I adore beaches and warm places. Places where you go outdoors and are greeted by bright skies and warm sunshine and the rhythmic crush of waves. I love being close to water and preferably in it. So that’s what I wanted for my birthday this year and wound up in Miami. I have never been and was curious to experience it’s over-the-top-ness along with its beaches and sun.
I’ve managed to accumulate a few hotel points from traveling for work and used them to stay at the lovely W South Beach. The suite was larger than my apartment in DC with balcony views of the ocean and downtown Miami. Between the suite, pool, and beach, I could have stayed on the W property for four days and had a perfect time. I was greeted with a strawberry cheesecake and bottle of champagne… and each morning enjoyed complementary French-pressed coffee, pastries, and fresh fruit on the balcony after a run on the beach promenade.
I’m a runner. Running on vacation might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was a pleasure to have unhurried time to run in a beautiful place, on a boardwalk covered with palm trees nestled between the beach and a parade of fancy hotels. Not to mention the novelty it was to be outside in shorts and a tank top.
So, pastries and coffee on a balcony with a view. CHECK. Running and swimming on the beach. CHECK. Seriously, that could have been enough for me.
A good friend accompanied me for this trip to warmer climes (but not the running). Our first day, we made our way to the Wynwood neighborhood. Wynwood is an up and coming area brought to prominence by an outdoor gallery of international street art called “Wynwood Walls”. It really is a perfect introduction to Miami – a maze of color, bold lines and arresting scenes to wonder through.
There are also indoor “galleries” along the way with eclectic and funky collections. We stopped for a drink at the onsite café (mostly so I could use the bathroom), and I tried the “La Rubia”, a blonde ale from a local craft brewery. I highly recommend! It bursts with flavor with a smooth, nutty finish. Murals inspired by the Wynwood Walls have sprung up all over this part of town, so part of the fun is just walking around.
Miami is known for being expensive, and it didn’t disappoint… We hopped around during our four days and did a lot of expensive food sampling. We found gems at all price points. On Miami Beach, we found a small Italian restaurant called Sylvano’s with a hidden garden patio that had reasonable prices and ample portions. The food was homestyle and satisfying and the ambience was calming with all the green and lights strung overhead.
On the other end of the spectrum, we accidentally wondered into Byblos which has a funky, “welcome to my eccentric Aunt’s living room-vibe” and pretentious waiters, but incredible food. We only had appetizers, octopus and lamb dishes, and both were worth writing home about. With two glasses of wine we paid what I would consider a reasonable price for an entire two-person dinner… which seems to be the story for most places in Miami.
We didn’t really do the club thing (I know, I know…), but the people watching was great. We walked down Ocean Drive and took in all the art deco architecture and saw very pretty, young woman in bright, skimpy swathes of cloth looking cold and waiting for taxis. We went to a jazz club at the back of the Regent on my birthday and had fancy, expensive cocktails and enjoyed the music and watched hapless guys buy drinks for a procession of woman, hoping a dart stuck in the board I suppose. We noticed the annoying habit of waiters and waitresses always assuming my male friend was paying for the check. Miami culture?
We ventured into Little Havana and had brunch at Versailles, a no-fuss Cuban restaurant, clearly very popular with locals and tourists alike. Very good food and very good prices. I’m still dreaming about the coffee con leche and the empanadas. On the way back, we walked a long, un-scenic stretch of “Calle Ocho” which is the main street through Little Havana. It was a nice a day though and felt good after gorging on all the delicious Cuban food. We stopped in at the Ball & Chain for more fancy cocktails, music and dancing.
Continuing the trek back downtown, we hopped on a trolley and stopped by the Brickell City Center to gawk at the super fancy mall and go up 40 floors to “Sugar,” a trendy Asian cocktail bar and restaurant overlooking Miami bay. We arrived shortly after they opened and had nearly 15 glorious minutes to ourselves until the “trendy” crowd steamrolled in. We ate deliciously spicy Korean chicken wings and skedaddled out of there.
On our hopscotch back to South Beach, we stopped at “Monty’s” on the West side of the island, known to be a great place to watch sunsets. The sun did not disappoint! You get great sunrises but don’t see much of the sunset from the beach side of the island, so I was happy we made it to primetime sunset viewing at least one night. Monty’s laidback, sports bar/poolside vibe was also a refreshing contrast to the (too) hip crowd at Sugar. I had another La Rubia.
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| Beach and sun look good on me... |
I spent my entire birthday at the beach, rolling myself about like a rotisserie chicken and frolicking in the waves in between daiquiris and ice cold Tecates. We also spent time at “Wet”, the W’s charming pool. Honestly, the best part was grabbing a pool noodle and floating around with a jalapeno tequila margarita (best cocktail of the trip).
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| Totally feeling my retro-inspired swimsuit from Target |
Colorful outdoor street murals? CHECK. Cuban food in Little Havana? CHECK. All spare time spent on the beach, in the ocean, or in the pool? CHECK. A lot of ridiculously priced food and cocktails? CHECK…
Except for the punch to the wallet, I loved Miami and would go back.
