Stay in Little Havana when you Visit Miami, FL
For Erica’s spring break in 2016, we headed to Miami. While the city is in the US, it is a great place to feel like you are in another culture without needing a passport.
In Miami, we made our home base in the neighborhood of Little Havana at a cute little AirBnb. We thoroughly enjoyed the incredible food steps away from our apartment, especially our breakfast every morning- café con leche and whichever pastries were hot. We loved walking down Calle Ocho and watching the men in the park playing dominos.
We were lucky enough to be in the city at the same time as some close friends, so we got together with them for happy hour drinks at Blackbird Ordinary. (We might still actually have a free drink chip laying around somewhere.) Afterward, we headed to Wynwood to check out the murals and get some dinner. The neighborhood was full of little shops to peek into, and hipsters to people watch.
Most days, we drove to South Beach to soak up the sun, and people watch on the boardwalk. There is so much beachfront that we never felt crowded, a feeling that is rare in the northeast!
During our stay in Miami, the weather wasn’t always best for laying on the beach. We went to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens on a windy, overcast day. The museum is an old mansion that was built in the years 1914-23. We admired the manicured gardens and took in the view from the waterfront property. It felt like we had stepped into Gatsby’s life! We just needed a glass of champagne to top it off.
On another windy, yet sunny day, we took a trip to the keys to go snorkeling. We drove to Islamadora, where we caught a boat out to a reef. The waves were big, but Andrew enjoyed trying out the underwater camera and swimming alongside a turtle. Erica, however, decided that maybe breathing underwater isn’t for her.
Miami Mistakes
If you plan to go snorkeling in the keys, consider checking the weather and conditions before leaving Miami. When we got to the snorkeling spot, there was a warning that non-beginners should probably not go out because of the wind and waves. However, because we had driven pretty far, we didn’t want to back out. Andrew found this to be no problem, but Erica hasn’t worked up the courage to go snorkeling since.
Miami Pro-tips
Although this might no longer be true, Ubers in Miami were extremely cheap in 2016. We even Ubered from Ft. Lauderdale airport to get to Little Havana. We highly recommend Ubering over renting a car at the airport.
We did, however, need to rent a car for our day trips. So, we chose to rent in Miami to save from the upcharge at the airport. When we did drive to the beach, we went away from South Beach and found a decently cheap parking garage that required just a bit of a walk. Take the time in the air-conditioned car to find a good, affordable spot, if you are on a budget.