guide to MIAMI + our video

like i said in my post about our miami trip, miami exceeded expectations!

i loved the bright colors, the incredibly blue ocean, the music, how warm the water was, the thick white sand, the culture, the beautiful spanish accents, the warm nights, the bridges and inlets, the keys, the skyline, the art deco hotels, the relaxed feel, and everything else. here are some of our favorite spots we discovered in our four days there..

south beach

i never knew the layout of miami before this trip, but now i know south beach is the main place to be and best place to stay! we stayed right on the beach and loved walking the A1A {ocean drive strip}. there are so many sidewalk restaurants with hosts who will all try to persuade you to dine with them, and i loved the art deco hotels all along south beach. breakfast is fun in a cafe here! the beach along here is amazing- it was perfect for laying out, biking the boardwalk, swimming,  watching people play volleyball, etc.

lincoln road

definitely come to this outdoor mall// restaurant street to stroll, dine, and shop.

it is all lit up at night, and romantic! it's a few blocks off south beach, and it has some

great restaurants as well as stores. the best is that they have a serendipity {from NYC!}

i can never pass that place up.. we ate at a few places here and liked them! 
juvia is a great restaurant on this street.

go-go fresh food cafe

we discovered this little gem, and it was our very favorite place in miami beach.

you have to come here if you're in miami! we stumbled upon it, and it's amazing.

it's a few blocks off the beach, but worth the walk. it doesn't look like much, but inside is the best food! they have empanadas & salad. the freshest, most delicious salads {get the cranberry chicken mini salad} and the empanadas. they are to die for! there are all different flavors & fillings, and they make them fresh right when you order them! we loved the classic argentine, chicken pot pie, thai peanut chicken, eggwhites, spinach and swiss, all of them! then the BEST part is the dessert empanadas. get guava cream cheese, banana nutella, or dulce de leche + blackberries. i am drooling for one of these as i type this!

fresh squeezed lemonade with strawberries is so yummy too! go go go to go-go!

key biscane

we loved biking from south beach all through downtown, then down south to the tip of key biscane! there was an incredible lighthouse at the end of it inside of bill baggs cape florida state park. we made it all the way to the gorgeous lighthouse, and got to swim right in front of it in the ocean! it was our favorite part!!

bayside marketplace

this was a fun outdoor shopping/restaurant area right on the water in downtown miami. it is right down from where the heat play, and in a fun location to look out across the water.

sandwicherie

fun little sandwich shack! we saw that this had great reviews, so we stopped by and the sandwiches were so fresh, in a little walk up sandwich stand! perfect for lunch.

the frieze ice cream factory

a.m.a.z.i.n.g ice cream. get vanilla toffee crunch, or the bosh frieze frenzy {chris bosch's favorite flavor}. you can't go wrong here! so many good kinds! mmmmm.

espanola way

i loved this little street the second i stumbled upon it. it's so unique and you feel like

you're in latin america all of a sudden. great food {see below}, and twinkly lights hanging.

havana 1957 restaurant

this is the place to go for traditional cuban food...

make sure to get an extra side of sweet plantains!

south pointe park//boardwalk

gorgeous park and beach at the tip of south beach--it is so beautiful and

well kept, a great area to jog along the boardwalk or relax on the grass/sand!

the big pink

this is a cute, unique little spot that was right next to our hotel.

we went here for brunch, drawn to it mostly by the all-pink building

and the hot pink bug delivery cars. the eggs benedict was great!

athens juice bar

if you're like me and LOVE great salads + juices, this is the place for you.

it's so refreshing and perfect for the hot beach days in miami!

rent bikes!!

no matter which company you use, rent bikes!! miami is so great for biking.

you can go along the boardwalk, weave through canals on the venetian causeway

to downtown miami, and even go down to key biscane and explore! the city has a bike share program called deco bike that you can use all over the place, or you can do a company like "bike and roll." we used both, but bike and roll is a company we love and have used in other cities before, so for our big biking day we used them. we had so much fun!

--other tips--

**trulucks is the nice steakhouse in downtown miami, really high end 

but we heard it is amazing, especially the dessert!  

**we also saw vapiano, one of our FAVORITE restaurants from washington DC 

in downtown miami. definitely worth going to! 

**another suggestion we got was driving to palm beach and eating at the breakers hotel--
we didn't make it there but hear it is gorgeous!
**front porch ca

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fe is good

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for​

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brunch

lastly, 15 minutes south of miami is coral gables. you can bike here, and it is really pretty. you can see the nice biltmore hotel and shop down the miracle mile ...really fun in the evening!

any other suggestions, please comment below! 

^^ miami video HERE! ^^
{and yes, i couldn't resist the classic will smith song..hehe}

xo