It still feels so weird to say that I’m THIRTY !!!! An entire new decade awaits and I cannot wait to see what is in store. To celebrate my 30th birthday, Brennan and I booked a last minute trip to Miami to try and find some sunshine and tropical vibes. 

We ended up booking our hotel through Expedia using our beloved Chase Sapphire Reserve points, and were even able to use points for our flights as well. 

Honestly I would 0/10 recommend flying American Airlines during the pandemic, which is what we flew; it was awful. Fully packed flights both ways. It was our first time in packed flights since the pandemic started because we typically fly Delta exclusively, but went with American because we had unused flight credits that were set to expire. 

Lesson learned – Delta or bust. Even now that they have resumed filling their flights completely, they’re still the best domestic airline in my opinion. 

Our hotel was really pretty and I would stay there again, but be cognizant of its location! The Grand Beach Hotel is where we ended up and it was great, but pretty far away from the areas we spent most of our time. 

On the flip side, being away from the chaos South Beach can often times provide was really nice – it was really quiet and laid back where we were; the only downside was when we wanted to venture out for coffee or any of our meals, we had to either walk a ton or call a car. The hotel’s espresso bar was sub-par, as well as the food. This meant we had to catch a Lyft any time we wanted to go anywhere (we made the decision to walk all the way to South Beach on our first day there because the weather was so nice and I still have the blister scars to show for it). 

If you are looking for additional Florida recommendations from our previous trips, you can find them here and here. 

As far as my 30th birthday trip, here is what we did differently:

WHERE WE WENT

BREAKFAST / COFFEE

Pura Vida – all day everyday. They have the best Acai bowls, smoothies, coffees, and avocado toast. 

Cecconi’s – located in Soho Beach House; members only on Monday’s. Also amazing for lunch or dinner (they don’t have almond milk but they do have oat milk, just FYI lol)

Malibu Farm – located in Nobu Hotel 

LUNCH 

Monty’s Sunset on South Beach – fun bar on the marina with a local vibe and good happy hour 

DINNER

Habitat – at the 1 Hotel, upscale Mexican food and live music 

Hoshi + Sushi – tiny hole in the wall sushi spot located in an apartment building, SO good and definitely a local spot

The W South Beach Hotel restaurant – amazing cacio e Pepe and dirty martinis 

ACTIVITIES

Rented my DREAM CAR (G WAGON) from MPH club at the Fontainebleau Hotel. Best birthday present ever. 

Lounged at the beach umbrellas in front of our hotel 

OTHER SPOTS I RECOMMEND 

Watr – 1 Hotel rooftop bar/restaurants; plan ahead and get reservations! We weren’t able to get them! 

MILA – Mediterranean cuisine, looked amazing but we didn’t know about it until too late!

Palihouse Miami Beach – cutest boutique hotel, looks like the best spot for happy hour apps around the pool!

Prana Cafe – looked amazing for breakfast / coffee

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