Some places you end up turn out exactly like you had imagined, some better, some worse. Miami, Florida was nothing like I could have imagined. When I thought Miami, I thought glamour, nightlife, and neon.
I can honestly say we didn’t see a single nightclub or neon light. It also wasn’t near as crowded as I’d imagined. Whether this was due to the time of year being December, or due to the pandemic, who knows.
COVID didn’t impact our travels near as much as I’d thought either. Our flights were half full. Everyone was incredibly conscientious of wearing masks, sanitizing, and social distancing. And our encounters were as touch free as possible. Vacationing looked somewhat different but I am so thankful that we were able to make our trip. (FYI, hurricane season goes throughout the entire month of November. Don’t think you’re going to be smart and avoid it if you wait until the beginning of November).
Now, let’s get down to the details. The Loews Miami Beach on Collins Avenue is the best place to stay in my opinion.
This resort puts you right on the beach; plus, they have amenities galore. Parking is a breeze with the valet and all of the staff is incredibly welcoming and hospitable. We didn’t have a single negative experience. Our room was spotless and had a view from the balcony of the beach, ocean, pool, and grounds.
The food was fabulous too. Now y’all know I am all about the food on vacation so it had to be great. We had breakfast at Preston’s Market right off the lobby one morning and while it was kind of pricey in my opinion, the breakfast buffet was great. We also got room service a few times.
One of the things in particular that drew me to this resort was the optional cabanas that you can rent by the pool. Each of the SOAK Cabanas has an air-conditioned lower level, complete with tv, mini fridge, and full bathroom. There are incredibly comfortable lounge chairs right out the front, covered and uncovered. As well as an upper deck. All of this along with a personal attendant for the day. The SOAK cabanas would be perfect for a family with small children that might need a break in the middle of the day, or in my case for a husband that doesn’t love to get drug around every minute on vacation.
That was his one free day, moving on, we paid a visit to Zoo Miami. I am an aquarium and zoo buff, if there is one near where we are on vacation, it has my name written all over it. Zoo Miami boasts an impressive website but honestly, I was just not thrilled.
The grounds were gorgeous. It has a lake in the middle of the property and the trails were well maintained. During summer, or potentially non COVID times, they had pedal boats in the lake for rent. There is also a splash pad for kids and bicycle carriages that you can rent to go through the zoo in. But the animal count just wasn’t there. There were several enclosures that didn’t have any animals at all and the ones that did only had one or two animals most of the time. Though I did get to feed a couple of giraffes, that was pretty cool.
The better wildlife was found in the Everglades. We took a convenient tour bus trip from the Bayside Marketplace to the Everglades with the Miami Tour Company. This was our second tour this trip with this company and I highly recommend them. For one inclusive price, they took us to the Everglades, we got to do an airboat tour followed by holding a cute little guy named Snappy, and were dropped back off at the Bayside Marketplace later that afternoon.
The Everglades from an airboat is something that everyone needs to experience. Airboats literally slide on top of the water and give you a great view. The Everglades are home to hundreds of thousands of alligators. We were lucky enough to see several. This grassy river is also home to various other wildlife including snakes and birds. Our tour guide was very informative and worked hard to give us the best experience.
Back at Bayside Marketplace we chose to tack another boat ride onto the end of our tour. This afternoon cruise left from the bay and the port of Miami and took you along the Millionaire homes route and by one of the most expensive zip codes in the continental United States, Fisher Island. If you’re feeling like this is the life for you, there is a small lot for sale on the Millionaire homes route to the tune of $10 million dollars.
All of this to say, Miami was wonderful.
If you’ve never had the chance to visit, it just might be your next favorite destination.
