The hotel is close to Collins Park on Miami Beach, in Will Smith’s favourite Floridian city.
Planes
Miami International Airport is 11 miles away from Life House; the drive should take 25 minutes. Taxi apps (Uber, Lyft) make it easy to hail a cab from the airport.
Trains
Miami Amtrak station is a 25-minute drive from the hotel. The Silver Service/Palmetto line calls in here, after stopping off all the way along the East Coast, starting in New York City, via Philadelphia, Charleston and Savannah, as well as other cities in Florida (including Orlando and Tampa).
Automobiles
The hotel is in downtown Miami Beach, within easy walking distance of South Beach, but if you want to see more of the city, especially over on the mainland, your own car will come in handy. There’s a public car park nearby, at which the hotel has negotiated a discounted daily rate of US$30. It’s about a 10-minute walk from here to Life House, so drop your bags off first.
Worth getting out of bed for
It’s Miami, and so it’s probably hot and humid, so do yourself a favour and head up to the hotel’s rooftop to hang out by the plunge pool, or cool off with some canalside cocktails on the terrace. Once you’re temperature-controlled, endless art deco architecture awaits.
Don’t miss a trip to The Bass on Collins Avenue, a one-stop culture shop with art exhibitions, a sculpture garden and regular lectures, all in a historic art deco space. Keep things highbrow with a night out at the ballet; Miami City Ballet has been wowing people with displays of flexibility since 1985. If you just can’t get enough of all the art deco design, sign up for a walking tour, where someone will helpfully point out all of the pretty, pastel buildings of note in this heritage district. Miami Beach is a short walk from the hotel, but for a wider, quieter stretch, head north to Bal Harbour Beach. Lighthouse Family fans (no shame here): we know you’re going to want to head to Ocean Drive. While you’re down that way, check out South Pointe Park, at the southernmost tip, and the pier.
Bal Harbour Shops is the open-air mall for you if you love palm-lined retail paradises and travelling back in time.
Local restaurants
Go hungry to Yardbird and fill up on fried chicken, shrimp’n’grits and other classic Southern comfort food. You’re surrounded by water so you can bet the seafood is going to be good – head to Stiltsville Fish Bar on Purdy Avenue for oysters, tiradito and tuna crudo. For the best pizza outside of New York City, try beloved Brooklyn import Lucali, but make sure your name’s down before 5pm to ensure the carb-loading can commence. More Italian feasting awaits at Macchialina, where dishes include short-rib and taleggio lasagne, locally made burrata and veal parmigiana.
Local bars
For some all-American fun, join the party at Sweet Liberty, where the cocktails are creative (Velvet Sideswipe: mezcal, chilli-infused liqueur, pineapple, lemon and black pepper) – or sometimes just creatively named (Basic Bitch: vodka, St Germain, prosecco and strawberry).
