Miami is a sexy, sultry city with a strong Cuban and Latina influence, providing business visitors with three ultramodern convention centers, a unique assortment of boutique hotels, state-of-the-art deluxe resort properties and everything in between. Known as the Magic City, Miami is cosmopolitan; it offers glorious beaches, eclectic shopping, culturally diverse dining and a vibrant nightlife. Home to the world’s busiest cruise port, Miami enjoys global recognition as the base for such hit shows as CSI Miami, Miami Vice, and Dexter. Miami International is a major gateway to the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America, so even if you can only swing a one-night layover, grab it if you can; you will not be disappointed. Because yes, Miami is truly hot, both literally and figuratively.
Getting from the airport to the city centre
The Miami Beach Airport Express makes traveling to or from the Miami International Airport's Metrorail station to Miami Beach, fast, easy and convenient. It runs every 30 minutes and provides express service from 6 a.m. to 11:40 p.m., seven days a week.
Super Shuttle (305-871-2000) costs $20 per person to South Beach and $15 to downtown.
As of May 2015, taxis charge a flat rate of $32 to South Beach and $21.70 to downtown.
Getting Around Miami
A favorite local joke is that tourists arrive at Miami International, catch a cab into town and never leave until they repeat the process in reverse. Admittedly, getting around Miami-Dade County can be challenging due to traffic congestion and a labyrinthine public transportation system. For this reason, cars are the generally preferred mode of transport, particularly if you want to be on time for meetings!
While Miami's public transportation system is tricky to navigate, Metromover, its electric downtown train is terrific, but unfortunately, doesn't travel close to the emerging hotspot neighborhoods such as Wynwood, midtown, Edgewater, and the Design District. However, for local travel, Metromover is fun and it's free!
Uber and Lyft are car services operated by Miami locals. You need to download the app first, so if you are interested in ride sharing, check out their web sites: Uber and Lyft.
Local Eateries and Bar Hotspots
Miami offers a staggering selection of culinary diversity for the hungry palate: trendy, newcomer eateries; casual, outdoor food and wine festivals; spicy, authentic Latin American fare; trendy and traditional ethnic (Asian, Jamaican, Peruvian, to name but a few) cuisine; exotic celebrity chefs; waterfront dining; upscale South Beach hotel dining rooms; early bird specials; gritty cracker cookin', street vendors, and more. Everywhere, you will discover a loose fusion of Caribbean, Latin American and, Asian influences, utilizing fresh, locally-grown ingredients. Clearly, you have some dining decisions to make!
MiamiandBeaches.com and DiningOut.com break it down for you by neighborhood and cuisine to help minimize any stress over choosing that idyllic dining spot. While on your culinary tour, open yourself up to some of the fare unique to the area, such as plantain ice cream pie and key lime pie.
For the more relaxed client or colleague evening, you'll definitely want to enjoy a chilled cocktail at one of the city's scenic rooftop bars. Enjoy the refreshing ocean breezes, a fruity beverage and later, watch the sun melt into the horizon. For a classy after-work cocktail, try downtown's Pawn Broker, a sophisticated 1920s-era hotel transformed from an old-fashioned bank. Attracting an upscale after work clientele, the menu offers Prohibition-era drinks, such as Giggle Water, a spin on bathtub gin made with hints of lemon oil and lavender.
Want to impress an important client? Check out the Hottest rooftop bars in Miami.
Evening Entertainment
Miami attracts the beautiful people and nowhere is this more apparent than in the SoBe (South Beach) area, where happy hours are a downright ritual, rather like morning coffee. For some lively people watching, hit the Wynwood Art deco district and its newest hot spot, El Patio. The Latin beat pulses, as does the energy and if that isn't enough draw, try the $1.00 beer.
Brickell, the edgy urban neighborhood features Quinto La Huella, an unexpected oasis for cocktails in a lush hidden garden amidst Brickell's soaring towers of steel and glass. This is the perfect spot to impress that perfect client.
Miami is the club capital of the southeast; sulfurous clubs attracting sun-kissed beauties glitter, glow and shine until the early morning hours. For a definitive list of what dance clubs are sizzling and when, check out Club Zone. For so cool you can't stand it, check out Basement Miami, an ultra hip Studio 54 inspired club, featuring a bowling alley, skating rink, and nightclub.
For the Health and Fitness Conscious
A keen runner? If you want to run through this vibrant city, mapmyrun.com offers hundreds of running routes with maps, elevations and distances, so you can plan, track, analyze and share your journey. Download the free app today because it covers just about anywhere your trainers will take you and has routes that you can easily fit around your working day.
Gym facilities that offer day passes and discounts to visitors:
Miami Beach Gym in the north section of Miami Beach offers myriad fitness classes and discounted day passes; if you plan to be in town longer, do ask about multi-day, or weekly passes.
Rise Health & Fitness will email you a 5-day pass after you register online.
Retail Therapy
From haute couture, to outlet malls and designer boutiques, Miami promises and delivers a genuine shopping nirvana to fashionistas. Seemingly endless shopping opportunities abound in modern, sprawling malls and the quiet, personal attention offered by the family-owned shops of Coconut Grove and other corners of the region address pretty much any retail therapy need or desire.
Fancy Something a Bit Different?
Contrary to what might be suggested by the beach scene, Miami is in fact a bustling, dynamic business center with three major convention centers and a broad assortment of budget-minded through first-class resort properties.
For all other events - Miami events.
Right, that’s your itinerary covered. Now for all your business hotel booking needs, Roomex has you covered. No costs, no fees, no contracts, it’s a no-brainer. Request a demo to see why it's so popular with Office Managers and Personal Assistants.
Looking for the inside track on all of Europe's highlights? Download our Ultimate European City Guide for Business Travellers below. We've covered all the main business capitals and we're adding a new city every week. If you know someone who travels a lot on business, download it below for free and share it with them!
