MIA to Espanola Way

Espanola Way was built in 1925 as a "Historic Spanish Village," and a century later it still plays the part: two pedestrian blocks of salmon-colored stucco, wrought-iron balconies and string lights sagging just so between the rooflines, wedged between Fourteenth Place and Fifteenth Street off Washington Avenue. By day it is coffee and painters; by night, the tables come out and the lane turns into one long, slow dinner.

It is also a working address. The Esme Miami Beach hotel and a cluster of guesthouses live inside the village itself, and staying there means waking up over the prettiest street in the neighborhood. Since the lane is closed to cars, your driver brings you to the Washington Avenue or Drexel Avenue end - whichever is closer to your check-in - and walks the luggage question with you rather than leaving you to drag wheels over brick.

From MIA count on twelve miles and the usual causeway arithmetic: twenty-five minutes when the MacArthur flows, closer to forty on peak weekend evenings. Espanola Way sits mid-beach between Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road, so it is also the perfect base if your trip plans to sample both without ever ordering a second ride.

Airport transfers start at $89 fixed - flight tracked, name sign at arrivals, tolls and waiting in the price. One tip from our drivers: if you land in the late afternoon, ask to come in via Washington Avenue. Rolling past the Deco storefronts as the lights warm up, then turning into a hundred-year-old Spanish lane for dinner, is about the best first hour a Miami vacation can offer.

What to expect on this ride

• About 12 miles from MIA arrivals
• 25-40 minutes over the MacArthur Causeway
• Drop-off at the Washington or Drexel end - the lane is pedestrian-only
• Fixed fare from $89, no surge at dinner time
• Central base: Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive both walkable

Names to drop on arrival