First visit to Miami
 

I'm visiting Miami for the first time next weekend for a long weekend. I'll be staying at the Doubletree Downtown (points redemption).

I have a few questions.

1. Is it safe to walk around downtown on my own in the evening. I envisage going down to the area where the HRC appears to be for dinner/drinks.

2. I plan on spending a few hours at the beach. As I'll be on my own is it advisable to rent a sunbed and have a dip? Will my belongings be safe? Is there any part of the beach best for this?

I plan on doing an everglades airboat trip. Is there anything else I ought to do/see in Miami? Sports?

TIA.
G

Downtown is very safe; obviously be smart with your surroundings but you'll be fine. Don't hang out near the Hard Rock Cafe unless you like being surrounded by tourists. Take the monorail (it's free) to Brickell and enjoy drinks and dinner there; it's only a 5 minute monorail ride from where HRC is. If it's past midnight on a weekday/2-3am on a weekend, go to Park West (also in downtown) for drinks, as all the drink spots there are either open into the early morning or simply don't close. Or take in Uber into the arts district for trendy bars/restaurants ($6-8 ride from downtown, if even).

You don't need to to rent a sunbed, just bring a beach towel and pull up a spot. Your belongings will most likely be safe. I've never worried about leaving them with my towel. But, again, be smart about it (e.g. bring a wallet with one credit card, little cash; don't leave a fancy watch). The best part of the beach is South Beach between 5th and 17th.

Miami is a late city - dinner time is 9/10pm, bars are open until 4-5am even on weekdays - so keep that in mind when planning your day. If you like shopping, hit up Lincoln Road (traditional retailers like H&M, Diesel, etc.) or Design District (high-end like Cartier, Louis, etc.).

Within downtown get around using the MetroMover for free, otherwise use Uber, which is incredibly cheap in Miami.

Many thanks for taking the time to post that info which is hugely informative and has changed my plans for my trip.

Also, if you're renting a car, please make sure you know where you are going and Heaven forbid go way under the speed limit. Lots of tourists seem to go slow, maybe it is because they are seeing the sights or are lost etc but keep in mind that many, many people, including me, commute down from FLL and even PBI to Miami for work. Traffic is bad enough already, please do your part to keep it moving. :)

-LPDAL

Fear not my friend. I'll be drinking, not driving. If I was driving you'd be most likely getting in my way - not the other way round. I drive fast ;)

Also, all the hotels will charge upwards of $30.00/day for parking your rental car. If you can avoid renting it will be a lot cheaper.