Hiring a Convertible in Miami

Expedia’s #outthere competition winner Mark Stewart had $10,000 to spend on the trip of a lifetime. He headed to North America and hit the road in style. 

On the road

No American adventure is complete without hitting the open road in a convertible with the top down!

Upon arrival in Miami, we were greeted by the friendly staff at Hertz, where our Dodge Convertible was ready to be driven away. As we gazed upon our sweet ride, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. A black Mercedes convertible, sitting in the sun in all its glory. A few moments later, we’d upgraded and were on our way in our luxurious Merc, top down and ready to hit the open road. First stop – the Florida Keys. Making our way south, we were greeted with 360 degrees views of the everglades and lush, green, alligator filled swampland as far as the eye could see.

The drive to the very tip of the keys – Key West – is approximately 100 miles/160km from Miami and connected by 42 bridges. As we planned to be back in Miami, we decided to cover only half of the distance, and take in the sites before hitting South Beach. Driving The Overseas Hwy 1, we had ocean views on both sides, so crossing bridge after bridge taking in the sights was plenty of fun. Relaxing by the ocean in a little watering hole is a must do experience, and there are plenty of charters for the fishing and adventure enthusiasts too. We visited some local harbours, and cool little bars along the way before making our way back to Miami.

Miami moments

Welcome to South Beach, Miami. Home to star studded houses on bay islands, each with their own yachts parked at private jetties. Cruising in a Merc is one thing, but this pales in comparison to how “the other half live”! Star Island was a sight to behold. It’s a small island between south beach and downtown, with one oblong road, and known to contain the homes of Lenny Kravitz and Shaquille O’Neal. The city itself is home to NBA finalists Miami Heat, which is only 200m walking distance to the main eating and dining area on the harbour. You can hire boats yourself, though book ahead or arrive early in the morning so you’re not disappointed (we learnt the hard way!). South beach certainly lives up to its name, beach by day and a lively night scene. Whether it be a chilled restaurant, a sports bar or a late night club, all tastes are catered for.

Cape Canaveral

From the party scene of Miami, we made our way to Cape Canaveral, home to the Kennedy Space Centre. This is NASA’s launch site, well known for the Apollo Space Shuttle missions that have departed from the spot. It’s impressive and inspiring to see the actual Apollo and Atlantis spacecraft, and the takeoff pads located around the 144 acre property. A bus tour around these sites is all part of the tour, though due to security reasons there’s no getting on and off. The sheer size of the entire facility and the equipment was mind blowing. I recommend it to anyone, not just the space enthusiasts!

All in all we travelled about 500 miles, covering the Keys all the way up to Gainesville. The USA has highways galore. You get used to driving on the wrong side of the road quickly, and the roads are easy to navigate. The drive between cities and towns is quick and direct, thanks to the expansive network of 4 to 5 lane freeways. Although not the most spectacular view, it certainly helps when covering distance – and there’s a lot of it in the US – but at the end of the day, driving is much more fun when done in a Mercedes Convertible!

Mark was the guest of Hertz Car Rental and Expedia.