Sun, Style And Spectacle: The ELLE Travel Guide To The Hidden Gems Of Miami, Las Vegas And Dallas

Head to Miami for the sun, sand and sea, and stay for its rocking culinary offerings. If you’re in the mood for Italian, check out Rao’s Miami Beach (sister restaurant to one of New York’s hottest tickets); Erba, where chef Nivan Patel infuses Florentine classics with Floridian flair – think mafaldine pasta with Bahamian conch; and Oise Ristorante, which dishes up ‘itameshi’ (Italian-Japanese fusion).

Meanwhile, coffee shop by day and (newly) Michelin-starred eatery by night EntreNos showcases locally sourced flavours; Parisian Maman features a guava-filled croissant; and LA-favourite Delilah’s has taken Miami by storm with its 1920s glamour, nightly live jazz and stone crab salad.

It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere, and there are plenty of places to enjoy an early evening aperitif in Miami. Rum-soaked Little Havana hot spot Café La Trova shakes a mean mojito (don’t miss the paella croquette, either); Jaguar Sun is a sleek downtown favourite; Dante’s HiFi is an all-vinyl listening bar; and for sunsets and sake hit rooftop Sugar.

Las Vegas is where celebrity chefs like to lay their hats. The legendary Nobu Matsuhisa and Guy Savoy glitter at Caesars Palace; Alain Ducasse’s Delano can be found in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino; and Masaharu Morimoto’s eponymous spot at the MGM Grand is a perennial crowd-pleaser. Riffing on Vegas’s famous buffet scene, gourmet food halls are the city’s latest dining trend. There are plenty scattered across the Strip, downtown and Chinatown – try The Sundry or Proper Eats Food Hall.

For bottomless brunch, Lago by Julian Serrano at the Bellagio does three excellent courses on weekend (the lobster Benedict is perfection); French-inspired Bardot Brasserie is a beauty; while Peppermill, joyously open 24/7 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, is a Las Vegas institution that serves an award-winning Bloody Mary.

The panoramic view from Delano Las Vegas’s Skyfall Lounge

Skyfall Panoramic Bar & Lounge has floor-to-ceiling windows yielding epic views over the Vegas skyline; three-storey Chandelier Bar at The Cosmopolitan is a hedonistic party playground; and for a diminutive bar with a well-shaken cocktail menu, there’s Oak & Ivy in the downtown Container Park. Las Vegas also has a burgeoning wine scene to discover – try Pine Hollow Winery and Vegas Valley Winery. Partying taken its toll? The bready, cheesy goodness of Secret Pizza or Good Pie will hit the spot.

Roots Southern Table, Dallas

In the sun-soaked state of Texas, the sprawling metroplex of Dallas/Fort Worth is replete with culinary surprises. Paying homage to its locale is Roots Southern Table – order chef Tiffany Derry’s Creole-inspired gumbo and delicious red snapper tartare. Pecan Lodge in the Deep Ellum neighbourhood smokes the hottest pit barbecue around; and for a true taste of Texas, there’s The Ranch in Las Colinas. For sink-your-teeth-into smash burgers, there’s The Peak Inn; and for a Texan staple, Street’s Fine Chicken does the best.

Newly launched Jaquval is a nano-brewery where you can build your own tacos, while coming to town soon are upscale seafood outpost Catch and the Dallas branch of 1920s-inspired supper club Delilah’s. Wet your whistle at The Standard Pour for barrel-aged cocktails, and sample local wines at the urban winery Times Ten Cellars. Further afield, both Eden Hill Vineyard & Winery or Delany Vineyards are worthy of a visit. While you’re exploring, remember that it’s a rite of passage to sip frozen Margaritas in Dallas – this city invented them.

Artwork on display at Wynwood Walls during Art Week Miami

Known as the Sunshine State, much of Florida’s cutting-edge creativity is alfresco. Boasting 35,000 square feet of wall space, open-air Miami street-art museum Wynwood Walls is an Instagram-friendly riot of colour. Take a walking tour of the city’s iconic pastel-hued Art Deco architectural gems in the South Beach neighbourhood of Miami Beach. Or head to the dynamic Miami Design District, which displays public art and is where you can also find the brilliant Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). Enjoy visual arts at Swampspace – then flex your plastic at the district’s high-end shops.

Greater Miami’s artsy Allapattah neighbourhood is a hidden shopping gem. Get your thrift on and unearth second-hand treasures from clothes to homewares, then relax with a visit to 1916 waterfront estate Vizcaya Museums and Gardens.

The Seven Magic Mountains, Las Vegas

Vegas’s culture scene is as bright as its famous lights. Start at the Seven Magic Mountains – seven 30-foot-high stacks of colourful painted boulders – then try the trippy bling of the Neon Museum. If that gives you a taste for quirky museums, add the The Mob Museum and the Pinball Hall of Fame to your list. DTLV Arts is the city’s cultural core, tucked between the casino-filled Fremont Street Experience and Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower, a thrill-seeker’s delight. Don’t leave the city without catching the spectacular Fountains of Bellagio or shopping at luxe mall Crystals.

Live music at Three Links Deep Ellum, Dallas

Less high-octane but no less cool, Dallas is helping redefine the Texan music scene. Three Links in Deep Ellum hosts punk and jazz shows; Off the Record is a record-store-cum-bar hybrid; and for a honky-tonk boogie there’s The Round Up Saloon. Dallas also has a surfeit of music festivals: Lights all Night for electronica; So What?! Festival, where rock lovers unite; or the more soulful Riverfront Jazz Festival.

Highland Park Village is where to go for a shopping marathon, and if you’re in the market for original cowboy boots and a Stetson, Wild Bill’s Western Store has kitted out everyone from Mick Jagger to Jon Bon Jovi. Hop on the McKinney Avenue trolley to the Dallas Arts District and the Dallas Museum of Art.

The Spa at the Miami Beach EDITION

Given Miami’s predilection for lying poolside, there are plenty of places to be primped, preened, buffed and polished. Carillon Miami Wellness Resort is the largest spa facility on the East Coast, on North Beach’s sandy white shores. There are four pools and two state-of-the-art floors for gym bunnies, as well as a crystal steam room and herbal laconicum. For a luxe hotel treatment, try The Standard Spa or Ian Schrager’s sybaritic escape at Miami Beach’s EDITION, and for the best hammam in town there’s the Tierra Santa Healing House at Faena.

Enjoy the azure spring waters of the Venetian Pool at Coral Gables or spend sunny Floridian days at the numerous natural pools, including crystal-clear Ginnie Springs and the sapphire swimming hole at The Rainbow Springs State Park.

Sahra Spa, Salon & Hammam at The Cosmopolitan

Leaving fresher than when you arrived is not generally the way it works in Vegas, but a raft of new wellness outposts are changing that. Guests are more likely to be found taking sunrise yoga or unwinding at the Sahra Spa, Salon & Hammam at The Cosmopolitan than at the blackjack table. If you do need post-night-out pep-up, Canyon Ranch at the Venetian will restore you, and Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace offers treatments including a ‘Cinderella lift’ and a 24-carat-gold facial.

For a spa experience without the million-dollar price tag, the Imperial Spa Las Vegas has a $35 daily admission fee that gains you access to the hot springs, wet and dry saunas and Himalayan salt rooms, with extra luxurious services such as mud wraps, Korean body scrubs and massages at additional cost. Having your nails on point is a Las Vegas requisite – the Bellagio Spa & Salon is glam, while Lacquer Me Up is great for a quick fix.

The Salon at the Bellagio Spa & Salon, Las Vegas

At Dallas’s King Spa and Waterpark, think hot tubs, green-tea scrubs and steam rooms, not log flumes and slides. Work up a sweat with line dancing – Rodeo Exchange offers free dance classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so you can two-step in style. For a medical spa to eschew wrinkles, there’s Enlighten or the less covertly named House of Preservation.

Sunset at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

Miami is all about the great outdoors, and beautiful beaches abound. SoBe (South Beach) from 1st-23rd Street is a mainstay for tanning, jogging and sunrise yoga, then come sundown, a party vibe. Join the throngs of dog walkers at South Pointe Park at the tip of Miami Beach Island to catch panoramic views; dip in the turquoise waters of Haulover Beach; and for ritz, glitz and super-yachts, there’s Bal Harbour.

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

Florida has an abundance of National Parks within driving distance of Miami. Snorkel with stingrays, turtles and manatees in Miami’s watery wonderland Biscayne; take an day trip to go air boating and spot crocodiles in the subtropical Everglades; or visit the misnomer of the Dry Tortugas (it’s 99% water) and its seven small islands. Horticulture is taken seriously in Miami – stroll the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Deering Estate or Pinecrest Gardens for some of the city’s most fragrant blooms.

It’s very Las Vegas to find the best outdoor space tucked away in one of its ritzy hotels, but the seasonally updated Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens are well-worth checking out. Get off the Strip (via Uber), as the city’s hemmed in by spectacular nature including the hiking trails of 200,000 acre Red Rock Canyon. There are camping areas to pitch up at if you want to sleep under the star-studded desert sky.

Hoover Dam at Boulder City, Nevada

To see Nevada’s topography from a bird’s-eye view, board a Papillion helicopter tour, from which you can see sights including the Hoover Dam, Mojave Desert and, just over the border, Arizona’s Grand Canyons. If you’ve got the stomach for it, you can even organise a visit to the glass-bottomed Skywalk, suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River.

There are also plenty of green spaces to be found around Dallas’s bustling public parks (there are over 400). Try Dallas’s answer to the New York High Line, Klyde Warren Park, for wellness and nature in the city centre. Picnic at the soon-to-be reopened Lakeside Park or the White Rock Lake Park, overlooking which is the beautiful Dallas Arboretum, where local musicians perform every Thursday.

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