Books & Books is a small bookstore chain that has a few outlets in and around Miami region — there’s one also in the Caribbean… The store we visited is located on a nice shopping street in Miami Beach.

The store is not extremely big, but is has a wide variety of books and magazines, and some toys for smaller children. All major literature categories are present, which is quite a feat for such crammed space. There is also an excellent café in front of the store, so you can start savouring your finds with a cup of mocha immediately.

The location is good for popping over from the beach to get more books or magazines to read. However, it is not on the seashore, so be prepared to walk a few blocks.

www.booksandbooks.com, 933 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida, USA, +1 305 532 3222

Miami’s public transportation system has one unique perk: free Metromover trains in the downtown. The trains are frequent, clean, and air conditioned train cars sure beat walking in the humid tropical weather.

There are three loops in the system: one for downtown only, and two for visiting southern and northern areas surrounding the downtown. The stations are only a couple hundred meters apart, so people do not need to walk that far in the blazing heat. On the other hand, the train its time to run through the loop as stops are very frequent.

As the train runs on elevated tracks, it provides good views to the downtown area and surroundings. Especially smaller children love the train trip.

www.miamidade.gov/transit, Miami, Florida, USA

Malls seem to be the best choice nowadays to shop as much as you can in a condensed amount of time. Miami’s biggest mall is located in the southern suburbs of the city. As usual, the mall is designed to be visited by car, but the local train system has a station a few hundred meters from the mall. You just need to cross the huge parking lots to get in.

The mall is like any other mall; there are all the normal chains, a few department stores, such as Nordstrom and Macy’s, and a food garden that serves fast-foodish portions. There is an excellent cookie counter in a coffeeshop, though.

There is no playground or any other children attractions, so smaller shoppers might get bored easily. Visiting Disney store helps, and there is a Toys’R'Us nearby, on the other side of the train station.

www.dadeland-mall-fl.com, 7535 Dadeland Mall, Miami, Florida, USA, +1 305 665 6226

Shanghai Tang, the Chinese high fashion label has a miniscule store in the lobby of Mandarin Oriental. Probably not visited by others than the hotel guests, the shop has a selection of clothes and accessories.

If you are fond of blending traditional Asian designs with modern influences, Shanghai Tang might have that stuff for you. The items are relatively expensive, but not on the levels of European haute couture companies. Of course, the brand recognition is also different.

When not residing in the hotel, you need to drive there — just say to valet guys that you’ll be there for fifteen minutes or less and they won’t charge you for the parking. There is also a Brickell Key bus connection from the local train and Metromover stations. But then you need to be really serious for the stuff, as it is bit of a hassle

www.shanghaitang.com, 500 Brickell Key Drive (inside Mandarin Oriental Hotel), Miami, Florida, USA

If you are in need of groceries in southern parts of Miami downtown, go to Publix on SW 7th Street. The huge supermarket probably can cater all your needs. The selection is excellent and the people working there are more than willing to help you to find the stuff you are looking for.

There is pretty good sushi counter at one of the corners. I am always a bit dubious with supermarket sushis — as sometimes you get tasteless crap — but they know how to make sushi. The sushi is prepared on the spot, and they are willing to make items on the order, also.

The only problem with the store is that you need a car to get the stuff fresh back to your hotel. Or then buy enough items so that you can step into taxi without feeling bad about the expenses.

www.publix.com, 311 SW 7th Street, Miami, FL, USA

Located on a small islet — Brickell Key — in front of Miami downtown, Mandarin Oriental Miami is both a business hotel and a secluded oasis. All this combined with big, airy rooms and world-class service makes the hotel a good base for exploring Miami and relaxing.

The rooms are well-appointed, stuffed with a good set of amenities. The big is big and comfortable. As an extra, there is a small balcony for viewing the city and sipping drinks while soaking the warmth of tropical USA.

The infinity pool is moderate in size, but it was never crowded — thus there was plenty of space in the pool and on the deck. There is also a hot tub. Hotel has a private sandy beach for people interested in sunbathing. There is no swimming possibilities there and it feels a bit too artificial for my taste.

Nearby is a small shopping center with a good deli, a couple of restaurants and a some other basic services, and a children’s playground. For all other needs, you need to visit the mainland.

www.mandarinoriental.com, 500 Brickell Key Drive, Miami, Florida, USA

If you are looking for good and cheap takeaway sushi, consider visiting one of the Wasabi shops located here and there in London. They have a few shelves full of sushi that is sold in packs of one or two, depending on the size of the pieces. You select those that you like and make your own combination. They have priced the pieces by pairs, but you can buy just one with half the shown price.

The selection depends a bit of the location and the time of the day, but usually there is enough variety to enjoy a good mix of different fishes. There are also some preselected boxes for those that cannot make up their minds. Wasabi, ginger and soy sauce are picked from the counter, too.

The sushi is tasty, but of course not that fresh as in restaurants. The size of the pieces are decent.

The only thing that irks me is that the pieces are wrapped in plastic — after eating the table or trashcan is filled with plastic scrap.

www.wasabi.co.uk, 127 Tottenham Court Road, London, United Kingdom, +44 20 7383 7772

The surroundings of Carnaby Street are filled with designed restaurants, to allure workers from the nearby advertising agencies and media companies. Cha Cha Moon, a recently opened Asian restaurant, is no exception to the rule.

The restaurant has been open for a week when we visited it, and it showed in the level of servide. Waiter lost part of our order, so I got to eat mine before the rest arrived. Further, we had to remind them twice before they brought it.

Besides that, the restaurant was a nice experience. All portions were £3.50 that explains also the huge queue we saw when leaving the restaurant. I’m under impression that the pricing will change later, but that might or might not be the case — better check yourself.

Cha Cha Moon, 15-21 Ganton Street, London, United Kingdom, +44 20 7297 9800