hey, sorry if somebody has already posted a thread like this

I'm planning to travel to Miami for a couple of weeks this summer with a friend. neither of us have ever been to Miami and we both aren't interested in being "tourists" so therefore we aren't gonna buy those "spring break" style tourist packages in order to get down to miami. im just wonderin if any of you forumers could recommend an inexpensive place to stay and recommend ways in which we can see the real miami. im really big on food, and lookin for good authentic latin american food (not the brown funk they serve t "authentic" restaurants here in the midwest) if any of you can make some suggestions, id really appreciate it.

thanks

i recommend going to versailles, best cuban restaurant in miami, home to over a million cubans

and of course, gotta take in a marlins baseball game...

the sports and the food are two of the things that i love most about being a miamian

if you want latin food then i reccomend you stay in coral gables,stay away from downtown or miami beach if you don't want to feel like a tourist.

the best food in miami is probably on coral way which is in coral gables,you've got meditt,italian,european,alot of latin,american any food you want is there.

the advantages of coral gables is that it feels like a big place but is small,hardly any crime,five minutes away from miami international,and you can find anything you want there.

for hotels checkout- gables hyatt regency,terrace inn,biltmore,the omni colonade,sheraton u-m

thanks for the advice guys. still the hotels are a little over my budget. do u you know of any youth hostels in area? would u recommend em or are they a bit skanky?

i reamember seeing a sign for one somewhere on south beach, i think on collins, around 10th or something... i just saw it really quick and made a mental note, holy shit, a youth hostel, first one of those ive ever seen in the states... my directions r prob pretty off, just a guesstamite

thats the only one i no of, but due to the number of international tourists we get, im sure theres a few around