One week on Ocean Drive with one of my besties
This past fall semester, one of my closest friends and I decided to have a mini getaway in Miami Beach. Shania came down from NYC to visit me, soak up the classic Miami heat, and be the travel foodies that we are! Because our university is currently operating remotely, we were thankfully able to make this trip happen all while attending classes! Thus, without further or do, here's our one week staycation on Ocean Drive...
ACCOMODATION
Shania and I found this boutique hotel called Ithaca via Airbnb. The accomodation size was perfect for us and was located just one block away from Ocean Drive! Due to the fact that we are New Yorkers and, thus, were not planning on driving during this vacation, it was imperative that we stayed at an accommodation that was within walking distance from the beach, stores, restaurants, etc. We were definitely in luck with Ithaca because Ocean Drive, the beach, and South Pointe were all reachable by foot.
RAINY NIGHT AT JOE'S
For our first night of the trip, I took Shania to have dinner at my favorite seafood restaurant in Miami. Joe's Stone Crab is one of Miami's oldest seafood restaurants and is located in the South Pointe neighborhood. That night, it rained the whole time so we had a cozy seafood dinner and then went home to watch a movie.
BREAKFAST AT NEWS CAFE
Located on the corner of 8th Street and Ocean Drive, News Cafe is one of Miami Beach's oldest cafes and is, thus, a must-visit for it's historic and quaint appeal. We ordered continental style breakfasts and, of course, I got my coffee and Shania got a good ole rainbow cocktail!
We spent the majority of the day tanning under the blue skies and swimming in the ocean. It was such a beautiful, sunny day so it was impossible not to want to start off our trip with a beach day!
splish splash
That night we walked over to Fratelli La Bufala for some Italian pizza. This pizzeria is owned and run by Italians so you are sure to get an authentic dining experience. After dinner, we went back to our accomodation to have a movie night.
LUNCHTIME VEGAN STYLE
We walked over to South Pointe to go have lunch at Lilikoi, a plant-based restaurant located a few steps away from the beach. Here's what we ordered: vegan carbonara, breakfast burrito, freshly squeezed orange/grapefruit juice, chocolate smoothie, mimosa, and a passion fruit turmeric popsicle.
AFTERNOON AT SOUTH POINTE
After a delicious and healthy lunch, we walked over to the beach and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon. This beach is called South Pointe because it is the southernmost point of the island.
Wearing the beach dress I got when I went to Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia
NIGHT ON OCEAN DRIVE
Shania and I decided to take advantage of how close our accomodation was to Ocean Drive so we decided to eat dinner and spend the night walking along the strip.
BEACH BREKKIE
Located on the ground floor of Majestic Hotel with views of Ocean Drive, we decided to have breakfast outside to soak up the warm sun. Shania ordered a Giant Mojito, which are a popular beverage specialty on Ocean Drive, while I had myself a coffee. In regards to food, we both ordered continental breakfasts.
BEACH DAY AT KEY BISCAYNE
Key Biscayne is a small island located approximately 15 minutes away from Miami's city center. It is one of my favorite spots in South Florida and I wanted for Shania to experience some of it's beaches and restaurants. Therefore, we took an uber to Hobie Island Beach Park and spent the majority of our day at this beach. Due to Miami's crazy weather, we actually got rained on at least three times while we were at the beach and had to dry off everytime the sun same back out! It was definitely a funny and spontaneous adventure.
Hobie Island Beach Park
Sea salt swims after the rain falls
TIGER SUNSETS
Quick change! During sunset hour, we threw on our beach dress in preparation for our dinner reservation at the Rusty Pelican. The sunset views from Hobie Island Beach Park were absolutely marvelous as the sun set behind Miami's skyline and over the bay. This is definitely a great beachfront location to watch the sunset.
Rusty Pelican
SEAFOOD DINNER
Alongside Joe's Stone Crab, Rusty Pelican is one of the oldest, most famous seafood restaurants in Miami. They are known for their skyline and bay views alongside their freshly caught seafood dishes. Fun fact: my mom actually threw her baby shower for me at this restaurant....so there's definitely a lot of childhood memories for me! To drink, we ordered a wild berry gin and a glass of white wine. For our main dishes, I ordered a mixed seafood risotto while Shania ordered a grilled chicken platter.
FLORAL BRUNCH AT THE LITTLE HEN
Calling all girly girls! Shania and I threw on some blush and floral tones to complement our flower garden themed brunch plans. I had to take her to my favorite brunch location called the Little Hen, a quaint daytime restaurant located in Midtown. From their floral decor and table setting to their excellent service, the Little Hen never fails to deliver an elegant brunch experience. With that said, I ordered their bourbon french toast with a latte and Shania ordered an avocado toast with a mojito.
BEACH DAY (AGAIN!)
As you can probably tell by now, this trip was very much a beach oriented trip and we had no shame in being total beach bums. Considering the fact that we both live in city areas full time, it is so fun to just be tourists and lounge by the ocean all day long!
ZOOM UNIVERSITY & SNACK TIME
Due to the fact that our university is running fully online, we were able to make this trip happen in the middle of the semester! Thus, we ordered some pre-dinner treats from Big Pink for us to snack on while I took my night class. One pepperoni pizza and fried oreo platter for us! :D
Ocean Drive
DINNER AT MAJESTIC HOTEL
Our breakfast experience at Majestic Hotel was so good that we decided to return for dinner! This time we got to enjoy the night ambiance which had fluorescent lights and Latin music playing....def put us in a vibe. We ordered a Giant PiƱa Colada, a salad, and a pasta dish.
Aperol o'clock
DAYTIME SIPS AT OCEAN'S TEN
Cocktails were calling our names on this hot sunny day so we ordered a tropical mix and an aperol spritz! We accompanied this with some tacos and a burger. This was all provided by Ocean's Ten, an outdoor restaurant and bar scene located on Ocean Drive and 10th Street.
GOLDEN HOUR BY THE BEACH
After lunch, we spent the remainder of the day swimming, tanning, and chilling by the beach. Simple pleasures go a long way!
GELATO PIT STOP
Being the sweet tooths that we are, we stopped by a nearby gelateria for some much needed gelato! I ordered a cone with hazelnut and fragola.
LAST DINNER AT HAVANA 1957
We strolled along Ocean Drive for our last night of the trip and ended up having dinner at Havana 1957, a Cuban restaurant located on the ground floor of the Breakwater Hotel. I ordered a soup while Shania got a burger.
