can be elevated according to their preferences.

In Home Services

Private Chef

A private chef brings a full professional kitchen operation to the villa, working with the family's dietary requirements, cuisine preferences and occasion-specific needs across a range from intimate private dinners to larger celebratory events. The caliber of culinary talent available in complete privacy, reflects the same standard as the best restaurants in Miami.

Mixologists, Bar Service and Entertainment

Private mixologists bring a specialist knowledge of cocktail craft. They are well-versed in molecular techniques, artisanal methods, Prohibition-era recipes and health-conscious preparations for private villa entertaining. Full bar service with professional bartenders covers setup, service and cleanup for gatherings of any scale and formality. A private DJ can curate the sonic environment for an intimate evening or a more significant occasion with equal facility. The broader LVH service catalog extends to professional photographers and drone operators for those wishing to document significant gatherings, as well as nanny services for families with young children and dedicated pet care for guests with animals.

Spa And Wellness

Spa Services

LVH's in-villa spa program brings certified therapists directly to the home for the full range of therapeutic services such as Swedish and deep tissue massage, sports therapy, prenatal care and four-hand massage experiences. Nail technicians, hair stylists and beauty professionals are available to prepare guests for Miami's occasions, a significant consideration in a city where evenings can move from informal waterfront dining to more formally demanding environments within the same evening.

Fitness and Wellness Training

For guests whose wellness practice is more active, LVH's trainers cover the full spectrum of contemporary physical culture like personal fitness trainers in strength, conditioning and boxing. There are also certified Pilates instructors in classical, mat, contemporary and clinical methods; yoga teachers across Vinyasa, Hatha, Power, Restorative and prenatal traditions and private tennis instructors for all levels. Every session takes place within the villa's private environment.

Getting There: Practical Information

Miami is one of the most accessible major destinations in the Western Hemisphere from virtually any point of origin, a function of its position as both a domestic hub city and the primary gateway between North America and Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

By Private Jet

Miami Opa-Locka Executive Airport (OPF)

Miami Opa-Locka Executive Airport (OPF) is the preferred point of arrival for private aviation guests visiting Miami Beach and the city's northern neighborhoods. Designated as a reliever to Miami International Airport, it offers no landing fees, rapid ground transit to the city's major residential areas (30 minutes to Miami Beach, 35 minutes to Downtown) and full FBO services including on-site U.S. Customs clearance. It is also home to the country's busiest Coast Guard Air/Sea Rescue Station. Approximate flight times: New York 3 hours 5 minutes, Los Angeles 5 hours, London 9 hours 15 minutes, Buenos Aires 9 hours 20 minutes, Hong Kong 18 hours.

By Commercial Air

Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale

Miami International Airport (MIA) handles the broadest range of international connections, with direct services to virtually every major European, Latin American and domestic hub. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), about 30-45 minutes north depending on traffic, serves as a practical alternative for guests whose itineraries begin in the city's northern neighborhoods.

Private Aviation Experiences

Helicopter and Seaplane Tours

Helicopter tours provide one of the most compelling introductions to Miami's geography. Sweeping from the downtown skyline over the causeways and islands of the bay to South Beach, this mode of transport reveals the full scale and spectacular setting of the city in a way that no ground-level perspective can offer. Miami tours by seaplane extend this perspective further, encompassing the skyline, beautifully restored historic lighthouses and the saltwater homes scattered along the bay's edges during a one-hour excursion.

Ground Transportation

Chauffeur Fleet and Exotic Cars

LVH's chauffeur fleet, including the Cadillac Escalade for smaller parties and Mercedes Party Sprinters accommodating up to 18 guests, ensures seamless movement between the arrival point and the villa, and between the villa and any destination throughout the stay. For guests with a preference for driving themselves, LVH's exotic car program offers the McLaren 720S, Lamborghini Evo, Ferrari Portofino, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Bentley Continental GTC. These vehicles are suited both to coastal highways and to the more demanding aesthetic expectations of the finest destinations.

Plan Your Trip to Miami

Miami resists easy summary. It is a place of genuine contradictions that somehow resolves itself, over the course of a stay, into something coherent and deeply memorable. The Art Deco perfection of Ocean Drive and the raw creative energy of Wynwood exist in the same city. The most technically accomplished Michelin-starred restaurants in the country share a zip code with beach clubs where the boundary between dining and dancing dissolves by midnight. Extraordinary natural beauty like the bay, the Florida Keys, the barrier islands and Everglades National Park sits at the doorstep of one of the most internationally connected cities in the Western Hemisphere.

For guests who explore Miami through a private LVH villa, the city reveals even further dimensions. Little Havana's vibrant streets and the Art Deco preservation legacy of the Miami Design Preservation League are among the cultural layers that reward slow, residential exploration. The specific character of a neighborhood, like the quiet of a La Gorce estate on a Tuesday morning, the particular quality of light on the bay from a Venetian Islands terrace at dusk, the energy of a South Beach penthouse on a Saturday night, becomes part of the stay. Miami attractions extend beyond the expected and those who stay longest discover the most.

The LVH collection across more than 30 neighborhoods – from South Beach and the Venetian Islands to Pinecrest and Golden Beach – offers the breadth of choice Miami’s geography demands and the quality of service discerning guests require. To begin planning your Miami stay, explore the full collection here.

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