Beacon Hotel, Miami South Beach

We we woke before dawn to a much quieter hotel. We took advantage of our ocean view room by watching the sunrise over the beach before getting up to date with Picard (a necessary precaution as we’re confident nowhere on the planet could be more dangerous in terms of encountering plot spoilers). We packed and watched a little of the running event going on on Ocean Drive that morning, before heading out for coffee.

South beach is known for the Cuban-style espresso coffee, popularised by the large community of Cuban emigres that settled in the area following Fidel Castro’s rise to power. We headed to a small Cuban cafe near the hotel. Entering was like stepping back in time; the most striking anachronism (to a British person) was the wooden rack of branded cigarette packets prominently displayed behind the counter, followed closely by the old mechanical cash register. The cuban-style coffee did not disappoint; it was strong, but relatively delicate for an espresso coffee.

Ere long, we were back at the hotel waiting on the porch for a taxi as patrons of the hotel restaurant ate breakfast and birds played on the parasols. The taxi ride As we he gentleman driving pointed out landmarks as we went, indicating homes of celebrities and the sites of events in the city’s history. A sea plane swooped low over the bridge as we were crossing from South Beach to downtown Miami.Read more