If you follow me on Instagram, you already know we were in Miami last week & Jamerica was out in full force. Jamerica is an alter ego of mine that I only just recently discovered when we went to Jamaica & she’s a rare bird!! She doesn’t check emails, she drinks fruity cocktails, she RELAXES, & she just is a spicy one… she doesn’t come out often, but when she does.
Safe to say, I was really feeling Miami. The humidity got to me a few times, but other than that, it was definitely my spirit city!!
The original reason we were going out to Florida in the first place was for Zack to meet my Aunt & Uncle cause my Mom was going to see them in Sarasota. My Mom did want a few alone days with her brother & sister in law, so we decided we would add on a few days in Miami to celebrate our engagement.
We were only there for 3 nights, but we managed to cover some serious ground in Miami Beach, South Beach, & the city of Miami… all while still having time to relax (which was much needed since we came home to having to go straight to moving!!!). I really think, thanks to my psychotic daily itineraries, we NAILED our Miami trip.
SO- if you’ve got Miami on the bucket list or a trip planned, I’VE GOT YOU GIRL (& stay tuned for all of my Miami looks coming soon + a FUN MIAMI VLOG!).
THE FASHIONLUSH GUIDE TO MIAMI BEACH
WHERE WE STAYED
location wise, we opted for Miami Beach area. I wanted to be closer to South Beach, but not DIRECTLY in it. For those of you haven’t been to the Miami area- let me explain the “layout”. When you are driving to Miami Beach you pass through MIAMI. You cross a bridge & then boom, you’re in Miami Beach. The further south you go, you get to South beach & Ocean Drive (the area you imagine when you think of South Beach, girls on roller skates in bikinis, amazing outfits, the Versace Mansion, etc. etc.).
We opted to stay at the Cadillac Hotel because it was a good location & a really nice hotel that we got a great rate at. It is in Miami Beach so it was more quiet than “SOBE”, but still only about a 7 minute Uber to South Beach & 15 minute Uber to Miami (over the bridge). There are TONS of great hotels, but they are pretty pricey- we were decided between the Confidante & the Cadillac, but the Cadillac one. The Confidante is right next door, so be sure to take advantage of their epic pastel beach chairs!!
WHERE TO EAT
Puerto Sagua
if you go to Miami, I feel like it’s just weird to NOT get traditional Cuban food & when I asked on Instagram where we should go- everyone said Puerto Sagua for an authentic af experience. Our first night in Miami we were tired, hungry & not in the mood to get dressed up- so casual Cuban was perfect. It had a diner vibe, was PACKED, the food came out super quick, & it was BOMB. We asked the waitress to reccomend dishes & ordered exactly what she said- oxtail stew & an OG Cuban sandwich. The sandwich was great & the oxtail stew was SO SO GOOD (which is saying a lot because I am not typically into “different’ foods OR red meat!!). Note: we were full, but everyone also recommend their “secret menu” tres leches cake.
la Sandwicherie
I love a good sandwich & a lot of my audience recommended this place! For some reason when planning a trip I always forget about lunch spots & then we end somewhere just “so-so”, I was so happy that we had la Sandwicherie because it was QUICK & the second best sandwich I have ever had (best sandwich goes to Antico Noe in Florence). We got the tropical sandwich, which had mango/papaya/pineapple IN IT, added prosciutto & then drizzled in their magic sauce. It was next level.
Mandrake Miami
this was our big night out dinner of choice. I read that Mandrake is a Miami Beach MUST prior to the trip & was so excited to check it out. It’s a super vibey atmosphere, has a cheeky neon sign that says “me so horny”, & it’s a just a total mood with AMAZING food. The butter lettuce salad, hamachi sashimi, & the Saki Nashi (add truffle on top!!) were something to write home about. Also- when we made the reservation online we checked that we were celebrating an engagement & the manager came to our table to congratulate us with two glasses of champagne AND then gave us dessert on the house. GREAT SERVICE!! It turned into a club by the time we left, which was SO fun- but we had spicier plans for the night… keep reading!
OTL Miami
I live for a good bagel & always need a solid bagel rec EVERYWHERE WE GO. This little cafe is SO cute. It’s located in the Miami art district which is also worth checking out (art & high end shops!). It’s over the bridge from Miami/South Beach, so this was our stop on the way out & the lox bagel was EVERYTHING… along with the aesthetic of this spot. V INSTAGRAMMABLE!
Cielito pops
Miami is hot & since I am about to highly recommend you go to the Wynwood area… add Cielito pops to your itinerary now. I love a good popsicle & these artisan pops take the mf cake. They are SO fancy with the best flavors ever- I got the guava & CHEESE pop & Zack got some layered parfait pop. This spot definitely inspired me to start experimenting more with my popsicle creations!!
*we didn’t make it to the below, but if we had more time- we would have!*
Swan Miami
this was on the top of my list, but we just couldn’t make it happen in the time we were there. This spot is owned by Pharrell & the aesthetic is SO ON POINT- think pink velvet + chic art + marble. This one is also NOT in South Beach/Miami Beach- it’s over the bridge into Miami which is a big reason we just couldn’t get the energy to do it on our last night. I am slightly bummed I didn’t get to try the $100 truffle pasta people rave about, but also grateful because who the EFF spends $100 on pasta? I would have gone for a drink + a photo with those prices. lol.
Seaspice
a ton of people mentioned Seaspice as a super FUN brunch spot- good food with a club vibe. Sounded cool, but it wasn’t that kind of trip for us. We were mellow. If you’re going to party- sounds like this is the spot.
Dior Cafe
mentioning this spot cause I just wouldn’t feel like a blogger without sharing with you guys a latte with the words DIOR on the top. SO INSTA-FRIENDLY… but also, not mad I missed out. If that’s your vibe, by all means GO, but I have seen the Dior latte one too many times. The Dior Cafe is located in Miami (not South Beach).
WHAT TO SEE/DO/SHOP
TO BE HONEST, we spent a good deal of time at our hotels beach just drinking Aperol Spritz & eating chips/guac… but we did also miraculously squeeze in a lot during our pretty short stay. So- here are the best things we did/saw along with a few things we really WISH we had time to do.
Wynwood District
Everyone said we HAD to go to Wynwood & check out the Wynwood walls… couldn’t have been more right. This was easily one of my favorite things we saw & totally the area I’d live in if I lived in Miami! The second we got into the Wynwood area we saw some of the raddest street are of our lives… even the parking structure was a masterpiece. We parked the car, walked around to check out all the art on the streets/little artsy shops, got a popsicle (Cielito pops!), & made our way to Wynwood Walls! It’s basically an enclosed outdoor area with tons of insanely gorgeous wall art pieces.
Bonus points: right in the smack dab center of it all was the Glossier pop up store. It was gorgeous with a line out the door!! We didn’t go into the actual shopping part of the store cause it was too damn hot for that line, but we got a good look walking through. Major inspo… unfortunately it’s already gone- but it was a site to see!
Art Deco District
If you’ve ever seen Miami on Instagram, you’ve seen the retro AMAZING pastel buildings that look straight outta the 70’s- this is the art deco district & it’s blew my mind. If you have even the slightest interest in rad architecture, make a point to check out the art deco district.
Zoological Wildlife Foundation
This was by far the HIGHLIGHT of our trip. It’s not in Miami Beach, South Beach, or even Miami city area- but still worth mentioning. It’s about a 40 minute drive from Miami Beach & worth every second of the drive. I had seen on Instagram people meet with Limbani, their baby chimp, & it was one of the big reasons we decided on Miami. It has been my dream since I was 6 to hold a baby chimp & this was my chance to make this dream happen.
The experience comes with a pricetag, but you feel good about it because IT’S A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE & all proceeds go to helping Zoological Wildlife take care of their animals!! Limbani was actually surrendered to the ZWF when his mother rejected him at birth because he was sick & he honestly lives the most WONDERFUL life at ZWF. We skateboarded, hugged, played, drew on the ground with rocks, & he loved trying to tie my shoes!! It was a blessing to meet this little guy & I can officially check the no.1 thing off my bucket list!! You can check out a little peek of me meeting him on video HERE– but stay tuned, cause the Miami Vlog is gonna cover the entire amazing experience.
Nikki Beach
Including this because this is a HOT SPOT IN MIAMI, but maybe not my vibe?? It was a couple of pricey frosé’s with nowhere to sit. If you don’t have a beach club at your hotel, I could see this being nice, but for us we didn’t want to pay $300 for a couple chairs when we could get that at our hotel for free. If you’re just looking to day dance at a raging party, you will BE SO HAPPY!!
The Design District Miami
If you’re looking to BALL OUT IN MIAMI, head over the bridge into the Miami art district. It’s where OTL Miami is so we only ended up in that area to get my bagel fix- but if you are a designer hoarder you will LOVE this area. They’ve got all the high end shops of your dreams & a KILLER Saint Laurent store.
Versace Mansion
this was on our itinerary but sadly the two full days we had the mansion was closed for an event. I did get to stand on the doorstep where it all went down which was cool/kinda creepy… but if you get the chance- GO & TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT!!
*the one thing we missed & I am bummed about is Little Havana– definitely at the top of the list for our next trip to Miami!!**
GET YOUR DRINK ON
E11EVEN
this was our only big PARTY night out & since we were celebrating our engagement, we wanted to get spicy…. & nothing spicier than a high end strip club in Miami!!!! This was also over the bridge into Miami but everyone said we HAD to go, so of course- we went & it was AMAZING. The insta-stories turned off once we went in & what happens in Miami stays in Miami… but let’s just say, we had FUN. ALSO- a few days after we went to E11EVEN, the Real Housewives of Orange County got down & dirty there as well. It’s a HOT spot, to say the least.
…& that was the gist of our drinking (was hungover for the rest of the trip after that night), but other people highly recommended Casa Florida & the Broken Shaker.