We’re sharing how to spend four full days enjoying all the best Miami Beach has to offer. We share amazing beachfront properties to stay at, great places to eat, where to get Miami Beach drinks, beautiful rooftop bars, how to enjoy the beach beds and umbrellas, and where to go out dancing for some of that iconic Miami nightlife!

We break down the differences between South Beach, Mid-Beach, and North Beach so you can choose the perfect area for your stay, plus hotel recommendations from mid-range gems to luxury oceanfront resorts.

Miami Beach hotels we recommend (and stayed at during this trip!) are the Eden Roc Hotel for a bougie oceanfront option and the conveniently located Albion South Beach Hotel for a mid-range option.

There is so much more to do in Miami, check out our Viator shop for other things to do in Miami we recommend and listen to our previous episode on the best things to do in Miami for more inspiration!

Find a great flight deal to nearby Miami with Thrifty Traveler Premium, sign up to get flight deals sent straight to your inbox. Use our promo code TSP to get $20 off your first year subscription!

4 Days in Miami Beach

0:35

And get ready to embark on a new adventure with us around the globe.

Hello fellow travelers.

Hey, squaddies.

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Travel Squad Podcast.

Today we are taking you all the way to Miami Beach, FL.

I went to Miami Beach, FL this past February on a pretty long trip.

0:55

It was Thursday to Monday, and it actually felt like a long vacation.

I’m really excited for you to dive into this, Kim.

You know, we’ve only been to Miami once and right when I say we’ve, I’m talking about me and Brittany.

Fortunately enough, it was with you before we ended up going to Ecuador because our flights were out of Miami.

1:13

So we spent a little time there.

I enjoyed it.

I know this is not the first time you’ve been to Miami.

You love Miami.

It’s the city that makes you want to move to Florida.

So I’m really looking forward to you telling us all about it.

Getting me excited to go back because ever since we went, I do myself want to go back and explore a little bit more versus just going on a pre vacation.

1:33

I want to actually go on a vacation to Miami.

And as you were talking about going on this trip and planning this trip, I was like, I think we need another Miami episode because we haven’t had one in a while.

So I’m super glad we’re able to do this.

Like Jamal mentioned, we’ve only been once before.

The only other time I would kind of say we were in Miami is when we went to Biscayne National Park, which is very close to Miami.

1:55

But I don’t really feel like that counts.

And I feel like this can segue in because you’ve gone on so many Miami trips to giving our squaddies a Miami itinerary, hopefully soon.

If the squatty is interested in nightlife and beaches, I can definitely put an itinerary like that together because that’s been most of what I’ve done in the 10 times that I’ve been to Miami is beach and nightlife and Miami has that and it’s amazing for that.

2:24

This trip, spoiler alert, not going to be much different than that.

But after I came back from this trip, I really want to, the next time I go to Miami, commit to doing more, actually exploring Coconut Grove or the downtown area.

2:40

I tend to stay on Miami, which is why this episode is about Miami Beach, Not just Miami, Miami Beach.

You know what’s funny, Kim, is how you said, next time I go back, I want to dedicate myself to exploring more.

I’ve heard you say that like the last three or four times and you always find yourself doing the same thing.

2:57

But that’s OK because if you love it, that’s good.

But even though it’s the same thing, I’m sure you’re trying different restaurants, experiencing different things.

Miami is a great place to people watch whether it be for good or bad right?

You could see lots of cool stuff in Miami.

People watching, just enjoying the beach, good food, Cubanos, mojitos, great experience all around.

3:18

So before you get into the meat of the episode, why don’t you give our Squatty some tips for visiting Miami Beach?

My first tip for visiting Miami Beach is to stay within a couple blocks of the ocean.

Miami Beach is the peninsula farthest to the coast.

There are bridges that will bring you into the Miami mainland area, but it’s the beach area.

3:36

So more likely than not you’re going to be within a couple blocks of the ocean.

But when you do look for a hotel, just try to find something that’s like 2-3 blocks to walk to the beach.

It’s so perfect.

As we’re walking around, we saw so many small mid grade local non chain hotels that were very nice with very nice lobbies and restaurants on site and just a couple blocks in the ocean.

3:59

So there’s a lot to choose from in the area.

When you pick one of these types of hotels, the biggest benefit is that likely it could come with beach chairs and umbrellas included with your stay.

Some hotels will charge you extra for this, but if you can book one of these hotels that’s walking distance that has the beach chairs and umbrellas, you’re going to be set for your trip here.

4:19

For the trip that you just took, did you book a hotel like that that had included beach chairs and umbrellas?

Yes, we stayed for the most part at the Albion Hotel and this was one of those hotels that’s the smaller local in an Art Deco building and it did come with beach chairs and umbrellas, which was really nice and towels too.

4:39

That is really nice because some places can charge you for towels and it could be like $1520.00 for a towel and all of those things start to add up.

Definitely another thing that could add up is drinks.

Many of these places that have the beach chairs and umbrellas on the beach also have a service where you can order off the menu food and drinks and so you can go ahead and do that.

5:00

You can also bring your own drinks to the beach.

You can get a little Styrofoam cooler or just pack them in a plastic bag.

Really improvise if you don’t have a cooler and you can bring your own drinks and snacks to the beach, or we always say bring that collapsible cooler that we have LinkedIn, our Amazon shop that’d be perfect for Miami.

5:21

That definitely would be perfect.

And when you say bring drinks, Kim, I can’t remember when we were there.

Are you talking adult beverages?

Is it illegal to drink on the beach?

Yes, and that’s one of the best parts about Miami Beach is you can drink on the beach.

I do see a lot of people drinking glass drinks, which I wouldn’t recommend on the beach bringing glass, but I don’t think that there’s much regulation or rules around glass on the beach.

5:45

But I would bring it.

I would bring a can, that’d be better.

Definitely bring your sunscreen.

We’ll link the one that we love in the show notes here.

You are going to need it.

I definitely got sunburned on this trip.

If you got sunburned, I’d get sunburned because we know Jamal just gets red in the sun, so.

6:01

You might have been like round two of West Virginia whitewater kayaking that day.

That was bad that day, so I want to avoid that.

So sunscreen it is when I go to in Miami.

Oh, here’s another tip on the finance side of things.

6:16

Yeah, it’s Miami Beach, so you can expect some higher prices in some places.

There’s still a lot of reasonably priced restaurants in Miami Beach as well, so don’t be discouraged of that.

But what you should know is that most places are going to automatically add a 20% gratuity to your bill.

6:33

So you don’t have to add additional tip unless you want to, but that is usually already included on your ticket.

And then lastly I will recommend Uber over car rental any day for Miami Beach.

It’s so walkable down there parking is hard to come by.

Even your hotels will charge you for parking if they offer it at all because a lot of these are the smaller local art deco type buildings.

6:55

I would not rent a car if you’re planning to spend most of your time just here in Miami Beach.

Uber is a bound.

You can take it up and down the strip and then you can also take it into another part of the city if you are leaving Miami Beach, which I don’t know why you would, but you can.

I know you said that was your last tip, but I do have a question for you while we’re in the tip section and I was going to ask, what would you say are the best months to visit Miami Beach?

7:20

I think February was honestly amazing.

January would be great.

I’ve been in all different seasons of the year.

The only time I ever felt I ever needed a sweater it was actually November, and it’s because there was a rainstorm happening so it cooled things down.

7:37

But February was mid 80s, like high 70s, mid 80’s the entire time.

It was so nice.

And how is the humidity at that point?

Because we’ve been to Florida before.

Of course, in January, February, it can be hot and humid, of course, not like it will be in the summer.

7:54

But what was it like then?

Because of course, if you go later in the season, yeah, it’s going to be hot.

Maybe lots of people like that, it’s gonna be more crowded, but I think you’re really giving good times.

It’s not excessively hot and probably not as crowded, but how is it with that humidity?

Not humid at all on this trip.

8:10

That’s perfect.

No swamp ass territory.

That’s only when we’re in the Everglades.

All right, Squatty’s before we continue, we talk about it all the time.

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8:30

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8:45

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9:04

So Kim, I know you’ve been to Miami Beach so many different times.

Where would you say is the best place to stay in Miami Beach?

So Miami Beach is separated regionally into South Beach, Very popular touristy area, Mid Beach and North Beach.

I like Mid Beach the best because it’s still very walkable into South Beach, walkable up higher into North Beach.

9:25

But it is right in the mix of all the foot traffic, people watching beaches right there, nicer restaurants.

I think the beaches are cleaner too because there’s a lot of resorts and beach beds and umbrellas that you can rent here.

There’s tractors that come through and clean up the beach of the seaweed every morning.

9:44

So I think it has less seaweed than South Beach.

I think it’s a tad less crazy, although still very much a lot of foot traffic and right in the mix here.

But I like that it’s a little less touristy than South Beach.

South Beach is very touristy nightlife, neon lights, youngsters, those beautiful Art Deco buildings.

10:03

Very walkable, but I would say a little bit of a younger crowd than.

Mid Beach, when we went to Miami all together, we actually stayed in South Beach and I remember it was right before we went to Ecuador and there was definitely nightlife going on.

I remember the hotel that we stayed in, there were people partying in the rooms hard all night.

10:21

Oh yeah.

And yeah, a little crazy.

So I can see why you like Mid Beach.

It might be a little bit more laid back, but still close enough to all the action.

Oh yeah, and then North Beach is going to be a lot quieter.

I haven’t actually stayed up in North Beach, but I’ve drove through and it does get a lot less foot traffic.

10:37

A lot less touristy up there this time though.

We actually stayed in two different places.

This was Valentine’s Day weekend so for the most part we stayed in South Beach at the Albion Hotel.

It’s a mid price range, nice rooms, there’s a bar on site.

It’s an art deco historic building.

10:54

Great location to the beach.

Another place in South Beach that you can stay at if you are wanting to splurge on this trip.

The One Hotel is an upscale option just a few blocks from the Beyond Hotel.

It’s an amazing hotel with beautiful restaurants and rooftop bars pools there.

11:13

You can get a day pass here, which would be great if you don’t stay here.

But yeah it does range in the like 1000 plus realm and I do believe it is a chase edit hotel.

So you could use your benefit on.

That you can also use your benefit in Mid Beach at the Eden Rock Hotel.

11:29

We spent one night here.

It’s a chase edit hotel.

It has three amazing pools, 2 hot tubs.

It’s literally right on the beach.

Yes of course it has the beds and umbrellas that come with your stay there.

There’s a Nobu on site.

Amazing views from your balcony here.

11:45

We actually got upgraded to a suite because it’s a chase edit hotel.

Our suite was one of the biggest I have ever stayed in.

It had a hallway when you first enter, then you open up into your living room, then your dining room which is full floor to ceiling windows.

12:01

Amazing view of the ocean right below you.

Then there’s a bedroom.

Then there’s a bathroom with his and her sink, a shower and a huge tub and a huge balcony right above the ocean.

Amazing.

So if you want to splurge, but maybe not quite as much as the one Hotel, Eden Rock is so good.

12:18

That sounds like such an amazing hotel, I would definitely want to go there and visit it, especially since it’s part of the Chase Edit collection.

With a room like that, I don’t know if I’d go out on the beach.

I would just enjoy the view and knock it sunburned.

I know I just sat out there on my robe.

It was amazing.

So you said that you were on this trip Thursday through?

12:37

Monday, right?

Yeah.

So tell us all about it.

What did you do?

Did you have a full day Thursday?

Did you land in the evening?

Obviously you mentioned this was a Valentine’s Day thing, so I know you did maybe a little bit of romantic stuff, but what did you do?

So the reason I came in on Thursday is because I didn’t want to take any time off work.

12:56

Monday was President’s Day, so that was already off Friday.

I did not want to take it off.

So I either was going to have to come in Thursday night and work remote there Friday or come in Friday night and kind of lose a day.

So we decided to all meet there on Thursday night.

13:12

Others were there earlier.

I got in around 10:00 PM, so doesn’t leave a lot of time to do much, but we had a drink at the hotel bar at the bartender there was so nice.

He just had the best attitude.

He was there the entire weekend.

He made really good espresso martinis, so we had one of those and then just kind of walked around Miami Beach a little bit.

13:33

It was shocking, though, how dead it was.

There was no people watching, nothing was open.

There was nobody on the streets.

I couldn’t believe it.

I know it was a Thursday night, but nobody.

Why do you think that was?

Do you think everybody was waiting for the next day?

I honestly have no idea where everyone was.

13:50

It was kind of crazy to see everything shut down like that.

Or maybe we were.

No, I mean, we were on some of the main drags, so I don’t know, but I guess that can happen.

They were saving their energy for the weekend because that was the only day we saw it dead like that.

So Friday you said you worked remotely.

14:05

Did you do anything after work?

Yes, so Fridays are a little bit of early days at work.

So we kind of wrapped up in the early afternoon and then decided to exercise our benefit of beach lounge beds and umbrellas and towels that came at the hotel.

14:23

I will say for this hotel, they did advertise this great rooftop pool, but it’s an Art Deco building and the pool needed renovation.

Apparently that takes a long time with permits and such in Miami.

So the pool was not open.

So they were directing us to the beach.

So that is what we did.

14:39

I mean that is the biggest draw of Miami Beach.

The beach is amazing.

Gorgeous white sand, amazing colorful lifeguard towers, the beds and the umbrellas on the beach.

Everyone’s in a good mood.

Water is crystal clear blue, not that warm but not that cold.

14:58

We definitely went swimming.

Warmer to stay on the beach and just kind of relax in that way versus getting in the water.

Because when you went to Florida, Brittany and I were in Florida, but on opposite coast.

We were on the West Coast of Florida like a few days before and it was abnormally cold during that time when Florida really shouldn’t be.

15:16

And so you didn’t really have that experience when you were there.

But I guess the waters were still a little bit temperate, not as warm as they usually if you’re saying you didn’t even get in.

Or no, we got in spend.

A lot of time in there.

Yeah, we went swimming a couple times and dipped in there, but it wasn’t super relaxing like Florida Water can be.

15:35

So I think maybe another month or two down the road that water will be nice and warm.

And that’s what we did for most of the day.

We spent 5 or 6 hours here laying on the chairs tanning.

We did order some drinks and some bites from the stand up shop that gave us our beds and they brought that right over.

15:52

Got like a chicken quesadilla and a club sandwich and some other things.

A couple of drinks.

I wouldn’t say the drinks were amazing at this particular shop here but maybe whichever 1 you go to if it’s different they might have better options.

But This is why I was saying recommending bringing your own drinks because they’re not overly expensive but they’re not that great.

16:12

So a little case of White Claw would have been real good.

Just some simple White Claw would have done it.

You know, it’s crazy.

I mean, I’m not knocking on people who like White Claw because as a guy, it’s not my first go to.

But if it’s there, I’ll for sure drink it.

Don’t get me wrong.

But if you’re saying White Claw like over like a mixed drink that they’re making in Miami, you know it’s not that good if White Claws.

16:34

Well, and you know, it comes out in a plastic cup, which is fine.

The ice is going to melt fast because it is hot out there.

You’re on the beach and then you have like kind of a watered down drink and you know, you could just crack open another White Claw.

That is what I would recommend doing next time.

So I know that this place had the free beach beds to lay out on and they did have someone that could take your drink.

16:53

So do you think that they would allow you to bring white closet?

Or yes, of course there were other people with drinks that they brought and food.

Yeah.

I was just wondering because there are some places that can be a little bit more strict about their.

Policies and this place, like I said, the Albion Hotel is a little bit mid grade so it wasn’t like a formal resort area where all the beds are lined up and it’s like perfect and you have a waiter with a tray coming over.

17:15

It was much more casual than that.

I think that anybody can walk up to the outpost and rent from them, but we had a voucher from our hotel and they sent us directly to that particular spot.

But yeah, you’re right, maybe some of these other bigger resorts wouldn’t like that.

So after you laid out for a little bit, did you guys do anything later that evening?

17:34

We actually stayed just about until the sun was setting.

So it’s February, so it’s setting around 6:00 PM and there’s so many hotels and courtyards and pool areas and bars that are right along the boardwalk of the beach in Miami Beach.

17:51

And you can see over the fence and see into them.

And you could, you’re welcome to go in there.

They’re open to the public.

Now if you wanted to actually spend the day by the pool there, they do sell day passes for that, but you can just walk in.

And so we kind of just spent some time bar hopping around Miami Beach and we went into a place called the Dilly Dough.

18:09

It’s this outdoor bar with a beautiful pool area and there were some like pop up vendors there.

We went over to the Ritz pool and no one was in it.

We went swimming and went in the hot tub at the Ritz and then we got a little drink there.

18:25

The night before we had tried to go into the Ritz lobby and it was closed because everything was dead on that random Thursday.

This night it was open.

So we were sitting there and we’re having an espresso martini and we’re like let’s have this espresso martini.

Let’s go back to the room, take a little nap.

18:42

It’s probably getting to be like 10:00 PM at this point, Like let’s take a little nap and then let’s go to club space.

We’ll go around like one or two in the morning because our ticket we were looking to get was arrived before 3:00 AM.

Did you make it to club space?

So we went back to the room, we had that estroso martini, we took that nap and we did not wake up until the morning.

19:05

Oopsies.

We’ve done that a time or two where we were like, oh, let’s just sleep after a long fight.

We’ll just take a quick nap.

And then we wake up like four or five hours later and we’re like, Oh, well, it didn’t go as planned.

Yeah, I don’t know what happens.

The alarms are set and sometimes they, I guess you’re just so tired that you really sleep through or don’t realize that you hit snooze.

19:24

I don’t know what it is, but at least you had several more days.

Well, maybe we’ll see if you made it to club space or not later on this.

Yeah, we were kind of bummed that we didn’t make it, but it’s OK.

Everything happens to reason.

We woke up as spring chickens the next day.

19:41

So after getting all of that sleep, since you went to bed kind of on the early side, since you were going to go out that night, did you do anything Saturday morning?

Yes.

So Saturday morning we really wanted acai bowls.

There was an acai bowl place called Miami Bulls across the road from the Albion Hotel.

19:59

And we are like, perfect, let’s get that acai bowl.

We’ll walk around South Beach a little bit, look at the Art Deco buildings, look at the Versace mansion, which you can eat at if you make a reservation ahead of.

Sometimes squaddies and you should.

So we’re like, perfect, let’s just do that.

20:15

We go into this place though, and it was just a weird experience.

There’s like a girl sitting on the ground but not helping anybody.

There was one guy making acais and smoothies.

There was a couple people waiting and they basically said he’s not taking orders for the next 10-15 minutes because he needs to get caught up.

20:33

So we’re just like, OK, well we’re like, there’s got to be a million places to get acai bowls here in Miami Beach.

Let’s just go walk and find one.

Did you find one?

We sort of did.

We ended up walking down quite a bit in South Beach and look, if you’re going to Miami Beach, walking around the beach is one of the things to do.

20:53

You can do it every single day.

You’ll see different stuff, go into different shops, restaurants, all that.

So that’s what we did.

We ended up going into the Blue Lavender Cafe, which was this really cute cafe with a bunch of flowers decorating the outside porch of it has a huge inside area and we had a very healthy breakfast.

21:09

Actually we did not get acai bowls because when we ordered it off the menu the guy said sorry we don’t have that.

Oh no.

So what was your healthy breakfast then if you said you ended up getting one?

Well, we got mimosas, of course.

That’s real healthy.

Little bit of orange juice gives you some vitamin.

21:27

C Yes.

Just a tiny splash, though.

If you know, you know.

So in addition to that, we got smoothies and avocado toast, and the avocado toast had an egg on it, had all these pickled veggies on it.

It was really good.

And guess what?

When we’re sitting on the porch eating our food, guess what they bring out for the neighbor?

21:43

What did they bring out?

An acai bowl.

What we were like what?

That’s incredibly frustrating.

And so when we went inside to pay at the end, we were like, what’s up with the acai?

And he’s like, oh, they had to like, it’s very wishy washy.

22:01

Like they had to clean something or get something.

It’s like, why are you giving us the runaround out here about the acai?

Two places with no acai bowls for you, Kim, That’s a shame.

Yes.

And so then we walked around South Beach a little bit more.

We walked to the main Collins of drag that goes all the way up Miami Beach.

22:18

And every place you walk by is kind of like come in side look at our menu.

We have two for one drinks, which happy hour is typically three to seven in Miami Beach.

And you can get 2 for one drinks at a lot of places.

Squatty’s.

Should have reminded you of just like when we were in Egypt, everybody’s standing outside trying to get you to come into their.

22:36

Shop So you’re in Miami for.

Drinks.

Yeah, that’s.

One of the things I like about Miami is that it does feel like another country in a sense.

We did end up going into the Alma Cuba for a mojito.

They had these really awesome mojitos with these huge sugar cane sticks in them.

22:54

I got a strawberry, they got a mango, and we sat there for a while just chatting and enjoying our mojitos, people watching.

Oh, and because it was Valentine’s Day, there were Valentine’s decorations everywhere.

There was someone dressed in a giant heart costume taking pictures with people.

23:12

So it really added to the liveliness because there was so much celebration of love everywhere.

Did you guys have plans for Valentine’s Day specifically?

Well, our plan, which was a surprise to me, was that we were going to be moving to the Eden Rock Hotel and there was a splurge situation on the massive suite on the 14th floor, right over the ocean, looking out into the ocean.

23:36

It was amazing.

And so when you stay in a hotel like that, like Jamal said earlier, you want to actually spend time there and that was our plan.

Well I mean if you have an oceanfront suite and it has great views, sounds like a great way to just relax and enjoy the scenery.

Yes.

23:51

So we pop some champagne, put some robes on.

We went down to the restaurants and they have a great lobby bar there, and then they have a Nobu on site.

So if you’re into seafood, which we all know I am not, but if you are, Nobu’s a fantastic restaurant that a lot of people love and it’s right there for you.

24:11

But we went down to the oceanfront restaurant, Ocean Social, and we sat down and had a nice little dinner.

They had a really good apple and grier salad, had this truffle cider vinaigrette that was so insanely good you would have loved it, Jamal.

24:27

That sounds really delicious as as you were talking about it, I was thinking to myself how much I just want like a really fresh salad.

Yeah, and it was really hitting the spot.

We also got a Rigatoni with red sauce and chicken that was really good.

We were on an espresso martini kick this weekend, so we had another one of those because we wanted to like stay up and enjoy the place.

24:49

But after we went into the hot tub, we kind of got sleepy and we didn’t stay up too late enjoying the property.

But we did sleep with the sliding glass door open so we heard the waves crashing all night long.

Oh.

It’s perfect.

Then you don’t even need like a sound machine, you just listen to the nature and the waves just bully to sleep.

25:09

Yeah, it was really, really nice.

And then woke up to the sun rising over the ocean.

So I caught a sunrise on this trip.

You got a lazy sunrise.

You didn’t even have to go anywhere.

Just cracked my eye open, I was too tired to reach for my phone.

I really wanted to like get a video or picture but I was too tired.

25:28

Sometimes you just got to enjoy the moment.

That’s right, Sunday we woke up and we kind of just took it slow.

I mean, this is an amazing hotel.

We sat at the table that was right in front of the floor to ceiling windows and had a nice little coffee breakfast situation.

25:45

Didn’t eat any food but had coffee.

We didn’t eat any food because we were planning to finally get our acai bowl.

O did you get an acai redemption?

Yes, we did.

O right next to the Eden Rock hotel is the Fountain Blue hotel.

26:00

It’s a very iconic hotel in Miami Beach.

It has live and Hakasan clubs on site.

Yes, it has an amazing pool.

Like if you’re going to get a day pass anywhere and spend the pool day there, Fountain Blue is the place to do it.

26:17

Also, you can find condo rentals at the fountain blue.

So in addition to the tower with the hotels, they have a tower with condos that people own.

They put them on Expedia and Airbnb.

So you can actually rent a condo at the fountain Blue and use all the fountain blue property without paying the fountain blue price.

26:37

So that’s a little hack if you can find it.

Or just get a day pass.

The pool there is amazing.

That sounds like a great tip.

I’m like, OK, I need to be looking at when we’re going to go to Miami and copy your itinerary and go to the Fountain blue.

Yes, the fountain blue is insane.

I was.

Going to say Fountain Blue sounds nice, but I’m also intrigued by Eden Rock in the suite so you know.

26:56

Well, Eden Rock is just as big and it’s it doesn’t have the club situation there, but it has Nobu, which is so sought after.

And then it has a bunch of different pools, much more spread out.

Fountain Blues pools are kind of all twirled and entangled together, and there are cabanas and a lot of like beds out there.

27:15

It’s really amazing.

And I know it’s amazing because after we got our acaibles at Fresh, which is a cafe inside of the Fountain Blue, we brought them out to a cabana by the pool and we just lounged out there and had our acaibles.

That sounds really nice, a good relaxing morning.

27:31

Yes, and that was also part of this trip, if I had to put it into words, would have been relaxing beach and nightlife, which we haven’t really gotten to yet, but that’s.

Kind of.

I was going to say you slept through the night life so far.

Well OK the first day we went to the beach then we bar hopped so that was nightlife.

27:49

OK, OK.

That’s why we missed the club.

All right, So we did that.

And this weekend also happened to be the weekend of the infamous International Boat Show in Miami.

It’s a huge deal in Miami.

It brings yacht brokers from all over Florida to this area, international yacht buyers from all over the world for several days of this international boat show.

28:15

So for $45 per ticket, you can go into the International Boat Show and walk on and off Mega yachts, super mega yachts, just some of the most amazing floating villages that you’ve ever been on.

28:30

So that was really cool to see some of those yachts and just visualize myself one day living on one or taking a vacation on what it actually really inspired me to try to get, say, 14 people together for a yacht charter in the Mediterranean Sea one of these years.

28:48

You know, one of my nursing school teachers actually said one of her best vacations she ever did was chartering a boat off of the coast of Croatia and going around and I and hopping and she absolutely loved it.

So that sounds amazing.

29:03

It’s all inclusive luxury to the finest degree.

They’ll literally unpack your luggage for you and put your stuff away.

And if you get enough people together, when you really compare the cost of it, it’s not that out of reason.

So that’s been planted in my head.

29:19

That’s going on my bingo card.

Let me know if you want an invite.

I do.

I do want an invite.

So we spent a few hours walking on and off of these yachts and then we thought we better get going because we have a reservation to go out on a catamaran.

29:36

I had booked this through Viator and I will link it in the show notes because it is a good option if you don’t want to rent a private boat but you still want to get out there.

I thought this would be great because it’s a 3 hour reservation, starts at 3:30, comes with jet skis, it’s an open bar and we would be with a group of people who may be fun.

29:55

So it could, you know, add to the fun of it all rather than just renting a boat with just your group.

Every single time I go to Miami I try to get down on a boat.

The only time I actually did was that time we did the Millionaire’s House tour and then it started pouring rain on me.

So for some reason me and Miami and boats are cursed and I need a yacht daddy to break this curse because it did not happen.

30:20

So we went back to our hotel, the all Beyond hotel that we’re staying at originally, and I was running upstairs just to change or get a jacket or something.

It’s like 30 minutes before we’re supposed to be there.

We’re going to call an Uber as soon as I get back down and in the hallway, going to the room and I get a phone call and they’re saying they’re cancelling because they have to.

30:42

But what would be your guess of why they have to cancel the boat 30 minutes before the reservation?

Well, I know you already told us so I feel like I can’t take a guess right now, Kim, because my guess would be just a.

Biased.

Guess which?

I know the answer I know, but honestly, it’s a stupid reason.

31:00

Well, it’s not a stupid reason.

Safety.

But in terms of how it happened to you 30 minutes before, it’s really stupid.

And I’m also upset because they did have a 12:30 PM reservation, too.

Maybe if we had booked that one, we would have gotten through.

And so we’re thinking like, oh, not enough people booked it, and that’s why they’re canceling because we did book it the day before.

31:18

We’re like, oh, that’s probably what it was.

It’s just not worth it for them to take the boat out.

Well, according to them, the Coast Guard just randomly showed up to do an inspection.

And when that happens, the Coast Guard takes their sweet time doing their inspection.

It could take one day, it could take two days, and then they’re going to find something that would prevent the boat from going out and getting cleared.

31:38

So we, I’m like, so disappointed at this point.

And we are sitting down at the hotel bar with our guy who’s absolutely amazing the whole weekend.

And I asked him, like, is that normal?

Like, does that sound right to you?

And he’s like, oh, yeah, the Coast Guard does that all the time, especially because it’s the boat show weekend.

31:57

They’re really out there.

They’re like really on top of things.

So that’s what happened.

No boat.

Your taxpayer dollars at work ruining your trip right there.

Coast Guard’s supposed to defend drugs from coming into the country, not from people going out on boats.

Well, they also do inspect them.

32:14

That’s part of their charters to inspect the boat.

So that’s what I mean when I say your taxpayer dollars.

But like I said, unfortunate for you, ultimately safety is really the goal.

But yeah, unfortunate that it happened to be at your time.

So if you rent the mega yacht Kim, do not rent it in Miami because you’re going to have bad luck.

32:31

You need to do it.

Like your site?

Don’t do it in Miami.

And maybe you’ll finally be able to go out on the boat the 11th time you go to Miami.

You don’t write yourself off yet.

Yeah, well, when I move to Miami, I will have many opportunities for boats and I will see to it that I get out there.

32:47

So what the boat plans ruined?

What did you end up doing for the rest of the afternoon then?

So we just decided to so back to our trusty beach chairs on the beach for a couple hours.

It’s like 4:00, maybe 330 by this point.

So we have a couple hours of daylight left.

33:03

We’re just going to soak it up.

I love the beach.

So while I’m disappointed about the boat, the beach is a very nice concession.

And so we did that.

We’re just kind of triaging like what should we do?

Like I really just don’t want to hang out around South Beach again.

We’ve kind of already trumped up and down it and I want, you know, new inputs.

33:22

So we were looking through things were like, oh, let’s look at maybe the Chase dining options that they have here.

Maybe use our credit card perk in that way.

Or are there any other boats?

I was like, no, at this hour, there’s no other boats going out.

So we finally land on, we’re going to go out to a nice dinner.

33:39

I mean, we’re in Miami.

One of the most amazing things about Miami is how many insane restaurants they have here.

Just some of the best food, the coolest interior decor, entertainment that comes with your meal.

Really great restaurants in Miami.

Like you could just go on a whole foodie tour in Miami.

33:55

In fact, you 2.

I think that’s what you would like most about Miami.

Yeah, that sounds right up our alley.

I could just imagine us trying different places up and down Miami.

I’m actually dreaming about a Miami trip for us, Jamal.

I’m ready.

If it involves literally just food and drink, count me.

34:11

In, what about the?

I’ll I’ll do a boat and maybe if we go and you come, Kim, we’ll bring good luck.

But when we were there together, like you said, when we’re on the water, it rained.

So.

At least we got on it.

But yeah, that’s true.

Definitely invite me if you’re going to Miami.

So we ended up getting a reservation at STK Steakhouse, which is at the One Hotel, and it’s an amazing restaurant.

34:34

I know there’s one in San Diego.

Is it still there?

Yeah, I believe there is actually in downtown San Diego.

Well I would highly recommend you guys go because the food was amazing.

We ended up coming in they have this beautiful STK sign made out of flowers.

It’s all cute, like you take pictures there with your girlies.

34:52

And we waited just a little bit for our reservation.

They were going to put us at a table, but then when we sat down, like, oh, we’re just way too far away.

Let’s go back to the bar and sit there so we can all be sitting next to each other and like hear each other and be close.

We ended up ordering Wagyu dumplings, an amazing baked Mac and cheese, one of the best Caesar salads I have ever had in my life.

35:14

And then we also got a Wagyu filet, but the steak actually never ended up coming out.

What what happened to it?

So I don’t know, we ordered things in parts and so by the time we ate our dumplings and then we ordered Mac and cheese and a salad and we ate that and we’re like maybe like 5 minutes after we ordered the Mac and the salad, we ordered the steak.

35:37

So maybe she forgot to put it in, but by the time all the other food came out and we ate it, we were already full.

So we’re like, we’re not going to say anything about the steak.

We don’t really want to eat it anyway, but I’m sure it would have been to die for.

I kind of wish we did because everything else was so good.

I’m dying to go back to SDK and this was just a week ago that I was there.

35:57

That’s how it always is at steak test.

I was like, if they have really good sides, you always fill up on the sides and by the time your steak actually gets there, you’re like not even hungry.

It was a Wagyu steak too.

It was probably so good.

But they also had really good Moscow mules.

And you know what’s really funny about Miami in their alcohol laws, You can take your drinks to go everywhere you go.

36:16

They will put a drink in a plastic cup and send you on your way.

So we ended up accidentally walking out with our drinks and the guy kind of chased us down and he’s like, oh hey, let me change your cups because they were copper cups.

And so oh gosh, sorry, here, instead of giving us a plastic to go cup, he literally gave us a glass pint glass.

36:36

Where?

To go.

So keep the copper cups and give you some glass to go.

I don’t know if that was like just a symbol of the level of high end that STK is or just maybe they didn’t have any plastic.

I don’t know.

That’s funny.

But I would highly recommend it.

36:52

And we got a reservation an hour before or two hours before, so it wasn’t hard to get on that Sunday night.

And it was very busy in there, too.

It wasn’t like it was dead.

So you’re getting towards the end of your trip, Did you end up going out this night because you said you had some nightlife going on?

37:07

But.

Right.

Well, if I.

Haven’t seen much, yeah.

You know what, if we would have gone on the boat, we might not have hit the nightlife.

But since we were trying to figure out replacement stuff to do, yes, we did.

We decided to go to 11, Which is an iconic club in Miami that’s downtown, and it is known as being a strip club, but not a strip club.

37:28

I’d never been there before.

I don’t really care for strip clubs.

They don’t really add any value to my entertainment necessarily, but it’s so iconic that it’s kind of just a thing you want to see at least once in your life.

I thought it was going to be a little bit more performancey, but it really was more strip clubby.

37:47

So I mean, it was cool.

It was very large.

Obviously the girls are great dancers, but then they do stop the strip club portion of it and they do bring out performances.

So this lady who was fully dressed, like she had a partner, a male dance partner, and they were doing these like acrobatic moves, almost like acro yoga, but like very impressive.

38:07

And so that was like, I don’t know, 10 minutes Max.

And then they went back to strip club and we were like, all right, let’s move along.

We also got free passes.

You can sign up for free guest pass here.

And we didn’t have to pay to go in.

That’s a great tip.

So where did you go after that?

38:23

Because I can’t imagine you’re going to let that be your nightlife experience.

Yeah, we were probably only there like an hour.

Literally right across the way is club space.

And that’s where you’re going to go the first.

Time, that was where we’re trying to go.

It’s an iconic EDM club in Miami.

38:39

The rumor is it stays open 24/7.

I think it does close certain times when there’s like not a lot of people there or not a big headliner there, but there’s definitely certain headliners that come on at like 8:00 in the morning and they have different time tickets.

38:55

When it’s a big artist like that, you’ll come in before 11, before 3:00 AM, before 8:00 AM, whatever it is.

And it could be a day club depending on who’s playing there, right?

And it has multiple different rooms with different DJ’s.

It’s a really, really fun place.

39:11

Everyone’s so nice there.

The vibes are so good, The music is always so great.

And we had a lot of fun there.

We danced, but we actually only ended up staying there maybe until 2:00 AM.

With anyone good playing?

Blondish was playing that night, which is The music was good.

39:27

Yeah, the music was really good.

So you only stayed out till 2:00 AM?

Did you go home after that?

Yes, yeah, we were planning on going skinny dipping on this trip, but it never ended up happening.

We never made it out to the beach at night like we wanted.

So that’s going to have to go on to next Miami trips itinerary.

39:45

Your 11th Miami trip.

Squatty’s.

I’ll make sure to put skinny dipping in the itinerary when I build it for you.

Just hang on for that.

I actually do know a nude beach in Miami.

If you’re interested, DMS at Travel Squad podcast.

So Monday’s your last day there.

40:02

I imagine you’re kind of tired because you went clubbing the night before, but did you do anything before you guys headed out?

Yes, 11 AM checkout came like a pile of bricks.

I didn’t even know what time it was.

And it’s funny because I wasn’t like that drunk when I went to sleep.

40:18

I just, I did not.

Maybe because we’ve been there for so long.

I felt like I lived there now and I was like, what do you mean we have to leave?

So anyway, I packed up really quickly and my flight was going to be at around 4:00 PM, and so we had plenty of time to do some stuff in Miami before heading out.

40:37

We decided to go get brunch at this place that we’d been going into to pick up a drink on our way to the beach.

It’s right on the corner.

It’s called Wild on the Porch.

What really draws you in, Jamal?

You would like this is a bull statue out front.

A bull.

Statue.

40:54

You know he can’t keep his hands to himself when he I.

Love the Bulls, especially the New York Bull.

Who doesn’t love?

To play with him smaller than that one, but I was inspired.

I really channeled Jamal every time I passed that bowl.

There you go.

I like it and I would highly recommend going to Wild on the Porch.

41:10

The service there is amazing.

We ended up making really good friends with the bartender there over the last few days and then the server there that day we decided to get like a steak and eggs thing with some sides and split that and we got bottomless brunch.

Now on the menu, the bottomless brunch said one hour.

41:26

So we’re talking to our server and we’re like, oh okay, we’ll get bottomless brunch.

It’s only for an hour.

That’s all we said.

And he’s like, oh, with me, two hours.

And we’re like okay, we didn’t even ask.

He just threw in an extra hour and we’re like, all right, so we were drinking it.

And then he comes by a little bit later and we’re like, Oh yeah, we’re probably getting up to the the last two hours and he’s like, no worries, no worries.

41:45

And he brought us another bottle.

So they’re really friendly here, really accommodating and they really take care of you.

And also I don’t eat steak and eggs much often but this one was really good.

At least you had a good steak making up for the one that you think.

That’s the exact thought that I had that morning.

42:04

Well, Squatty is, I am super excited because when Kim was posting on our Instagram about us recording this episode, we got several questions of the week.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a handful of them, so I’m super excited to dive into that.

So we actually have 4.

42:20

We’re going to start off with our first question from Chris.

He comes from Winston Salem, NC, and he asks, are there some fun things to do at night for people who don’t really enjoy bars or clubs?

Chris, yes, there are things that you can do at night if you don’t enjoy a bar club. 3 of the nights that I was there, what we did in the evening was walk around.

42:42

That is one of the best things to do in Miami.

Like I said earlier, Miami Beach is so walkable.

You can go over to Wynwood and take a little stroll.

You can go down to Brickell Key and take a nice evening stroll and then call it a night early.

Get up early.

The sun does rise early in Miami, so if you go to bed early, not a bad thing.

42:59

I do want to remind you at night we all need to eat dinner.

Miami has some of the best restaurants.

They’re not just I know we see on Instagram a lot of like clubby type restaurants or restaurants that have like fire dancers and nice crazy entertainment.

43:16

People are wearing dresses.

Not all the restaurants in Miami are like that.

A very small portion are.

So you can find so many good restaurants to eat dinner at in Miami, Miami Beach, even just staying in that area.

Highly recommend going out at night just for that.

We got another question coming in from Skull from Detroit, and they want to know what’s the coolest rooftop bars and sunset views.

43:39

So I haven’t done a lot of rooftop bars because I’ve spent a lot of my time on the beach and in the nightlife here in in Miami, but I have been to a couple and I want to go to many more.

Rosa Skye in Brickell has amazing city views.

It’s so pretty.

43:55

The one hotel rooftop and talked about the run the one hotel earlier.

Its rooftop and its rooftop pool are absolutely gorgeous.

You can get a day bed there or a cabana there and if you get right onto the edge you are overlooking the ocean.

44:10

We were laying on the day beds here, right on the edge of the clear glass wall, ocean right below.

It was so beautiful, so peaceful.

I would highly recommend renting a bed and a day pass here and going to that rooftop bar.

The other place for sunsets.

44:26

The sun does not set over the ocean in the east, so sunsets you’re going to have to go up high to get or.

One place I would recommend is the Rusty Pelican.

It’s a fine dining spot on the water with amazing sunset views almost every single night.

44:42

Our third question comes in from Aaron Kay from California and she asks how walkable is Miami?

Do you usually rent a car?

Miami Beach, Incredibly walkable.

You can walk everywhere within thirtyish minutes.

You can also get an Uber and Ubers are really easy.

If you’re going kind of farther and just want a quick ride, you can take an Uber to other neighborhoods.

45:02

I said this earlier, but I do not recommend renting a car unless you’re planning to go out to like the national parks or the Keys.

It’s going to complicate things with parking.

There’s not a lot of parking there.

It can be expensive, there’s a lot of traffic.

Just plan to stay in Miami Beach and walk.

45:18

And our final question comes from Austin P And they want to know what’s your favorite place to eat in Miami and where’s your favorite place to snorkel?

You 2 are the only ones that have snorkeled in Miami.

We did go snorkeling in Miami.

We went to the National Park, Biscayne and we went snorkeling in Biscayne Bay.

45:35

So that was actually a really good time.

I do enjoy it.

Even on the boat ride out there.

We saw manatees in the water, and then when you’re farther out to the snorkeling spot, then you actually see the tropical fish there as well.

And you have some coral reefs and everything.

Yeah.

So I would say that’s really good.

45:51

I mean, it’s a National Park.

So clearly they have protected wildlife in that region.

So it’s not immediately in Miami because again, when we were talking about all we’ve been before, and it was when we went to Ecuador, this is not the time that we went.

Brittany and I went to Biscayne Bay, but we didn’t really spend any time in Miami because we were doing other things and other places in Florida went here only to do that and then left.

46:13

But realistically, I would say that’s a great spot.

National Park protected wildlife, protected reefs.

Fantastic.

Now my favorite place to eat in Miami is going to surprise you.

My favorite place to get a bite, or I should say a drink, is the gas station.

46:29

It can’t be a 711.

It can’t be a chain gas station, just a local gas station.

You go inside, ask for a colada, it’s this tiny espresso coffee.

It’s like 1/4 or 1/2 of a small cup.

And then they give you little thimble sized cups to share it with people because one of those tiny drinks is a lot for one person.

46:50

They’re so good.

They put a lot of sugar in there.

It’s amazing.

Highly recommend hitting up a gas station and then eating.

There’s so many good places to eat in Miami.

I don’t have a favorite.

I’ve never gone back to the same place, and I love exploring new places to eat in Miami.

47:07

With so many options, I just can’t go back.

But there is one place I will recommend to you when you’re in Miami Beach.

It’s in South Beach.

It’s called Las Olas Cafe.

They have really good Cuban sandwiches.

You can sit down or you can order from a window and get it to go and take it to the beach.

47:23

It’s really, really good.

It’s very well known in this area and you 2 are with me when we went there last.

Oh so good.

I love going to Miami and getting a Cubano and a mojito and I am set.

Yeah, I always try to get those two things right.

And when we had gone together, Kim, for whatever reason, we did not make it to a gas station to get those coffees.

47:43

I love coffee.

And those are like really strong Cuban style espresso coffees that you’re talking about.

Yes.

And I actually do think Las Olas has them as.

Well, why did you get them?

You did, Yeah.

I don’t remember it.

I don’t remember it.

Maybe it just didn’t peak because it wasn’t from a gas station.

48:00

But.

They’re telling you.

Mono sandwich.

That one was fire.

I remember that.

And maybe that’s what took the show for me was the sandwich, because it was delicious.

Yes, well squaties, I hope you enjoyed this Miami Beach episode.

If you ever have any questions about Miami Beach or planning your trip, please feel free to DMS ever travel squad podcast.