Alitalia Flights from Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) to Miami (MIA)
As part of booking roundtrip flights which depart from US airports,
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Alitalia, which operates 2 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) to Miami (MIA), departing between 9:15am and 6:15pm. Usually a Boeing 737 or McDonnell Douglas MD87 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Mexico City, Mexico to Miami, FL is 2 hours and 55 minutes.*
* Some flights must connect with international service on this airline.
During your Miami vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Coral Castle
There's plenty of competition, but Coral Castle is probably the strangest attraction in Florida. In 1923, the story goes, a 26-year-old crazed Latvian, suffering from unrequited love of a 16-year-old who left him at the altar, immigrated to South Miami and spent the next 25 years of his life carving huge boulders into a prehistoric-looking roofless "castle." It seems impossible that one rather short man could have done all this, but there are scores of affidavits on display from neighbors who swear it happened. Apparently, experts have studied this phenomenon to help figure out how the Great Pyramids and Stonehenge were built. Rocker Billy Idol was said to have been inspired by this place to write his song "Sweet 16." An interesting 25-minute audio tour guides you through the spot, now in the National Register of Historic Places. Although Coral Castle is overpriced and undermaintained, it's worth a visit when in the area, which is about 37 miles from Miami.
Miami Art Museum at the Miami-Dade Cultural Center
The Miami Art Museum (MAM) features an eclectic mix of modern and contemporary works by such artists as Eric Fischl, Max Beckmann, Jim Dine, and Stuart Davis. Rotating exhibitions span the ages and styles, and often focus on Latin American or Caribbean artists. There are also fantastic themed exhibits such as the Andy Warhol exhibit, which featured all-night films by the artist, make-your-own pop art, cocktail hours, and parties with local DJs. JAM at MAM is the museum's popular happy hour, which takes place the third Thursday of the month and is tied in to a particular exhibit. Almost as artistic as the works inside the museum is the composite sketch of the people -- young and old -- who attend these events.The Miami-Dade Cultural Center, where the museum is housed, is a fortresslike complex designed by Phillip Johnson. In addition to the acclaimed Miami Art Museum, the center houses the main branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library, which sometimes features art and cultural exhibits, and the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, which highlights the fascinating history of the area. Unfortunately, the plaza onto which the complex opens is home to many of downtown Miami's homeless population, which makes it a bit off-putting but not dangerous.
Parrot Jungle and Gardens
This Miami institution took flight from its lush, natural South Miami environment and headed north in the winter of 2003 to a new, overly fabricated, disappointing $46 million home on Watson Island, along the MacArthur Causeway near Miami Beach. While the island doubles as a protected bird sanctuary, the jungle's former digs (in a coral rock structure built around 1900 in the heart of South Miami) had a lot more charm and kitsch. The new, overpriced 19-acre park features an Everglades exhibit, a petting zoo, and several theaters, jungle trails, and aviaries. Watch your heads because flying above are hundreds of parrots, macaws, peacocks, cockatoos, and flamingos. But it's not all a loss. Be sure to check out the Crocosaurus, a 20-foot long saltwater crocodile who hangs out in the park's Serpentarium, which also houses the park's reptile and amphibian collection. Also a pleasant surprise here is the Ichimura Miami Japan Garden (see the "A Japanese Garden" box, below). Continuous shows star roller-skating cockatoos, card-playing macaws, and numerous stunt-happy parrots. There are also tortoises, iguanas, and a rare albino alligator on exhibit. The park's website sometimes offers downloadable discount coupons, so if you have Internet access, take a look before you visit, because you definitely won't want to pay full price for this park. If you do get your money's worth and see all the shows and exhibits, expect to spend upwards of 4 hours here. Note: The former South Miami site of Parrot Jungle is now known as Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 Red Rd. (tel. 305/669-6942), which features a petting zoo, mini water park, lake, natural hammocks, and Banyan caves. Open daily from 9am until sunset, admission is $5 adults, $3 kids, and $4 seniors.
Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne
Described by some as an oceanfront mansion, the Ritz-Carlton takes Key Biscayne to the height of luxury with 44 acres of tropical gardens, a 20,000-square-foot European-style spa, and a world-class tennis center under the direction of tennis pro Cliff Drysdale. Decorated in British colonial style, the Ritz-Carlton looks as if it came straight out of Bermuda, with its impressive flower-laden landscaping. The Ritz Kids programs provide children ages 5 to 12 with fantastic activities, and the 1,200-foot beachfront offers everything from pure relaxation to fishing, boating, or windsurfing. Spacious and luxuriously appointed rooms are elegantly Floridian, featuring large balconies overlooking the ocean or the lush gardens. Unlike many behemoth hotels, the Ritz-Carlton is as much a part of the aesthetic value of the island as is its natural beauty, and its oceanfront Mediterranean-style restaurant, Aria, is exquisite. The best spa in Miami is also here, with 20,000 square feet of space that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. It features unheard-of treatments such as the Rum Molasses Waterfall treatment (a combination massage/hair treatment), the Key Lime Coconut Body Scrub, and the Everglades Grass Body Wrap.Facilities: Restaurant; pool grill; spa cafe; 3 bars; 2 outdoor heated pools; tennis center w/lessons available; spa and fitness center; watersports equipment; children's programs; business center; concierge; 24-hr. room service; overnight laundry service.
Indian Creek Hotel
Located off the beaten path, the Indian Creek Hotel is a meticulously restored 1936 building featuring one of the beach's first operating elevators. It's also the most charming hotel in the area. Besides that, the service is impeccable. Because of its location facing the Indian Creek waterway and its lush landscaping, this place feels more like an old-fashioned Key West bed-and-breakfast than your typical Miami Beach Art Deco hotel. The rooms are outfitted in Art Deco furnishings, such as an antique writing desk, pretty tropical prints, and small but spotless bathrooms. All the rooms have been completely renovated. Just 1 short block from a good stretch of sand, the hotel is also within walking distance of shops and restaurants and has a landscaped pool area that is a great place to lounge in the sun. If you're looking for charm, friendly service, and peace and quiet, stay away from the South Beach hype and come here instead.
La Flora Hotel
It's hard to keep up with the number of Art Deco, streamlined hotels turned boutique hotels these days, but attention should be paid to La Flora, one of the quieter members of the club. A minimalist 28-room hotel located 1 block from the ocean, La Flora is a very peaceful alternative to the sceney boutique hotels that surround it. Rooms are extremely comfortable and stylish, with damask linens, soothing beige tones, and fabulous black-out curtains that come in handy when you've come in at the crack of dawn. As with many hotels on Collins Avenue, there's no pool, but La Flora's lobby bar, with frequent happy hours, is sporadically swimming with interesting people.
