The family hotels in Miami Beach, Florida - they still exist

Miami Beach hotels on Collins Avenue in South Beach

Miami hotels on Collins Avenue are usually outside the South Beach party area. Once upon a time, they were the kind of hotels that were typical of Miami Beach - back then thirty years ago, when mostly families with children and retirees headed to Florida to soak up the Florida sunshine. Some because they are for a few weeks escape the weather at home wanted, and the others because they planned to do so for the rest of their lives. At that time nobody thought of the drug barons who would later stretch out their arms to the metropolis on the Atlantic.

The hype of the young and beautiful who shape the image of South Beach today could not be imagined at the time. Most of these family hotels have now disappeared from Miami Beach, being replaced by bars and hotel palaces that are solvent. You can get the city fathers to bypass building codes and allow high-rise buildings to be built - much to the dismay of the Miami Beach conservationists who want to preserve the flair of the old Art Deco houses.

Many Miami Beach hotels on Collins Avenue are family owned

Some of these hotels have been run by the same family for generations, lovingly nurturing the flair of bygone times. You still remember how retirees once shaped the picture in South Beach.

The charm of Art Deco

Art Nouveau furniture underlines the character of these hotels. We feel transported to a different time, also in terms of the other areas of the hotels. At a time when everything was not as fast-paced as it is today. The lounges are reminiscent of old Hollywood films, in which Lauren Bacall lolled on a divan while Humphrey Bogart went on his adventures.

Eating by the pool

What we appreciate most about our Miami Beach hotel on Collins Avenue is the poolside breakfast restaurant. Every morning we enjoy breakfast under palm trees and with a view of the pool landscape. Then we set out to do more in Miami and the surrounding area. We take our time for this breakfast. Because what could be nicer than starting the day with good food, in the sun and blown by the winds of the Atlantic.

Have breakfast at Miami hotels on Collins Avenue in South Beach

We eat our way through the menu of the breakfast restaurant. First there is a breakfast with eggs, bacon, fried potatoes and toast for petar and an omelette with spinach, bacon and cheese for me. The next day I treat myself to a waffle with butter and a pot of maple syrup and Petar has a stack of pancakes with berries. The third day we start a little less calorie-rich with a bowl of seasonal fruit. There are strawberries, pineapples, oranges, kiwis and blueberries that are so crunchy that they will burst in your mouth.

By the way: Many of the hotels in Miami Beach on Collins Avenue have direct access to the ocean. If you don't want to swim in the pool, you just have to go through the gate at the end of the pool area and you are right on the sandy beach and the Atlantic Ocean. What more do you need for a beach vacation in Miami Beach?

Source: On-site research supported by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs, TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs, TravelWorldOnline