We spent a few nights in South Beach as a prelude to a Caribbean cruise out of Miami, although if your cruise ship departed from Ft. Lauderdale thats really just a hop, skip and a jump away. We stayed at the Marriott Stanton which is located very near the beginning of Ocean Drive and is right on the beach. In general this section of Ocean drive is a good bit more quiet than further up the road which we did find an appreciation for once the sun went down. The Marriott Stanton Hotel The rear of the hotel facing the pools Relax and forget your troubles in the hotel's pools And of course the beach Complete with beautiful sunsets over the Ocean We arose each morning to a beautiful sunrise and would begin our day with a short walk to breakfast. We would start our day with a good breakfast at the News Cafe. Located at 8th street and Ocean Drive in the Art Deco district it is an icon among South Beaches many. Being open 24/7 with both outdoor and indoor tables, its ideal for dining anytime of the day. Its been open since 1988 and so it has seen and survived the many changes that have occurred in South Beach over that period of time. The food was very good but the real appeal to me was that its location and status make it a perfect spot to enjoy a meal and people watch at the same time. The News Cafe's outdoor tables The News Cafe menu Enjoying the News Cafe Having finished our wonderful breakfast we moved on to explore Ocean Drive. Walking along Ocean Drive seems to always bring up something interesting, different, unique and sometimes strange, at least to me. The sights and sound are very lively, especially when the sun goes down. The neon lights come on and the music gets very loud. Its a metamorphosis from the daytime sights and sounds. Sights along Ocean Drive The Breakwater hotel part of the Art Deco scene The Iconic Tides Hotel A little bit of Havanna The Tides at night, what a difference An endless display of Neon Light The Hotel Victor Located just a short walk from our hotel the Cibo Wine Bar boasts to be Miami beaches biggest Italian restaurant. It's design is unique, kind of a cross between old world and modern. Their tables are butcher block which gives the place a rustic feel. They have a huge 2 story wine room complete with a wine angel on a harness to retrieve your selection. We shared an order of calamari and both got pizzas. We probably could have easily shared one pizza as we both took part of our pizzas back to our hotel. Their bread was very flavorful, kind of like focaccia and it had some special seasonings that made it quite excellent. Our server brought us both a glass of limoncello to complete our dining experience. All in all a great meal. Tables at Cibo's The wine room with wine angel We decided to take the South Beach Art Deco Walking Tour to learn a little bit about this very unique architecture. The tour is between 1 & 1/2 and 2 hours long and gives you a unique perspective on the Art Deco designs found In South Beach. We passed by many hotels, restaurants and other commercial buildings and got to go inside and see several of the interiors. Our guide has only lived in Miami for about 5 years but he was well versed on the history of the style and gave us details of each of the buildings he took us to. I learned much about the Art Deco style and how and why the preservation movement started. Although it was hot and very humid our guide could always find us some shaded areas to stand in while he talked about a particular building. I highly recommend this walking tour. Several examples of the Art Deco Architecture Having just completed the Art Deco walking tour we really needed to cool off. We walked onto the beach down to the water. There was a nice breeze coming in from the water which helped cool us down a bit while we walked back to our hotel to relax a bit. The South Beach is very wide and also deep at most points. I'm sure this helps to protect Ocean Drive and its buildings from the effects of the surf. The sand and water felt nice between our toes as we made our way down towards our hotel. A really nice and mostly clean beach I'd say. South Beach Later that afternoon we decided to try a mojito At Havana 1957 on Ocean Drive. I was fascinated by the decor and the old Havana motif of course. We were seated outside very quickly and said we just wanted to order drinks. Their drink menu was quite extensive and their selection of mojito's was impressive. My wife ordered the Passion Fruit Mojito and I tried the Raspberry Mojito. While we were waiting our server brought us a bowl of plantain chips. These were very good, crunchy with a slightly sweet taste of banana's. Our Mojito's came very quickly and we were enjoying them while people watching from our table. Both of our drinks was unique and quite delicious. Next time we are in South Beach we will try either lunch or dinner here but unfortunately our schedule didn't allow for eating here this trip. Mui Bien! A day in Havana The happy couple enjoying their Mojito's I think their trying to tell us something Oh well on to dinner. It seems we left Cuba and were heading to Italy. We chose a small little restaurant called Pane & Vino. Having only about 12 tables the decor was very homey and the staff was very welcoming. We shared orders of fried Shrimp with Calamari and Zucchini. YUM is the easiest way to describe it. Their bread was excellent and definitely worth the calories. My wife ordered the Cannelloni with ricotta and spinach in a bechamel sauce. I went with the Tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce. Again Yum is the appropriate response. We had an Italian wine blend of Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet which was superb. We decided to share a dessert and went with their Tiramisu. It was presented separately and put together at our table. The server started with lady fingers followed by espresso and then the mascarpone which was creamy. He finished it off with powered chocolate. What a very unique way to serve Tiramisu and by the way it tasted so good as well. This place is worth trying but I recommend making a reservation because of the small number of tables. YUM Preparing the Tiramisu at our table The next afternoon we wanted to walk along the famous Espanola Way. Once we made it there we were a little disappointed as the city was doing some repair work along part of the street but as the sign said they were open so we made the best of it we could. We still could see many of the interesting sights and could here the sounds and could definitely smell the many interesting things to eat that were being prepared. The construction barriers were all decorated Open for business Tapas and Wine The on going construction did keep people away Our final look at Espanola Way For our final dinner we found a Greek restaurant only a few minutes walk from our hotel. Santorini by Georgios is actually located in the Hilton Bentley at the very beginning of Ocean Drive. The food was truly excellent. We ordered the flaming Saganaki and Calamari rings with Tzatziki. We ordered a bottle of greek wine with our dinner. The bottle I actually wanted to order they didn't have any so I went with the server recommendation. My wife got the salmon and I got the Chicken Souvlaki. Everything was very good. We shared some Baklava and also a piece of Quattro Leche Cake. What I especially enjoyed about the food was that it reminded me of food I've eaten in Greece. If you enjoy authentic Greek food that hasn't been americanized then try Santorini by Georgios. The flaming Saganaki The Baklava and Quattro Leche Cake This was a nice little visit to South Beach. There is so much more to see and do and also so many more restaurants to try. But fear not for South Beach is a place we will definitely return to and explore more. Tomorrow we head to the port of Miami to go on a Caribbean Cruise which will be the subject of another posting.
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