Voyage Checklist

As Sophia and I were getting into some crazy times at work in the wintertime of 2023, we started having an itch to take a trip to Miami. I had raved about how such a good time I had when I solo tripped back in November of 2021, I convinced Sophia to join me on this adventure. Now for all you Northeast Coasters, you can call me basic all you want, but Miami can be a fun time! No, you do not have to go clubbing all the time. Yes, there is a perfect time to visit and avoid the disgusting heat and crowds of tourists. Honestly, without really strategizing the timing of our trip, we discovered that the key time frame to visit Miami is mid-April through end of May. You get to avoid the dreadful spring breakers. Let’s leave the college kids to their own fantasy world of “Spring Break.” If you like those vibes, then I suggest you travel March – May.  

Although Sophia and I work in the same industry, our companies work differently and we have different clients, therefore we had to strategize our time off. Fortunately, I was able to work remote from Miami for a few weekdays when I landed, then took Friday and Monday off for a nice long weekend. I decided to spend my first few days in Miami solo traveling while waiting for Sophia to join me for the rest of the weekend. 

If you’ve read my other travel blog posts, or you know me personally, you know that I love to solo travel and I’m all about affordable stays. I prefer staying in hostels because they are cheaper, and you get to meet new people while staying in the same room or participating in some of the activities coordinated by the hostel staff. Miami has become popular in the past few years, especially with COVID taking place, a lot of Northeast residents decided to buy homes and land in Florida. So, if you thought pre-covid Miami flights and stays were expensive, guess again my friend.  

Hostels are on the cheaper end and sometimes you find some gems, you must do some research to help weigh your decision on where you should stay. I honestly did not think I would find a hostel in Miami. I feel like hostels are more of a European and South American thing, but I was proven wrong. While traveling in Europe I find that some hostel chains are popular in various countries, and I found that the same applies to South America. Long story short, A hostel chain bought another hostel chain in South America, and due to the merge they were able to open a Miami location. I stayed at Viajero Hostel, which was a very new hostel at the time (2023), but due to my experience in the other hostels in Peru and researching some reviews, I felt confident in this place.  

I was able to work from Miami for a few days and then tried to participate in some activities and wander around Miami Beach. On my first day I joined a group, gathered by the hostel staff, that took a 30-minute walk to a sunset viewpoint at the beach. It was relaxing and I made a new friend – Eva! We decided to get tacos and drinks after the activity and then head back to the hostel to rest for the next day. Sadly, it was her last day at the hostel, so she checked out, but we exchanged numbers and decided to meet up during the weekend since she was staying at a cousin’s place farther away from Miami. 

The next day, I woke up early enough to take a quick shower and go looking for breakfast before work. In the evening, I reserved dinner at a Colombian restaurant nearby and then wandered towards Espanola Way, a pretty popular landmark. Now it’s not the oldest street in Miami…but it upheld its original architecture from the 1920s and 30s, which is what draws people’s attention. When you go visit, you’ll find a lot of restaurants, so if you want those vibes, I suggest you book in advance! 

I then went back to my hostel for a drink w/ one of my roommates, Emily from England. We decided to drink at the hostel bar named “Delirio,” and that’s where we met Nate! A fellow New Jerseyan who decided to make a move to the warmer weather because he was over the cold. Who can blame him?! I challenged his skills for a pisco sour. He accepted the challenge and delivered a well-made pisco sour. After about 3-4 drinks, I finally said it was time to hit the hay. Another workday was ahead of me. One more day until I did not have to hear about KPIs and maximum reach.  

Sophia and I met up at our Airbnb check-in time, which was in the city of Miami, I no longer had the luxury of waking up to a morning walk at the beach, but it was still a nice area! We had dinner reservations at La Mar, an upscale Peruvian restaurant owned by Gaston Acurio. If you haven’t heard me rave about Gaston, save yourself while you can. He’s only one of the reasons Peruvian cuisine is in the forefront of international cuisine.  

The restaurant was very fancy, and expensive. The food was served differently than traditional plates, but I realized it was all about the experience. We ordered, ceviche, anticucho, arroz con pollo and causa. Paired with a pisco sour, and we were sold! What a very filling and delicious meal.  

Next? DJ Snake at Eleven. I’ll say less and just share that this is an experience. An adult playground with a lot of men with money. But I only came here for the DJ, which showed up at 4am… thankfully we had company, Sophia, Eva, and myself. We stayed until about 30 minutes into DJ Snake’s set. After that, it was a wrap. I couldn’t feel my feet from being in heels all night, and I was exhausted. Thankfully we got to sleep in the next day. 

We picked up our rental car and hit some food places and then rested for some energy for Saturday night. I had gotten positive reviews about the Wynwood neighborhood, so we ventured into that area after hitting Ball and Chain for a little salsa in Little Havana.  

Wynwood had a few good spots, but for the most part it was pretty crowded. Music was good though, and I loved seeing all the murals. Twas another late night for Allison and Sophia. The next day we dressed up for a beach day.  Since it was May, and we were in the southern part of the US, it was already starting to get hot. So the beach was pretty great! We walked around afterwards down south beach and then hit a gelato spot before returning to our Airbnb. We had one more concert – DJ Tiesto at LIV. This place is one of those sought after spot by tourists and celebrities. It’s located at a very high end hotel in a very high end part of Miami beach. Thankfully our Uber wasn’t that expensive, and we were prepared to see the DJ come out late…Thankfully, Tiesto came on at about 2 am, that’s 2 hours earlier than DJ Snake! He did a good set and we stayed for about an hour and then had to call it a wrap. We had a long day ahead of us. The following morning we hit up a Portuguese bakery to get some sandwiches for fuel, and then headed east to a national state park – The Everglades!  

Being in Miami, you don’t expect to visit a lot of nature spots. You think all you will see are skyscrapers, the beach, and a few clubs. Which is not wrong, but if you have a car I recommend driving the 60 min drive out west to see The Everglades! It is considered a national park, even though there are no mountains, like other national parks have. It’s very swampy and flat, but that’s the beauty of this place. It represents Florida and holds most of the wildlife that can be found in the state, or that’s trying to be saved from being extinct. Sophia and I listened to a podcast that gave us some history of the national park and guided us on some trails. After a half day there, we headed back to Miami to enjoy a nice pasta dinner and late night drinks in the Brickell area.  

On our last full day of Miami, we decided to hit a lot of things on our checklist. Starting off with a visit to the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. I had been there before on my last Miami trip, and I strongly recommended Sophia to visit because I knew she would like it. It’s a little south of Brickell and when you enter you get to see a villa and its gardens in the back that were all inspired by European architecture. We took a few photos around the garden and the villa, all within one hour. We then had to rush to make our walking tour we reserved in Little Havana. Classic us for setting up things with a time crunch!  

My tip when visiting Miami? Take the Walking tour in Little Havana. You know we love a good walking tour filled with history, but this one also included food! We got to taste some local Cuban food from Miami and learned about why there was a large Cuban community in Miami. Our tour guide was great and was very passionate about all the highlights of the tour. Afterwards, we headed out north of the downtown area to grab a late lunch.  

And we come to the end of our trip – Sunset at the beach. I had done my research and told Sophia we had to take pictures at the lifeguard huts they had throughout Maimi Beach. It was a great photo op and a nice way to finish our vacation. I couldn’t think of anyone else I could spend this great trip with. Sophia and I are pretty lucky to have had our friendship last this long since high school, and our travel diaries are always filled with adventures. The next time you want to do a weekend getaway, if you don’t want to go solo, ask a friend! You never know what adventures await!