What Happens In South Beach, Stays In South Beach

Ok, I'm sure you're all expecting me to dish on all the dirt that took place over the weekend in Miami, but I just can't do that. Truth is, there isn't all that much to tell. No one got too wild and crazy. You won't see us on the next version of "Girls Gone Wild." I think we all had a great time anyways. I know I did.

It's actually a really nice drive from Orlando to Miami. I took the Florida Turnpike most of the way. Sure it costs about $16 each way, but it's worth it for the lack of traffic and higher speed limit. Also, it sure beats the cost of a plane ticket. As soon as I got to the hotel, I quickly changed into my bathing suit and joined everyone at the pool. For dinner, we went to Larios on the Beach. It's a cuban restaurant owned by Gloria Estefan. After dinner we went to a club called Mansion. It is supposed to be one of the best clubs in South Beach. I think it lived up to it's reputation. The concierge at the hotel gave us half-off bracelets so the cover only cost us $20. They played good music - a little bit of everything. We stayed until about 2:30 am when our feet were killing us (the place didn't even open until 11pm).

Friday, we spent the morning at the pool then went for lunch at Jerry's Famous Deli and shopping along Lincoln Avenue (an outdoor mall of sorts). We actually decided NOT to go out Friday night. Instead, we ordered pizza, drank margaritas and daquaris in the room, and just chatted.

Saturday, we spent most of the day at the beach. The water is a much prettier color down there than at Cocoa. It's a really pretty turquoise color. The water is a bit warmer, too (although none of us actually got completely in). For dinner, we went to a seafood restaurant at Bayside. It's a restaurant/shopping place at a marina in downtown Miami. It reminded me somewhat of Fisherman's Wharf in S.F. or South Street Seaport in N.Y. After dinner and a little shopping we headed back to the hotel to figure out where to go on our last night there. We talked with the concierge and he told us that the covers for many of the clubs had skyrocketed to $100, just to get in the door. There were special events going on, it was the weekend, and I believe P. Diddy was in town. We took a cab to the area where all the clubs were located, hoping to find something. We walked around and ultimately ended up at this place which had 2 clubs in one building - Pearl and Nikki Beach. The best part was that it was FREE to get in. It was really nice. They played good music and it wasn't as nearly crowded as Mansion. It was much more layed back and there were several places to sit. There were even quiet places where you could actually hold a conversation. It was a great way to spend our last night.

On Sunday, three of the girls left in the early afternoon. The rest of us went back to Bayside to take a boat tour around Biscayne Bay and near all the celebrities' homes. Afterwards, we checked out of our hotel and I decided to make my way back to Orlando. It was about 4:30 and I had a 4-hour drive ahead of me (I didn't want to get home real late either).

All in all it was a great trip. It was very relaxing and fun. I got another layer of tan (and only a slight sunburn in a few areas). The only thing I didn't do that I wanted to do was to take a tour of the Historic Art Deco District. Oh well. I'll just have to go back (and I will).