INSTATRAVEL: Miami South Beach
I was too busy having fun to tote around my actual camera, so click to read a more detailed Instagram recap of literally every single piece of my trip, Yelp reviews and all!
Fresh off the plane, we headed straight for La Sandwicherie to grab a bite to eat. This is rumored to be the place to get a sammy in South Beach. My recommendation is to go for a croissant instead of the hero (pictured here). The bread is very crusty, for lack of a better word, and hard to eat. These sandwiches come with the works, so be prepared...and make sure to use their signature special sauce. (check out my Yelp review here)
Once settled in, we took a quick dip at the beach, got dressed, and headed to Ocean Drive for a dinner reservation. Ocean Drive is such a beautiful addition to the dark backdrop of the Miami night sky. (pictured here in a wind-blown boohoo dress)
The ladies and I made a dinner reservation for Prime Italian, one of the top-notch restaurants in South Beach. Menu items are on the $$$$ side, so come prepared to spend money. The waiter shared with us the special for the night, Fra Diavolo, so we opted for that with a huge mixed green salad. The fra diavolo was spicy, fresh, and seasoned to perfection. We were so full afterwards, we took a nice stroll down Ocean Drive where we got to take in the hot spots and make a stop on the beach one last time.
The next day, we found ourselves at Lapis Spa at the Fountainbleau Miami. We were greeted by pleasant hostesses, given a tour of the facilities, and set up for our appointments. I received the bamboo fusion treatment, which was out of this world, and proceeded to take advantage of the amenities afterwards. A eucalyptus steam room, a rain room, a hot tub, and a mineral soak pool were just the tip of the iceberg - we were offered a pass to enjoy the seven pools at the Fountainbleau hotel. Needless to say, we made a day of it, and plan to be back at Lapis Spa every single time we are in Miami. (check out my Yelp review here)
Per the suggestion of just about everyone, we made a pit stop at Wet Willie's. I can't say I was particularly impressed - the crowd was tired and dry and I could have done without the drinks. But when in doubt, get a "Call Me a Cab". Always.
The nightlife in Miami is kind of ridiculous - high ticket prices matched with even more ridiculous lines lead us to Fat Tuesday. It's a super-chill vibe if you're into hip-hop and the cover to get in is only $5. Drinks are about $12 for those crazy tubs, but I stuck with $6 beers. My girls and I hung out with some fun guys that gave us the ins and outs of Miami, and security was super sweet. One of my girls had an injury the second night we went and they took care of us all night. Fat Tuesday was the perfect alternative to the Washington/Collins/Ocean craziness. (catch my Yelp review here)
The next morning, we needed to recover so we stumbled down the block to Urban Oxy - a super cute Seattle-meets-Williamsburg coffee shop. Fresh to the South Beach scene (they'd been at their SoBe location for a week), Urbanoxy has Panther coffee which is smooth and straight to the point. They even had almond milk...so you know what kind of place we are working with here. They are open late for those nights you're stumbling down Washington Street and need some grub before you head home. There's pizza and pastries as well if you want to gnosh. (check out my Yelp review here)
Riding a scooter down Ocean Drive is the quintessential Miami Beach move. Being true New Yorkers, we opted for trike rentals instead (no drivers license required! haha). A couple of blocks from our place was South Florida Trikkes, so we rented trikes for $30/hour. One of my girlfriends took a pretty bad spill off on one about 45 minutes into our ride, and the owner was sweet enough to come meet us by the piers and ride back to mid-Beach with us. Another one of the associates even came and met us, and the owner gave us an extra hour free, with which my girlfriend and I (pictured here) went for a ride to the other side of South Beach. South Florida Trikkes is an amazing company and I definitely recommend you use them if you want to rent anything motor-operated (they offer regular bikes, jetskis, trikes, and boats for rental as well). Check out my Yelp review here.
I often frequent Rosa Mexicano in NYC's Lincoln Center location, so I was so excited to see their Lincoln Road location in Miami. I urged my girlfriends to have dinner here before our night out, so we did and we did not regret it. The ambiance is sexy and very "Miami Beach". I recommend any of the skillets for an entree, and absolutely get the guacamole. It's made right in front of you!
To work off dinner, we walked down Lincoln Road. There are tons of shops and restaurants along this strip. Throughout the duration of our trip, we stopped at H&M, Aldo, and Sabon, just to name a few. We spotted Ricky's NYC, Five Napkin Burger, Shake Shack...the list goes on and on. I didn't feel like I'd left New York. (Wearing a boohoo dress again)
I'll leave the details of my night out (what happens in Miami stays in Miami, right?), but we ended up on the beach at sunrise. If you can wake up early enough or stay up that late, I would absolutely recommend going to the beach around 6 AM. It opens at dusk, though you can use your discretion before then, but this view was one of the most breathtaking things I've been blessed to experience. It made the trip feel so surreal.
I'm always one to make new friends, and that we did. We ended up at the Courtyard Marriott Oceanfront on our last full day in Miami, catching up on tans we didn't get because of overcast. It was the more intimate of the pools since we'd been in Miami, had a tiki bar, and was steps away from the beach. Super cute place further uptown on Collins Road if you're looking to stay in that part of South Beach.
To wrap up our trip, we grabbed some cigars and cocktails and went for a joyride in a Swoop cart. They are completely free (just tip the driver), blast great music, and are door-less so you can enjoy the breeze of South Beach. It was such a great time and the perfect wrap up to our trip. (check out my Yelp review here)
So, that's all folks! Have you ever been to Miami South Beach? Have any suggestions for hotspots? Sound off below! I definitely plan on going back to visit, so the more suggestions the better!