MIAMI SPICE

BEN BORLAND takes in the sights, sounds, scents and tastes of one of the US's most vibrant cities

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Heading inland, Coral Gables offers a fascinating glimpse of 1920s glamour with dozens of historic buildings, including the imposing Miami Biltmore.

The hotel opened in 1926 and then, just a few months later, the Great Miami Hurricane struck.

It was the most destructive hurricane in modern US history, destroying thousands of homes and claiming up to 500 lives.

This devastation would prove to be the catalyst for modern Miami's most famous feature - the Art Deco buildings of South Beach.

Miami Beach, seven miles long and barely a mile wide, is a barrier island off the coast of the city proper, and after the big blowdown of 1926 barely a wall was left standing.

The city was looking to bounce back, and found inspiration in Europe.

The city found inspiration in Europe. Today, there are Art Deco buildings all over the world, from the Empire State Building to the Midland Hotel in Morecambe - but nowhere has a greater concentration than South Beach.