Thursday morning, I was finally on my way to the beautiful Miami Beach. My last visit to this city was during my graduation trip in 2016. I liked it so much, that I decided that I had to come come back here soon. And here I was. What I love the most about Miami are the Caribbean like beaches with the beautiful turquoise water! But Miami is not only about the beaches. Miami is a city known for its diverse culture, and it is both modern and tropical. It makes you feel like you are in a Latin-American country, because the number one language spoken here is Spanish; there are lots of Cuban influences and Latino music is played on every corner! Basically, Miami is all about the mix of the Latino and American culture, and who does not like latino vibes?
I thought it would be a great idea to meet my mom here, because she loves Miami beach just as much as I do. Miami was the last city on my trip, but also the city in which I was going stay for the longest amount of days. I also found it a great idea to celebrate my birthday here.
My mom had already arrived in Miami the night before and she was already waiting for me at an airport hotel. I was looking very much forward to seeing her and telling her everything about my trip. My relationship with my mom is very special because she truly is my best friend, so I was very happy to see her.
I would now finally stay in nicer hotels; no more Airbnbs and cheap hotels, and it was time for something more luxury. I took an uber to my mom’s hotel. She was staying at the Pullman hotel, close to the airport. Before heading over to our hotel, we decided to do some grocery shopping. There was a Publix Supermarket nearby the hotel where we did grocery shopping for the next couple of days. We already knew that Miami is an extremely expensive city from our last stay, and we wanted to avoid going out for both lunch and dinner everyday. Therefore, we tried to always bring a small lunch with us to the beach.
Weather
We were extremely lucky with the weather. The weather forecast showed bad weather for our entire stay. As already mentioned, Miami has a tropical climate, so the weather can vary. In addition, it was both the rainy season and the hurricane season during our stay. However, I think it only rained ones or twice, and it was only for a maximum of a couple of hours.
Grand Beach Miami Hotel
We booked three hotels in Miami, because we were going to stay in Miami for 10 whole days and we wanted to explore several different neighbourhoods. The first hotel was the Grand Beach Hotel. We have stayed here before, and it is by far our most favorite hotel in Miami. We are very happy with it in terms of the price, the private beach, the interior, the size of the rooms and the fact that it has a balcony (which is not that common in Miami beach)! We also really like the Fontainebleau, which is located in the same neighbourhood, but for a room with a balcony, the prices are much higher. To us it was also important to have a very spacious room, because my mom’s friend was going to join us from the third day of our stay, so we were going to be 3 people staying in one room. Not only are the rooms spacious, but there is a wall separating the two sleeping areas, and there are two bathrooms! Therefore, this hotel is very convenient for a 3-people trip.
As already mentioned, the beach in Miami is amazing. We received a room upgrade, because of my birthday, so we had an amazing view of both the beach and the lagoon on the other side where all the luxury mansions are located. We could not stop starring at the view, so we ended up staying at the balcony quite a lot. I think the color of the water was even more beautiful than I had remembered. The private beach at the Grand Beach Miami is also perfect with comfortable sun loungers included in the resort fee. The hotel also has two pools: the main pool on the main deck and the sunset pool located on the 7th floor (or so) overlooking the lagoon. The sunset pool is supposedly open 24/7, so it is a great spot for a private party. The main pool, however, was our favorite. It is beautifully located in a garden of palm trees, with lots hammocks and just a few metres from the beach. This scenery really makes you feel like you are in a tropical paradise. By the pool, there is a also a bar and a restaurant where you can order snacks to eat by the pool.
Nearby hotels
As already mentioned, another hotel in the same neighbourhood is the famous Fontainbleu. I have stayed in that hotel before and I love the vibe in this hotel. Therefore, we had to come back there for lunch and some wine. The beach bar at Fontainebleau was just as fun as I remembered. It is always crowded, and there is a DJ playing together with either a saxophonist or a violin player. It is a party hotel, but then not “as bad as” many of the other typical party hotels in Miami, because in the end it is a high-class hotel. It is also where Miami’s best nightclub LIV is located!
Calle Espagnola
Regarding restaurants, there are many great restaurants to choose from in Miami beach, although most of them are overpriced. One of the days, we decided to have dinner in South beach at the Calle Espagnola. This is the cutest street that I have seen in Miami so far. It is full of restaurants and the whole street is lighten up. It has a Spanish feel to it, which might explain why it is called Calle Espagnola. Or the other way around. We ended up going to an Italian restaurant. The atmosphere here was very charming, but the prices were indeed high, and the portions were way too big for us. I know I have been complaining a lot about the portions in the USA, but they really are too big. I do not like to leave food behind, and I hate feeling completely full after eating. I am also not a fan of doggy bags, and it is not like you always are going straight home afterwards, or that you have a microwave waiting for you at the hotel. Besides, the food looks so much better when the portions are smaller!
To get a better picture of the whole Miami experience, check out my Miami highlight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3ODU3MzMxMzIzNTQ3MDQz?igshid=73engjfsltos&story_media_id=2150488332647624062
I will dedicate my whole next post to my birthday celebration which mainly took place at the Versace Mansion and Rodeo Drive!
Anyah Mroz 