Miami for Long Islanders: What to do on a quick Florida getaway

Long Islanders can fly nonstop to Miami with new service started by Southwest Airlines from Islip’s MacArthur Airport to Miami.

While the city has long been known as a prime destination for ready-to-party spring breakers, Miami Beach is also hospitable to peace-and-quiet types, not just beachgoers but lovers of art and cultural excursions as well, along with fans of great food and shopping. In short, this an ideal spot for fall and winter breaks and perhaps even spring ones too.

Friday 4 p.m.: Checking Into History

South Beach is noisy, North Beach is sleepy, and between them lies the Miami goldilocks known as Mid Beach, whose most famous hotels are synonymous with refined fun and the architecture of Morris Lapidus, whose self-proclaimed motto was "too much is never enough." You’ll see why when you check in at the Eden Roc Hotel, a 1956 icon that’s named for a French Riviera resort, inspired by the Italian Renaissance and stands as a textbook example of the Miami Modern style. Its gigantic circular lobby is decorated with tall pillars of East Indian rosewood that seem intent on poking holes in its high ceilings, and the three pools and private beach almost beg you not to leave the premises.

Part of a 621-room complex that includes a sister property, the Nobu, the Eden Roc’s rooms have a spaciousness that clearly belongs to another era, many with breathtaking balcony views of the turquoise waters just a stone’s throw from the grounds. And not far away sits a second stately Lapidus structure, the impossibly grandiose Fontainebleau, which has hosted celebrities past and present, made cameo appearances in flicks like "Goldfinger," "Scarface" and "The Bodyguard" and boasts one of Miami’s hottest nightclubs, LIV.

8 p.m.: Cuban and more

For over six decades, Miami’s Little Havana, just over the bridge from the beach, has been a home for Cuban refugees, and more recently several other Latin nations besides. First stop: Eighth St., aka Calle Ocho, a broad thoroughfare that never seems crowded despite the presence of umpteen establishments for drinking and (salsa) dancing. Go early to get a flavor of the neighborhood at Maximo Gomez Park, where the soundtrack is a nonstop clicking of dominoes played by elderly locals, or hear the bands at Ball & Chain, and stay late for the beginner salsa lessons offered on certain nights, or head up the street to the Cubaocho Museum & Performing Arts Center, which, name aside, turns into a most appealing dance club at night. Along the way, don’t forget to pick up a freshly rolled cigar at any of a number of places on the street, snag a cup of that sweet and strong concoction known as Cuban coffee at La Colada Gourmet, and eat a late dinner at Cafe La Trova, perhaps the finest restaurant in the neighborhood, with its signature mojitos, steak empanadas and arroz con pollo, or grab a quick bite at the walk-up window at Sanguich de Miami, whose Cuban sandwiches are legendary.

Saturday 8 a.m.: Breakfast on the ocean

Even if you rise early, it’s a cinch that the staff will be ready to open the shades at the waterside Ocean Social at the Eden Roc, where it’s likely your table will be equidistant from a bountiful daily buffet and the pounding surf. But don’t overlook the a la carte options. Nearly every menu item marks this place as an overachieving breakfast spot, from its Cuban breakfast (eggs, ropa vieja, black beans and rice served in a flaming hot skillet), to its salmon avocado toast, to the inspired blend of beans in its coffee.

10 a.m.: Spectacular flora (and fauna too)

Thanks to its year-round equable climate, a wealth of exotic plants can be found all over the Miami area. Still, you won’t see a greater variety in one place than at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 30 minutes south in Coral Gables. The 83-acre preserve, considered by many to be among the best in the world, is home to a jaw-dropping 3,400 different species, including an abundance of native plants, fruit trees and shrubbery, a veritable Eden beyond the Roc. Along with an ever-changing collection of plants on display, Fairchild is home to a sizable human-made rain forest with streams, waterfalls and thousands of orchids which, like the elaborate fog system used to unearthly effect, are delicately attached to trees.

Expect to get lost while navigating Fairchild’s extensive network of paved trails, not to mention cross paths with invasive iguanas and the occasional crocodile. And while butterfly gardens are legion these days, few contain the variety of specimens in Fairchild’s Wings of the Tropics, a large conservatory where over 40 butterfly species from all over the world flit around your head.

1 p.m.: Lunch with a view

Just across the bay sits a 5-mile-long barrier island that was once a coconut plantation and now goes by the name of Key Biscayne, and features a chic, upscale collection of shops and restaurants. Along the way, make a pit stop on smaller Virginia Key and The Rusty Pelican, an eatery that pairs reasonably priced seafood with million-dollar views of the Miami skyline, the latter best viewed from the restaurant’s open-air waterside porch. Tacos stuffed with blackened cubes of corvina — a type of whitefish — are among the highlights, as are the raw bar, shrimp tempura bao buns drizzled with eel sauce, and MLT sandwiches (M as in mahi-mahi).

2:30 p.m.: A beach of one’s own

Key Biscayne wears its pricey exclusivity as a badge of honor, but the island also contains miles of unspoiled public beaches like those at Crandon Park. Solitude and privacy are not words one often uses for Miami beaches, but it’s not unusual to have whole swaths of sand to yourself on Crandon.

When the waters are calm, try your luck with stand-up paddleboards — available for rent, along with kayaks, at a park kiosk — or plop down on the sand and watch intrepid kiteboarders surf the waves just offshore.

6 p.m.: A dinner of delicacy

"You’re lucky, stone crab season started just this week," said our tuxedo-clad server in October at Joe’s Stone Crab, a Miami institution for over a century and the best place to get your hands on Florida’s famous sweet and succulent crustaceans, with their peach-colored black-tipped claws. (The season continues through May.) Harvested from local sea grass meadows and reefs, the delicious creatures are best enjoyed alone or, at most, with bread and garlic butter. They also draw crowds every night of the week to Joe’s no-reservation dining room. Improve your chances of getting a table by heading to the restaurant’s website beforehand and putting your name on the maitre d’s list, which opens two weeks in advance. Or, if all else fails, head to the market next door, where you can get your crabs — and Joe’s fine Key lime pie — to go.

8 p.m.: Deco decorum

At night, the strip of hotels along South Beach’s Ocean Drive is a cacophony of crowd sounds, piped-in music and noisy bachelorette parties. But that’s also the best time to take a walking tour of Miami Beach’s famed Art Deco Historic District. Much of Ocean is mercifully closed to traffic these days, but if you’re looking to avoid the chaos, cross the street and observe the proceedings from the safe distance of Lummus Park. By day the slender strip is besieged by rollerbladers, cyclists and the like, but at night it provides a perfect vantage point from which to observe the architectural whimsy of the little hotels’ porthole windows, eyebrow dormers and general geometric zaniness. And if you’re looking to learn more about the history of this one-of-a-kind district, which extends to streets beyond Ocean, the Miami Design Preservation League offers a self-guided audio tour that you can take whenever and at whatever pace you like.

Sunday 10 a.m.: A Turkish breakfast

Rare is the mall experience that qualifies as restorative, rejuvenating or re-anything really. But downtown Miami’s Upper Buena Vista, a self-described "retail sanctuary," is not like any other mall. Under the shade of a giant banyan tree that’s at least a hundred years old sit about a dozen small boutiques run by local artisans, along with cute, bespoke eateries. First among these is the Michelin Bib-Gourmand-winning El Turco, an attractive blue-and-white-tiled outdoor cafe. The popular breakfast tray is an assemblage of eggs, Persian cucumber, kashkaval cheese and simit — Turkey’s answer to the bagel — and bountiful enough for two. And latecomers needn’t worry. El Turco’s trays are served until 4 p.m.

Noon: An artistic rebirth

During the 20th century, much of Miami’s downtown area was crime-ridden, but in the 21st it’s been transformed, particularly in the Wynwood Walls section, a vast outdoor gallery of murals that’s home to perhaps the greatest collection of street art in the world. Artistic expression may be glimpsed on nearly every inch of real estate in the neighborhood, including on several palm trees whose trunks have been covered in faces that stare in every direction and painted every color, bas-reliefs carved out of what looks like cement but is actually a clay created from soap, charcoal ash, paper and other materials. And if you’re lucky, the artist Michael Addis will be there too, adding faces to yet another tree.

Once addicted to cocaine and living on the streets, Addis’ sculptural journey began in prison, where he became fascinated by dice that his fellow prisoners fashioned out of papier-mâché. Now 71 and sober for more than a decade, he looks as old as Miami itself, and like the city where he’s lived his whole life, tells a powerful story of fortunes gained and lost, reputations stellar and notorious, art living off nature, nature living off art, etc. As Addis put it simply, "I’ve had a crazy life." Miami might agree. Oh, and Wynwood also contains a wealth of lunch options, including Pastis, a year-old sister location of Manhattan’s beloved French brasserie.

3 p.m.: Shopping by design

Like Upper Buena Vista, Miami’s Design District is also a downtown shopping destination, and one with a distinct luxury bent. (Think Tiffany, Patek Philippe and Cartier.) But the two-decade-old district offers fun for all ages and wallets, its pedestrian-friendly promenades home to a number of audacious public art exhibits, everything from a Buckminster Fuller-esque bubble to a giant crushed Solo cup.

6 p.m.: Paella by the pool

As art deco hotels go, the National is one of the tallest, a 14-story tower masterpiece that’s worth a stop even for non-guests. Its lobby is both sumptuous and warm, a feast of chandeliers, marble floors and oak furnishings, and the adjacent restaurant is top-notch. That would be Mareva 1939  (named for the year the hotel was built), a Spanish eatery with outdoor tables on a cover ed veranda astride a skinny yet dazzling 200-foot-long infinity pool. Dazzling too are chef Sergio Chamizo’s every small plate, from his endive and radicchio salad to his patatas bravas. And then there are the large plates. The black paella, its squid-ink rice tossed with sweet shrimp and scallop morsels and served in a large skillet parked table side, will be unforgettable for some, life-changing for others and delectable for all.

8:30 p.m.: Lands of Lincoln and more

No visit to Miami Beach is complete without at least a brief stroll down two famous streets. Long ago, the first, Lincoln Road, was a mangrove forest. Today, it’s yet another outdoor mélange of eateries, shops, live entertainment, palm trees and fountains, complete with an eight-block-long pedestrian-only stretch designed by, you guessed it, architect Morris Lapidus. New to Lincoln is Oro, a beautiful restaurant that opened in October, promising "elevated dining," an apt description for the rooftop spot.

Considerably shorter but also car-free is Españiola Way, a two-block strip that still looks remarkably like the Spanish village it was designed to resemble way back in 1925. Strings of swooping party lights now hang from its stucco facades and tile roofs, illuminating a tight cluster of restaurants and bars that, unlike Ocean Dr., are festive but not frenetic, e.g., the poolside lounge at the Esme Hotel, another rooftop venue. Españiola’s vibe is far from serene, if we’re being honest, but it’s also warm and welcoming, happy and unhurried, yet another haven for those in search of a different Miami. Of which the city has many — if you know where to look.

IF YOU GO: Southwest now flies nonstop four times weekly from Islip’s MacArthur Airport to Miami. Prices start at $353 round-trip.

By Scott Vogel

scott.vogel@newsday.com

Newsday writer and restaurant critic Scott Vogel aims for a refreshing, gimlet-eyed take on the Long Island food scene, often while drinking a refreshing gimlet.