MIAMI: What’s there not to like?

Sunny weather, clear blue skies, sun-kissed body, flashy cars and sexy women in real short skirts/dresses pretty much summed up Miami for me. It has a positive vibe and I can’t help but feel excited to be in this huge city. We checked into Southbeach Hostel for our first night, which we decided that we would cancel the subsequent stay after coming back from Key West.

The hostel is supposedly voted the top 10 hostel in the US by Hostelworld but honestly, I don’t know what’s the fuss about. It’s a small place by the standards of the hostels that I’ve stayed in the past (ie. San Francisco, Cape Town and Frankfurt). We took the mixed dorm for 4 persons and it was such a small room! The two bunk beds were literally next to each other and the only other thing they could fit in the room is a row of 4 lockers. Toilets and shower rooms are too few for the number of rooms they have and the night we stayed on, the hostel was full. It has a full bar that opens until 5am, which means guests of the hostel have to tolerate loud music till wee hours in the morning. Wifi is only available at the lobby and again, there were too few seats available for the number of guests the hostel caters to. The kitchen smelled awful and one of our 4 pieces of leftover pizzas in the fridge went missing the next morning even tho’ we wrote our names and room number!.

So upon coming back from Key West on Saturday, we went hunting for a new lodging (we had to forfeit one night stay at Southbeach Hostel due to late cancellation) and managed to get a room at Beachcomber Hotel, which is also located at South Beach. We’ve made a point not to stay in hotel room as much as possible but in this case, we didn’t have a choice. Guesthouses are limited in South Beach as most lodging comprised of boutique hotels such as Beachcomber. Patricia at the reception was really helpful. She got us a double bed room (2 queen beds) as well as a 3-day parking at the sister hotel, Nassau one block down the road for $16 per day. Parking at South Beach can be a horror as street parking is limited and on-site parking can be really expensive.

Blue eyes had earlier booked us tickets for American football on Sunday and it turned out to be an exciting experience. Watching the game live (Miami Dolphins vs Oakland Raiders) is different than watching it on tv. Adrenaline runs high at Sun Life Stadium and excitement is in the air. Families flocked the stadium in Miami Dolphins’ jerseys and t-shirts, or in orange and green (the team’s theme colours). A number came in their pick-up trucks and SUVs and parked outside the stadium and pulled out their mobile grillers for an afternoon picnic - tailgating. More than a game, it’s really a community and family affair.

We bought the cheapest tickets ($69 including taxes) and the seats were good enough to see the action on the field. Long hair, slim figure cheerleaders with huge boobs (their cleavage was overflowing!) were doing their dances and the crowd was cheering. It’s the football season and Miami Dolphins played to the crowd’s delight – they won 34-14. They were fast and brutal, and left no chances for the team. Everytime the Dolphins had a touchdown, the crowd jumped up and sang and danced along the theme song. Towards the end of the 10 minutes, the Dolphins relaxed a little and allowed the Raiders to gain 14 points. All in all, a great way to spend the Sunday afternoon.