South Beach Clubs / Recommended Events

LIV

Mansion

Cameo

SET

—Editor's Club Guide Picks—

Tantra - While Tantra may be somewhat off the beaten path, on Monday nights it rules the party scene with a packed house and many more waiting to get in. It's a high-dollar international cuisine restaurant until around 11pm, then the South Beach nightlife crew takes over and parties well into the early morning hours. - Tantra, 1445 Pennsylvania Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, (305) 672-4765.

Shelborne South Beach Hotel - Tuesday nights in South Beach have historically belonged to the Delano's Rose Bar, but now the scene has moved one block north to Keith Menin's newly re-designed Shelborne Hotel where the party rolls on in a beautiful indoor/outdoor poolside setting. Hit the Shelborne up for dinner and cocktails, then while away the evening mingling under the stars. - Shelborne South Beach Hotel, 1801 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach Florida 33139, (786) 220-0536.

Martini Tuesday's - The king of fun-and-games among South Beach's gay brigade is Edison Farrow with his elegantly innovative traveling Martini party. Initially conceived as simple gathering of friends, Edison's once-a-month Martini Tuesday party is held at a different location each month and covers the complete spectrum of South Beach clubs, restaurants, hotel lobbies, rooftops and more. The best way to keep track of this roving party's monthly location is on Edison's website at www.sobesocialclub.com. And there you'll also see details of his new endeavor, House Sundays, a nightclub in Buck House, a private residence over on 17th Street and Biscayne Boulevard in Miami.

Mansion - If big clubs mean big fun, Mansion has to be your first choice on Wednesday nights. Forty thousand square feet, six bars and a roster of top DJs have kept Mansion in the driver's seat for a decade now with no end in sight. The historic location began life as the French Casino supper club in the 1930s, and after a stint as a movie theater in the Paramount chain, went on to host numerous big-name nightclubs after it's re-conversion to nightlife with Club Z in the early 1980s. Deco's, Club 1235, Paragon, Glam Slam and Level all followed, but none have had near the success of Mansion. Check it out and you'll see why. - Mansion, 1235 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, (305) 531-5535.

Plunge - There's something exhilarating about partying on a hotel rooftop overlooking the beach and Atlantic Ocean on one side and the lights of Miami and Biscayne Bay on the other, and that is precisely the reason why we  recommend Plunge Bar on Thursday nights. Special events such as fashion shows and art exhibits abound at this sexy location, but even on an off-night it's an experience you won't soon forget. - Plunge Bar, 2377 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, (305) 604-6997.

The Vagabond - If you're looking for something with a little more edge to it, try The Vagabond in downtown Miami, an indoor/outdoor club with mucho style. The Vag is the brainchild of Carmel Ophir (whose rap sheet goes all the way back to GrooveJet), DJ John Digweed and Rodney Mayo. In addition to their (((SHAKE))) Thursday party, the ever-ripping Back Door Bamby on Saturday nights is also highly recommended if for no other reason than its voyeuristic appeal. The Vagabond is a hipster haven far removed from the velvet rope scene on South Beach. - The Vagabond, 30 Northeast 14th Street, Miami, Florida 33132, (305) 379-0508.

Set - International nightlife star Michael Capponi teams up with Eric Milon's Opium Group to create one of South Beach's hallmark clubs, Set which offers a chic Euro-lounge setting where the elite come to party. Even though entry to Set is more of an art than a science—and by no means guaranteed—those that do make it in will find themselves surrounded by South Beach's hippest crowd. - Set, 320 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida, 33139 (305) 531-2800.

LIV - Every once in a while a club comes along that raises the bar on what a nightlife venue should be, and LIV at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel is just such a club. LIV is a spectacular nightclub first from a design standpoint thanks to a pulsating ceiling light show and "skybox" style VIP areas. But, it's the A-list crowd of celebs mingling with hip locals that makes the LIV scene something that memories are made of. In the same location where Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Judy Garland once crooned in the early 1960s, DJs such as Tiësto and Erick Morillo now rip it up nightly with blazing dance music, sultry dancers and the most beautiful faces on the Beach. LIV... yeah, that's the one you want on Saturday nights. - LIV at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel, 4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140, (305) 674-4680.

La Piaggia - By the time Sunday rolls around, all that partying you've done all week calls for one thing—more partying. And the best place for it on a South Beach Sunday afternoon is La Piaggia at 1000 South Pointe Drive. La Piaggia is a beach club reminiscent of Saint Tropez in its heyday with some of the most beautiful people in Miami. La Piaggia tagline of "the South of France at South of Fifth" the most fitting description we can muster, and after your first visit, you'll certainly see why. - La Piaggia, 1000 South Pointe Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, (305) 674-0647.

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