THE MIAMI GUIDE

The Tree of Life outdoor bar at Faena Hotel is hands down my favorite place in all of Miami. I am already planning to stay there on my next trip back and I will be re-gramming the beautiful seashell embellished bar on Instagram until then! I recommend you order the frosé (frozen rosé slushy) or drunken dragon (a tequila based slushy). I must say that despite my absolute obsession with rosé I actually liked the tequila one more as it had some lovely ginger blended in and was quite refreshing. Other drinks I recommend in Miami; the rosé version of my beloved aperol spritz at Cecconi’s at Soho Beach House, the sparkling margarita at the St. Regis Bal Harbour, the strawberry capri cocktail at The Fontainebleau poolside bar, and the salt air margarita at The Bazaar is literally like drinking in the sea!

My favorite dinner spot was The Bazaar at the SLS South Beach, which they have in Los Angeles but I think is much more fun and delicious in Miami. I am also eager to check out the dinner show at Faena Theater,  Casa Tua, and Bazaar Mar at the SLS Brickell. For lunch I recommend Le Petite Maison and Beachcraft at 1 One Hotel. I loved the hamachi crispy rice at DÔA and the cured salmon and roasted chicken salad at Los Fuegos. We went to Cecconi’s for their Sunday brunch and it did not disappoint! I wish I could have tried everything there, it was hands down the best buffet I have ever had, even though I can’t really remember the last time I went to a buffet haha! The café con leche at Azucar Ice Cream is not to miss and OTL is Miami’s cute and artfully Instagramable cool coffee shop in the uber hip Miami Design District. I was craving the yummy croissant at Zak the Baker: Deli and a sweet pastry at Ella but had too many food goals and too little meals available, but if you go, let me know how it is, especially is you try the salmon roll with cream cheese (aka my idea of heaven).

This Miami trip was for a friend’s bachelorette party and so our decision to stay at the Fontainebleau was primarily centered around a young, party oriented crowd and we got just that. Fontainebleau was nice but felt very Vegas-like and was a tad too big and wild for my taste. Next time I really want to stay at the Faena Hotel as it was my absolute favorite place in all of Miami! Another separate blog post on that coming soon. I also am obsessed with The Raleigh, a quaint and stylish boutique hotel right in the center of South Beach. It has the prettiest pool and I just felt as if I was transported back into a more glamorous time the second I drove up to the lovely black and white striped awning. I also heard many good things from my friend Samantha about 1 Hotel, a beautifully beachy, white and airy upscale hotel. I think the SLS South Beach would be another great option for a group of girls since my friends and I ended up going there a lot for dinner, drinks and the day party at the pool. I can see it being another great option for a bachelorette or girls weekend.  I also loved the uber adorable Casa Tua, Soho Beach House and Casa Faena.

There were many things I wanted to do while in Miami, many of which I didn’t have enough time to check out but I made it a priority to see the some of the lovely art deco buildings lining most of Collins Avenue. I would definitely sign up for the art deco walking tour and catch some more Instagram worthy signage like the St. Moritz, Tropics, Cadallic and Shore Club signs to name a few. I also heard many good things about The Bass Museum of Art and The De La Cruz Collection. I loved the uber glamorous Bal Harbour Shops, which is basically the Rodeo Drive of Miami. Many people have told me about quick trips to the Bahamas since it’s so close, I definitely would be up for that next time!

The number one thing I wanted to do was have a day on the beach, just relaxing, reading a book and sipping rosé at one of the many adorable umbrella lined hotel beach chairs. Unfortunately bachelorette parties tend to be more action oriented and so this wasn’t an option, but I did enjoy walking down and dipping my toes quickly into the water. I also would have loved to check out some of the spa’s I had heard such great things about, like the Tierra Santa Healing House and the Lapis at Fontainebleau. I was very closely considering a quick SoulCycle ride or trying out Jetset but my better judgement was right in waiting to book the morning off, considering the ramifications of the rosé all day mantra I subscribe to while on vacation! 

I am not too into pool party scenes, at least not the kind beloved by my generation, but if you are into that I recommend Hyde Beach or Nikki Beach. I actually really liked Hyde Beach at night, the DJ was good and the place wasn’t overly crowded or seedy like most nightclubs. It kind of reminded me of The Bungalow in Santa Monica or The Surf Lodge in Montauk. We went to another nightclub that I wouldn’t recommend but all in all I think the next time I visit I will look for a dance club with salsa music or that’s Cuban inspired. Recommendations welcomed! Hope you enjoyed my guide!