Miami

It's not hard to come up with a good reason to go to Miami, especially when you're trying to escape an unbearably long winter in New Jersey and it's less than a 3 hour flight away. All it takes is the promise of sunshine and sandy beaches to lure you there. So here's a recap of my latest visit...

We stayed with friends at Jade Ocean in Sunny Isles (shout out to Larisa and Joe for being amazing hosts). It's a residential tower, not a hotel. But if you ever have the opportunity to stay there, DO IT! The building is beautiful with pools on both the beach and city side so you could follow the sun and stay out all day. The beach has amazing service with all the umbrellas, chairs, and towels you could ask for. They even bring out plastic ice buckets with bottles of water to keep you hydrated and serve drinks beach-side! One of the evenings there, we picked up Pollo Tropical from across the street and dined al fresco by the pool. It was an unbeatable view of the sunset, paired with good company and a nearby hot tub for anyone who wanted to take an evening dip.

Another pair of friends stayed in Sole on the Ocean to be nearby. A word of caution on this hotel. They weren't thrilled with their stay and felt like both the room and service left much to be desired. I know others who have stayed there with a better experience, so maybe it was just timing.

Onto activities. As I mentioned, you don't need much more than the beach when you're in Miami. We mainly ventured out for dinners. Wynwood was definitely a highlight though. It's an artistic neighborhood with lots of dining options whether you want to sit down or grab something to go. You must go see the Wynwood Walls, which are a series of artistic murals on walls throughout the neighborhood. There's a designated area for the walls, but really the entire neighborhood is filled with street art and worth exploring. We decided on brunch at R House Wynwood, which was a ridiculously fun drag show brunch. The entertainment is the draw there, although the food is fine too. The table gets unlimited small appetizers and each person selects their own entrée.

A favorite for a fancy night out is The Forge. Be prepared for an expensive dinner, but as long as your budget can afford it, the place is fantastic. If you know to ask, the manager can give you a private tour of the restaurant and all the history behind it (it started as a blacksmith's workshop with a giant anvil in the center that's still under the floor today). You also learn about the owner, Mr. Malnik, who has an impressive history of his own. For a surprisingly reasonable amount, you can even have a private dinner in the wine cellar, which my husband and I both took note of for a future event. Finally, the food is excellent. We dined with 7 people and every single one of us left happy with food, drinks, desserts and the overall experience.

Other things we liked…

Taking a drive or walk down Ocean Dr in South Beach. It's fun, lively, and if you're a fan of the movie The Birdcage, you can pass by The Carlyle which was the facade to the club.
The Versace mansion is also on Ocean Dr and you can eat there if you manage to get a reservation. Tons of people stop out front just to take pictures.
If you're looking for something different, there's Lock & Load Miami where some of the guys went to try shooting full auto firearms in a safe environment.

And a few we didn’t like so much…

Leynia restaurant at the Delano wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It's meant to be family style which is fine, but the prices are too high and a lot of people left hungry. I had picked it because of a champagne sorbet they can make table-side on an Argentinian bicycle (which I thought was unique), but I was let down when I learned that they couldn't bring the bike down to our table - there are multiple levels for seating and we were on the grass near the grill. If you like meat and don't mind the price, the food was tasty. The hotel, grounds, and pool area are nice to check out and you can always grab a drink there if you don't want to stay for dinner.
Josh's deli is highly rated on Google and they do some things well, like their spicy tuna latkes. But if you want pastrami or corned beef, it's disappointing. All of us are from NJ and know good deli meat, so we were unhappy with the overwhelming amount of fat and lack of meat in the sandwiches. What stood out most was when the waitress, who had realized the mistakes with our orders and poor meat quality, went to proactively ask the owner if he could adjust our bill. But the owner didn't do anything to make things right - to me, that alone is a reason to never go back.

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good

Hello World!