Brickell - Miami Hotels .com

The city's financial and business center, Brickell is often meshed into one lump along with Downtown Miami, but they couldn't be more different. Separated by the Miami River, Downtown holds most of the local and federal government buildings along with numerous office and residential towers, while Brickell has office and residential towers as well, but it has the largest concentration of international banks in the United States - surpassing even New York.

The recent building boom as all added many luxury condominium towers including the tallest building south of Atlanta, as well as in Florida, the Four Seasons Miami which soars to 794 feet, making it the tallest residential building south of New York. Most the areas residents are South American and European transplants who live in Miami only seasonally, leaving the area pretty barren during the off-seasons.

If you are looking for some fun in the area, nearby Mary Brickell Village offers superb dining and boutique shops are opening up in newly completed areas. Need a drink? Tobacco Road, 626 S Miami Ave., is Miami's oldest bar and was frequented by famed mobster Al Capone.

Stay in the area to dine at the fabulous Novecento, 1414 Brickell Ave., (305-403-0900), a New York Argentinean restaurant that serves great South American cuisine at a great price. Porcao, 801 Brickell Bay Drive, (305-373-2777), is only one of two U.S. branches of the famous Brazilian steakhouse chain. Try the all-you-can-eat rodizio, a popular Brazilian barbeque style of serving that lets you enjoy different cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken and fish.

The Conrad Miami is housed in the iconic Espirito Santo Plaza, a concave skyscraper meant to represent Miami as the gateway to the Americas. This luxury hotel features the ultimate in state-of-the-art amenities and quality service. The Mandarin Oriental Miami, located in Brickell Key, is a contemporary waterfront hotel that features luxurious guestrooms with breathtaking views.