Miami!

Since Tropical Depression Debbie (Downer) gave us some gloomy weather for our Miami trip, we didn't do much beach-ing. However, we were able to explore South Beach, get some delicious food, and my Marriott points gave us a free day at the spa, which was amazing. We did end up using both the bus and taxi. The bus was easy and cheap, $2 paid in the little machine by the driver. We didn't end up using the South Beach Shuttle (we just walked everywhere) but we did see the bus stops all over and the shuttle itself as well. Taxi drivers are intense and aggressive on the road but as long as they run the meter, I have no problem with them.

We ate at Alma Mexicana, Vesper, and Hakkasan (click for my eats blog posts).

Here are some photos from the trip:

lobby/bar area

Here are a few views of and from our room. We had the 11th floor king suite which was a corner room so we had a 270 degree view of the sights surrounding the hotel.

Another benefit of being a platinum elite member with Marriott: free wine and ice cream.

Testing the water temperature at the beach (which was just a 2 second walk from the hotel) - conclusion? WARM and LOVELY.

But we skipped the beach and went to the pool to avoid the crashing waves and washed up seaweed bits.

And then we showered with the complimentary Aveda bath products. Great products, weird smell. Rosemary mint? Smelled like a savory meal more than lovely soap.

Explored the city: Espanola Way is a v. cute street.

And to indulge our shallow side, here's a photo of us in front of DASH Miami. It's a weird story how we ended up here. We were actually just headed to the bus stop and sat down on the bench to rest our feet. My sister turned around and said, "Oh my gosh. It's DASH!" Too bad the Kardashians weren't around. Or maybe it's better that they weren't - it probably would've been a madhouse if they were.

And no photos from the spa because who can relax with a phone at their side? But I will say that the facilities and staff were really nice. We quite enjoyed the sauna, hot tub, sensory shower, steam room, comfy chairs, and trashy magazines. And our skin appreciated all of that too.