Havana... ooh nah nah!

Exploring the Miami heat

Our plan was to travel to Miami for spring break my senior year at Penn State... but we ended up scheduling it one week before to beat the crowd. Even then, the chaos did not disappoint. This beautiful beach city had some of the bluest salt water and a ton of activities to choose from! From The Everglades to boat ride's in the Biscayne Bay, we were moving non-stop and napping in the car. Let's take a look at some of the ground we covered!

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Miami, otherwise known as Vice City, is PRICEY. Be prepared and saved up if you're going to explore this oasis. One of my favorite things to do in a new city is walk around in the early morning, 8-9am, before the hustle and bustle begins. My friend Caroline and I grabbed coffee to-go and checked out all of the restaurants and shops while most travelers were still asleep. A main concern I had being with a group of female travelers was safety. Miami is known as one of the biggest trafficking center's in the United States. As we were walking down the street near Ocean Drive, someone did attempt to lure us onto a boat to their private island that the coast guard couldn't know about. Always travel in 2's or 3's everywhere you go, ESPECIALLY in Miami.

We stayed at a relatively affordable timeshare, the Marriott Vacation Club Pulse, South Beach. This rooftop veranda was the perfect place to relax with friends, and had an amazing view... as you can see. The floors of the building were locked for extra security, and it was just a hop-skip to the beach... and by a hop-skip, I mean quite literally across the yard.

Downstairs at the Marriot was a delicious restaurant: Havana 1957: Cuban Cuisine. There was live entertainment and yummy beverages that had sugar cane sticks inside. If you're expecting to eat cheaply in Miami... guess again and go prepared to spend a pretty penny on dining. Nevertheless, this place had a unique indoor experience and ambiance that you can only find in Miami. Next door, you can find Oh Mexico tacos; and down the street is the reputable Pink Taco. We dined at Pink Taco night one and waited over an hour for our food. This is where I was introduced to island time.

Nightlife exploring took us all over, and at times, it felt like I was in the middle of a Cardi B/Megan Thee Stallion music video. There were women twerking on top of SUVs in the street. I don't know why, but hey, party on. Miami truly brings the heat with adult entertainment and a good time. The club cover's at the door were ballin' at forty to fifty dollars per person. The night wandering was an experience in itself before we ducked into a dive bar. Keep the humidity hairspray handy.

Miami is also known as the Gateway To Latin America. We ventured over to Little Havana, a place that rapper Pitbull talks about frequently in his songs. There wasn't a ton to see, but what we did see, was incredibly authentic to Cuban culture.

One of those cultural aspects was this restaurant, El Nuevo orgullo Catracho. As you can see, the menu is in another language and all of the food is authentically Cuban within Little Havana. As soon as we walked in, patrons quickly let us know that this is one of the best restaurants in the Miami area and that they come frequently. We may have had to point at the menu to order, (I took French in college) but the food was super good and they gave us a ton of portion for the price. Definitely a must.

Following Little Havana, we headed toward an airboat ride inside The Everglades via Everglades Safari Park. A heads up... there is NO service here. Plan ahead with navigation. The tour guides were hilarious and filled us in with a ton of fun facts. For example: alligators have square snouts and are less dangerous. Crocodiles have triangular snouts and are incredibly dangerous. I think this tour is something everyone should see at least once in their life. Just the nature aspect in itself is spectacular.

We signed up for a snorkel excursion via Airbnb experiences. However, the winds were too high and we were diverted to a boating trip within Biscayne Bay. The boat was BYOB with an aux, and they even provided pool noodles so that we could take a swim once we parked the boat in the bay. This was truly an unforgettable experience, watching the sunset in the water over the Miami downtown skyline with some of my closest friends. They even still let us bust out some snorkel gear.

Last but not least, spend some time in the water! A beach day is always a great idea. With jet ski rental, beach drinks, and more, it's so relaxing and good for the mind/body/spirit/soul. This was my favorite time in the ocean with one of my closest friends, Kelly. Make sure you watch out for sharks every once and while.

That's the jist of Miami! The rest of our time was spent on the beach, soaking up sun rays. How much did I spend on this trip? Flight: $350, hotel split: $140, souvenirs and activities: $160 and food: $120 for a grand total of: $770.