Monthly Archives

April 2019

travel

Travel Guide Miami, South Beach

It’s been just shy of two weeks since I left the city of Miami with all my girlfriends celebrating my 30th, and I miss the energy (and heat) there!  It is the perfect place to fly for a weekend trip with the family, girls weekend or bachelor/bachelorette!  Below you’ll find everything you need to know to make it an amazing trip!

How to get there:  You can fly into FLL or MIA airport.   With traffic, both come out to almost the same drive time to South beach Miami. I always put google alert flights on for multiple airports and route options months prior to get the best deals.  Flying from NC we ended up getting RT flights for $200!

When to visit:  Miami is a place I would visit year round!  The temperatures are ideal anytime 70-80s typically, but I would just try to avoid holidays, spring break, and ultra weekend music festival due to the crowds.

 


(Outfit by South moon under, picture kimpton surfcomber pool)

Where to stay: We stayed at both Kimpton sister properties during our time there, and both were amazing in their own ways.  You know I love some Kimpton Hotels, here are some things to note about each.  Since both of these properties are boutique hotels, its key to book early because they only have a select amount of rooms.

  •   Option 1:  The Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel:  If you prefer to be on the beach, this is the spot.  It is located at the heart of SOBE and easy walking distance to all the action.  They have an onsite pool that hosts some amazing pool parties & you can rent the side cabanas during the day.  They also have an onsite restaurant called The Social Club where you can dine inside by the lobby or outside.  I enjoyed their avocado toast one morning!  They also offer fun Splash Cycle fitness classes & several other events you can find on their calendar here.

(From beach to pool, they provide chairs and towels)

  • Option 2:  The Kimpton Angler Hotel:  I loved this hotel was located within blocks from the beach and around a fun area of SOBE.  We immediately enjoyed bites at the Minnow bar upon arrival.  I got the Charcuterie Board and the chef brought us out the lobster rolls to try too.  The outside area has a boho chic vibe, I would sit out here the entire night if I could.  Also their drinks were SO good!  My favorite thing about this hotel was their ROOFTOP POOL!  The rooms were so cute and the staff felt like family.  They even brought me balloons for my birthday, who does that?  Thank you to the Kimpton team, yall are amazing!


    (rooftop pool at Kimpton Angler)

    (Outdoor dining at Minnow bar)


    (Pimento cheese dip & Charcuterie board)
    *
    Where to eat: (besides the above hotels, we love to dine out in cities whenever traveling new places)Below are ones I have been to before and can vouch!  But here is a complete list online too
  • For Party/lively crowd (sparkles table kinda thing): Komodo, Baoli, Seaspice or Kikis on the river (sundays)
  • For upscale dining:  Nobu, Prime 112, Swan, STK
  • For Brunch Spots: Malibu Farm at Eden Roc, Nikki’s Beach
    (brunch at Kimpton Surfcomber, outfit by local shop Wallysposh)
    (on the yacht we rented from yacht charters of miami, my suit is from kyaswim)
    *
    What to do:
  • Book a Yacht for half the day or an entire day!  We did this on a Saturday with Yacht Charters of Miami and we wish we had done an entire day!  I also recommend booking these way in advance because the best companies get booked.  The entire staff on yacht Charters of Miami were so sweet and organized from booking to finish.  We went out on this yacht, but you can choose a variety on their site!  You can also choose to do Jetskis as well, but we ended up just enjoying the boat and sightseeing Miami from that point of view.
  • Explore South Beach and Art areas of Miami.  There are so many cute areas we didn’t have time to check out, but everyone suggested.
  • Shop!  One of the local stores I loved and wore clothes from is Wallys Posh. Shop all their looks online!


  • (Luggage is Delsey, You can shop all my looks here from the trip!)Its always fun Miami!  Until next time 🙂
travel

Vacasa Rental South Beach Miami

We just wrapped up an amazing weekend in South Beach Miami for my 30th birthday, so I wanted to share all about our vacation rental we booked through Vacasa!  I know everyone uses various vacation sites, but there are so many other options to booking amazing rentals places and I am happy to have found Vacasa.  You can see all their properties and cities they currently work with here.

Here are all the areas they currently have properties:

From their site: “Our local teams care for every home we manage, providing a dedicated contact for homeowners to rely on. They ensure that each home is properly maintained and that every guest experience meets our high standards of cleanliness and service.

We also help homeowners maximize their rental income, thanks to our advanced pricing tools and marketing strategies. We advertise Vacasa homes across top booking sites like HomeAway, Airbnb, and Booking.com to help guests find the perfect home for every stay and drive unbeatable revenue for homeowners.”


(This was at our rental on the rooftop pool you had access to!)

Review of Modern Ocean Drive Condo in Miami, FL

The one we chose to stay in for 3 nights was this exact rental, known as “Modern Ocean Drive Condo.”  This condo was in the ideal location on south beach Miami, only a block away from the beach!  It had 2 bedrooms (one king, one with double beds, and a pull out futon).  This place fit our group of 6 perfectly, or it could fit a small family easily too.

Things I loved about the Condo:

  • How easy check in & communication was with the Vacasa team and rental information.  The day of, you check in at the building adjacent to the property at their lobby. They give you multiple keys for your group to access the building, which was a life saver because we all wanted our own key!
  • The location:  Right at the intersection of Ocean & 5th, you could walk to all the hot spots, grab ice cream, and it was only a block away from the beach.
  • The property:  Clean, cozy, and easy access.  The beds were super comfy.  I love they provided you beach towels as well to use.
  • The living area: The living area features a large couch, a futon, and a flatscreen TV. Kick off your shoes and relax while you browse the cable channels. Netflix streaming is also available.
  • The balcony:  There were two wrap around balconies at the condo, you could eat outside and enjoy the weather with amazing views.
  • The amenities:  Their were two bikes available for us to use, and also a rooftop pool you had access too.  There was a gym on site as well, I just never made it there!  From the site, here is what is included:

    ACTIVITIES-Gym/fitness room
    FEATURES-Washer/dryer : Private Central AC Pool : Shared
    KITCHEN: Dishwasher, Fridge, Microwave, Stove, MEDIA, Internet Cable : DirecTV, Netflix streaming, TV

Below are some images I snapped of the property when we arrived, but you can see more here & book it directly!

Thank you so much Vacasa for having us!  We can’t wait to book another property with your team.