World's Biggest DJs Reveal Their Miami Favorites

Every March, every DJ you’ve ever heard of - and a few thousand who wish you’d heard of them - descend on Miami for Winter Music Conference, Miami Music Week, and Ultra Music festival. And since you’re probably tired of hearing our picks for the best things around Miami, we asked the local favorites of some guys who spend quite a lot of time here. This past week we talked to an All-star team of the world’s biggest DJs - Hardwell, Tiesto, Afrojack, Armin Van Buuren, Gareth Emery, Nicky Romero, Danny Avila and JP from Top 40 fave Cash Cash - to get their picks for favorite things to do around Miami.

What’s Your Favorite Thing About Miami?

CASH CASH - The weather here, man. It’s always perfect. Also the music’s good and the club vibe is great

HARDWELL - Aside from the weather, the people here. Everyone is so relaxed and they always are eager to hear new stuff.

AFROJACK - Everything’s like a movie here. The girls, the guys the promoters, the servers. It’s just a scene you don’t see other places and pure entertainment for me, I can just sit up and watch it. Some people might say it’s shallow, but I love it. It’s just so alive.

DANNY AVILA - Gotta be Lincoln Road and all the cool shops.

ARMIN VAN BUUREN - The whole art deco feel here. When I was a little kid I used to watch Miami Vice and when I finally see it up close in person it’s just like I remember on TV.

What’s Your Favorite Club In Miami To Play?

AFROJACK - Mansion. That’s the club I grew up in. I used to do Guetta’s nights there and I met the owner and all the people who work there, and it’s gotten to be like a close family.

CASH CASH - Definitely Space. There’s a great vibe, it’s downtown, and the setup is good. Some clubs are set up awkwardly, like the DJ booth is so low you can’t hype everyone up because they can’t see you. Or it’s too high. At Space they got it right.

HARDWELL - Mansion was one of the first clubs I played down here, so it’s probably still my favorite.

TIESTO - LIV. The place is just beautiful and has a perfect setup. The DJ booth is perfectly built.

ARMIN VAN BUUREN - Old Space was great, but it’s all about the crowd. LIV, Story, those are probably the best now.

NICKY ROMERO - LIV. I started out at Arkadia, once, and now they feel like family. It feels like coming home.

GARETH EMERY – LIV is my favorite. There’s just something about that room, and a certain magic happens in that room. Space tends to be my Music Week club.

If You Could Go To A Club Just To Go For Fun, Which One Would You Go To?

DANNY AVILA - Space. There’s something for everyone there and the most interesting people go there. It’s also a place you can go and have fun and nobody’s gonna bother you.

CASH CASH - I’d say LIV or Story, because they’re nice and pretty but still real enough that you feel like you can get dirty.

ARMIN VAN BUUREN - Story or Mansion. I actually recorded the video for Save my Night at Mansion.

NICKY ROMERO - I like to see a little of everything. I saw Carl Cox at Space and it was great to see him get inspiration from playing there.

GARETH EMERY – Space Terrace probably. But maybe Story as an underground club.

What’s Your Favorite Hotel In Miami?

HARDWELL - When I’m in a hotel I want to rest. I’ve been staying at the Ocean Sea recently because it’s so relaxed.

CASH CASH - The Mondrian. The food here’s great, best room service sushi I’ve had.

AFROJACK - Either The W or the Delano. The people are just so nice there.

ARMIN VAN BUUREN - The W, obviously.

GARETH EMERY – My favorite hotels when we used to stay in hotels was the Z Ocean, really cool place, doesn’t tend to be as overpriced as the others ones.

What’s Your Favorite Bar To Go To

GARETH EMERY – I like the Spring Break bars down on Ocean Drive. I love those, like, GIANT Margaritas, especially when they put in a couple of upside down beers in the Margaritas.

CASH CASH - We went to Automatic Slims last night. That was definitely gritty.

ARMIN VAN BUUREN - The Delano is great just for hanging out. I also like Terrazza at the Shore Club.

What’s The Best Restaurant In Miami And What Are You Ordering There?

ARMIN VAN BUUREN - Nobu, just all the sushi there is phenomenal.

HARDWELL - Joe’s Stone Crabs. And I’m getting the King Crab legs.

CASH CASH - Oliver’s was amazing. The grilled calamari might be the best Calamari I’ve had.

AFROJACK - Pizza Rustica. It’s the first place I go when I get to Miami, and then the last place I go at the end of the night.

TIESTO - Hakkasan. Hard to pick just one item but probably the ribs and the duck spring rolls.

DANNY AVILA - Barceloneta and the tuna tartare.

NICKY ROMERO - There’s a burger place on Ocean Drive that’s very old school looking, it’s kinda like In-N-Out, but different. I always like to go there. (Presumably, he means Johnny Rockets)

GARETH EMERY – Katsuya does a fantastic creamy rock shrimp tempura

If You Had One Day In Miami To Do Anything With Nobody Bothering You, What Would You Do?

TIESTO - Seriously, I’d just lay on the beach

AFROJACK - Walk up and down Collins Ave and Lincoln Road. It’s like the Hollywood Strip in LA or the Strip in Vegas or Times Square. Just a really really lively place full of cool people.

DANNY AVILA - Wake boarding.

ARMIN VAN BUUREN - First I’d go work out (on Armin’s workout playlist: London Grammar, Elbow, Skrillex and an old radio program called Rave Radio hosted by Adam Curry) then I’d go with my kids to the beach and play with them all day. But pack lots of sunscreen.

NICKY ROMERO - Walk on the beach, hang out in the sun, and go run. It’s hard to go on the beach with a crowd there if people want to take pictures, Which is a good thing, but it makes it hard to go somewhere public, so I’d love to do that.

GARETH EMERY – I’d have some amazing sushi at Katsuya for lunch. I’d wander down the beach, go in the water for a bit. I would end at one of those big clubs.

Editor’s Note: Originally published in March 30, 2014. Updated in 2026 with new photography; Matt Meltzer’s original writing remains unchanged.