As most of y’all know, last Thursday was my birthday. I decided to jet set down to Miami for the weekend to celebrate. I rarely make a big deal of my birthday but this year I thought different because, well … thirty. I invited my closest girlfriends to join me for the weekend. My best girlfriends live all over the country so, understandably, not everyone could make the trip but had such a great time with the gals that did and enjoyed some thoughtful surprises from the gals who wanted me to know they were close at heart.

I had never been to Miami before and thought I’d share some snaps from the weekend of what we saw and did, as well as where we ate and what we enjoyed the most! I left so in love with it’s fun and diverse personality. I wish I had been able to capture more of it, but scroll down for more! I’ll show you what I got …

Coyo Taco – I have such a love for taco’s, so I was really excited about trying this place out. I had heard great things and was not disappointed. The Camaron tacos were so delicious and I love to laid back atmosphere. There’s even an option to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather.

Yardbird – I could not wait to try this place for brunch on Saturday morning. It has a lot of Southern classic breakfast dishes, and was a little nervous because I, personally, love a good down home kind of meal but my friends are super healthy so I was nervous it wouldn’t be a good spot for everyone. Thankfully, something on the menu impressed everyone and we all really enjoyed our meals. I even almost got the omelet because it sounded so good [Whitney got it and said it was the best omelet she’s ever had!] but, the huge sausage and cheese biscuit won me [and my roommate] over in the end. Highly recommend for every kind of taste palette.

Hyde Beach Kitchen + Cocktails [see above two photo’s] – We went here for my birthday dinner. The beautiful aesthetic of their outside dining area [one view is HERE] had me swooning when I saw pictures online so it HAD to happen. We got there right when the sun was setting. The water and sky were neon. I’m not kidding. [see above photo] It was gorgeous. I couldn’t believe it was real. This restaurant is fairly new, almost 7 months old, and is more tapas style dining with sharable plates. We had a great experience with our server. She was friendly and helpful. The food was amazing. My favorite were the tacos, and the cheesecake in a jar that we got for dessert! For drinks, I got a Tequila Mockingbird. So yummy!

Café Regazzi – The first night in Miami, Whitney and I walked over to a spot right by our hotel for some yummy Italian food. I got Shrimp Alfredo and devoured it. There’s just something about authentic Italian that makes my stomach expand like no other. Whitney saw the staff singing Happy Birthday to another table so she told the waiter that it was also my birthday. I’m not sure he believed me because, even though they did come and sing and present me with a yummy dessert … they still charged us for it. Bummer.

Corsair – We ventured to this restaurant because it sounded yummy and the chef won or was on Top Chef a few years ago. I got the salmon for dinner and it was okay. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it, either. They were really sweet and gave me some kind of caramel birthday dessert, which was insanely delicious. The restaurant is within a hotel on a golf course so, ladies, definitely consider going here if you’re single and looking. You never know … 😉

I’ve also heard great things about Cecconi’s within Soho Beach House. It’s an Italian restaurant that we were going to get brunch at before we left on Sunday but opted for pool time instead. The ambience and decor inside, from what I can see from pictures, is unreal and totally Instagram worthy.

Get a beach chair at the W Hotel – On Saturday, the girls and I ventured over to the W Hotel before brunch to grab a few beach chairs for the day. Y’all … the chairs have pink and white stripes on them.

There’s proof right HERE

Pink and blue are my two favorite colors, so I basically didn’t want to leave and I want to personally meet and thank whoever it was that made that decision. The best part about this is you don’t have to be a hotel guest to reserve them! #winning Also … just as a head’s up for planning purposes, the W Hotel isn’t far from Yardbird.

Walk around Miami’s Art District and explore Wynwood Walls – So, I went on a mission to find THIS beautiful mural painted on a wall that I had seen on Pinterest when I first got to Miami on Thursday. It took awhile but I was kind of okay with it because this area of Miami is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It blew my mind. It was so beautiful. There are HUNDREDS of walls with paintings on them. There is a color block one that I looooved and wanted to take a picture in front of so bad but the lighting was atrocious in that spot when I was there. [TIP: Go in the morning] And this modern black and white one is super cool. This place got me thinking about how amazing it is how much talent there is in the world and, not only that but, how diverse we all are in our talents. We’re made specifically to be separate individuals. Our differences are important because that’s how we’re going to make the world a more beautiful place. Never think what you’re good at is weird. It might make you different, but that is the point.  It’s going to inspire people and make them look at you with wonder one day. #whoops #wentoffonatangent #movingon Anyway, it’s a great area to just kind of explore and take in. Coyo Taco is in this area if you want to lump those two things together!

Grab a drink after dinner at Bodega – After dinner on Saturday night at Hyde Beach Kitchen + Cocktails, we went to Bodega to grab a couple drinks. This place is completely hidden in the back of a taco restaurant [which I’ve heard is also very good]. The bartenders are super creative and make amazing cocktails I had never tried before. The atmosphere is pretty laid back and we actually made a few friends while we were there. It was fun!

Dance the night away at The Basement – This place is within the Edition Hotel. Can I, first, just mention that it smells like sandalwood when you walk in? Y’all. I don’t know about you but that smell is so yummy to me. Manly. I love it. Anyway, I’m not typically a club goer but this place was pretty impressive. You could go to one room where it was like a huge dance party and the DJ played THE BEST music, a mix of oldie’s, new stuff and slow song remixes. Oh my gosh, I had so much fun in there! Then, if you need a little breather after awhile, you can go into another room that has a bowling alley and an ice skating rink. Yes. You read that correctly. So random, but so real and so fun. [If you’re wondering … I did go ice skating. Is it weird I’m better at skating backwards than forwards? Yeah. I think so, too.] Great place. Random! But really fun!

Go to a Miami Heat game – This is one of the things I wanted to do so bad but they weren’t playing IN Miami this past weekend! If they’re in town, definitely try and go! Basketball games are SO fun. I honestly love them more than football games.

I wish I could give you more options but I simply haven’t the experience in Miami to do so yet, but I am happy to share that we stayed at the Grand Beach Hotel in Surfside, which is North of the main South Beach area. Their official site is HERE.

I’m a homebody, so that didn’t matter to me. I actually preferred it because I like a more relaxing atmosphere when I’m on vacation. Plus, Bal Harbour is right above Surfside, which is where all the best shopping is! #perk

This post isn’t sponsored in any way, so I can say that I did price hunting throughout the area and found this one to be a clean, aesthetically pleasing hotel with wonderful customer service at a very affordable price. Remember, it’s Miami so it’s not going to be super, super cheap. I upgraded to an ocean front room, too, so it was a little more expensive for me, but they have quite a few deals that they are always running so be sure to check out Priceline to check those out! It’s always my go to travel deal finding site.

If you’re looking for more upscale options, check out:
Soho Beach House, EDITION Hotel, Fontainebleau, and W Hotel

The girls and I especially enjoyed eating fish tacos and fruit platters out at our chairs on the beach every day and then would go up to their rooftop pool for an amazing view of the sunset and an afternoon cocktail. Almost all of the photo’s you see throughout this post were taken in or around our hotel area. It’s gorgeous, family friendly and a quick Uber from everything else you could want to do, so I highly recommend this hotel if you are planning a girls weekend getaway or family vacation.

I only saw a small glimpse at all that Miami has to offer but, overall, my squad had an amazing time and I look forward to the next time I’m able to make another trip and explore a little more!

Be sure to check out my Instagram of my weekend trip to Miami, and let me know if you want me to do an Instagram Roundup of the looks on the blog for you tomorrow! Oh, and be sure to double tap the ones you like!

Thanks for stopping by today, y’all! Let me know if you liked this post and want me to do more in the future! xo.

HEADS UP: Birthday Q&A will go live next week. I’m off on another adventure today for one of my girlfriends’ wedding’s so I’ll be catching up with friends the next couple of days and won’t be able to dedicate the time I need to finish it up. BUT … it is coming and I can’t wait to share! Hope y’all understand!