Miami Beach, a Relaxing Winter Retreat

Miami Beach in Winter

Why did we go to Miami Beach?  It is difficult for us to stay at home all winter since we have retired.  While working, we were busy and had limited vacation time,  but retirement has changed all that.  In the winter, it is easy for me to become bored and lazy.   We took a trip to Los Angeles last year, Escape from the Cold to Los Angeles .

A warm climate in a place not previously visited was the goal and Miami Beach fit the bill for us.  It is also one of the big cities we have not visited and it has great weather in the winter.  We left Alabama, which had daytime temperatures in the 40s,  for Miami’s mostly sunny days in the low 80s.  Such a pleasure!

Miami Dream Hotel

The Dream is located in Miami Beach, just a couple of blocks from the famous Versace mansion.  It is on Collins Avenue, one block over from Ocean Drive and a couple of blocks from the beach. The hotel has excellent reviews, a perfect location, and a very reasonable price for the area.   However, the rooms are quite small.   The Dream is actually a combination of two Art Deco buildings and still has the sign for the Tudor Hotel.  The hotel was built in the 1930s and has the original exterior, but is ultra modern inside.  So, if we return to Miami Beach, the Dream will be our first choice for a hotel!

Miami Dream Hotel
Miami Dream Hotel

The hotel has a fantastic restaurant, The Naked Taco, and we had several excellent meals there.  The restaurant also provides light food and drinks to the hotel’s rooftop pool area, which we also enjoyed.

Miami Dream Rooftop Pool
Miam Dream Rooftop Pool

Getting Around in Miami and Miami Beach

We flew into Miami and did not rent a car because parking is very expensive.  But, we really did not need one because it is so easy to get around.   Miami Beach has a free trolley system that is easy to maneuver and we used it frequently.  There is also a separate trolley system for the city of Miami.   However,  I never discovered a way to get from Miami Beach to Miami using the trolley.

We took an Uber to and from the airport as we had a good bit of luggage.  It was only $22.   There is also a bus that goes from the airport to Miami Beach.

Because we wanted to orient ourselves to the city,  we took a hop on and off bus tour.  It was only $49 each for two days, which gave us information about the area and provided transportation between Miami and Miami Beach.

Big Bus City Tour
Big Bus City Tour

We also took an Everglades tour with Miami Tour Company .  They picked us up at our hotel and provided transportation to the Everglades.  It was much easier than renting a car.

We also walked quite a bit during our stay and I am very happy to say that my husband’s new knee did quite well.   This was our first exposure to significant walking since his surgery six months earlier.  We got about 14,000 steps on our first day, which involved lots of airport walking.

Miami Attractions

There was so much to see and do in Miami!  Our six days there enabled us to pretty much do everything we wanted.

Wynwood Area

Wynwood Walls is accessible via a city bus tour.  The Wynwood warehouse district elevates the work of graffiti artists.  Wynwood Walls brings the work of the world’s greatest graffiti artists to a concentrated area.  It is difficult to believe that this art is created with only spray paint.  It is a walkable outdoor museum.  Art lover that I am, this might just be my favorite Miami attraction.

Wynwood Walls
Wynwood Walls

The mural below was created by drilling into concrete.  It is impressive from afar and even more up close.

Concrete Art in Wynwood Walls
Concrete art in Wynwood Walls

All around the Wynwood area, there is art on the buildings.  The photo below was snapped while on the tour bus and is not a high-quality pic, but I had to include it in this post because it is so amazing.  The woman’s eyes appear to follow you.  Mesmerizing and beautiful!

Wynwood Art
The eyes follow you in this painting
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

Vizcaya was on my list and easily accessible as another stop on the tour bus.  It was the summer home of James Deering.  The exterior of the Italian Renaissance villa has appeared in several films.  The home, located on Biscayne Bay,  was completed in 1922 for a cost of $15 million.

Vizcaya Museum
Vizcaya Mansion

The grandeur of this mansion is not something easily found in the United States as the photo below of one of the interior rooms indicates.

Vizcaya room
Elegant decor

This home made me think of Downton Abbey and was of a similar time.  The home is grand and during its heyday, it sported a staff of thirty.  The kitchen below looks similar to Downton Abbey’s as well.

Vizcaya kitchen
The kitchen
Miami Beach and Ocean Drive

The beach was beautiful and the water was a gorgeous turquoise color.   Our hotel provided chairs and towels, so we were quite comfortable enjoying the warmth and sunshine.

The beach at South Beach
The Beach at South Beach

I tested the water and it was much too cold for me to get in, but quite a few people did not seem to mind.

Miami Beach
Crystal clear water

South Miami Beach is known for its Art Deco Architecture.   The buildings along Ocean Avenue and Collins, where we were staying, cannot be changed from the outside.  Consequently, it has one of the largest known concentrations of 1920-1930s resort-style architecture.

Art Deco hotels
Art Deco hotels along Ocean Avenue

Ocean Drive is also famous for Casa Casuarina, aka the Versace Mansion.  The house was built in 1930 and fashion designer, Gianni Versace, purchased it in 1992.  He lived there until he was shot in front of it in 1997 by a serial killer.   The mansion is now a very expensive hotel.  We contemplated having lunch there to see the inside, but we did not find the time.

Versace mansion
Versace mansion on Ocean
The Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach

The Holocaust Memorial was a sobering place to visit, but it is important to remember this tragic time and the lives lost.  The memorial is dedicated to the six million Jewish lives lost to the Holocaust.  We learned that Miami Beach has one of the largest populations of holocaust survivors in the world.  Going through the memorial brought tears to both of us.

Holocaust Memorial
Holocaust Memorial
Little Havana

Little Havana is the definitive Cuban neighborhood  in Miami.  It is popular for shopping, restaurants, and bars.

Little Havana sign
Little Havana sign

Little Havana is the place for authentic Cuban cuisine.  We made a special effort to visit Versailles Restaurant while there.   The restaurant claims to be “ the world’s most famous Cuban restaurant.”   Even at mid-afternoon, we had to wait to be seated.  Below is one of the specials, but I can’t identify everything.  I liked most of it and the price was very reasonable.   My big guy had a hamburger.

Lunch at Versailles Restaurant
Lunch at Versailles Restaurant

In a shop in Little Havana, we were pleasantly surprised to see, Fidel, a friend from a tour we took to Italy eight years ago.  He owns Havana Collection,  a group of clothing shops in Little Havana.  Fidel recognized my husband as soon as he walked in.   He sold my husband some shirts at highly discounted prices.  It was so nice to see him again.

The Everglades

While so close, we took a Miami City bus tour to the Everglades.  We learned that the Everglades is a slow-moving, shallow river that moves at a rate of about a mile a day.   The airboat ride through it was  exhilarating.

Airboat ride in the Everglades
Airboat ride in the Everglades

While on the airboat, we saw several alligators.

Alligator in the Everglades
Alligator in the wild
Wolfsonian Museum, Miami Beach

The Wolfsonion is an affiliate of Florida International University and houses an extensive collection of Art Deco artifacts.  It was a good place to spend a few hours.

Wolfsonion at Miami Beach
Wolfsonion Art Deco Museum
Wolfsonion Art
Wolfsonion Art
A Short Haircut

The humility and open air rides made my hair impossible to deal with during our stay.  I have been wanting to go short and finally mustered the courage while there. Summer is coming and this cut should be easy to manage. What do you think of the cut in the photo below ?

Conclusion

We loved Miami and Miami Beach!  It was so relaxing to spend a few warm and sunny days away from winter weather.  Incidentally, we returned home to 28 degrees!  Brrr!

Miami Beach is beautiful and its people were so warm and accommodating.   I highly recommend it!

Retired couple at Miami Beach