DK Travel : Miami

At its best, Miami is all pastel hues and warm, velvety zephyrs – a tropical reverie. The culture is sensuous and physical, often spiked with Caribbean rhythms and accents. Outdoor activities hold sway throughout the area, at the world-famous beaches and in the turquoise waters; the vibrant nightlife, too, attracts pleasure-seekers, while significant historical sights are around every corner.

Coral Castle

One Edward Leedskalnin created this huge coral rock Valentine heart to win back his fickle love. She remained unmoved by his Herculean labors, however, and he died here alone in 1951.
Coral Castle

This monument to unrequited love speaks volumes about early Florida’s place in US history as a refuge for misfits, eccentrics, and visionaries. Land was cheap (the creator of Coral Castle bought his acre plot for $12 in 1920) and the population was sparse, so it was easy to do your own thing without being bothered. But how this gargantuan folly was actually constructed remains an enigma.
Coral Castle

A castle it isn’t, but a conundrum it certainly is. From 1920 to 1940, Latvian immigrant Edward Leedskalnin built this mysterious pile as a Valentine to the girl back home, who had jilted him in 1913. No one knows how he singlehandedly quarried and transported the 1,100 tons of tough coral rock, carved all the enormous chunks into monumental shapes, and set them all into place so flawlessly. One nine-ton gate is so exquisitely balanced that it opens with the pressure of your little finger.

Coral Castle
Coral Castle

A lovesick Latvian immigrant’s valentine to the girl back home who spurned him. These bizarre monoliths form one of the area’s oddest monuments, yet it is strangely touching nevertheless (see Coral Gables Merrick House).
Coral Gables City Hall

Denman Fink created the mural on the bell tower. The one above the stairs is by John St. John.
Coral Gables Merrick House

The house where the Merrick family lived in the late 1800s and where George Merrick, Coral Gables’ master builder, grew up. The contrast between the modest surroundings of his home and the spectacle of his grandiose dreams is fascinating (see Merrick’s Coral Gables Fantasies).
Coral Gables Merrick House

The boyhood home of George Merrick (see Merrick’s Coral Gables Fantasies) has been restored to its 1920s look, and it’s remarkable to reflect on how modest the man’s background was compared to the grandeur of the dreams he realized. The city of Coral Gables took its name from this house. The stone was quarried from what is now the Venetian Pool.
Coral Tree Inn and Oasis Guesthouse, Key West

The award-winning maleonly duo, on opposite sides of Fleming St, form the largest accommodation option on a very gay block. All properties along here are beautifully restored period buildings with heated pools, Jacuzzis, and all the charms for which Key West is famous.
Cosmopolitan

Variations on this vodka and Cointreau theme are creative. Often done with cranberry and/or orange notes.
Crandon Beach

One of several South Florida beaches that are rated among the top ten in the entire US, this one is on upper Key Biscayne (see Crandon Park).

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Hotel price categories

For a standard, double room per night (with breakfast if included), taxes and extra charges.
- under $100
- $100–$200
- $200–$250
- $250–$300
- over $300