Miami metropolis – quaint exoticism with a Caribbean feel

Unbridled joie de vivre, lively exoticism with a Caribbean feel under a pastel-colored coat of paint – that’s the Miami metropolitan region. Once in a lifetime, you want to join the rich and famous, and you can in this dazzling vacation region. Once you’ve been there, you don’t really want to leave.

The city magically draws you in and gives the impression that there are only happy people here. No wonder, because when the sun glistens over the VIP islands with their countless luxury villas and yachts, you feel like you belong for a short time, even if you only drive past them. Then you buy yourself a sinfully expensive cocktail on Ocean Drive and take part in the perpetual “see and be seen”.

Pan-American-Latin American influences

The appearance of the well-known crime series Miami Vice and CSI Miami seems to be deceptive: You simply can’t imagine that there are such bad people up to mischief here as portrayed on television. And yet crime does exist, because in Miami there are huge economic disparities and a deep gap between rich and poor.

Miami is a mecca for refugees from the Caribbean and there are neighborhoods such as the western suburbs of Hialeah and Hialeah Gardens, where over 90 percent of the population is Spanish-speaking. For geographical reasons, Cubans make up the majority of Hispanics in Miami. Although vacationers may not feel the influence of the Pan-American-Latino mix of the population, their exotic lightness, liveliness and cheerfulness are spread evenly throughout Miami-Dade County by the wind, sun and water.

Miami at a glance

Greater Miami has a lot to offer, from enchanting Key Biscayne to dreamy Coral Gables and crazy Ocean Drive. Here you will find the unique Art Deco district, which is just a stone’s throw away from the beautiful sandy beach with its typical blue beach loungers and colorful lifeguard houses.

For a good overview, take a ride on the Metromover over downtown or, for those with a head for heights, take the Miami Sky Lift up into the sky. There are a few art sites worth seeing in the Design District. You can experience the pure Caribbean with cigars and Cuban rum in Little Havana and Little Haiti.

Nearby Coral Gables enchants with its dreamy avenues, venerable old Luyus villas, a fantastic Italian outdoor pool and the incredible Biltmore Hotel. Finally, on the island paradise of Key Biscayne, you can escape the hustle and bustle of the city and relax on one of the beautiful snow-white beaches.