Nikki Beach

Nikki Beach is the original South Beach day club, the place that more or less invented the genre when it opened in 1998. Set right on the sand at the southern tip of the Beach, it is instantly recognisable: white teepees, white daybeds, palm trees and a barefoot, champagne-soaked party that runs all afternoon. Decades on, it remains a rite of passage for a Miami beach day.

The format is simple and seductive: book a daybed or cabana, settle in on the sand, and let a day of sunshine, sharing plates, rosé and a DJ unfold. The food is Mediterranean and easy, the drinks flow, and the energy peaks at the legendary Sunday brunch, a Miami institution in its own right. It is as much an event as a meal.

Nikki Beach is best for groups and friends who want a lively, social day in the sun rather than a quiet one. It is a scene, and proudly so. Weekends are busiest and most fun, so a daybed booked ahead is the way to do it properly. Bring swimwear and something to change into as day turns to evening.

Sundays are the signature, but any sunny afternoon delivers. Nikki Beach sits at the south end of South Beach, about a ten-minute drive from the residence, an easy trip for the city’s most iconic beach-club day.