Maximize Your 24 Hour Trip to South Beach

You’ve only got about a day to enjoy some fine South Beach establishments you’ve probably never visited before. You either party, party, party and miss everything else (because let’s face it, party and early-morning sunshine don’t mix) or have a chill, relaxing visit to the city everyone loves to hate while trying out some new dining destinations and classic haunts.Grab brunch, cocktails and then hang by a dreamy South Beach infinity pool and/or take advantage of Miami Spa Month (July 1 through August 31) and get a massage (starting at just $109). If you must party, party. But don’t skimp out on everything else South Beach has to offer. On a quick visit or extended layover, this is the ideal way to spend it:What happens when a Florida native and an Australian get together to open a restaurant? The result is a laid-back, seafood-heavy, fun and friendly fish bar. Stiltsville opened in Sunset Harbor on Purdy Ave. just last September and the brunch is an amalgamation of everything that’s right in South Florida.Start off with some cocktails (my picks: the sweet and smoky Square Grouper and the Boggy Bayou Bloody Mary)—a must as is the cherry wood smoked fish dip with house pickles, thyme, and butter-toasted saltines. For my main course, I chose the savory pork belly bacon and sweet corn pancakes with two poached eggs, pickled green tomato chowchow, tomato jam and Fresno chilies. It was just as confusingly delicious as it sounds.You could kayak or paddleboard the brunch calories off if you so choose (I wrote recently about a kayak tour in SoBe and it just so happens the rental location is right next door to Stiltsville). Or you could head down to the hotel, check in and spend your day lounging by the pool on hammocks and beds under swaying palms.Opened in 1940, restored in 2014 and recognized by the Historic Hotels of America, the National Hotel has the longest infinity-edge pool—205 feet long, to be exact—in Miami Beach. It’s got a super art deco and an Old Hollywood feel as well as a Blues Bars, that just launched an exciting, new offering: live jazz every night between Wednesday and Monday, with a delightful piano player who puts a jazzy spin on throwback hits. Be sure to book a pool-view cabana room here—the spacious balcony, alone, makes this room worth it.Also new at the National: a contemporary cocktail program and art installations by renowned designers including Maurice Renoma, Elisabetta Fantone, and Carole Feurman.After a fun day in the sun, head to the Loews Hotel (just a couple short blocks from the National) for dinner at Lure Fish Bar. Come hungry and don’t leave without sampling an assortment of oysters, deviled eggs, spicy tuna crispy sushi rice, seared diver scallops with zucchini, cauliflower, pine nut and raisin gremolata and last, but never least, dessert.I’m originally from the Keys and the Key Lime Pie at Lure, made with a graham cracker crust, fresh whipped cream and white chocolate (yum!), tasted like home to me. The Milk N’ Cookies ice cream sandwich wasn’t far behind. I can guarantee you’ll be stuffed and sleepy after this, ready to hit the sheets and recharge for your next day’s activities.In the morning, sleep in a little, why don’t you, and then amble on down the block for a healthy breakfast at Joe & the Juice. Go for a green juice, perhaps, or the Go Away Doc—after all the food and drinks, you may need a little immunity boost. The avocado sandwich with tomato, mozzarella, and pesto is also tasty and filling, yet still healthy and light.The last stop on your quick weekend journey will be the W Hotel. Home to the famous Mr. Chow restaurant, the W’s Bliss Spa is currently participating in Miami Spa Month and the Lemon-Aid Body Polish + Massage may just be the answer to your prayers after 24 hours of nonstop fun. The treatment includes a nourishing and exfoliating lemon and sage scrub, a lemon-infused paraffin foot treatment, warm lemon hand compress, hydrating lemon and sage body butter application and a full-body rubdown. This treatment is 80 glorious minutes long and I may or may not have fallen asleep once or twice during the massage. It was that good.Rent a couple lounge chairs and an umbrella and follow your treatment with some R&R on the beach behind the hotel. Grab a chilled bottle of rosé and an order of chips and guac to enjoy while listening to the sounds of the ocean and the occasional Bob Marley tune that’s sure to drift from the nearest human’s pocket radio straight to your ears.