A very fun, humid and relaxed week in Florida! We stayed half the week in South Beach then traveled South to Key Largo for a very different experience. For only 1 1/2 hour distance, our experiences were night and day. I'll share a few comparisons below:
South Beach Key Largo
tons of people felt our private island at times
couldn't stop eating difficult to find something palatable
party atmosphere relax/ go to sleep early
flashy vacationers/ residents only shorts n tee needed
very ethnic white as the sand
We landed in Miami and headed out. We wandered for a while and stopped to eat at Jalapenos Mexican Kitchen. We got a table right on the street. This was going to be a few days of big time people watching! We were definitely not dressed for this time of night! Most girls were in small, tight cocktail dresses and heels too tall to be walking down the street. I was more concerned with sitting by the huge fan so I wouldn't be noticing how sweaty I was! It was sooo humid but so exciting to be "on vacation"!
Our hotel Marriott Stanton South Beach
Our first full day we headed to the Everglades for an airboat ride. We were surprised by how many alligators we saw! Our driver was crazy. A few times, he climbed down from his seat to touch the alligator. It was very entertaining but craxy!
So many pictures could be postcard. Blue sky!
There's the alligator.....
Our driver from the hotel said we'd stop at a restaurant off the highway. We were so hungry but were not excited about eating at a "rest stop". We pulled up to this funky bar. It was all open air. The bar itself was a grass-covered roof and there was a small band playing (in the middle of the afternoon). We noticed it was a big motorcycle hangout. LOL
We ordered several items common to the area: alligator bites, pulled pork, ceviche and croquetas.
It turned out to be a really fun spot for lunch.
We spent some time swimming once back at the hotel. After dinner we headed downtown to checkout the Holocaust Memorial. Our Uber driver got really lost...
I had seen the photos when researching online. It looked like something to not miss.
It was a moving experience to wander through the memorial. It was close to 9 PM and very quiet.
We walked to the inside portion of the area..the pathway was somewhat enclosed and there was music of children singing. It was haunting to contemplate the events memorialized.
We walked along the path to see photos and read timeline of events...
This morning we were off to a food tour. We have decided this is a must for all of our vacations.
It's the best way to wander the area and taste some great food. While we were waiting to meet our guide, there was a huge downpour for about 15 minutes. This is why it's so humid and green.
The sun came out and was clear for the rest of the afternoon. We had about 2 hours of walking from place to place and weren't excited to be doing that in the rain.
First stop, dulce de leche filled churros. Believe it or not, this is a common Cuban breakfast food.
Next stop, a Columbian restaurant. Can't remember the name. This entire area is full of wonderful food- lots of first and second generation Latinos. The beverage was a Rafajo (misx of beer and Colombiano soda- similar to cream soda). The kids just had the soda.
Empanadas with habanero salsa and ceviche.
The long walks from place to place were great listening to our guide stop and talk of the history of South Beach (art deco, weather, etc.). This was our view as we walked down Ocean Drive.
Our favorite stop of the tour was to Gloria Estefan's Larios on the Beach.
Great food and decor. My favorite was the plantain chips with Cuban Picadillo. Also the mojitos!
Miami is definitely a place to see some great art! Even on the walls, grafitti-style. This artwork was on the walls of a restaurant where we had the greatest tacos and many options for hot sauce.
We had to come back to Sugar to order the steaming drinks. It was so hot and a great place to sit and walk the constant flow of people on the sidewalk. The waiter poured our drinks tableside. They already had dry ice and tall sticks of candy. They steamed for a bit. We are easily impressed.
A couple on our tour told us to head to Wynwood to see more art. It's a neighborhood North of downtown Miami. The entire neighborhood of buildings are painted. It has now become Wynwood Walls. We arrived just before dark so we missed going into any of the art museums. We had fun wandering and taking pictures.
Our travel has become so much more convenient. No rental cars- UBER!
\We got a ride back south to Little Havana. There is a great ice cream ship that has a long list of locally made ice cream. We got there to find a long line down the street. We knew it must be popular. We stood in line through some light rain...walked across the street to Domino Plaza. During the day, we heard that the little cement tables are filled with men playing dominoes.
The next morning I woke up a little after 7 AM. Everyone was fast asleep. I headed to get coffee and sit on the beach. It was so peaceful. A few people out for swim or yoga on the beach.
After breakfast, we were on the road South to Key Largo. There was some traffic, so it turned out to be a 2 hour drive. Lucky for us, we had an UBER driver so I read and everyone else slept.
The Overseas Highway
We arrived to Key Largo, It is a very small peninsula. Not too wide east to west. The highway runs right through the middle and there is lots of foliage as seen below. This is our hotel as seen from the boat dock.
Checked in and headed down to beach. The beach was very small. We walked along the trail from our rooms to find this secluded spot to be by ourselves.
Lunchtime...
For dinner we headed to this place right by the water. We wanted a great view to watch the sunset.
Conch fritters- yum. Afte the sunset, we were waiting for our ride when we got caught in another huge downpour. We had the huge clouds to thank for the beautiful sky during sunset.
We couldn't pass up Key Lime Pie in Key Largo!
Next day up early for our snorkeling trip. We rode across miles of water surrounded by protected land/ trees full of marine life and tons of huge iguanas up in the trees.
I loved these- kind of like a cuban cheeto!
Back to the beach for some sun- more like a sunburn after a full day.
The boys enjoyed the room while Camille and I swam and sang.
The worst food in Key Largo......had to put a picture of our table at the END of the meal.
Our last evening we went on an Eco Tour through the Everglades.
We enjoyed our last Florida sunset from the water.
Heading home....fun art in the airport. It was a great week!
