Needing a break from the dreary Midwest winter, we decided a few weeks ago to take a trip to sunny Miami. After getting off of work on Friday, we caught a late-night flight from Chicago-Midway southward during the middle of a snowstorm. As the plane lifted off, the landing lights reflecting off of the driving snow making it look like we were in the middle of a snow globe. At that moment we realized we made a good call on a spur of the moment trip.
We landed in Miami in the wee hours of Saturday morning, grabbed our bags and headed to Miami Beach via Uber to get a little sleep. Arriving at the Moxy hotel well after two in the morning, we found the nightlife still very active; however, we checked in and turned in for the night as we had a busy few days planned.
After taking a few hours nap, we picked up the rental car and explored a little of the South Beach area. We ambled from the hotel down to a small outdoor sandwich bar called La Sandwicherie to grab an early lunch before heading to the beach. We tried their Tropical and Smoked Salmon sandwiches, which gave us the necessary energy to drag our stuff down to the beach. Of note, Miami loves crunchy bread sandwiches and although good, this is where the battle of crunchy bread vs. the roof of our mouths began. So keep that in mind if you value your palate’s health.
After lunch we went back to the hotel to grab our beach gear and proceeded to make the short trip to the beach. We found the white sandy beaches and crystal-clear water to be more favorable than the snow we left in Chicago. The temperature was a perfect low 80s with a nice ocean breeze and not a cloud in the sky. After setting up our tent and chairs, we spent the remainder of the daylight hours soaking the sun into our pasty Midwest skin and enjoying the late February South Florida ttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2BTMLG2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
We lounged around on the beach until a little after four before we made our way back to the hotel to get cleaned up. After getting ready, we decided to forego using the car as the early evening weather was perfect for a walk, plus Miami Beach traffic and parking on a Saturday night was not something we wanted to deal with. We took a mile or so stroll over to the Lincoln Mall area, which was filled with outdoor restaurants and shops, lively music, and throngs of people looking for a bite to eat. We proceeded towards the west end to a popular Peruvian restaurant called CVE.CHE 105. Now, one of the things we most enjoy about traveling is trying new foods and neither of us being able to recall having had Peruvian food, this was one of the top places on our list.
Having made reservations, we arrived with a few minutes to spare and were quickly seated. After a few minutes, I was very glad we made reservations. The fairly large restaurant and all the outdoor seating was filled to capacity shortly after we sat down. The restaurant is known for their ceviche, and we knew we wanted to get that, but we didn’t realize they had so many different options. We ended up picking the Trilogies de Ceviches so we could taste a little of all of it. Splurging a little and having all three ceviches made with fresh red snapper, this was our favorite dish of the trip and the best ceviche dish we’ve ever had, even better than several we had in Maui.
The serving size for the ceviche was surprisingly large and we found ourselves struggling to finish it. I say that because we ordered a few other items to sample a little of everything. We also got a Furan 105 roll which was excellent and the Tacu Tacu de aji de Galina which was a delicious Peruvian rice dish. We even made the mistake of ordering another fish dish that never came thankfully, because we were already full. I chalk that up to the server not hearing me in the now crowded restaurant. Regardless, we were glad it did not come because if we ate anything else, we would have had to roll back to the hotel.
After dinner, we walked back through the Lincoln Mall, enjoying the warm weather and seeing the sights of Miami Beach now clothed in brilliant neon lights. We took a circuitous route via the boardwalk and Ocean Drive back to the hotel mainly to walk off some post-dinner calories, but also to gander at the Art Deco architecture, feel the ocean breeze, and enjoy the vibrant lights and music.
Sunday morning, we woke up and made our way out of Miami Beach, past the returning cruise ships and downtown to the Miami neighborhood of Coconut Grove for a tour of the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens.
Built in the early 1900s and previously known as Villa Vizcaya, this lavish estate once belonged to James Deering of the International Harvester corporation. Construction began in 1912 and was completed in 1916 at which time Deering began to occupy the residence. Much like us, he used South Florida as an escape from the blustery and cold Chicago winters, but also because he thought the climate would heal his pernicious anemia. The estate itself, although smaller than 100 years ago, is beautifully laid out and landscaped and sits along the shores of the popular Biscayne Bay. Not that we are some kind of art connoisseurs, but we were impressed by the intricacies of the landscaping, carved coral and statues, as well as the time and effort that went into the construction of the home itself.
We explored the grounds for a few hours enjoying the combination of French and Italian architecture and landscaping, and if I wasn’t sure, I could have easily guessed we were on either country’s Mediterranean coast.
After our tour of Vizcaya, we made the short trip over to the Little Havana neighborhood to get our first Cuban sandwich of the trip. Wanting to try two popular locations, we found ourselves at Versailles for the first. After parking and getting on the waitlist for the popular restaurant, we found ourselves in the middle of a spirited anti-communist rally that spilled over from a nearby street corner. Not speaking enough Spanish to know what was going on, we surmised that this area is a popular place to combat the Communist parading around the streets of Little Havana. Our name was called within a few minutes, and we made our way inside where we enjoyed some delicious Cuban sandwiches, Cuban coffee, moros rice, and fried plantains.
Our afternoon plans included exploring the Biscayne Bay area, most notably Key Biscayne and the Bill Baggs, not to be confused with Bilbo Baggins, Cape State Park and the Cape Florida Lighthouse. Our plans were dashed after the thirteen-mile drive turned into an hour and a half ordeal, sitting in traffic only to have a police officer close the gate a few cars in front of us. We did not know, but apparently once the state park gets too full, they stop admitting entry. After being barred from the park, we turned our forced u-turn into an opportunity to explore. Having wanted to include Key West and the Hwy 1 drive in our trip, but omitting it due to a lack of time, we decided to get somewhat of a taste.
From the Key Biscayne area, we made our way about an hour south towards Key Largo where we ran across a popular key lime pie spot, the Blond Giraffe. Although good, we found it extremely expensive, but did enjoy a short rest in their outdoor garden before making a turn back north.
From the Blond Giraffe, we proceeded to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park where we walked around exploring for a bit. Entry was $9 a car, if I remember correctly, and it was worth the couple of hours we spent there. Not as busy as some of the other beach locations and having more of a local vibe than the Miami beaches, the park was filled with people enjoying boating, kayaking, laying out, and grilling on the beach.
As the sun began to set, we decided to call an end to our exploring and began to make our way back towards Miami. On the way back, we stopped off in the Coconut Grove neighborhood again to eat at Monty’s, a pierside, tiki-inspired outdoor restaurant. The popular restaurant is known for their seafood and rawbar as well as music and dancing. We decided to forego the dancing and instead settled on some fish tacos and fish and chips while we recuperated from a long day of exploring. The food was good, but this place was packed to the brim with people and a little loud, not that that is a bad thing, but it was a difficult to hold a conversation. We also ran across our first automatic gratuity here, which apparently is par for the course at a lot of Miami restaurants due to a high number of European tourists who are unaccustomed to our U.S. tipping practices.
After wrapping up supper, we found ourselves to be worn out, so we made our way back to the hotel to call it an early night.
On Monday morning, we decided to relax on the beach for a few hours and soak in some more sun. The beach was a lot quieter and less populated than on Saturday and we were able to really spread out and enjoy the beach in peace and quiet. We then packed our gear up and retrieved the car for another shot at Biscayne Key. Before heading out to the island, we stopped at Bocas Grill in Brickell where we ordered a spicy chicken bowl and their fritanga lunch special as we sat on their shaded patio.
After eating way too much, we made the executive decision to push back our dinner reservations to later in the evening. From the restaurant we proceeded back towards Biscayne Key and to our surprise ran into no traffic. I think we paid an $8 entry fee for the Bill Baggs Cape State Park and found the area somewhat empty. After getting to the south end of the island, we could see why they close it once it gets busy. Although there is a decent amount of parking it is probably a complete nightmare on a Saturday afternoon and for that reason, we recommend you visit on a weekday. Once we got parked what we found was to our complete satisfaction. We spent several hours walking around and exploring the trails, enjoyed viewing the Cape Florida lighthouse, and walked along the shore on the fine white sandy beaches.
We viewed “Stiltsville” through high powered binoculars and sat on a shady bench and watched the boat traffic. We even saw a couple of racoons, who had obviously been up to no good, scamper up a nearby palm tree. The state park offers many outdoor activities including the beach, hiking, bike trails and bike rentals, volleyball, fishing, and boating and even has a couple of places to eat. We were glad we decided to return as we really enjoyed our afternoon here.
After leaving Biscayne Key, we headed back towards the Little Havana/Coral Gables area for some ice cream. We stopped by Morelia for some out of this world paletas. Although a little on the expensive side, these tasty treats really hit the spot with their creamy fillings and plentiful toppings. The dulce de leche and the passion fruit with condensed milk were both delicious and highly recommended.
After ice cream, we had a little time to kill before our dinner reservations, so we hung out at the hotel pool for an hour or so as the sun set. After getting ready, we walked back to the Lincoln Mall area for supper at Tapelia, an extremely popular spot for Spanish cuisine. Even though we had a late reservation, neither of us were very hungry and because of that we opted for a smaller dinner. We bypassed the paellas for two, even though it looked delicious and instead ordered the Tabla Mixta and Lacon Mediterranean Flatbread which were both good. We enjoyed our dinner from our outdoor table as we people watched and enjoyed the wonderful evening.
After dinner, we walked down to an explored Espanola Way, a beautiful tucked away area that reminded us of a small town you’d walk through in Spain. The street had a number of restaurants that all seemed to be very popular. Although we didn’t get to try any of them, we’ll have to pay another visit on a follow-up trip.
Tuesday morning, we got up early to try and squeeze in as much as possible on our last day. We walked a few blocks from the hotel to the Bettant Bakery where we enjoyed a delicious ham and cheese croissant that had the most amazingly fluffy layers and an outer crust with a perfect crunch.
From the bakery we proceeded south to the Everglades National Park with the main goal being for me to nerd out at an old Nike Missile site while Irena tolerated it (she ended up enjoying it) and to explore a little of the National Park if we had time. We arrived at the park well before the times allotted for exploration of the missile site, so we ventured over to the Royal Palm area and walked the Anhinga Trail. From the parking area, the easy loop consisted of a paved trail and boardwalks where we got excellent views of the local wildlife including numerous alligators, turtles, and a number of different bird and fish species. To Irena’s relief we saw none of the pythons the area is famous for and only saw one snake later in the day as it crossed the road as we exited the park.
We completed our walk a little after 10 am and made our way over to the now opened HM69 Nike Missile Base, which is only open from 10-2 daily. Finding no one there except the National Park guides, we spent an hour or so exploring the cold war era base and learning how it was designed to shoot down Soviet aircraft in the defense of Miami around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Check out a more detailed write-up of it here: Story Coming Soon
After finishing our tour of the base, we headed back to Little Havana to check out the other Cuban sandwich place we had on our list, Sanguich. Arriving for a late lunch, we still found a line out the door. We waited for 10-15 minutes before placing our order at the counter and being directed to a table that lined the walls of the small restaurant. We ordered the Cubano and the Sanguich de Miami as well as some plantain fries. Both were excellent and we thought that Sanguich had the better Cuban sandwich when compared to Versailles.
To finish off our trip, we had a few hours to kill before we needed to be at the airport for a late-night return flight. We decided to stop off at the south end of Miami Beach where we walked around the South Point Park and the South Point Pier. From here you can witness the beautiful views of the crystal-clear waters as they gently wash across the white beach. The park also offers nice views of Miami's main channel used for large ship traffic, including the cruise ships, with the city in the backdrop all of which can be viewed from one of the waterfront restaurants or from underneath the shade of the many palm trees.
In summary, we wanted to talk a little about the good and bad of our trip as well as our hotel and some beach gear we brought with us.
The Good
We had an excellent time, and the chief contributor was the amazing weather. Temperatures for our late February trip were in the mid-80s during the day and 70s at night. The water temperatures were a little cool but were still around 75 degrees. We encountered no rain, and all four days were bright and sunshiny. We really appreciated the outdoor activities South Florida has to offer and how the Miami area is set up really well for walking and biking. The South Beach area is beautifully landscaped and the Art Deco buildings were nice both day and night. The numerous beaches we visited from Miami Beach, Bay Biscayne, and even down in Key Largo were all pristine and well taken care of. There are also plentiful parks including local parks, the two state parks we visited, and the Everglades National Park which were all nice and clean with many activities to partake in. All the food we had was delicious and we definitely recommend CVE.CHE 105 and finding a good Cuban sandwich while you are in town. We feel like we barely scratched the surface in the four days we had and the area left us wanting more…including a boat.
The Bad
Miami Beach is incredibly busy, especially on the weekend. The beach was a little too crowded for our liking on Saturday but was more enjoyable mid-week. The traffic is abhorrent. Everywhere we went, regardless of time of day or night, we ran into abysmal traffic. There is a lot of construction on-going throughout Miami and that coupled with the already busy area is a recipe for disaster. We wasted a lot of time just sitting in the stand still traffic for seemingly no reason. While waiting at one point we Googled most congested cities and consensus was that Miami is the #5 worst place to drive in the U.S. If you are planning on staying in just the Miami Beach area, we’d recommend Ubering from the airport and walking or biking everywhere. If you are looking to explore the city outside of Miami Beach or other locations in South Florida, be prepared to wait in traffic. Parking is also pretty bad in Miami Beach especially around the beaches and parks. Street parking is also hard to come by depending on where you are. The city does have a parking app to pay for parking around town. Although convenient we found ourselves having to reload the information multiple times before their site would acknowledge we were trying to park. South Florida also had plenty of tolls so have your EZ Pass ready or if you are in a rental car be prepared to pay the tolls plus some “convenience” fees from the rental company for going through the toll booths. Lastly, this goes without saying but Miami Beach is a party area. The weekends are loud and busy and you’ll run into large numbers of intoxicated people and clouds of marijuana smoke around the club areas, but if that isn’t in your wheelhouse there are plenty of places to avoid that kind of activity as well. We say all that to say expect a party atmosphere on the weekends. If you are looking for a more relaxing place, downtown Miami Beach probably isn’t the place for you. In our experience, Friday and Saturday night was a little wild, Sunday was a little calmer and Monday night going into Tuesday was pretty quiet.
The Moxy
As for our hotel, there were also some good and bad. The hotel itself was nice and was very convenient to the beach and everywhere we wanted to go in South Beach including restaurants and some of the parks. The beach was 1-2 blocks away and only a few minutes’ walk and there are hundreds of restaurants in a 15-20 minute walking radius of the hotel. The staff was friendly and very helpful and the ability to text the valet to have the car pulled around was convenient. Lastly, the hotel has a nice rooftop pool and its own bars and restaurants as well as a nice event center.
There were a few negatives including the extremely small rooms, loud music on the weekends until the early hours of the morning, and no ice machines which we thought was weird for a hotel in a somewhat tropical location. The hotel definitely has a party vibe on the weekends and if you are looking for quiet relaxation you might want to stay somewhere else. Although a nice place, with us being a little too old for hanging out until 2 am, we’d probably opt for a different location on a subsequent visit.
Beach Gear
After taking our last few trips to beach locations via plane, we’ve been trying to solidify a one bag system for all of our beach gear. Below you will find some Amazon links to a tent, foldable chairs, and a collapsible ice chest that all fit in one large checked luggage bag and weighs in at approximately 35 pounds.
In retrospect, we had a wonderful trip and minus the traffic and a smaller than normal hotel room, we would not have changed much. The Miami Beach and South Florida area offers wonderful weather, delicious foods, and beautiful beaches. For our next trip to the area, we’d like to return to and use Miami as a hopping off point to further explore the Everglades National Park, make the Hwy 1 drive down to Key West, and maybe try some of the boating or kayaking activities that the area has to offer.
Comments