Party in the city where the heat is on / All night, on the beach till the break of dawn / “Welcome to Miami” / “Bienvenidos a Miami”.
While planning our trip to Miami, Chris was bursting with excitement, I on the other hand had no idea of what to expect. We both discovered a city that exceeded our wildest expectations!
We visited Miami during Christmas / New Years period and we were really happy that we finally get to spend NYE somewhere warm! Without a doubt seeing a huge Christmas tree next to hundreds of palm trees had its charm, but nevertheless the city is incredible anytime of the year you choose to visit it.
WHEN TO VISIT
Miami has warm weather throughout the entire year, however the hurricane season starts in June and ends in November. Keeping this in mind it's best to visit the city outside this time, therefore from December until May. Now, hurricane season does not necessarily mean that a hurricane will occur, however why take any chances?
WHERE TO STAY
Obviously the best choice would be in Miami Beach as you will be close to the action, however accommodation in this area tends to be pretty expensive. But worry not as there are several other great neighborhoods where you can find a place to stay at a much more accessible price. Wynwood, Downtown and Brickell are all a short Uber ride away and they all have cool attractions around them.
GETTING AROUND
Uber and Lift will help you zip across town at reasonable prices. Public transport is also well organized and you can even use the Metromover for free in Downtown.
South Beach is also great for biking and you can find bike renting stations all along the boardwalk.
THINGS TO EXPLORE
MIAMI BEACH
This is where the magic happens! As expected, this is an incredibly lively place! Group of friends, families and lovely couples, it has a different vibe for each, nonetheless a great one!
OCEAN DRIVE
This place inspired so many great movies and songs and suddenly we were there...kissing under the stars and fireworks at midnight! Traveling has taught us a great number of things and one of them is that some things you don’t even know you want because you have no idea what they would mean! If only I knew what an incredible mark spending New Year’s Eve in Miami would leave on my heart, it would have been on my bucket list from the very beginning!
DOWNTOWN MIAMI
I remember walking down the streets and thinking that this looks like a modern day Venice.
With speedboats and parties on Yachts, winding canals through towering skyscrapers, it all gives the city a certain uniqueness among other cities that we have visited.
There are few places where we’ve been to where I was able to say with certainty that I would love to live there. One of them was Barcelona (where we actually ended up living for a while), the other was Miami’s Downtown, more precisely the Brickell Key residential area.
MIAMI’s DESIGN DISTRICT
Modern and artsy structures, colorful buildings and pink parking lots, it’s a shame not to visit this place. This is definitely the spot for Instagram lovers.
WYNWOOD WALLS
By far one of my favorite neighborhoods in Miami! This is a unique outdoor “museum” filled with colorful and impressive murals done by artists from all over the world!
LITTLE HAVANA
This neighbourhood will give you cuban vibes just minutes away from the city centre. Here you can experience traditional cuban dishes and mingle with the locals at a game of domino. Almost all the main points of interest are located on the famous Calle Ocho.
MIAMI’S MUSEUMS
There are a lot of cool museums in Miami like the Perez Art Museum, Frost Museum of Science and Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. However visiting all of them takes a lot of time, so if you only have a few days in the city you might want to put your priorities in order.
DAY TRIP TO FLORIDA KEYS
We love road trips! So of course that we took the opportunity while visiting Miami to also make a short drive to Florida Keys. This is definitely doable in one day, but if you also want to stop at different points of attractions then it can feel a bit rushed, especially if you want to spend a day in the keys. In this case spending the night in one of the little towns would be a good option.
Still, we did this as a day trip. Very early morning we rented a car from Alamo (they are our go to rental car company in the US as the renting process is effortless) and we drove all the way to the southernmost geographic point of the 48 contiguous states in the US, Point Buoy located in Key West. Along the way we had short stops at several points, including kayaking through the swamps at Robbie's.
The keys were a delight, especially when we got to see all sorts of animals and reptiles on the side of the road. Not sure if I would like living there though ...
WHAT/WHERE TO EAT
If you have been reading our previous articles you might know by now that we are huge foodies and that we have a soft spot for junk food and street food. Because of this whenever we research a new place we also look into what and where to eat. Miami is a great place for a culinary adventure as it has influences from all over the world, especially Mexico and Cuba.
Here are some of the place where we will for sure return if we ever find ourselves in Miami again.
TACO RICCO
Who doesn’t love tacos? We had the best soft tacos here at Taco Ricco. The portions were pretty huge and also cheap. It was our first meal in Miami and I think I will remember it for life. And yes, we had tacos for breakfast! If there’s a rule against that well...we make our own rules!
EL REY DE LAS FRITAS
Cuban food is not know to be one of the greatest, but if you find yourself in Little Havana you must try the famous frita at El Rey de las Fritas. It had such an incredible and unique taste and we are only sorry that we did not have more!
SANGUICH DE MIAMI
From what we could tell, the US has developed a sandwich culture and you will find a lot of cool places at every corner. Close to Little Havana there is Sanguich de Miami, that puts an interesting twist to the classic sandwiches.
FIVE GUYS BURGERS
I’ve mentioned earlier that we are big fans of junk food, so no surprise here. The burgers are indeed delicious, but la piece de resistance is by far the fries. I know, I know...sounds weird, but trust me! Try them!
SAKAYA KITCHEN
I start drooling just by thinking of the food here! This place gives a modern spin to the traditional asian food. On this note, you must try their signature Banh Mi. Their are definitely nothing like the original one, but oh boy are they delicious!?
1-800-Lucky
This place is more than a dining place, it’s an actual experience. This is somewhat of a market place with several small eateries from which you can choose from. Try your luck!
Also it is always full and crowded, so it might take a while to find a seat at a table. Don’t go too hungry!
There are hundreds of great options to choose from, but you can imagine we did not get the chance to try them all in the first run! We are keeping some for when we hope to return to Miami!
Sending hugs,
O
There are hundreds of great options to choose from, but you can imagine we did not get the chance to try them all in the first run! We are keeping some for when we hope to return to Miami!
Sending hugs,
O
