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Nightlife Miami never sleeps. When the sun goes down, the stars come out. Celebrities from the entertainment world spend the balmy tropical evenings sipping martinis at hip open-air cafés, before hitting the hot pulsating dance clubs, the cool jazz bars and the countless reggae, merengue and salsa venues. The main nightlife district is South Beach. In recent years, Prince and Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall have opened nightclubs here, while local heroes Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin both have restaurant-bars on Ocean Drive. South Beach’s Art Deco buildings – neon-lit with vibrant yellows, blues, pinks and purples – provide a suitably light-hearted backdrop to the hedonistic, funky night scene. In the evenings, the bars are abuzz with a colourful, cosmopolitan crowd. After midnight, the whole of South Beach throbs to the international rhythms of its club scene, which offers some of the hottest nightlife in America. Bars close around 0100 and nightclubs around 0600. The average price of a drink while out and about in Miami is US$6-8. The minimum drinking age is 21 years and it is advisable to carry ID. The minimum age for admission for all clubs in Miami Beach (including South Beach) is 21. Many clubs stage theme nights. Check out the New Times or the Friday section of the Miami Herald for further details and listings. Bars: The local scene changes frequently but the South Beach bars that are currently ‘in’ include Joia, 140 Ocean Drive, where Madonna celebrated her last birthday, Larios on the Beach, 820 Ocean Drive, owned by Gloria Estefan, with lethal mohitos (rum punch) and funky Cuban music nightly, Astor Place, 956 Washington Avenue, renowned for its martinis and Wet Willie’s, 760 Ocean Drive, with its outdoor deck, ocean view and irresistible frozen daiquiris. Other hotspots are the Clevelander Hotel’s legendary outdoor bar and dance club, 1020 Ocean Drive, with live nightly entertainment, and News Café, 800 Ocean Drive, one of the Beach’s coolest hangouts (open 24 hours), where Gianni Versace enjoyed his last drink, before being gunned down on the doorstep of his mansion, just two blocks away. The super stylish Pearl, One Ocean Drive, is a beachfront champagne bar for the rich and well dressed, while Raleigh Bar, 1775 Collins Avenue, serves up excellent rum punch in the wood-panelled hotel venue. Casinos: The Casino Princessa offers Las Vegas-style ‘gaming cruises’ for up to 600 passengers, with on-board blackjack, craps, roulette and slot machines. Four-and-a-half-hour trips leave Bayside Harbour (adjacent to the Hard Rock Café), 401 Biscayne Boulevard. Departure times are daily at 1230 and 1930, also Friday to Sunday at 0100. Dress code is casual, the minimum age is 21 years and ID is required. Clubs: You haven’t done the Miami club scene until you’ve been to Liquid, 1532 Washington Avenue, an impossibly exclusive club and favourite celebrity haunt, owned by Madonna’s best friend, Ingrid Casares. Another hot South Beach spot is the Casa Salsa, 524 Ocean Drive, a restaurant-cum-dance club, owned by Latin heart-throb Ricky Martin, which moves to the sounds of Puerto Rico. Likewise Samba Room, 1501 Collins Avenue, features authentic Latin-fusion in a frenetic atmosphere. The eccentric Crobar, 1445 Washington Avenue, has angels on bungee cords above the dancefloor and is frequented by George Clooney. In Coconut Grove, try Chili Pepper, Streets of Mayfair Mall, 2911 Grand Avenue, one of a handful of dance clubs in the area. Nelly and Queen Latifah have been spotted in Level, 1235 Washington Avenue, an old movie house and now a massive clubbing venue, while the Opium Garden, 136 Collins Avenue, is a dance club with a more Eastern atmosphere, attached to an excellent Asian restaurant. Big spenders and celebrities come to enjoy this open-air amphitheatre venue, including Enrique Islesias and Missy Elliot. Live music: For the latest Latin rhythms, try Café Nostalgia, 432 41st Street, Miami Beach, which has a small dancefloor and a house band playing authentic salsa music. La Covacha, 10730 Northwest 25th Street, is one of the hottest places in town for salsa, merengue and Latin hip hop, while the hugely popular Mango’s Tropical Café, 900 Ocean Drive, has flamboyant South Beach salsa with dancing on the tables and in the street. At Miami Beach, the laid-back Van Dyke Café, 846 Lincoln Road, and the more upmarket jazz club, Jazid, 1342 Washington Avenue, both have nightly live jazz and blues. |
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