I ventured south to escape the cold, stopping in Orlando first to see family then heading down to Miami via the Brightline for a couple nights with my college roomies. It ended up being rainy and not as hot as we would have liked for most of the trip, but we still had a great time.
The Brightline
I was so excited to ride the train! It was a smooth ride and overall a better experience than flying. The ticket was only $49 with no baggage fees for carry on size items, security was a breeze, the seat was roomy and comfy, the bathrooms were ADA-compliant, and we even arrived early. I wish we had a high-speed option like this from Indy to Chicago.
The hotel
We stayed at The Edition on Miami Beach and loved it. All of the meals we had onsite were very tasty, as well as the cocktails. The spa was peaceful and my deep tissue massage was one of the best I’ve had. They had a great beachfront area with chairs and umbrellas for guests along with chairside food and beverage service. We got up early one day to watch the sunrise and I also got a run in on the beachwalk path. We could have easily spent the entire time at the hotel and been perfectly happy.
The rest of it
This was my first time in Miami so I’m glad we ventured out a bit from the hotel. We did dinners at two other Miami Beach hotels and it was giving me Vegas vibes seeing how elaborately decorated each lobby and restaurant was. Cecconi’s felt like we were in the middle of a garden and Los Fuegos had luxurious reds and randomly a gold mastodon skeleton outside. The chimichurri steak at Los Fuegos was the best bite of the trip and the waiter surprised us with mini alfajores at the end, bringing me back to my time in Argentina.
We didn’t make it to Little Havanna but did go to Wynwood Walls, which was well worth the $12 entry fee. The murals themselves were impressive, but we also had fun with the augmented reality experience some of them offered by scanning a QR code. And around the corner, we popped into The Taco Stand for a quick and delish lunch.
Melanie Woods 