Despite drag queens with dollar bills in their bras, Miami is cool not crass, finds KAREN BOWERMAN

If beaches could sing and karaoke were classy (bear with me here) then I'm pretty sure Miami’s South Beach would be Karaoke Queen. Her winning number? If my friends could see me now from the 60s Broadway musical Sweet Charity.

Okay, not the most sophisticated of songs for what some claim is the sexiest slice of seaside in the States, (apologies to those with a lisp), but it’s one that would certainly be apt, given the area’s humble beginnings.

Once eclipsed by Miami Beach, although it’s really just Miami’s southern end, South Beach used to be a square mile of dilapidated 1930s buildings, a district that was seriously uncool.

In the eighties it was even dubbed God’s waiting room because of the number of elderly residents who used to stroll along its I-wouldn’t-be-seen-dead-there sands. No doubt they had other things on their minds. Now, 30 years on, South Beach’s restored Art Deco architecture – a mass of candy colours, curves and shining glass – is world famous. Indeed, Ocean Drive, once in danger of demolition, is the place to party, and classily. It even has a madeover brand name: SoBe.

As you flit between beach and bar (there’s no need to pretend to be cultural here), you’re embraced by a gloriously lustful joie de vivre. Besides which SoBe is awash with celebrities. And there’s nothing like having A-list approval of your holiday choice.

Fancy bumping into George Clooney? How about Leonardo DiCaprio? Or Madonna? Or Goldie Hawn? There’s none of that Z-list nonsense to contend with; Miami just isn’t that kind of place. So what kind of place is it?

Think Las Vegas with more style and less superficiality. Admittedly drag queens prance around with dollar bills stuffed in their brassieres, mojitos are served in glasses the size of fish bowls and rum is dispensed directly and copiously from bottle to mouth by sexy bartenders who wander the streets in heels you wouldn’t even consider wearing.

Yet somehow Miami isn’t crass. It’s cool. Maybe it has something to do with the elegant Art Deco buildings that create a dignified backdrop, or the endless stream of gleaming Ferraris, Bentleys and vintage motors that cruise the streets, their drivers seemingly more keen to share their good fortune than to flaunt it.

There’s no snobbery here. Well, I didn’t encounter any. Everyone was too busy celebrating life. So, if this is God’s revamped waiting room then I’m happy to bide my time. I suggest you pull up a chair too.

And for a hen weekend – if you and your friends really want to splash out – it’s heaven.

ESSENTIALS

* Stay at: James Royal Palm Hotel, South Beach, www.jameshotels.com/miami. The recently opened luxury hotel backs onto the beach and is a minute’s walk from Ocean Drive. It has two swimming pools and a spa.
* Fly with: American Airlines www.americanairlines.co.uk flights from London Heathrow to Miami, from £880 direct, from £750 via Madrid or Barcelona.
n More info: Miami Convention and Visitors’ Bureau www.miamiandbeaches.com