Favorite Places in Miami, Part 1

Miami has countless things to see and do. Most people go to Miami for the beautiful white sand beaches, shopping sprees, and for the nightlife. I spent many weekends in my 20's enjoying Miami. Lately I've been lazy about the drive but once I'm there I always have a good time. I considered moving there several years ago. I still consider it an option if I ever move out of Tampa. I looked for pictures from old trips and I have so many that I need to split this post into 2 parts: South beach and Downtown. 

South Beach

South Beach or SoBe is the southern most beach in Miami Beach. South Beach is famous for the topless sunbathers, the architecture, and the nightlife. It goes from 1st street until around 22nd street. I'm not a big fan of Ocean Drive except for the Art Deco buildings and seeing the Versace mansion. I really recommend not going to Ocean Drive at night. It's safe, but I consider it a bit too touristy for my taste with boas and wild birds on the street for pictures. I do love having breakfast on Ocean Drive at News Cafe which is open 24 hours. Most clubs close at 5:00 AM and it is very convenient after a night of dancing.

I rather stay north of 16th street. The most glamorous hotels in the area are the Delano, the ShoreClub, the Ritz Carlton, the Setai, and the W. There are many price options in South Beach from budget hotels to the most beautiful boutique hotels. Most of these hotels have nice bars to start the night where you can go even if you are not a guest. After a few drinks you can head out to another place. If you are staying at a hotel in the area, ask the concierge to provide wrist bands for night clubs or to at least put you on a guest list. Otherwise, the bouncers are tough to get through and you will be asked to buy a bottle or maybe not even allowed to get in. Also, the dress code is very strict in most night clubs. A black dress and heels for women and a simple button down shirt and nice jeans for guys will do it. Forget about wearing flip flops or sneakers at night. Leave the casual wear for the beach. Most places love to have a reputation of being the "most exclusive" or to have the "tighest door policy", so be ready to look your best.

South Beach, Miami

The Pool at the ShoreClub Hotel

Fun nights with friends in South Beach

South Beach

Most restaurants and bars are trendy for a while. Some of the places that I've been no longer exist. Mynt Lounge has been popular for at least 5 years. I'm lucky to have friends that live there and take me to new places all the time. The only place that I keep going back during the day is Nikki Beach. They make the best mojitos in Miami and the brunch on Sundays is amazing. They always have a DJ playing and the lounge beds are perfect for a day in the sun. 

Mojitos @ Nikki Beach

Champagne Bottles Celebration

Parking in South Beach is hard to find. Most hotels charge approximately $30 per day for parking. The best option is to walk or take taxis instead of trying to find a new parking spot. A taxi from the airport is probably at least $40 each way. However, having a car will let you explore the rest of the city.

Photo Credit: www.southbeach-usa.com

Lincoln Road

Lincoln Road is practically part of south beach and this is probably my favorite place in Miami. Lincoln Road is a pedestrian street between Alton Road and Washington Avenue. There are several unique stores, art galleries, movie theaters, hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafes. There is even a church in the middle of Lincoln Road. Most restaurants have indoor and outdoor seating and offer late night dinner. Also, stores are usually open until midnight. The best part about Lincoln Road: people watching. My favorite itinerary (day or night) will include  visiting the Romero Britto gallery, Segafredo for coffee or drinks, and Nexxt for dinner. 

Dessert @ Nexxt

Segafredo Lincoln Road

Dogs and clothes in a Lincoln Road Store

Photo Credit: www.lincolnroad.net

Life's a Beach @ SOBE

We spent our past Saturday and Sunday in South Beach, Miami. I had a ticket to go to a Luis Miguel's concert but we made it a short break from the routine staying at the Gansevoort in South Beach. I was a little dissapointed with our room, but the hotel was incredible. I fell in love with their pool and the lobby. We spent Saturday afternoon at the "family" friendly pool since the rooftop pool had a pool party going on. I like parties but those parties let so many people in that you can barely get in the pool. We wanted to relax this weekend and that is what we did. 

Gansevoort South Beach

The tables at the pool

Miami beach - from the pool 

Beautiful Day in Miami

The W was next door. I want to stay here next time

The pool @ the Gansevoort

The pool @ the Gansevoort

The pool @ the Gansevoort

The pool @ the Gansevoort - not the famous rooftop pool

The concert was incredible and I was so glad to be there that I didn't care about being alone. There was another Colombian girl next to me alone so we kept each other's company. I was proud to go by myself and do what I want even if it felt weird.

The reason for the trip

Luis Miguel's concert

The lobby @ the Gansevoort

On Sunday, we went to Nikki Beach which is one of my favorite places in Miami. Parking was very hard to find and we gave up and paid $20 at a lot a few blocks away from the beach. We had brunch, a few mimosas, and the best mojitos in Miami. I had the drinks because my boyfriend was hangover. The brunch was incredible! probably the best brunch I've ever had. 

No visit to Miami is complete without a Mojito

Nikki Beach

We drove back to Tampa in the late afternoon. This is the 4th weekend in a row that I was out of town. Next weekend we have Monday off work and we will be spending Saturday night in Orlando to visit Disney's theme parks. We have the Florida resident pass and what better way to spend the holiday weekend than to visit Mickey Mouse.

I love that building with the Britto figure

Love bugs every where! It is officially summer 

The Sunshine State

After complaining for U2 having their concert in Miami on a Wednesday night, I found out that Luis Miguel, my all-time favorite singer will do a concert in Miami on a Thursday night!!! What happened to the days when the good concerts were on Friday and Saturday nights? Shakira also had her Orlando concert on a Tuesday night!!! I was falling asleep at work the next day (totally worth it but hard for a Tuesday night!!!). The same day that I found out about the concert, I received a pre-sale code for Luis Miguel's concert. When I saw the seats I could buy, I considered using 2 of my vacation days in Miami. I had until 10:00PM to buy the pre-sale tickets but I decided not to go. I can't use them in a City that I can easily go on a weekend. Furthermore, I am getting married in less than 5 months and requested 17 days off for the wedding and honeymoon. Days that I don't have which means I will be taking non-paid time off. Most people in the US (including me) only have 2 weeks of vacation and 5 days to get sick a year. There are only 5 or 6 holidays in the year!!!! Now you can understand why I refuse to spend my days in Miami. 

I love Miami, I love going there for the weekend and going out to a decent club. Tampa is nice to live, but the night life isn't good. I like the beaches, the lack of temptation during the week, and the short distances for the everyday life, but from time to time it would be nice to have a fancy lounge to go out. I'm actually planning my bachelorette party in Miami and more than a bachelorette I want to have a nice, relaxing weekend with my best (girl) friends. We will be staying at the Viceroy Hotel in downtown Miami. I heard their spa is amazing! We will be recovering at the pool and the spa during the day and going out at night. Everything in Miami looks like someone actually cared to make it unique and better than the place next door. 

Martinis @ Segafredo Brickell

@ The W hotel Bar, Ft Lauderdale

@ the W hotel (restaurant behind the aquarium)

@ the pool @ the ShoreClub Hotel

South Beach

I love getting out of town for the weekend but we have been saving for the wedding so we are very limited with our plans.  My boyfriend is taking me to Orlando tomorrow for an art show happening this weekend. The art show is actually in Winter Park but we will be staying in Orlando. We don't know if it will be good or not. I love it when he does things like that and surprises me with a plan to change our routine. This week I was going crazy trying to find an excuse to get away from our day to day. It is very expensive to stay at the beach this time of the year because spring break in Florida is THE highest season.  There are many things to do in Florida and I enjoy living here. I get bored easily but tomorrow we will be doing something different. If you need any travel advise for Florida just let me know and I will be happy to recommend some places to stay and things to do.

The Florida Aquarium in Tampa is one of my favorite local attractions

Busch Gardens, Tampa 

Epcot Center, Orlando, FL

Lesson Learned: Mojitos will fix just about anything