South Beach, Bringing the Heat

Did anyone else sing that title in their best Will Smith voice? Or maybe that was just me. Two words, South Beach.  It was definitely a place in Miami that I have wanted to visit for a while; mainly for the art, the food, and well...the beach.  I wanted to treat my Mom so I booked a night start at the Beacon South Beach, located right on Ocean Drive. This Art-Deco inspired hotel was the perfect location to take it all in.

We arrived early Wednesday afternoon and after having our car Valet'd, because that's the only way to do it, we dropped off our bags, put on our suits, and headed to catch some rays.  It was 78° that day and we found the perfect spot in the sand to kick back and relax. The water felt pretty good too.  The sea is always calling my name, no matter the temperature.  After our beach time, we made our way back to our super cool room to get ready for dinner.  A night on the town; which actually meant walking a block to one restaurant, having a cocktail and sharing a meal before landing back at our hotel, and repeating.  What can I say? We were still hungry.

The next morning we dined on the patio for breakfast before heading downtown to the district of Brickell to meet up with my friend and travelling gal, Nichole.  She greeted us with shots of Cuban Coffee, which by the way was some of the most delicious I have ever had, then showed us some really cool spots around the area.  The architecture here is something to see.  We made a quick ride back to our hotel and since we had a late checkout, had a bit of time to take another stroll along the beach before heading home.  It was the perfect overnight get-a-way.

By the way; here is a quick review of the Beacon South Beach.

• Friendly staff and Valet parking! Worth the $35, trust me!
• Colorful rooms with an Ocean View...throw down the extra cash for this, you won't be disappointed!
• Beach chairs and towels in every room just for you!
• Breakfast served on the patio and if you are an early riser, they have a self-serve coffee and tea bar located on the second floor!
• Right across from the beach!
• Art-Deco style hotel!
• Perfect location on Ocean Drive!
• Bike Rentals close by!
• Affordable pricing, but look for deals! I was able to get a night that included breakfast and an ocean front view on Black Friday that couldn't be beat! 

Until Next Time Miami!
Shona

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Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

I will never forget the first time I experienced the wide open blue; the smell of the ocean breeze, the sand beneath my toes, and the salty feel of the water.  We arrived early Sunday morning and found the perfect location to set up "beach" camp. Chairs, the umbrella, towels, a cooler of Island Coastal Lager, and my new pirate flag...you know, the essentials.  There was a slight breeze and the sun was just starting to warm the sand. 

Before too long, we all made our way into the water to cool off taking turns keeping an eye on our new little mermaid. I don't think I was quite as brave as my niece was as she didn't want to leave the sea and was swimming around like a little fish.  I am so happy she was able to go to Florida and spend a day at Clearwater, one of my favorite places to be.

After a few hours of swimming, building sand castles, and picking up seashells it was time for lunch. There is only one spot for this, Pearly's Beach Eats.  Fish tacos, nachos, and local beer by the Pair O' Dice Brewing Co. are the must-haves when you are visiting Clearwater.  We hit the local shops to pick up some new beach gear before heading to Pier 60.  The pier offers an outstanding view of the Gulf and it was perfect timing too because we were able to watch the afternoon rain showers as they made their way inland.

We headed back to The Plantation for our traditional evening golf cart ride followed by burgers on the grill.  And on our last day in Florida, we spent the morning playing Pickle Ball and relaxing from a busy past four days before catching our flight back to the Land of Oz.

Cheers to another successful Florida Adventure!

Shona

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Bus Rides, Beaches, and Boating

Four words; Miguel hooked us up!  After breakfast on day two, we decided to check in with the local tour company to see what else Cancun had to offer.  After much discussion and trying to decide on an excursion, because there are about a hundred to choose from, we opted for snorkeling.  Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of very interesting and exciting excursions to choose from, but we opted for something more cost effective and did I mention, the chance to drive your own boat to and from the destination? That was a no-brainer for us! Besides, we think snorkeling is pretty exciting and it gave us a chance to connect with the ocean and all of it's creatures.

Before our adventure, we needed to get pesos so we made our way over to the Plaza Flamingo, think mall-ish, but basically souvenirs around every corner.  The bank wasn't open yet so we decided to cash in at the hotel, the exchange rate wasn't as good but we needed bus money!  Speaking of transportation, Miguel told us to definitely take the bus, $12 pesos per person which is under $1.  A chance to mingle with the locals, count us in!  Forget the taxi's or uber drivers here guys, take the bus!  He also told us about Xcaret, a public beach not far from where we were staying and for $350 pesos, we could get two chairs, a table, and an umbrella and get back $200 in drinks...pesos that is! 

We hopped on the bus and after a short ride arrived at Xcaret. You may wonder why we left our all-inclusive resort to check out a public beach.  Why wouldn't we? It's all about adventures for us.  We paid our $350 in pesos and were set up for the next few hours!  The water here was perfectly clear and it gave us a different view of the ocean.  We sipped on tropical drinks and beer before we ordered the ultimate;  rum filled coconuts with the tiny little umbrellas topped with fruit.  The perfect Caribbean cocktail! After a few hours we were back to our hotel, eating lunch, and preparing for our snorkeling excursion! 

Another short bus ride and we arrived at the Jungle Adventure Tour. We were fit with snorkels, given a few boating instructions, and made our way out of the marina.  The boat ride was really fun! It took about 30 minutes making our way via Nichupte Lagoon through areas of the mangroves seeing the locals in their swimming holes, before reaching our snorkeling destination, the Arrecife Punta Nizuc.  It took me about two minutes to get my gear on and I was in the water.  The guide was awesome as he showed us where to go and led us to some amazing sites.  Colorful fish, coral reefs, sting rays, coastal vegetation, one very large grouper and I even held a spider star fish...after I was assured it was OK by the BF.  We spent about 45 minutes snorkeling, hopped back in the boat, and cruised our way back to land.  

Back at the resort we spent a few more hours at the beach before having dinner and drinking Mezcal.  Tonight the Mariachi band was there and before I knew it I was wearing a Sombrero as they were singing at our table.  We ended the night sipping on cocktails with Chuy, the hotel bartender, and me spinning around on the way back to our room. Because that's the kind of dress I wore.  

It was a good day in Mexico!

Shona

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