Visiting Miami Beach in December

We stayed at The Nautilus Hotel in South Beach which was truly excellent and were greeted in our room with a couple birthday macaroons! It was in the perfect location, beach access with 2 free beach chairs, a swanky pool with cabanas, a really neat “backyard area”, and an entire bar-lounge which was luxurious. A couple of my favorite little things (I love it when a brand/company pays attention to the details) was that the lobby always smelled incredible and the bamboo arch walkway with string lights was adorable. I don’t know what scent they were pumping into the air, but every time I walked into that lobby, it was something I noticed. We had a great time staying at this hotel and I’d highly recommend it.

After we first arrived and checked into our hotel, we went to grab a bite to eat somewhere nearby and stumbled upon Sweet Liberty. We both fell in love with this place and I can’t talk it up enough. First, we had excellent cocktails – Jeff got a “Banana O’Hara” and I had a fresh margarita. We’re seriously going to try our best to recreate that “Banana O’Hara” drink at home! Then, the burger happened. Our waitress told us it was amazing so we had to try it  – and boy was she right! We both said it was one of the best burgers we’ve ever had and it could easily feed 2 people. Also, the atmosphere of this restaurant was just cool. If you’re in Miami Beach, you have to go here.

DAY 1 – EXPLORING

This day was my birthday. We woke up and went for a run on the beach-walk and then came back to our room to have mimosas and French toast. It was so incredibly delicious. Not a bad way to start the morning! Afterwards, we got cleaned up and checked out a couple of bikes from our hotel and rode around South Beach. We went to the Museum of Ice Cream (super fun!) then explored the Art Deco area along Ocean Drive. Later in the evening, we had drinks at our hotel bar and then walked to dinner at The Social Club down the street inside of the Surfcomber Hotel. Y’all, this dinner was phenomenal! We had the pimento mac and cheese, steak frites, and a sour cream cake for dessert. Of course, I also had super fun sparkly candles on top!

DAY 2 – RELAXING

Since the first day was all about exploring Miami Beach, I really wanted the second day we had there to be as relaxing as possible. We slept in and then went for a couples massage at a nearby spa inside of Hotel Victor. We could have just used the spa services at our hotel, but Jeff found a great deal on Groupon so we opted for that. Afterwards, we grabbed a quick lunch at a nearby Mediterranean restaurant then went to the beach for the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun and enjoying the downtime. For dinner, we decided to try out the restaurant at our hotel, Nautilus Cabana Club. The food was excellent – especially the roasted Brussels sprouts. We sat outside and the weather could not have been more perfect!

The next morning we hopped on a plane and headed for Nashville. Overall, we both really enjoyed Miami Beach and would definitely go back again. If you like warm weather, Art Deco buildings, beaches, and going out to enjoy the nightlife, you may want to check this place out!