This post's overview:
- 1 Best places to stay in Miami / South Beach for any budget
- 1.1 Shopping in Miami
- 1.2 Things to do in Miami Beach (besides shopping):
- 1.2.1 1. Take a Billionairs’ cruise from Miami Downtown
- 1.2.2 2. Drink a huge Margarita in one of the Cuban places near the South Beach
- 1.2.3 3. Head to the South Beach and swim in the Atlantic ocean
- 1.2.4 4. Go clubbing to Miami Downtown
- 1.2.5 5. Stare at the alligators in Everglades
- 1.2.6 6. Visit various Museums of Miami
- 1.2.7 7. Take a duck tour of Miami and South Beach
A few years back, we spent 4 days in Miami Beach and loved the place! In this post, you will find out about things to do in Miami Beach and all about shopping in Miami.
I must admit that we really loved Miami Beach! It’s a great place with a vibrant atmosphere, great weather all year long and the most delicious breakfasts. Unlike NYC (I honestly don’t like New York City that much and here’s why), it’s far less crowded and has a lot of fresh air.
Check the availability & price of flights to Miami now!
Where did we stay in Miami?
However, in order to enjoy Miami Beach, you need to stay in a really nice hotel/hostel, that’s why I recommend you to spend some time researching places with good reviews. We definitely liked our hotel: Mondrian South Beach: it was very stylish and had a wonderful view from the window (in the photo below). Waking up to this view was really priceless.

As you probably already know (in case you checked our previous posts), we usually manage to do a lot of sightseeing and get back home extra tired after walking the whole day. Miami Beach wasn’t our typical holiday, though. Most of the time we were chilling, walking around and eating. And shopping, of course.
Best places to stay in Miami / South Beach for any budget
If you’re researching some great places to stay in Miami / Miami Beach, look no further, I’ve got some suggestions for you. Simply click on the name of the hotel to see the availability.
Luxury hotels: EAST Miami, 1 Hotel South Beach.
3*-4* Hotels in Miami / Miami Beach: Urbanica Hotel, Blanc Kara (Adults only)
Superb affordable hotels: TRYP By Wyndham MIAMI Bay, Sorrento Villas.
Hostels in Miami / Miami beach: Rock Hostel, Hudson House Wynwood.

Shopping in Miami
Shopping in Miami Beach is beyond expectations. Apart from the famous shopping street (Lincoln Rd), where you can find all the possible and impossible brands, you can go to two huge shopping malls and outlets: Dolphin Mall and Sawgrass Mills. We chose the last one and spent there the WHOLE day. That’s proper shopping in Miami!
Sawgrass Mills is the biggest shopping mall I’ve seen in my entire life. I’ve been to 56 countries, did shopping in Dubai and Hong Kong, but I haven’t seen anything like Sawgrass Mills. It’s just enormously huge & full of great offers. For example, there’s a designer outlet with some fabulous flash sales: not only the prices were lower than in the retail stores ($100 dollars for a Kate Spade bag, for example), but there were also flash sales (which lasted only one day) in Gucci and Coach. You can see the shops with flash sales from far away: there is usually a long queue waiting to enter the shop. We got inside the Coach shop and they were selling the bags for just 90-120 dollars there. It’s actually really cheap for this brand and I really can’t imagine how it was in the Gucci store. So in case, you have a spare day and some money to spend, head to Sawgrass Mills. Of course, there are also cheaper brands, like Aeropostale, selling their T-shirts for $6 each (I bought 3) and Guess jeans for $25.
If you like shopping for brands online and looking for a great online designer outlet, I can recommend the Outnet, Fashionesta and Bluefly.

Besides shopping, there are many activities to do in Miami and Miami Beach.
Things to do in Miami Beach (besides shopping):
1. Take a Billionairs’ cruise from Miami Downtown
This cruise is a great opportunity to hear more about the history of Miami and stare at some of the most luxurious villas in the world. You tour guide will tell you a bit about every single villa you encounter on your way. You’ll see villas of David Beckham (we were even lucky to see David Beckham himself there, though I’m pretty sure it’s really annoying for the owners of the villas), Shakira and many other billionaires and celebrities. Check the availability of the cruises now.

2. Drink a huge Margarita in one of the Cuban places near the South Beach
Even though Margaritas a bit pricey in Miami (well, what isn’t pricey in Miami?), they are absolutely fabulous. If you aren’t a drinking legend, I wouldn’t recommend you to try the biggest of the Margaritas, unless you want to get wasted right away.

3. Head to the South Beach and swim in the Atlantic ocean
You can swim in Miami all year round. Even if you’re visiting Miami Beach in January, don’t worry, you will be still able to swim and sunbathe there (unless it’s raining). Miami Beach is really impressive – you’ll see this never-ending beach full of cheerful people and special planes flying around carrying ads for the best clubs in town.

4. Go clubbing to Miami Downtown
Miami is home to some of the best nightclubs in the world and the desired nightlife destination for many clubbing lovers. In case you aren’t familiar with any of the nightclubs in Miami – head to the beach and stay there for a while – you can spot few planes carrying banners for the upcoming shows in Miami Clubs. Or head to one of these nightclubs, they have made it to the 100 best clubs in the world (by DJ Mag) – Club Space Miami, ICON and E11LEVEN.
5. Stare at the alligators in Everglades
Everglades is the destination for wildlife lovers – you can hop on the airboat and go for a ride to see the alligators, crocodiles and various snakes not so far from Miami. You can book a tour and simply check the prices for that here.
6. Visit various Museums of Miami
Miami residents cannot complain about the lack of museums in their city, there are really many of them. In case you’re heading to Miami / Miami Beach for quite a while, some of Miami’s museums might be really interesting for you. Vizcaya Museum, the whole Design District, Ernest Hemingway’s Museum, Art Basel and plenty of other interesting places are available for you to visit.
7. Take a duck tour of Miami and South Beach
Explore the highlights of Miami in this cool duck tour of Miami and South Beach and see all the highlights in a couple of hours. Check the availability of the tour here.

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Woooo, I’ll have a giant margarita ?
I loved this article! I’m in St. Petersburg, FL, and I take people on scuba diving trips to the Keys all summer so I’m always looking for extracurricular activities for my divers that is a break from scuba. I haven’t spent time in Miami yet. I’m camping in the Everglades for the first time this weekend and I was thinking of popping into Miami just to get a taste. I will definitely be referring to your post when I get over there! Cute video too!
I’m headed here this summer and this is the perfect list to do! Thank you for writing!!
$100 for a Kate Spade bag!?! That’s one incredible deal! I have to go to this mall…and do all the other things you’ve listed in Miami beach! Sounds like a great time 🙂
Sounds like a great time! I’ve been to Florida so many times, but have not actually ever traveled to Miami! I guess the next time I visit I will have to give it a shot! Thanks for sharing!
I really want to go to Miami and the Keys. This is a great post and of course I will be shopping there too!
I bet, the best part of it all is shopping. Travel isn’t complete without shopping. Cruising is also a way to relax so I will definitely not to miss that. 🙂
There’s so much to do in Miami! This is a great roundup. I think that margarita looks especially perfect right about now 😉
Cruises, swimming and shopping – my kind of relaxing holiday! I went to Miami once as a child, but now there is so much more to see and do!
There is nothing better than a margarita after a day by the beach. This looks like an amazing getaway thanks for sharing your tips!
I have yet to visit Miami, but I’m excited to visit! Looks like I have a lot of great options. Margaritas at the top of my list!
Sounds like a great trip! I agree… Miami is better than NYC! It looks like you hit all the must sees in Miami. I am glad you enjoyed your trip! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks a lot, Courtney!