*party in the city where the heat is on*
In Spring 2022, we celebrated my little sister Shane and our friend Alex on a joint bachelorette to Miami. It was hot, fun and just what we all needed as the pandemic was subsiding. I really liked Miami… a lot more than I thought I would, in fact. It felt like a truly international city in the Southern US: the coffee shops were plentiful, the weather was superb, and the hotel and beachfront was perfect for the vibe we wanted.
Highlights: My favourite event was definitely the Drag Brunch at R House (the best live drag show I have ever seen!); I loved dinner at Cecconi’s, the rooms, service and aesthetic at The Confidante, and the over-the-top vibes and people watching at Kiki on the River.
Here is a list of our gathered recommendations and research for your next trip to South Beach:
| Place | Category | Comments |
| WATR @ Hotel 1 | Eat | A few of the girls loved WATR and their rooftop pool in South Beach their first trip to Miami. |
| Francis Mallman’s resto at La Faena | Eat | Gorgeous restaurant |
| Cecconi’s | Eat | In lobby of Soho House; my favourite meal of the trip! (Also, a note: You don’t need to be a Soho House member to go here). Love the ambiance and the service ❤ |
| Coyo Taco | Eat | Where the Wynwood Artwalls are. Super good. Lines move fast so don’t be shocked upon seeing them. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Panther Coffee | Coffee | Where the Wynwood Artwalls are. |
| Salt and Straw | Eat | When the Wynwood Artwalls are; good ice cream. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| La Sanwicherie | Eat | Great for a low-key lunch. It’s a walk-up sub place and is open late night for bar crowd. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Casa Florida | Bus-turned-resto –It’s all pink! It’s downtown Miami o we didn’t get there this visit. | |
| Esponola Way | Shop | Cute street with shops and restaurants |
| Faena Miami | Club | It is extremely Instagrame’d – They have a Mammoth skeleton on display outside.We went here for drinks and loved the outside gardens! |
| The Wharf | Shop | Harbour area with little market shops |
| Basement Bowl- The Edition Hotel | Bowling | The Edition – Swanky nighttime bowling in dresses Hotel … super annoying that they didn’t get back to me about bottle service and a reservation! |
| Skating- The Edition Hotel | Skating | The Edition Hotel. “Bowing, skating and nighttime are all in the Edition” – Mari |
| Wynwood Freehold | Eat | Bottomless Brunch |
| South Beach | Chill or Party Vibes, your pick | From Soho, all the way down tot he beach has been redone. Great to walk or bike down. City bikes are everywhere and are cheap. |
| Boardwalk | Chill | Great for cocktails, on boardwalk. All outdoors. |
| Broken Shaker at the Freehold | Drink | Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| 27 at the Freehold | Eat | Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| The Drexel | Eat | Right beside Tropezen- great! Run by old Soho employee. Mediterranean. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Tropezen | Eat | Right beside The Drexel- great! Run by old Soho employee. Spanish cuisine. Gin and Tapas- we didn’t get here this trip, but it looks awesome. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Gramps | Drink | This place has character! Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Wood Tavern | Drink | Craft beer and cocktails. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Sweet Liberty Drinks and Supply Company | Drink | Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Liv | Club | Popular. “Trendy, opulent Fontainebleau Hotel club where DJs spin at parties that attract celebs & VIPs.” |
| E11even | Club | Energetic, neon-lit night spot with trapeze dancers, burlesque shows, DJs & live music performances. |
| Oleta River State Park | Chill | Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Katana Japanese | Eat | Japanese. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| La Natural | Eat | We didn’t get here, but it looks like a chill vibe. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Boia De | Eat | Italian- love the look of this place via the website. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Shokudo Miami | Eat | Japanese. Definitely want to make it here next time! Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Michael’s Genuine | Eat | American. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating, looks fun! Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| The Living Room at the Faena | Lounge | We went here on the Saturday night- got our cocktails and enjoyed the outside garden. The vibe was a little over-the-top and stuffy the night we went. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Lagniappe | Drink | Live music every night. Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Matador Room | Eat | Latin American- Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Latin fare is presented in a historic oval room with an atmospheric bar. we actually had a reason here and I ended up booking another place instead— but would be interested in checking it out in the future! Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Zak the Baker | Bakery | Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. Also, how cute is his site? |
| Monterrey Bar | Drink | Cocktail Bar 5-12; digging the vibe- want to go here in the future! |
| Brick House | Drink | “An outdoor bar with music and dancing in the Wynwood art district. Sometimes football players come here cuz it’s a more chill vibe since it’s outside, and there’s always a line up.” – Mari (one of the co-bachelorette planner). |
| Ocean Drive | Chill | “I assume people will want to go here…night time with it all lit up is really pretty” o Cardozo Hotel featured in a lot of Hollywood movies such as: Birdcage Something about mary Marley and me o Hotel features o Walking architecture tour meet at Ocean Drive and 10th street (maybe someone is interested in a walking tour over beach day, you never know)” -Mari |
| Dreamer Miami | Eat | For Acai bowls, juice and Matcha – this place looks so cute! Address: 1225 20th St. Ste1 |
| Day Pool Parties | ||
| Swizzle Rum Bar and Drinkery | Drink | Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Jaguar Sun | Drink | Cocktail Bar; Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Minibar | Drink | Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Mama Tried | Drink | Love the name of this place! Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Lost Boy | Drink | This place looks cool; recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Margot Natural Wine Bar | Drink | This spot looks gorgeous! Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Blackbird Ordinary | Drink | Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Redland Market Village | Market | Flea and Farmer’s Market; Recommended from a friend of a friend who lives in Miami and works in hospitality. |
| Kiki on the River | Eat/Entertainment | Along the water, watch the yachts go by; enjoy the people watching and belly dancing. This was on one of the brides wish list and it did not disappoint! I will say, the menu was quite pricey but the food was good! |
| Scarpetta | Eat | |
| Serena | Eat | We went here the Friday night of the bachelorette. Despite having a reservation, we had to wait a while for our table. Other than that, the rooftop vibes were amazing; there was live entertainment, awesome food and delicious drinks. |
| RHouse | Drag Brunch | We went to the late afternoon time slot and had a massive dance party after the show was over… it was AMAZING! Highly recommend. |
| Allura Cabaret at Faena | Cabaret/Burlesque Show | A friend of mine just recommended this show recently — I saw her Instagram stories and inquired because it looked so cool! She said it was amazing. (Thanks for the hot too, Anya!) |
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^ The Beautiful Brides-to-Be at Kiki on the River! ^
Hope this helps you plan an epic adventure! Leave me a message with any questions to tips to add to this ever evolving list!
Big thanks to my co-planners, Marissa and Bridget, the brides Shane and Alex, and all the attendees on the trip- it was so fun! Also a huge thanks to Kat for all of the amazing recommendations, as well as Marissa, Alex, Shoan Yin, and Anya. Recommendations help with every trip and I take them very seriously!
Cheers,
Kelly
Categories: livin'
Write.Eat.Read.Repeat 