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You are here: Home / Travel / Miami Beach Winter Getaway

January 31, 2022

Miami Beach Winter Getaway

Here’s a recap of our Miami Beach winter getaway!!

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Our Miami Beach Winter Getaway

Thomas and I escaped the cloudy blahs of Virginia’s midwinter for a 3-night stay in Miami Beach. We booked the trip after our boosters but before Omicron really took off. Were we worried about getting it? Absolutely. But we decided to go anyway, with our KN95s in hand, especially since 99% of our trip was outdoors. 

We decided to go mid-week so the boys would be in school during the day (god willing). Special thanks to Nona and Grandpa for taking care of Birch. (Mazen was at his dad’s.) 

How we picked Miami Beach

We don’t want to fly international until the testing requirements are lifted, so that limited our trip to the USA. We considered Key West, the upper keys, and Fort Lauderdale, but Miami was the only spot with a direct flight. A 20-minute Lyft ride got us to our hotel and saved lots of travel time. We felt like we were on an island the whole time, so it was a great choice! 

This trip was free!

One reason we booked the trip was because Thomas had a credit from a flight he canceled in March of 2020. So our flights to Miami were covered by that. And our hotel was nearly free thanks to credit card points. Travel hacking FTW. (The price of food and drinks in Miami balanced this out – OUCH!) 

Our Hotel: The Nautilus

We stayed at the Nautilus by Arlo. 

I don’t have the best track record picking hotels, but we really enjoyed the Nautilus! We chose it because they had oceanfront balcony rooms. When weather is your top priority, a balcony makes SUCH a difference. I also found a great rate through the Chase Rewards Portal! 

Our room was great and the bed faced the ocean with this view in the morning.

Hotel pros:

  • Good service, especially KT on the beach! 
  • Great pool area with poolside food and drink service; big pool bar. 
  • The hotel is beachfront and there are complimentary beach chairs and towels.
  • Our room and shower were nice; the balcony was fabulous. 
  • Robes and slippers (we had to ask for them)  
  • Free Wi-Fi 
  • Free bike rentals
  • Coffee shop café in the lobby was good for quick breakfasty things

Hotel Cons:

  • Coffee wasn’t included ($4) but the coffee from the lobby was VERY good coffee; there were espresso machines in the room but we never made any.
  • The umbrellas were $22 to upgrade at the beach. That’s on top of the $30-ish a day resort fee. 99% of the year you NEED an umbrella. The day beds in the front row were $150.
  • We found out that the drinks a few doors down were 2x as big and stronger for fewer dollars less. Cocktails at the Nautilus were $18 each and pretty small (!).

Upon Arrival: Mimosas + Fish Tacos

We took the 6:30 a.m. flight out of Richmond, so we were up at 3:30 a.m. to depart Cville! When we finally got to Miami Beach at 11 a.m. (our flight had a delay) we were starving for lunch. Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we had fish tacos and mimosas at the hotel restaurant!

Wednesday: Pool Day

We spent the early afternoon by the pool. I had a delicious cocktail, started a new book, and took a nap! 

Dinner at OLA

I gathered some recommendations from friends as well as Instagram and made some dinner reservations. Walking everywhere is always a huge priority to us when we travel, so we tried to pick spots that were less than a 15 minute walk. 

OLA came highly recommended by my friend Erin! The service was outstanding, and the food creative and delicious. 

Corn Empanadas

These were SO good, and the fresh corn sauce was delish. We also LOVED the dinner rolls made from yuca and tapioca. They had the best marshmallowy texture! 

Cuban Pork + Seared Tuna

The entrees were expensive, rich, and huge! We couldn’t finish. Delicious. My Rioja went perfectly with the pork. 

Deconstructed Key Lime Pie

This dessert was INCREDIBLE! I loved eating the pie components all mixed up in one bite.  

Thursday: Beach Day

We got so lucky with the weather, as a cold front came through right after we left. It was also supposed to rain all day Wednesday and we had plenty of sun! We declared Thursday our beach day. 

Easy breakfast

+ lots of coffee and a few bites of muffin. 

Beach Walk

The path to the beach was a tunnel of bamboo!

We walked about 2 miles to get the day going and then changed into bathing suits for the afternoon.

It’s a bit hilarious how we can go from being freezing in Virginia to saying it’s “too hot” in the sun. The sun was intense without a $22 umbrella though! 

Lunch on the beach

A plus is that you can order food from the hotel delivered to you right on the beach. I had a chickpea salad, guac and chips, and a Corona (!) for lunch. 

We read and napped

Happy hour by the pool

I’m not usually a cocktail drinker, but the Strawberry Pool Party cocktails were so good! 

Shower Hour

Dinner at Ocean Grill

We went to dinner at The Ocean Grill, two doors down. The location is prime with views of the ocean and the walking path for people watching. The prices were $$$$ so you pay for that view!

We got a trio of small plates

Grilled Artichokes Three Ways, Eggplant Parm, and a Tuna Tartar. Plus bread and wine. 

Chocolate cheesecake for dessert!

Friday: Our Final Day

The best day includes an active morning and lazy afternoon. We followed that same agenda on Friday! 

Breakfast Smoothies

We walked to Joe and the Juice two blocks away and got really good smoothies. 

Bike Ride

We walked around while we sipped and then rode the boardwalk on two cruisers. It was great to see more of the area. I loved the outdoor gyms we passed!

Lunch at High Tide

We walked a few doors down from our hotel to the Kimpton Surfcomber hotel where they had an outdoor restaurant and bar called High Tide. The lunch was GREAT here! We actually almost stayed at the Kimpton but opted for the Nautilus because of the balcony, which was a good call. But the Kimpton was a party pad with an amazing DJ and louder vibe. And the drinks at High Tide were 2x as big as the ones at our pool. 

Grouper Tacos, Yucca Fries + Fresh Guac

Umbrella Splurge

Worth the $22 haha. We had a gorgeous beach day afternoon!

Gratuitous “On the way to dinner” pics!

Dinner at Lure Fishbar

We both live for seafood, so Lure Fishbar at the Loews Hotel was our final reservation. This may have been our favorite meal!

Kale Caesar

Crispy Sushi with Spicy Tuna

Tempura Shrimp Roll

Cookie Skillet!

Recharge + Relax Winter Getaway

This trip was such a great combo of recharge in the sun and relax. We really felt like we had escaped to an island despite still being in the USA. With nonstop flights and no testing requirements, I’d recommend this easy trip for a Miami Beach winter getaway to anyone on the East Coast! 

 

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Comments

  1. Nancy says

    January 31, 2022 at 8:38 am

    It just looks so dreamy to be outside and WARM! I’m glad you had a fun little getaway!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      January 31, 2022 at 9:09 am

      Warmth is everything <3

      Reply
  2. Shannon says

    January 31, 2022 at 10:13 am

    Great post, a little getaway for us as well. The pics, the food, the beach – glad you enjoyed it!

    Reply
  3. Stacey says

    January 31, 2022 at 10:26 am

    I’m glad you got out and enjoyed a nice trip allowing yourself to return to ‘normalcy’. We traveled to Perdido Key, FL in May, 2021 and had a great time as well. I do have to point out though regarding your comment: “But we decided to go anyway, with our KN95s in hand” — you wearing a mask has been proven to only slightly assist in slowing the spread of your germs TO others, not others getting to you (so it’s not keeping you healthier). Therefore, if you truly believe in your Covid “vaccine” and boosters (so it’s not actually a vaccine, but we’ll let that go…), you shouldn’t worry about spreading the virus to others nor catching it as well. I’m sorry, but I have to point out the inconsistencies, as it gets frustrating when nothing adds up anymore.

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      January 31, 2022 at 1:31 pm

      Not so! Nothing is 100% but a KN95 definitely reduces risk. I also don’t think we would have gone if the airplane hadn’t had a mask requirement.

      “A study from Tokyo tested how well different types of masks protected the wearer from actual coronavirus particles. The study showed that even a simple cotton mask offered some protection (17 to 27 percent) to the wearer. Medical masks performed better, including a surgical mask (47 to 50 percent protection), a loose fitting N95 (57 to 86 percent protection) and a tightly sealed N95 (79 to 90 percent protection).”

      Source

      Reply
      • A says

        February 1, 2022 at 12:33 am

        Thanks for addressing this misinformation and glad you had a nice trip! I really appreciate how responsible you are about Covid safety.

        Reply
      • Molly says

        February 1, 2022 at 10:55 am

        I’m a physician. Kath is correct. N95 and kn95 masks reduce risk of catching Covid. This is what we wear on the Covid wards. THANKS KATH

        Reply
        • MT says

          February 1, 2022 at 12:46 pm

          Thanks to Kath for her covid safety (mask wearing, vaccines, boosters) and to all KERF readers who practice the same!

          Reply
          • -K says

            February 3, 2022 at 2:37 am

            Seconded!

            Reply
    • PM says

      February 2, 2022 at 12:35 am

      Stacey: I’d love to know why you think the Covid vaccine isn’t a vaccine. And while you’re explaining that, could you let us know where you went to grad school? Med school? If you are so much more knowledgeable than the doctors, scientists, and public health officials all over the globe who have backed the vaccine, please share your qualifications! And explain why you haven’t published any of your results on why the vaccine doesn’t work, masks don’t help, the vaccine isn’t really a vaccine, and so on.

      Reply
    • April says

      February 2, 2022 at 3:03 pm

      Masks definitely protect the wearer as well as those around them. Why do you think surgeons wear them! It’s partly to protect themselves so they can continue doing their jobs. There is decades of research supporting the efficacy of masks. Also, we get yearly flu vaccines due to the constantly new strains of the flu that come out. Covid is no different.

      Reply
  4. Jackie says

    January 31, 2022 at 11:29 am

    Looks like a great trip! We went to Miami (Bal Harbour Beach) in October 2021 and it was an excellent getaway. Definitely recommend the area as almost everything is outside and staying in the US gave me a great sense of comfort.

    Reply
  5. Bridget says

    January 31, 2022 at 12:21 pm

    Love your gold sandals! Could you share what brand they are?

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      January 31, 2022 at 1:59 pm

      They’re from Target! So comfy. Dedra Two Band Slide Sandals.

      Reply
  6. Mary says

    January 31, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    Beautiful pictures — such a good idea to have a warm Florida trip in the winter. Could you tell me brand/style of black dress and gold flat sandals? I love the look!!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      January 31, 2022 at 2:01 pm

      The sandals are these: Dedra Two Band Slide Sandals.

      And the wrap dress is Stitch Fix! It’s the 41 Hawthorn – Tristana Essential Knit Faux Wrap Dress in SP.

      Reply
  7. Mary says

    January 31, 2022 at 2:11 pm

    Thanks so much, Kath! Long-time reader and fan here. My kids are the same ages as yours.Thanks for your awesome blog.

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      January 31, 2022 at 2:16 pm

      Thank YOU for reading it!

      Reply
  8. Sarah says

    January 31, 2022 at 4:41 pm

    This was so relaxing to read. I feel like I got a little getaway too! Thank you so much for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      January 31, 2022 at 4:49 pm

      : )

      Reply
  9. Meghan says

    January 31, 2022 at 6:04 pm

    Thanks for the recap of your trip! Beautiful pics! My husband is going to Miami tomorrow for the remainder of the week for business. Trying to stay really positive about our comfy Ohio home while me and the kids await the next winter storm 😉

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      January 31, 2022 at 6:32 pm

      Oh man lucky dog. I feel for you!!

      Reply
  10. Sarah E Chait says

    January 31, 2022 at 8:40 pm

    Loved reading this recap! Thanks for sharing it 🙂 Also appreciated your frankness with the money aspect – Miami IS expensive and it’s nice to be validated that you can both recognize that and still splurge every once in a while. Sometimes you just gotta go for the $22 umbrellas and $18 cocktails for a few days 🙂

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      February 1, 2022 at 7:22 am

      🙂

      Reply
  11. Kaye says

    February 1, 2022 at 4:45 pm

    Why do you always look like you’ve been crying?

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      February 1, 2022 at 5:57 pm

      Maybe because I was pouring out tears of joy the whole trip?

      Reply
  12. Leslie Erickson says

    February 1, 2022 at 6:48 pm

    Excellent review of your getaway! And I have great respect for you simply stating the truth regarding masks and shutting down misinformation.

    Reply

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    hi! Im Kath.

    I'm a Registered Dietitian, healthy eater, and mom of two from Charlottesville, Virginia. Here you’ll find a healthy mix of real-life meals made from whole ingredients balanced with the pleasures of life, including buttercream frosting and good wine. Plus a sprinkle of nutrition, home life, beauty, parenting, and travel.
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