Miami, FL, Decided.
Every decision that matters, on one page.
✦ Stay: Faena Hotel Miami Beach ($$$$)
✦ Eat: Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann — book days-to-weeks in high season / on event weekends — reserve online; the play is the open-fire asado in the Faena courtyard, ideally paired with a Faena Theater night or a stay at the hotel. Confirm current hours + reservation link live.
✦ Stay: Fontainebleau Miami Beach ($$$-$$$$)
✦ Eat: Carbone Miami — book weeks — Resy opens ~30 days out at 10:00am ET and prime tables sell out in minutes; set an alarm and book the instant your date drops. The reliable Plan B: bar walk-ins same-week. Expect a scene and a splurge. ⚠ Don't confuse with Carbone Beach (ticketed F1-week event) — confirm you're booking the year-round 49 Collins restaurant.
✦ Stay: Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club ($$$$)
✦ Eat: Carpaccio — book days — reserve via OpenTable or by phone (305-867-7777). Walk-ins are possible off-peak, but this is a see-and-be-seen crowd-pleaser inside Bal Harbour Shops, so in high season (roughly Dec–Apr and around holidays) book several days to a week ahead, especially for a large multigen table and for the terrace. ⚑ FLAGGED CALL: the in-season lead time is a research estimate from its popularity/rank, not a figure the venue publishes — treat as guidance, not a sourced fact.
✦ Stay: The Setai, Miami Beach ($$$$)
✦ Eat: Versailles Restaurant — book walk-in — no reservation needed for most visits; it's large and turns fast, though prime weekend hours and after-events can be busy. The move: come hungry, order classic (ropa vieja / lechón / a Cubano), and grab a cortadito and pastelito at the ventanita (walk-up window) for the full experience.
✦ Stay: Four Seasons Hotel Miami ($$$$)
✦ Eat: Komodo Miami — book days to weeks — reserve on OpenTable or by phone; prime weekend slots go early and it doubles as a pre-nightlife anchor. The play: book the treehouse seating, share the Peking duck + Lobster Dynamite + sushi, and expect the room to get louder/lounge-ier as the night goes. Confirm current hours + reservation link live.
When to go: November, December, March, April.