I was fortunate to travel with 3 friends to South Beach for 4 days and take a 3 day cruise the last week of February. Full disclosure, I had been to South Beach twice (for about 24 hours each time before a cruise) and it had not made the best impression on me either time. For various personal reasons, I was content never making South Beach a getaway again but decided to go along with the gang when that was the destination of choice for a much needed winter vacation and friend time. If I am being honest, I was pretty much only looking forward to the cruise because Jerry won me over a while ago with his enthusiasm for cruising.
I am going to focus on logistics in South Beach for the first part of this blog. We were there 2 full days before the cruise and 2 full days afterwards. This was enough time to experience places, restaurants, and activities that I previously had not. Perhaps it was the gloriously weather every day, or being in great company with our friend group, or finding myself focusing on the positive things I liked about South Beach (Perspective is everything!). Whatever it was, I can sincerely say that I enjoyed my time in South Beach this time around which is probably a shock to those who know how I felt it before this trip!
It’s all about location and our hotel, The Kent, (thekenthotel.com) was ideally situated a block and half walk to both the beautiful beach and active Miami Beach Boardwalk. Here is a map of the boardwalk to give you an idea of expansive it is www.miamibeachboardwalk.com/miami-beach-boardwalk-map.
I highly recommend The Kent (which was recommended to us by a family friend). The customer service was consistently top notch. The rooms and lobby here clean. The staff made us feel comfortable and welcomed by being so accommodating and treating us like friends/family. Jerry and I both agreed that we would certainly stay there again and we left a positive review on Trip Advisor.
The hotel was about 10.5 miles from Miami’s airport (average drive time is 30 minutes because of traffic) and just under 6 miles from the seaport if you are cruising.
The Miami Beach Boardwalk is a must see. It is a pathway 7 miles along the beach with lush scenery as well as being near retail and food establishments. It is hard to find “chain restaurants” in South Beach but you will find Starbucks along the Boardwalk! We walked this every morning that we were there. You will spot sunrise yoga on the beach, muscle beach enthusiasts, (www.instagram.com/musclebeachsouthbeach), rental bike stations, walkers, joggers, and photographers. This is one of my favorite locations in South Beach.
I walked to South Pointe (the end of the boardwalk) twice and went to the 450 ft long pier which is along the ship canal. Walking to South Pointe from The Kent is 1.25 miles each way. Truly my favorite way to start each day in South Beach!
From what I have seen of Miami Beach in general, it is always kept very clean. It is a lush tropical environment with many plants and trees (unlike other parts of Florida where vegetation seems sparse). Since Keo and Melinda barely made it out of Minnesota ahead of a winter storm and Jerry and I were coming from Kentucky, we were thrilled with the abundance of tropical scenery!
The architecture has an Art Deco vibe (Miami is an aesthetically beautiful city from buildings to beaches). It is also culturally diverse and energetically vibrant. For a bit more information on South Beach for planning purposes, here is their website, (www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/southeast/south-beach).
In Part II, I will touch on food (excellent but expensive!) as well as activities that we tried. See you soon as we continue in the Sunshine State!
Thoughtful Travels 