There's quite a lot to select from in Miami. If you're searching for the really upscale all night, all out feel, you want South Beach. Collins, Washington, Ocean Drive and Lincoln are where it's at. And don't forget to really move to the beach while you're on South Beach. The gorgeous blue water is hard to beat. But you may not want to bring the kids; it's a topless beach, but is prepared to see just about anything.

Miami never sleeps. When the sun disappears, the stars appear. Celebrities from the amusement world spend the balmy tropical evenings sipping martinis at hip lounges and open-air cafés, before hitting the hot pulsating dance clubs, the cool jazz bars and the innumerable salsa venues.

The principal nightlife district is South Beach. Local Latin/Pop diva Gloria Estefan possesses a restaurant-bar on Ocean Drive. South Beach’s Art Deco buildings (neon-lit with vibrant yellows, blues, pinks and purples) offer a suitably light-hearted backdrop to a hedonistic nightlife. In the evenings, the bars are abuzz with a colourful, cosmopolitan crowd. After midnight, the whole of South Beach throbs to the international rhythms of its club scene, which provides some of the hottest nightlife in America.

Bars close approximately 00 hours and nightclubs about 0600. The average cost of a drink while out and about in Miami is US$8-15 (cocktails etc); beer is about US$5. The minimum age for ingress to all clubs in Miami Beach (including South Beach) is 21 years, the minimum drinking age in Florida. It is advisable to carry ID and dress codes often require chic attire.

Casinos: The Casino Princesa provides Las Vegas-style ‘gaming cruises’ for up to 600 passengers, with on-board blackjack, craps, roulette and slot machines. Four-and-a-half-hour trips (US$9.95) leave Bayside Harbour (adjacent to the Hard Rock Café), 315 Biscayne Boulevard. Departure times are daily at 1230 and 1930. Dress code is casual, the minimum age is 21 years and ID is required.

Clubs: Colour and mood change at will at Amika, 1532 Washington Avenue the newest kid on the South Beach beat. an exclusive club with a hi-tech LED system that vary the wall colours and ambiance of this celebrity haunt, owned by famous South Beach figure, Tony Guerra. Nikki Beach Club, 1 Ocean Drive, is right on the beach and possesses an indoor/outdoor dance floor and a young, supermodel crowd. The gay-friendly Crobar, 1445 Washington Avenue has angels on bungee cords above the packed dance floor.

Live Music: For the latest Latin rhythms, try Kaffe Krystal, 10855 SW 72nd Street, Miami which possess a large dancefloor and hosts live bands and DJs playing authentic salsa music. La Covacha, 10730 NW 25th Street, is one of the hottest places in Miami for salsa, merengue and Latin hip hop, while the hugely popular Mango’s Tropical Café , 900 Ocean Drive, has flamboyant South Beach salsa with dancing on the tables and in the street. At Miami Beach, the laid-back Van Dyke Café, 846 Lincoln Road, and the more upmarket jazz club Jazid, 1342 Washington Avenue, both have live jazz and blues nightly.