I promised I would get this post up this week because so many of you mentioned you were headed to Miami soon! Incase you missed it, here is a little back story on how we ended up in Miami for our babymoon. Matt and I had planned our babymoon trip to Hawaii and were leaving the day after Christmas. I had an OB appointment the day before we headed to PA for the holidays and while there I asked my OB if it would be okay to hike a moderate hike while we were in Hawaii (I have a low lying placenta and have been put on a “no-exercise” (along with a bunch of other things), restriction. She looked at us and immediately said “I am so sorry, but I can’t have you traveling that far, especially flying over water with no where to land if there were an emergency (due to my placenta)…” And just like that our Hawaii babymoon was canceled. She did suggest and felt comfortable with Florida, so Matt spent the next 24 hours canceling and rebooking our entire trip and we ended up in sunny Miami! To be honest, we didn’t do a ton of exploring (we had both been here before) so the focus of this trip (and post) was all about beaching, relaxing at the pool, and eating!
Our first three nights in Miami were spent in the northern part of South Beach at The Confidante. This area is a little bit quieter, but still close to a lot of restaurants and bars. It is a super cool, art decor hotel with a bustling pool area and beach scene. Something we learned along the way was to get up and claim you pool chairs early if you wanted good seats in some of the Miami sun! We would typically grab chairs and then head to breakfast.
DAY ONE:
Unfortunately our flight to Miami was a bit delayed, so we got in around dinner and luckily just in time for our reservation at 27 Restaurant in the Freehand Hotel. This restaurant had such a fun vibe, you felt as if you were eating in someone’s home, but in a good way. I went with the catch of the day which was served in a coconut curry and that dish was for sure a standout and so delicious! Afterwards, we grabbed a nightcap outside, adjacent to the restaurant at the Broken Shaker. I had actually been here before for a bachelorette party and remember how yummy the food was and what a perfect vibe for grabbing a few drinks. The music selection was on par and you can’t beat enjoying the outdoor seating.
DAY TWO:
We woke up and grabbed breakfast outside at Bird and Bone, which is located right in our hotel. We ate breakfast here twice, it was convenient, yummy and such a great vibe. Even if they say there is a wait for sitting outside, put your name on the list and hang by the pool. We only had to “wait” one morning and it ended up being about 5 minutes until they called us.
We spent the majority of the day relaxing by the pool. I had been dreaming of doing just this (and floating around a pool) ever since we started talking about our babymoon, so it was perfect.
Later in the day we headed down Collins ave (about a 5 minute drive) to meet our friends for lunch who were staying at the Shore Club (another fun hotel, I stayed here for a bachelorette party once as well). We ate lunch outdoors at Diez y Seis, which was really, really good. The cuisine is Mexican and I highly recommend the tacos and Matt still talks about the tuna tartare (it look amazing I was so jealous). After lunch we hung at their pool for a bit before heading back to our hotel to get ready for dinner.
This dinner was hands down one of Matt and my favorites from the trip. We ate at Byblos and the waiter wasn’t kidding when he said everything on the menu was good. It is a tapas style restaurant (which I love so you can taste a bunch of things) and Matt and I went to town with ordering. A few must-try dishes were the octopus, dumplings, short rib kebab, black truffle flatbread and the praline desert. They even made me such a refreshing mocktail with cucumber, celery and basil. Make sure you ask to be seated upstairs when making a reservation, way better vibe than downstairs in our opinion!
DAY THREE:
We started off the day similar to the last with breakfast at Bird and Bone before heading down to the beach and then eventually relocating back to the pool. We had an early dinner reservation this night so decided to order a light lunch by the pool. Matt and I split the green goddess salad with shrimp and the guacamole with honey and almonds (so yummy and different).
Later in the day we decided to shower and get ready on the earlier side so we had some time to walk around Ocean Drive before dinner. I had never seen this part of town other than watching it on the Jersey Shore (lol) and it was so entertaining, people watching at its finest! MUCH louder and alive then any other part of Miami.
Dinner was at the Matador Room , located within the Edition Hotel. When making reservations, make sure you ask to sit outside, it is hands down the most beautiful outdoor seating we experienced while in Miami, and really adds to your meal. In our opinion, the ambience is better than the food, but it is a Jean-Jorges restaurant, just with more “American” food options. The tacos were pretty tasty as well as the shishito peppers.
After dinner we grabbed a nightcap at the Living Room in the Faena hotel. It had an old school, Hollywood glam vibe and quite the scene (a little too much for us to be honest, especially since I couldn’t even have a cocktail).If you do pop in for a drink, definitely dress up, everyone was dressed to the nines.
DAY FOUR:
On our last morning at The Confidante we decided we wanted to grab breakfast down the street at Malibu Farm. We went while in Malibu and it was such a beautiful space, the freshest food and right on the water. Miami’s had a similar style and we enjoyed a yummy breakfast and then walked back along the boardwalk to our hotel to check out and head to the St. Regis Bal Harbour for our last two nights.
Matt and I decided to switch things up halfway through our trip since we were in Miami for nearly a week, and we also decided to use Mariott reward points to pay for the St. Regis. As much as I enjoyed The Confidante, I am so happy we switch hotels because the St. Regis was GORGEOUS and everything my babymoon dreams were made of. Literally one of the nicest hotel rooms I have every stayed in and the property (pool, beach dining) exceeded all expectations. It is located just 10 minutes up the road from where we were staying, but in a much quieter area so I took full advantage of relaxing!
We checked in on New Years Eve and didn’t have any plans for the night. We couldn’t bring ourselves to spend close to $200 a plate for a pre-fix meal, which was what almost all of the restaurants were offering, so decided on a whim to rent a car for the day and drive up to West Palm to visit with our friends and wing the rest of the evening. It turned out to be the perfect day, we hung by their pool, grilled fish tacos and had so many other yummy bites. Our friends had bought tickets to go to a club that night, but this pregnant mama was not into that for NYE. Matt and I drove back to Bal Harbour later in the night and decided to relax in our room, order room service and watch the fireworks from our balcony. It honestly couldn’t have been any more perfect!
DAY FIVE:
One of my favorite things to do when we travel (especially if we have a balcony and it is warm out), is order coffee and a fruit plate or light bite to our room first thing in the morning. Matt and I took our time getting up for the day, but when we did we eventually made our way down to the pool.
This pool was by far my favorite, it was just beautiful and the ultimate place for relaxation. We spent the day here, ordering lunch poolside, reading books and going for a swim. Once again, really trying to soak in all these low key moments before this little one arrives.
Later that night we got ready and had dinner at Le Sirenuse, located within the Four Seasons. We ate at this restaurant when we were in Positano and it was an unforgettable meal. While a bit on the pricer side, everything is delicious and I would highly recommend the tasting menu if available!
Afterwards, we headed to the bar within out hotel which had live music and a cozy vibe. We hung out here for a bit (they also had a really yummy mocktail) before calling it a night.
DAY SIX:
I will keep this one short and sweet, as you can guess it was spent similar to the last. It was our final day, but we didn’t fly out until around 9:30pm, so had a full day to ourselves. When we have later flights, we always make sure to request a late checkout at the hotel! Matt and I both were getting sad about leaving the gorgeous weather, so truly maximized this day in the sun and spent it between the pool and beach.
We decided to have an earlier dinner across the street at Carpaccio before heading to the airport. This place was PACKED. We were told to get there before 7pm for the best chance of grabbing a table without a long wait (they don’t take reservations). As Matt and I were eating a bite outdoors the line to get in literally formed around the block. It was your typically Italian cuisine, and it hit the spot before our flight home.
