Miami. Home of swimsuits, skin and sun. Three days was plenty of time to soak up the taste of our southern-most beach. Let me start from the beginning...

I live and work in the greatest city in America -- New York. I am surrounded by hustle, bustle and energy 24 hours a day. Come summer time, however, many New Yorkers leave the city to the tourists and seize any opportunity to catch some fresh air elsewhere.

One such opportunity for me this past summer was to tag along with my friend Erica who does sales for a swimwear company. Her company is one of many that participate in Swim Week, a promotional event for swimwear designers to show off their goods while wining and dining potential clients. Who am I to pass up the opportunity to live at the beach for free for a week?

Arriving at the hotel on Collins Ave (one of two major thoroughfares paralleling the beach) it was late in the evening. I was not too enthusiastic about running around the city to find Erica who had flown ahead of me. Fortunately, while hotels in Miami have perfected the art of indoor/outdoor living space, Erica had perfected the art of making friends in our hotel's mixed-space lobby and was not hard to find.

The next morning, bright and early (at about 12:30pm) I woke up. Carpe Diem. I had a date with beach side service that was just waiting to bring me breakfast.

I learned quickly if you are going to stay in South Beach you need to stay at a hotel on the beach. If you are not on the beach, your hotel likely does not have beach service...and it quite possibly is the best thing known to man.

Imagine walking out of the gate to your hotel, facing the bright blue ocean. A golf cart zips you across the sand to chaise chairs set up with fluffy mattresses and towels - then the waiter comes. The only thing really better than the beach was the poolside service -- and only because the hotel's resident DJ played music all day.

In addition to plenty of beach action, we also took time to explore the city. We saw the Versace mansion. We saw Miami's unique form of banner advertising. And went back to see more of the beach.

On my last day in Miami, I tagged along with Erica to a few shows swimsuit shows. Companies had set up tents along the beach, Bryant Park style, and were working the runway. Not wanting to be outdone by the competition during Swim Week, Playboy swimwear created its own version of a runway show. No, Hef was not there. Yes, some of the models were Bunnies. Yes, the show was at a club that did not let me in at first because I was wearing a tank top. Classy.

The next morning I packed up, not forgetting the $14.99 shirt I bought to cover my tank top from the night before, and headed back to the airport. Goodbye Miami, I'll be back again for your beach service, but while sun is fun, New York is home.

If you are looking for a solitary beach experience, head for the South end of Virginia Key Beach on Key Biscayne where you can sun without being bothered. This area is where only the lonely go to get focused, even if it takes some looking as some areas fill up fast with more social types.

No worries.

Plenty of places at sprawling Virginia Key are naturally designed so you can get away from everything.

Meanwhile, kite flying fanatics and other active beachcombers set out for the North side of Virginia Key Beach. The latter area is also known as a key place for windsurfing and flights on ultralight seaplanes.

To remind you where you are, enchanting Virginia Key Beach affords amazing views of downtown Miami's skyline as well as Brickell Avenue. This is an expansive stretch of sand, including everything a respectable beach should shout about, like nature trails, picnic places, lots of shaded areas, and a nearby bird sanctuary.

Dedicated on August 1, 1945, Virginia Key Beach was originally designed solely for use by African Americans, but that plan didn't last. Situated off Rickenbacker Causeway and very convenient to the Miami Seaquarium, this wildly popular stretch of sand is now a sun-and-sea haven for literally everyone.

For further information, go to www.virginiakeybeachpark.net

If you're looking for break from the fall crowds when you travel to Florida, try Vero Beach and the new Vero Beach Hotel & Spa. Read about Chris Elliott's recent weekend at the luxury hotel and get a touch of the West Indies a bit closer to home.

On my last trip to Florida, I was pleasantly surprised to see all the great places there were to stay and things there were to do that didn't focus on the mouse. CheapoAir has a fantastic article on how you can explore the more natural side of Florida on your family vacation.