Florida

The Keys, Miami & Ft. Lauderdale

Islamorada

Where to Stay (Islamorada)

Cheeca Lodge & Spa ♡* : Gorgeous 4-5 star beach resort in Islamorada. The property itself is absolutely beautiful and well kept. The restaurants on the property are incredible along with great amenities, various pools, beach bars, kid friendly areas, snorkeling etc. They also offer daily yoga at 7:45am on the beach.

Islander : Islander has a great ocean-front property with reasonable rates typically. They have a nice pool & beach. The on-site restaurant is great for food & drinks while at the pool.

Post Card Inn : Great hotel & marina along with nice amenities (restaurants, bars, tiki bar, pool, beach front property and shops)

Amaracay Resort : Nice hotel further south in Islamorada near Bud N’ Mary’s Marina. They typically have decent rates and nice amenities.

Where To Eat (Islamorada/Key Largo)

Chef Michael's ♡♡ : This is honestly a must do if you like seafood. Make a reservation. It is seriously the best seafood restaurant in the keys - they don’t list what types of fish they have , just preparations and serve only what is fresh caught that day. They take a lot of pride in their food/fish quality. Its not overly fancy or pretentious, just some really high quality, amazing food. This is a place the local fishermen eat at when they want an awesome meal.

Morada Bay ♡ : This restaurant is amazing, beautiful & on the bay.  Great food, chairs/tables are in the sand (feels very Keys-y), often has live music.  Also great for drinks if you just want a good cocktail. I love going for lunch or for pre-dinner drinks to watch the sunset before heading to Pierres for dinner (they’re on the same property / same owners)

Pierres ♡ : is the nicest/fanciest restaurant in Islamorada. Expensive but worth it (next to Morada Bay/same owners). Super cute inside, plantation style “house” feel but with Moroccan decor inside. The Florida Lobster Curry is hands-down the best entree.

Kaiyo Grill ♡♡ : Best sushi spot in the Keys. Their fried group cheeks, Coco Loco & Macadamia Hogfish rolls are my favorites. They have a great wine & cocktail list as well.

Marker 88 ♡ : Beautiful beach front restaurant on the bay. They extended their patio/beach front dining for COVID and is GORGEOUS! Perfect spot for lunch or dinner and has amazing sunsets! Their blackened tuna sashimi, lobster pesto pizza, and onion crusted Mahi are all phenomenal.

The Buzzard's Roost : If you’re coming in from Miami/Northern Florida and want a great waterfront spot to stop for food as soon as you hit the Keys, Buzzard’s Roost is the perfect spot. Food is great and have a good drink list. Their blacked or Jamaican jerked fish is the way to go.

Lazy Days : I love Lazy Days for a more low key dinner/lunch. It’s especially great for lunch since its on the water and has an awesome view. Great/fresh seafood - you can bring your own fresh caught fish and they’ll prepare it for you.

Num Thai (Key Largo): Local hole in the wall (no frills) sushi spot but so so good & fresh(the fishermen go here, so you know its good).

Habanos On The Creek (2 Locations, Tavernier & Islamorada): Awesome hole in the wall Cuban spot. I recommend their rice & beans, plantain chips, Steak Sandwich & Cuban Sandwich. We always go via boat to Habanos On The Creek (Tavernier) but they also have another location in Islamorada called “Habanos Oceanfront”.

Midway Cafe : Awesome breakfast/brunch spot. Great coffee, smoothies & pastries to go. You can also sit and get a full breakfast as well. It is adorable inside too!

Mangrove Mikes : Hole in the wall, greasy spoon, local breakfast spot. Massive portions, great breakfast. Family friendly.

Lorelei : Great waterfront restaurant for lunch or cocktails. I believe they also serve breakfast/brunch daily and have great Island-y drinks. Most nights there is live music after the sunset.

Things To Do (Islamorada/Key Largo)

Full Moon Party ♡♡: Check the full moon party schedule at Morada Bay/Pierres. It’s really cool/fun beach party on their beach front. Family friendly in the early evening. Gets a bit rowdy past 9:00 or so (wrist bands to enter are ~$20 but can pay $10 extra for access to Pierres)

Robbies : is a cool spot to walk around / shop / feed the tarpon / charter a fishing boat/ get lunch / kayak / paddle board & other water activities etc.

• From Robbies you can Kayak over to Indian Key which is now an inhabited deserted island with some old remains from what the town used to be. People actually lived on Indian Key from 1820-1860. The island is really beautiful with gorgeous views, walking paths and a rocky beach. The landscape and views of the open ocean are really nice too. There are signs throughout the island with historical facts and stories about the island.

Sandbar/Boat Rental ♡♡ : If you rent a boat for the day, I recommend going to the Islamorada Sandbar .  Its essentially a beach in the middle of the ocean. Pack food & drinks.  I highly recommend this awesome charter The Tiki Tiki if you don’t want to charter your own boat. Captain Charlie will pick up food & booze and take you to do whatever you want for the day (along with full service, grills for you, takes/edits photos for your group etc etc). We often see him with customers at the Sandbar. Hes awesome, friendly and super fun.

Fishing: Islamorada has some of the best fishing Florida.

• Charters ♡: For daily charters, the best marinas to book through are Bud N Mary's , Whale Harbor , Holiday Isle / Post Card Inn & Robbies

• Freelance Captain / Mate : If you have your own boat and would like to hire a captain or mate for the day, my dad does a ton of freelance work.

Diving: Key Largo is very popular & the best for diving if you are into that - there are some awesome wrecks you can go see.

Yoga : great sunrise beach yoga daily at 7:45am at Cheeca with Lauren Ferrante, shes awesome- the beachfront is absolutely beautiful at Cheeca. Worth staying for brunch at the hotel after too! She also teaches some days at Casa Morada (Double check her schedule but should be Monday, Saturday, Sunday at 9:00am)

Bars (Islamorada):

• Morada Bay ♡♡: Great spot to drop in for sunset cocktails, lunch or dinner. Chairs in the sand looking over the bay - typically has live music. One of my absolute favorite spots in the Keys.

• Lorelei : Great beachy spot on the Bay - food is pretty good. Most nights they have live music and turns into a bit of party there!

• Jimmy Johnson's Big Chill ♡ : Great sports bar to catch games (owned by ex football coach of the Miami Dolphins & U Miami, Jimmy Johnson). They put up every football game and are accommodating to place you in front of your team if you get there early. There is also a Tiki Bar in the back with awesome tropical and frozen drinks. Food is great too.

• The OV (Ocean View) ♡: Great spot to go during the day for a sports game (owners are ex-Steelers players) or late night for drinks. Wednesday is flip night so 50/50 chance of free drinks (they literally flip a coin to determine if you have to pay). Sit on the back patio, its much better/nicer than the inside. Its on the water, cheap drinks. Definitely a bit of a local dive bar but is one of my favorite sports. Side Note: in Bloodline they go here quite bit

• The Whistle Stop : The local dive of local dives in the Keys… a place you only end up at late night - great late night fried eats as well. They have pool tables, darts & cheap drinks.

• Hog Heaven : late night spot, can be fun but also.... sloppy/young. Don’t go before 11:00PM

Holiday Isle (Post Card Inn) Tiki Bar : Famous Tiki Bar in Islamorada. Super cool spot to have drinks on the water. The original was destroyed in Hurricane Irma however, they recreated it pretty well.

Key West

Where To Stay (Key West)

The Banyan Resort ♡ : Great, homey hotel off of Duval Street. Perfectly located and convenient for Key West happenings. They also have a nice pool & hot tub. This is my favorite place to stay in Key West.

Conch House : Really cute boutique hotel near the center of Key West. They had excellent service, a nice pool & clean rooms. I would definitely stay here again.

Pegasus : I wouldn’t say this is a great hotel necessarily however, rooms in Key West can get extremely expensive. We stayed here in a pinch as the hotels were outrageously priced the week between Christmas & New Years. It’s right on Duval Street so it’s an excellent location however, I would only stay here if youre going to Key West to party and just need a place to sleep at night!

Where To Eat (Key West)

Little Pearl ♡♡ : Definitely the best meal I’ve ever had in Key West. Its a nicer restaurant, really amazing & high quality seafood. Great drinks/wine.

Blue Heaven ♡ : I’ve eaten here for brunch & cocktails and it was awesome. Very cool patio in the back - is supposed to be fantastic for dinner but wait times can be pretty lengthy in peak seasons. I believe they have live music as well

Caroline’s Cafe : Perfect quick lunch spot. Nothing to write home about but food was solid and is right in the middle of Duval Street. Convenient and easy lunch spot with a great patio

Conch Republic Seafood : Fun spot to get lunch or dinner. Definitely touristy but has good food and fun island drinks

Bagatelle : Great cozy brunch spot on Duval Street. It’s in an old historic building that feels very homey with indoor seating or seating on the deck. Looks like they also do a good dinner as well!

Things To Do (Key West)

Sunset Booze Cruise ♡♡ : We did this sunset cruise and it was really great (2 hours, beer/wine/champagne & apps included). They take you out on the water about 1 hour or so before sunset and bring you back after the sunset. It’s perfect for a pre-dinner activity with snacks & drinks. We got our money’s worth in apps / drinks. Crew was super fun & friendly as well. They have other tours that look great as well!

Sunset Party ♡ : Every night in Mallory Square there is a Sunset Party on the water. There are street performers, a gorgeous sunset, local artists & vendors. You can bring your own booze from your hotel and walk around (no open container laws). This is a fun must-do while you’re there. Go about at least 1 hour before the sunset.

Southern Most Point (90 Miles to Cuba Buoy) : You’ve probably seen a picture of every person you know that has gone to Key West in front of the big “90 Miles to Cuba” buoy. Is it the most touristy thing to do in Key West? Yes. Should you do it? May as well! Its the Southern most point of the continental US. Grab a pic and then head to Earnest Hemmingsway’s house, its not far. Its about a 20 minute walk from all the happenings on Duval Street.

Earnest Hemingway's House ♡ : If you need a break from drinking on Duval Street, head to Ernest Hemingway’s House. Do the tour, I promise its really cool. You learn a lot about his life which is very interesting. As mentioned above, its near the 90 Miles to Cuba Buoy/Southern Most Point, easy to knock them both out in one afternoon.

Bars & Duval Street ♡ : Duval Street is a free-for-all and is crazy just walking & bar hopping. There are no open container laws so you can drink in the streets. We also love going to the "Smallest Bar in the World" and get late night pizza at Ricks!  There are tons of fun bars, I don’t remember all of their names (Sloppy Joes, Hogs Breath, Irish Kevins to name a few) - they’re all ridiculous and rowdy but its fun to do one night. Be careful, there’s a nude bar - its called like Garden of Eden!

Miami

Where To Stay (Miami)

Eden Roc : This hotel is a gorgeous hotel right on South Beach, right next to the famous Fountainebleau. Awesome beach front property and pool. Rooms were really nice. They had great breakfast downstairs which, at night is the famous sushi restaurant, Nobu (which I hear is incredible).

East Hotel : This hotel is in Brickell (which I actually like better than South Beach) I never actually stayed here but went to the rooftop bar, Sugar, which was awesome. Super swanky with great views of Miami. There also seemed to be some great restaurants inside the hotel as well.

Icon Residences (Sunnyside) : We rented a unit in the Icon Residences which is attached to the W Hotel. This comes with many pros & cons. This condo building is 50 floors so there is a TON of foot traffic, a busy lobby & a bit noisy. The pros to this building was it shares amenities with the W which are amazing : roofdeck pool(s) with views, a really nice gym, great cafes & restaurants on the property, right on the boardwalk/running path along the waterfront that connects to Brickell Key, dog friendly with a dog park on the property, PERFECT location and close to all of the best restaurants & bars in Brickell. There are also a bit of cons: noisy, close to the draw bridge that causes traffic, a ton of young partiers & dirty/slow elevators. I wouldn’t recommend the unit we stayed in as it wasn’t super clean, so if you rent here, make sure to read ALL of the reviews! This building is definitely a destination for young partiers.

AirBnb (Brickell) : I stayed at this Airbnb in the heart of Brickell. Very easy to get around Brickell and to South Beach. Great restaurants and bars within walking distance.

Where To Eat (Miami)

Cecconis ♡♡ : I don’t know where to start with this restaurant because it was just perfect for a night out in Miami. The restaurant is located inside of the Soho House, South Beach. Service and food were incredible. Drinks were on point. Decor / ambiance were out of this world. We absolutely loved it here and actually was not overly expensive! Everything we tried was phenomenal!

Quinto La Huella ♡ : Uruguayan restaurant in the East Hotel. Food & atmosphere were excellent. Uruguayan food is very similar to Argentinian food: steakhouse meets South American Italian. We started with the empanadas, octopus & lobster salad and had a NY Strip steak, potatoes & Bolognese pasta for our mains. The steak and apps were amazing. Great wine list & cocktails as well. A ton of outdoor dining which I highly recommend!

Cantina La Viente ♡: Great dinner spot in the W Hotel. High-end Mexican & seafood. We stayed at the W Residences (Icon Sunnyside) and it was in the building which was great. The patio downstairs is right on the water/running path facing Brickell Key which is beautiful. Great atmosphere and vibe for a romantic dinner. We loved the chicken sopas & my husband loved their chicken mole.

Cana Restaurant ♡ : This Cuban Restaurant in Brickell is awesome. It’s inside the Hyatt Centric hotel. Food & drinks were absolutely delicious. We were all confused why the restaurant was fairly empty given the quality of food/drinks. Also, 50% off ladies night on Thursday’s (both on food & drinks!) It was a pleasant surprise when we got our bill!

Komodo ♡ : Funky, sceney, Asian Fusion restaurant in the heart of Brickell. Food & service were great. Decor is awesome. Both indoor & outdoor dining but the patio is a must-do in my opinion. We loved the wagyu beef dumplings, miso Chilean sea bass & dragon roll! Great cocktail menu as well! Save room for dessert because the Japanese Cheesecake is a MUST HAVE!

Morgans Wynwood : Adorable brunch spot near Wynwood Walls. We walked around the galleries in Wynwood and stop in here for brunch. Food and drinks were great. Service was a little slow but food, drinks and ambiance made up for it!

Bulla (Coral Gables) : We stumbled upon this fun Spanish Tapas place for a late lunch while in Coral Gables. Food was excellent and I think it'd be even better for lunch! The croquettas, meatballs & garlic shrimp were awesome!

Prime 112 : Steakhouse & seafood spot in the heart of South Beach. I went for a girls dinner and we really enjoyed it. Great martinis.

El Rey De Las Fritas : If you make it over to Calle Ocho for Cuban food, this is a great local spot for sandwiches. They are known for their original frita cubana, a Cuban-style burger made with a ground beef patty with sautéed onions, topped with crispy shoestring fries, while sitting on a fluffy Cuban roll. Its a little spot, no frills in a strip mall - we really enjoyed it.

Maroosh : My family has been going here for years to eat Mediterranean Food. It is technically Lebanese and they have the best hummus, grape leaves & lamb kabobs. It is technically in Coral Gables but worth heading that way if you love Mediterranean food!

Cafe Versailles : Famous Cuban spot in Miami (on Calle Ocho) - be prepared to wait if you go. Super old school spot - it has gotten a bit touristy but worth a stop in for a casual dinner.

Things To Do (Miami)

Wynwood Walls : Outdoor, urban art gallery. There are tons of rotating murals and galleries. Around Wynwood Walls has a ton of restaurants, cafes and shops where you can enjoy before or after walking around.

Miami Charter Group : We chartered a boat in North Miami (took us about 30 minutes from Brickell but was quite a bit cheaper than renting from South Beach). The captain and stewardess were amazing and waited on us hand & foot. We brought our own food/drinks but they were full service with what we brought which was great. One small note- fuel and gratuity are not included. Fuel was $105 additional (got pricing the next day for how much we burned for a 4hr charter) and we did 1/2 cruising around and 1/2 anchored/swimming. I would plan to tip 20% as it was full service. They were great to deal with.

South Beach: South Beach is a ton of fun to just walk around, eat and bar hop. There are a ton of spots to pop into for food/drinks or just head to the beach to swim/lay out. Great people watching as well. It is extremely touristy and can be a bit overwhelming however, its fun to do for a few hours! There are also a ton of clubs however, I am not the best person to ask as I am not into that scene. There is however, no shortage of clubs!

Ft. Lauderdale

Where To Stay (Ft. Lauderdale)

Near Ft Lauderdale Beach: I went on a bachelorette party and we rented this VRBO House  <5 minute walk from the beach and only about a 15 min uber to get to the downtown area of Ft Lauderdale where the fun restaurants/bars etc are. This house comfortably slept ~15-17 girls.  Easy to get to from FLL airport. It has a pool, hot tub, nice back yard! 

Las Olas Blvd: We wanted to stay by the water with a pool etc however, if you want to stay closer to the fun restaurants, shops & bars, stay on Las Olas Blvd.

Where To Eat (Ft. Lauderdale)

Louie Bossi's ♡ : I have been here for both lunch & brunch at Louie Bossi’s and both were so good! They have a massive patio this is super cute! They did a package deal for us (we had a group of 17) with unlimited mimosas, bloody marys, aperol spritz, along with plenty of food etc.  Reasonable pricing and a great location as it’s close to tons of cute shops & patios for lunch/drinks etc ! When I went for lunch, we got their pizza (which was amazing) and tried their farro bowl & shrimp salad. Super fresh and highly recommend.

Lona Restaurant ♡ : Lona was an awesome restaurant right by the beach for dinner. Really cute decor, great cocktails and delicious food. They were easily able to accommodate our large group (perfect for a bach party).

El Camino : We stopped in here after brunch and shopping for margs & apps. Definitely a perfect spot for fun cocktails, apps & Mexican food! 

Java & Jam : Cute little brunch spot in downtown Ft Lauderdale right on Las Olas Blvd. Food and service were awesome - definitely try some of their homemade jams.

Things To Do (Ft. Lauderdale)

Las Olas Blvd: Tons of cute restaurants, shops, bars, patios etc. Great for shopping, brunch & drinks.

Beach: Obviously if you’re in Ft. Lauderdale, you have to hit the beach!

Bars: There are some fun strips of bars & clubs in Ft Lauderdale (depending on what you’re doing there). I went down for a bachelorette party and there were some fun (and outrageous bars) by the beach off of S Ft Lauderdale Beach Blvd & Las Olas Blvd. There was another strip of bars/clubs that were kind of outrageous too off of 2nd Street & Nugent.  People kept talking about Sway Night Club (if you’re into that scene) - it was definitely not my scene & we never actually went inside. There were tons of other options near by that club that we went to (can’t remember the names though!)

* ♡ = a favorite

♡♡ = a must do