5 DAYS IN MIAMI
Five days of Miami sun in late February was just enough to heal the wounds of winter. There was plenty of time to stand still for hours at a time reading a good book, as well as take in some must-do activities. James and I spent our first night in Little Havana at a young and dignified hotel - Life House Little Havana. The courtyard offered cozy seating and a hammock, just what I wanted to start my new read. Their 5 à 7 offered a very welcomed glass of wine. Sorry, a couple of glasses.
We moved into the Vintro Hotel on day 2, perfectly located in South Beach. Only a short walk to some shopping on Lincoln and an even shorter walk East to the beach.
I won’t tell anyone how to spend their time in South Beach, but I can highly recommend some of the following. We visited the bar Broken Shaker at Freehand a few times just to lounge and grab a drink. They have mixologists who’ll put together some fresh creative cocktails for you. My favourite was on the menu - “Sage” Butter Old Fashioned; butter washed Bourbon, sage and CBD oil. Even if pastries aren’t what you think to try in Miami, it wouldn’t be a vacation for me if I didn’t sniff out the best nearby bakery. Rosetta has great Italian baking for a morning or afternoon treat. Friend’s of ours highly suggested Kith for cereal infused ice cream. I knew I’d like it, but I didn’t think I would love it as much as I did. With so many selections I think I chose quite well - blue cone, with vanilla base, fruit loops and cookie dough! Will have to try remaking this at home. James made us a reservation at Yardbird for their farm-to-table Southern Comfort food and Bourbon selection. I’ve been craving a proper plate of fried chicken and waffles. I’m glad I satisfied that craving at Yardbird because it was just incredible. If we weren’t so full I would have been all over their coconut pie or deep fried Oreos… Next time, guys!
On the weekend we felt a car would help get us to a few other activities, so we drove out to the Everglades. There are many alligator shows and boat rides, but we decided to take a simple stroll at Shark Valley. As you can see, we got very close to a few alligators! These photos are shot with a 50mm prime, so you can tell I was very close, much more than they recommend. I didn’t spend too much time taking his or her photo!
On our way out we stopped at Finka for lunch. It was a great Cuban and Korean influenced restaurant. We also had a beer over some slots at a casino on an Native American reserve. We managed to make enough on the machines to pay for our car rental before we decided not to lose any more. Not bad.
Our last notable stop was the Wynwood Walls. I wish we had a little more than 1.5 hours there to take in the murals, but I’m glad to have seen them.
Whatever you do in Miami, try to pamper yourself as well as we did!
