"Dear Ocean, thank you for making us feel tiny, humble, inspired and salty all at once."
Where is your favorite place to vacation? My favorite travel destination is somewhere near the ocean. Better yet, on the beach. I personally find that being on the beach really allows me to reflect, recharge and refocus. With that in mind, you can now imagine how excited I was to take a week-long family vacation to the beaches of Florida.
FIRST STOP: FLORIDA KEYS
Our first stop was to Key Largo which is an island of the Florida Keys, located about 1.5 hours south of Miami. During our time in Key Largo we stayed in an incredible ocean front beach house with breathtaking views of the Atlantic during the day and the Sagittarius star constellation in the evening. Every night my husband and I would sit out on the balcony and stargaze while talking about the universe. It's safe to say I wanted to stay at that beach house for much longer!
P.S. You can see video highlights from my trip over on my Instagram.
We celebrated the Fourth of July by going on a boat ride to a nearby sandbar where we spent the afternoon with friends and family. Later that night we saw fireworks on the pier then stargazed for the rest of that evening.
The following day we drove out to Islamorada where we saw a mama and baby manatee in the marina of Wahoo's Bar and Grill. Both appeared to be feeding off the algae. Fun fact: manatees are herbivores and very gentle sea creatures. They also go to the surface of the water every three to five minutes to breathe.
After watching the manatees we walked over to Whale Harbor, a seafood buffet with a really nice roof-top floor. We didn't try the food but the bar, seating, ocean views and breeze was good enough for me.
Many family photos later we got in the car and drove to a gift shop where I purchased a magnet souvenir. I like to collect magnets from our travels. What do you like to collect?
On the way home we stopped at Snappers for dinner. I ordered a Piña Colada and a shrimp cocktail - both were delicious (their rolls are so yummy too!). This place has a super cool waterfront outdoor patio with live music, bar, lots of seating and room for dancing. Overall really good vibes.
After watching the manatees we walked over to Whale Harbor, a seafood buffet with a really nice roof-top floor. We didn't try the food but the bar, seating, ocean views and breeze was good enough for me.
Many family photos later we got in the car and drove to a gift shop where I purchased a magnet souvenir. I like to collect magnets from our travels. What do you like to collect?
On the way home we stopped at Snappers for dinner. I ordered a Piña Colada and a shrimp cocktail - both were delicious (their rolls are so yummy too!). This place has a super cool waterfront outdoor patio with live music, bar, lots of seating and room for dancing. Overall really good vibes.
For our final day in Key Largo we had a day-in at the beach house to rest up for Miami the next morning. We spent most of this day hanging out on the balcony, listening to music and taking Instagram pics. Fun for me. Not so fun for the hubs! Can my fellow bloggers relate?
The hubs did go on a snorkeling trip early that morning so he had his fair share of fun.
SHOP MY LOOK
Totally unrelated to my trip but I'd like to announce that I'm now on 21 Buttons! If you don't know what 21 Buttons is, it's a free site and app that you can download to shop outfits from your favorite style bloggers and influencers. Click here to check out my profile + shop my looks.
LAST STOP: MIAMI BEACH
Our last stop was in tropical Miami Beach. Something about this city really drew me in. Perhaps it's the fact that it's by far one of the most culturally-rich and diverse cities I'd ever been too. Or maybe it's because I really enjoyed the food, music, beach and overall atmosphere. Either way I'd definitely like to go back because our stay here was actually quite short.
Day one in Miami consisted of meeting more of my husbands family, eating lots of homemade Cuban food, checking-in to our hotel and going to the beach.
We stayed at The Edition hotel and let me tell you, this hotel is seriously so beautiful and there are so many plants on the property - it feels like you're on a tropical island. Not only is this hotel gorgeous and luxurious it also has lots of amenities like an ice skating rink, night club, bowling alley and so much more. There are also various restaurants inside the hotel to choose from. I highly recommend you try the brownies from Market at the Edition. It was genuinely the best brownie I'd ever had.
How cool is the ice skating rink? Really wish I'd taken a photo in front of the neon sign. It would have made a great Instagram photo. Oh well, maybe next time!
The following day we went out for breakfast to a nearby cafe called Tropical Beach Cafe. We enjoyed the food so much we came back for dinner. I really liked that everything on the menu was really affordable and all the food we ordered was delicious; I highly recommend their Cuban sandwich.
All in all this trip was such a fun experience and very much needed. I would definitely love to revisit both places in the future. Here's hoping for more travel, more experiences and more adventure!
xo, Your Girl Jess
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