Personal Post: Trip to Miami and the Florida Keys

Every now and then things fall into place and offer a really wonderful opportunity. All year my husband, Eric, has been traveling for work. He works for a telecom company that is opening new data centers and expansions in Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami and more. It has been hard getting used to him being away from home so much, especially all winter while he has been going to warm, sunshiny Miami! I have been stuck in the snow and wishing I could go with him. This January it just so happened that Eric had to be in Miami for two straight weeks and I was able to join him!

I have also included some of my Instagram and iPhone photos as well. : )

I have never been on a trip like this. Eric was at work all day and I went out on little adventures. We were staying at the gorgeous Standard Hotel in South Beach. I was so happy just to be warm! I spent lots of time working, answering emails, and editing photos but, of course, I took many breaks to sit by the pool and sip some sangria, walk on the beach, take some yoga classes and relax.

For the most part, it was sunny every day with a high around 80° with a nice breeze. I brought my camera out on a cloudy day because no one was on the beach. It was so serene and beautiful.

I love the colors in Miami!

The best part of the trip was the weekend–Eric could get away from the office and we could really enjoy the area. We spent all day Saturday in South Beach. We rode bikes along the boardwalk all the way down to South Point, laid on the beach and had a wonderful dinner at Lido’s, our hotel’s restaurant that overlooks the water. We even saw dolphins! Oh, and I tried to drink a Mojito as big as my head!

On Sunday, we took a spontaneous trip to the Florida Keys. It was AMAZING! We woke up really early and rented a Mini Cooper convertible from Zip Car. It took about an hour to drive to the beginning of the strip of Islands, Key Largo. From bridge to little island to bridge to little island, we made our way down to Islamadora. We came upon a really fun bird sanctuary full of pelicans. I absolutely fell in love with them! They are like the clowns of the bird world. Dozens of them followed us, waddling back and forth along the wooden walkways.

Then it was time for lunch. We did a quick TripAdvisor search to find a great place nearby, called Morada Bay. We sat outside with a gorgeous view of the ocean, the sand in between our toes, palms trees waving in the wind and live music playing. We had fresh local mahi-mahi and pina coladas. It was excellent!

Our next stop was the beautiful beaches of Bahia Honda State Park. The natural beach has crystal clear water and stays shallow for a long distance so you can walk out very far with the soft waves barely touch your knees. We ended the day by watching a spectacular sunset and sharing a piece of key lime pie.

Our trip ended with a celebration of Chinese New Year. The Standard Hotel held a little celebration by the dock with sparklers and lanterns. It was so pretty I asked Eric to pose while my camera timer went off!