Girl Time in Miami

I think Miami is a place that you either love or hate depending on what type of traveler you are. It’s been a favorite hot spot for everyone who loves to get tanned and party and it’s a playground for the rich and famous. Celebrities and models are as common in this trendy city as it is in New York and LA so it’s quite ordinary to spot one while casually walking on the street. 

I’ve been to Miami a couple of times and I do like it. Personally though, Miami would be my pick if I want to go have fun with my friends but I’m not so sure if it would be my first choice for a family vacation. There are of course a lot of stuff for kids to do there but it’s really more of a party scene with a lot of nightly entertainment, dance clubs, cocktail hours, and what not.  So personally, I would leave the kids behind and take them to Disneyworld instead.

The Art Deco District is of course a big draw for tourists. The buildings are very retro and colorful specially at night when colorful lights illuminate the buildings. It’s fun to stroll along Ocean Drive where all the sidewalk cafes and trendy bars are located and just across the street is the beach. Most of the restaurants turn into dance clubs at night and that’s when Ocean Drive becomes the epicenter of fun.

This is my second visit to Miami and I do love the carefree and festive feel of South Beach, but this time around my friends and I opted to stay a little bit north which is a little bit quieter, yet still close enough to where the happenings are.  I’ve heard that the Fontainebleau Resort is really nice so I looked it up and luckily at the time they were having a promotion so I was able to book a room for a really good price.

The Fontainebleau Resort is located north of central South Beach and only a 10 minute taxi ride to the Art Deco District.  It’s an ultra chic and ultra hip  hotel on Miami Beach with beautiful views of the Atlantic ocean. It’s a wonderfully unique place to unwind and its pool setting is amazing.  It’s kind of expensive and maybe even a rip off in some cases like charging $150 dollars for a lounge bed by the pool area or $400-$1500 for a cabana. Cocktails were $12-$15. They’ll charge you for a glass of water if you’d want one. Well, not really..but you catch my drift. It was pricey but the property is gorgeous. The lobby in the main building is a little bit outdated but it looks beautiful at night when it turns into a glow bar. The pool is fantastic and the beach is very nice. Definitely a lot nicer than South Beach in my opinion and its clean.

They have a few restaurants in the hotel and there’s one outside by the pool. Liv, one of the  best dance club in Miami is also located in the hotel so you don’t even have to go out of the building to go dancing. It was very convenient. There’s also another one called Arkadia which is easier to get into and smaller than Liv but also very nice and trendy. So in one night, we didn’t have to go far. We had dinner at the hotel, then we had drinks at Glow Bar in the lobby and we just walked over next door to Arkadia to go dancing.

 

No trip to Miami is complete without having some cuban food so the next day, we went to Lario’s on the Beach. A cuban restaurant owned by Gloria Estefan. Their seafood paella is to die for! It took a long time to cook but it was worth the wait. The location was perfect for people watching or “stargazing” because it’s right at the heart of South Beach. We didn’t see anyone famous but we did see a lot of beautiful people.

 

After lunch, we just walked around the area and took some photos. We checked out some trendy boutique stores and ran into this one store that sells $20 bathing suits. We got excited and bought a few pairs:) then we walked around some more and stop by the late Gianni Versace’s mansion which is now a hotel called The Villa by Barton G.

It was a fun trip and good times with my sister, my fabulous aunt, and my good friend.

Click here to see a video from Fontainebleau’s official site.