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Miami gives you a proper city attached to a very good beach, which is rarer than it sounds. South Beach has the Deco hotels and the crowds. Mid-Beach and Surfside are calmer and where the newer resorts sit.
Beach clubs and day beds
Most of the beach is public and free, but the hotels along Collins Avenue run day-bed service on their own stretches, and many sell day passes to non-guests.
When to go
November to April is dry season and the reason people come. Summer is hot, humid and stormy, and hurricane season runs June to November.
Where to stay
South Beach for nightlife and walkability. Mid-Beach for resorts with room to breathe. Key Biscayne if you want the water without the scene.