It’s just a quick ~2-hour drive on I-75 south from Naples over to one of the hottest cities on Earth- Miami. We used a weekend after the spring break rush to head over and take in some of the hot spots with hopefully less crowds… Who were we kidding!? It is always packed! And FYI- if you’re driving there are toll roads all over town but you don’t have to stop- they just send you a minuscule bill later that’s annoying.
A pretty great skyline!
Little Havana
Late Saturday morning, we rolled out for Miami to arrive in the heart of Little Havana for a late lunch. And you know what that means? Oh yeah- a cubano sandwich. Not just any sandwich though- a cubano from the world-famous cafe, Versailles. You better speak a little Spanish otherwise you might be lost in the chaos of ordering. Little Havana is fun to check out because it’s definitely filled with locals!
Versailles Bakery in Little Havana
Lots of options at this Cuban bakery!
But you have to get the Cuban sandwich!
Versailles Bakery in Little Havana
Lots of options at this Cuban bakery!
But you have to get the Cuban sandwich!
Sugar
After meandering through Little Havana, we made our way downtown and found a nifty parking spot using an app called SpotHero. This app can be used in big cities and finds you cheap parking options that can be reserved by the press of a button. Super useful! Anyway, we walked maybe 2-3 blocks to our destination which was actually located in a large metropolitan/modern mall space. We took an elevator all the way to the top floor and popped out to Sugar– an awesome open-air rooftop bar with very tasty special drinks. You can see pretty much all of Miami from up here. The only downside is that you pay downtown prices, but for one drink it’s worth it!
Sugar Rooftop Bar – offering expensive, but tasty cocktails!
And pretty crazy views of downtown Miami!
Or you can opt for a more gardeny feel!
One of the coolest rooftop bars we’ve been to!
Sugar Rooftop Bar – offering expensive, but tasty cocktails!
And pretty crazy views of downtown Miami!
Or you can opt for a more gardeny feel!
One of the coolest rooftop bars we’ve been to!
Ocean Drive and South Beach
After our mid-afternoon drink we scooted even further east over to South Beach (where the action is!) and then parked for a great price again using SpotHero! We decided to walk around to get as much of the lively experience as possible. We started at the south end of Ocean Drive and found ourselves so enthralled by the scene that we went two miles north! There’s literally everything you would want on this world-famous stretch of land- clubs, bars, open air restaurants, beach volleyball, hotel pool parties, the beach, and an awesome walking/biking boardwalk the whole way. Even the lifeguard huts are colorful!
Plenty of sweet rides on Ocean Drive!
Endless over-priced restaurants on Ocean Drive, but worth it for the people watching!
The cute beach walk between Ocean Drive and the Atlantic!
Classic South Beach club advertisement!
The colorful lifeguard huts are fun! Miami Beach is the calmer alternative compared to South Beach.
We didn’t actually kite surf ourselves, but they made it look fun!
Strolling down South Beach!
Plenty of sweet rides on Ocean Drive!
Endless over-priced restaurants on Ocean Drive, but worth it for the people watching!
The cute beach walk between Ocean Drive and the Atlantic!
Classic South Beach club advertisement!
The colorful lifeguard huts are fun! Miami Beach is the calmer alternative compared to South Beach.
We didn’t actually kite surf ourselves, but they made it look fun!
Strolling down South Beach!
As afternoon faded into early evening, we still had no place to stay. We had seen ads across Miami for “Hotel Tonight” and actually heard people throughout the day talk about using it. So, we looked it up and it turns out to be an app where you can search for hotels near your location and book for up to 50% off the night of! This is extremely useful in Miami if you want to stay anywhere near South Beach, as the nice hotels usually run between $300-$500/night. We quickly booked a room at The Generator near the beach for the night and have used this app several other times since with great prices for upscale downtown hotels.
The hotel we found last minute using the Hotel Tonight app!
Relaxing pool area with an expensive bar
Pretty standard rooms, but a decent location.
The hotel we found last minute using the Hotel Tonight app!
Relaxing pool area with an expensive bar
Pretty standard rooms, but a decent location.
Mangos
For dinner, we snagged a reservation for two at Mango’s Tropical Cafe. We did the dinner and show option which gave us a close spot to view their flamenco dances and other various dances that were taking place right on top of their bar! With this option you also get a budget of $175 to use for food, drink, or merchandise. After the 3-4-hour show, we explored one of Mango’s side bars on the second level and were greeted with a dance club vibe. The DJ was playing some good stuff, so we hung around to dance the night away! Several clubs are open until 5:00 a.m. in Miami (and one is even open 24 hours!), so before going back to our hotel we wanted to see if we could hit another club along Ocean Drive, but once we found out the cover charges ($80+) we went right to bed!
Mango’s Tropical Cafe!
Live Latin entertainment all night!
We went for the dinner and show option!
All sorts of different kinds of dance!
Mango’s Tropical Cafe!
Live Latin entertainment all night!
We went for the dinner and show option!
All sorts of different kinds of dance!
Zak the Baker
On Sunday morning we got in the car and drove to one of Miami’s neighborhoods called Wynwood. We got a tip from a friend when we went to Biscayne who told us we would really like this area. It’s an artsy warehouse district with great food options and nearly all points of interest within walking distance. Our first stop was for breakfast at Zak the Baker, a kosher friendly cafe and bakery that is pumping out some amazing pastries. This is definitely a go to spot too, as the line to order was almost out the door the whole time.
Zac the Baker
A hip bakery with lots of options in Wynwood.
Zac the Baker
A hip bakery with lots of options in Wynwood.
Wynwood Walls
Right across the street from Zak lies the Wynwood Walls, a free outdoor art exhibit displaying some epic spray paintings from artists who have come from around the world. The idea is to play off of the Wynwood neighborhood vibe which has a lot of natural street art on the warehouse buildings. We spent a good amount of time here and then went to explore more.
Wynwood Walls
One of our favorites!
So much talent in this colorful community!
Wynwood Walls
One of our favorites!
So much talent in this colorful community!
Concrete Beach Brewery
Next up was a flight of beer for early lunch at Concrete Beach. This is a great little brewery that’s half outdoor patio, half giant concrete circle bar. It was dead when we arrived, but we can imagine it gets very busy in peak hours. Try the Havana Lager.
Concrete Beach Brewery
Solid beers with a relaxed vibe.
Concrete Beach Brewery
Solid beers with a relaxed vibe.
Wynwood Brewing Company
Just a few blocks down the road sits Wynwood Brewing. We walked into a very small tasting room, and we don’t know if they have a larger outdoor space or another building or what, but if not, good luck even getting in the door with crowds! Luckily this stop was also dead during mid-day Sunday, so we went directly up to the bar and tried their best seller, La Rubia. Now it was time for lunch.
A taste of the Wynwood culture.
Wynwood Brewing
A taste of the Wynwood culture.
Wynwood Brewing
Coyo Taco
This taco joint has supposedly some of the best around Miami according to our source, and it didn’t let us down! There was a huge line out the door that only seemed to be getting longer as we walked up. We ordered pulled pork tacos and some chips and guacamole. The order came through roughly five minutes later despite the crowd and we were in heaven. Coyo Taco has fantastic tacos and really fresh guac ready to be destroyed. We highly recommend for a fast but tasty option when in Miami.
Coyo Taco – where they make hand-made tortillas!
There’s always a line, but it’s worth the wait!
Coyo Taco – where they make hand-made tortillas!
There’s always a line, but it’s worth the wait!
Jai Alai
Probably one of the only places in America that you will find this fast-paced sport still thriving. Jai Alai is essentially played on a giant 3-walled racquet ball court with teams of two. The ball is whipped so fast that you can barely keep up with the action sometimes. We found them playing at Dania Casino, a little trip north of Miami. We had absolutely no idea what was going on the whole time, but it was fun to watch the players make amazing catches. And it was fun to watch some other people cheer who had won their bets on the games.
The Casino at Dania Beach
This is where we watched Jai Alai for the first time!
An interesting, fast-paced game!
No betting for us this time, but it was fun to watch!
The Casino at Dania Beach
This is where we watched Jai Alai for the first time!
An interesting, fast-paced game!
No betting for us this time, but it was fun to watch!
Hollywood Beach
If you drive toward the water from Dania Casino, you will run into the Hollywood Beach area. This is a bit swankier beach area and the parking is minimal. We weren’t able to find parking, so we made a quick pit stop to climb the observation tower for a view and then started our drive back west.
Hollywood Beach
Like any other big city we’ve visited, it’s always packed and there is always much more to explore that we just don’t get to in two days, but it’s great to see how each metropolis is different!