So glam, so hip, So-Be

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21 JULY 2004
On the beach
Fancy topping up your tan between clubbing and shopping? The beach is huge and while anywhere else would be packed from dawn to dusk, here, peak time is from noon until 5pm. You can’t miss the lifeguard hunks with oiled pecs in their Art Deco watchtowers – like statues waiting to be admired. And its rich architectural heritage combined with the fact that a new hostelry seems to spring up every six months, means South Beach offers a broad and interesting range of accommodation such as the reasonably priced Townhouse hotel.

Get an eyeful
Impossible to believe that after the glitzy 1930s when South Beach was the rendezvous of the likes of Clark Gable and Rita Hayworth, the area went so downhill that the developers couldn’t be bothered to knock down its crumbling buildings. Thanks to the conservationists and entrepreneurs who set about restoring the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the world, SoBe is now on the US National Register of Historic Places. Pay homage by walking or rollerblading round the 600 treasures, taking in the detail: the friezes, Egyptian portals, Mayan symbols. There are also tours run by the Miami Design Preservation League for $20.