Last week, I went to the States with my lovely parents. I’ll share all the things we did and where we stayed without writing a novel. Let’s start!

Where we stayed

We stayed at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami hotel, located in Downtown Miami (great location by the way).

It’s a super nice hotel. We had an amazing city view and service. We got it at an affordable price through Expedia. The only hic was that breakfast and/or wifi weren’t included. You have to be a Marriott Bonvoy member to have the free wifi. Anyway, we just needed it to know where to go and what to do. Other than that, you don’t need it.

What we did

Day one:

We rested because we had an early flight. At night, we walked in the Bayfront park and the Bayside Market. A nice, but crowded walk, you’ll find a lot of restaurant, stores, and boats. You can embark on a cruise, which we did on Day Three (more info later).

Day two:

We went to South Beach/Miami Beach. You have to go because it’s the most important and historical part of Miami. You’ll see the bluest water ever, the nicest beach, colourful and exotic architecture… Everything you see in the movies is everything you’ll see in real life when you go there.

Day three:

We went to Little Havana. I have never been to Havana in Cuba, but I got a taste of it in Miami. It’s more colourful and exotic than Miami Beach. It’s a beautiful area that feels like home, at least to me. We also visited the Domino Park there. The artworks on murals are impressive there, a gallery on its own.

At night, as mentioned earlier, we went on a boat cruise with Island Queen (our tickets were included with Big Bus Tour, more about it later). During this tour, we got to see most famous celebrities’ mansions, such as Julio Iglesias, Sylvester Stallone, and Elizabeth Taylor, as well as a private island. It lasts ninety minutes. It sounds long, but really, it isn’t. It’s a fun and relaxing activity and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. You indeed learn a lot about the origin of the city and its islands.

Day four:

We were planning to visit Key West, a city three hours from Miami, where you can visit Ernest Hemingway’s house. However, at the last minute, we chose to go on a one-day trip to the Bahamas. We went with Admiral Cruises. A van picked us up at 4:45am, as well as other tourists in Miami, to bring us to a port in Fort Lauderdale (about 35 minutes from Miami). Then, at about 8am, we hopped on a boat and cruised for three hours.

We ate lunch and spent the whole day at Lucaya Beach. No need to explain how awesome swimming in the salty water was!

Day 5:

Shopping day at Sawgrass Mills Mall in Fort Lauderdale. In a nutshell, it was quite a successful day!

Day 6:

It was our last day unfortunately!

We went to the Perez Art Museum of Miami. We took advantage of their free day and saw some unique artworks from Latin and Asian artists. Then we walked in downtown and checked the Brickell City Centre, a huge shopping centre. Then, we headed back to our hotel, picked up our luggage, and went to the airport.

Where we ate

1- Manna Life Food in Downtown Miami

2- CVI.CHE 105

3- Casa Tua Cucina

Ground transportation

Big Bus Tours

Metro Mover (it’s free!)

In conclusion, Miami is a very charming, welcoming, friendly city, as much for friends or family vacation, with lots to do and see and you cannot get sick of it. Although I want to visit other cities in the US, I would go back just for the good weather and salty beach and super fresh food.