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Thursday, February 13, 2020

Miami Travel Guide

If you have been following along on instagram, you'll know that recently I took a girls trip to Miami. We were in desperate need of warm weather and a fresh place to spark our creativity to create content. Miami was the perfect quick trip! We laughed till we cried, bonded over tacos, and came back more inspired. Keep reading to get inspiration for your next getaway!

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Marseilles Hotel which is located on Collins Avenue and close to all kinds of restaurants and shopping. My favorite thing about the hotel was the fact that it is oceanfront, this was very important to me when booking this trip. I am going to do a breakdown of our stay here since there were a lot of positives but there were also some things I really wish were better. I always want to be honest with you, my readers; so that you can make informed decisions before staying anywhere or purchasing anything!

Customer Service: The customer service was poor. Upon arrival we were not greeted by the staff, in fact they almost acted as if we weren't there. When we walked over to the desk to let them know we were there and to ask about check-in they were very dismissive. We were not provided with information regarding the use of the hotel amenities and beach passes which were required to get chairs on the beach. We received this information from the staff at the beach so we had to make a trek back to get the passes. At this time we asked about the check-in time and finally we got an answer of 1:30.  In order to enjoy additional time outside we waited until about 2:30 to go back in to get the room keys. Again, we were dismissed and told it would be another 10 minutes which we were okay with. We did begin to get upset though when almost 30 minutes went by and staff started checking in other people who arrived after us. We finally made it into our room around 3:30. I also wanted to note that one evening we realized we were out of toilet paper and we were not given an extra roll. When coming back into the hotel we asked the front desk if they would mind sending some more up, almost an hour went by and we had to call again to ask for toilet paper. It is possible they were understaffed that evening, but I did want to note this. 

The Room: Honestly, I was not too crazy about the room. It was clean which is very important, but the setup was strange. We had a main room which had two beds and an additional room that had one bed in there. The room was very dark once the sun went down and the bathroom was very tiny. As you can imagine, three bloggers in an awkward space getting ready can be a challenge! 

Decor & Grounds: The hotel itself was beautiful and clean. The decor is really pretty while walking through the hotel to get to the pool and backyard (it also smelled amazing, we wanted to bottle up whatever air freshener they use). When you walk out you will first see the main pool, if you keep walking you will see what they call the "Backyard". The Backyard was personally my favorite spot at the hotel. The decor was really nice and they had cute daybeds, a hanging daybed pod, cabanas, and of course palm trees! This area was pretty shaded for a lot of the day but a nice spot to relax. If you keep walking there is a hot tub and some more daybeds as you make your way toward the beach. At the edge of the property there is a gate that leads through to the beach. I loved that the beach was a hop, skip, and a jump away! Overall the decor and grounds impressed me and there are so many nice photo spots within the property. 

 See below for a tour of the backyard and photos of the grounds! 


What We Did

Our goal of the trip was to relax of course but we also wanted to create a bunch of content. Majority of our days were spent by the beach or the pool, however we did find the cutest and most Instagramable cafe I have ever seen and we ate at the best taco place for two of our nights there. Keep reading for more detail on the food.

There were a few places we ate that I would hands down go back to on my next trip to Miami. We loved one so much that we went back twice! If you are planning a trip to Miami, definitely add these spots to your list. 

Maxines Bistro & Bar: This restaurant is located right across from Marseilles Hotel so when we arrived we figured we would give it a shot! Let me start by saying, I most likely would not go back to this spot. Although the food was absolutely amazing, the service was terrible. It took over a half hour for someone to come and take our order after seating us. I actually observed several couples get up and leave due to the lack of service. There were also a ton of birds flying around and landing on the chairs/tables right next to us. After placing our order the food took a very long time and after receiving our food we did not see our waitress until we flagged her down for the check. The food was fantastic so we were definitely a little disappointed by this.

Marseilles Hotel Bar: After shooting one day early in our trip we decided to stay on the property for lunch. I got a Caesar salad and the three of us shared guacamole. I am a huge guac fan and this one is definitely at the top of my favorites list. I also wanted to note, the drinks were amazing! On day one I got a raspberry lemonade cocktail and the rest of the trip I was hooked on the cucumber splash. This was definitely the drink of choice for us on this girls trip! Overall we really enjoyed the food here and I wish we had time to try more items on their menu.


Taco Taco: Taco Taco was by far my favorite restaurant of the trip so much so that we went here twice. This restaurant is also directly across the street from Marseilles. I honestly can't pin point what I liked best there because it was all so good! We ordered guacamole for the table and we all kind of wished we ordered our own orders of it. I had a delicious blackberry margarita and a beef taco salad both times we went. The first night we were too full for dessert but on the last night we celebrated a great trip with two orders of churros. They were by far the best churros I have ever had in my life! They were small but so soft and delicious. The caramel sauce that they came with was to die for. I highly recommend Taco Taco if you're heading to Miami!


Pizza Bar: Pizza bar was by far the most surprising find of the trip. If you're from Jersey or New York, you know that it is hard to find pizza that matches up to what we have here! The pizza here was delicious and the slices were larger then our heads! We were particularly hungry that evening so we each ordered a slice of pizza and shared waffle fries and garlic knots. The vibe here was awesome, the staff were playing the best throwback songs and everyone there was singing along while ordering and eating! I also wanted to mention that the price point was great as well.

Mammamia Gelato Italiano: After filling up on pizza and garlic knots, we waddled over to the cutest gelato spot that is located right next door to Pizza Bar. I ordered the passionfruit and mango gelato and I wish I could reach through the screen and give you a taste because I WAS IN HEAVEN. If you're in the mood for something sweet, definitely head here!


Dreamer Miami: Earlier I mentioned that we went to the most Instagramable cafe, well this is it! The decor in here was absolutely adorable and the avocado toast was delicious. Their menu is so unique and they had a nice variety of coffees, juices, and smoothies. We spent quite some time taking photos all over the cafe and it was definitely worth it! I will say, if your plan is to take photos, get there early. Its a hot spot for photos and if you go early you will easily get photos without the wait or crowd.


The Outfits 

Of course I wanted to share our adventures, but I couldn't forget my looks from the trip! I have linked what is available and in stock here (the only downside to traveling in the winter is finding new summery items!). 


Final Thoughts 

Miami was an absolute dream. From the moment I saw the soft white sand beaches and crystal blue waters I knew I was in love! Obviously traveling with your girls makes any trip even better and the memories we created are sure to last a lifetime. I truly feel so blessed to have met these women! Overall, Miami is a destination that should definitely be on your list. For my Jersey folks, it is a super easy and quick 2.5 hour flight and the hotels in this location we stayed are only 15-20 minutes from the airport. I would not stay at the same hotel again but there were a bunch on the same street I would love to look into. I would go back to Marseilles to shoot content and grab food and drinks at the bar!  The food in Miami was delicious and there was not a meal we did not like. We had perfect weather and the beach was gorgeous! We will definitely be planning another trip to Miami very soon.


xoxo
-Nicole

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