Tusks and Tails

Living in Philadelphia, the weather is very moody this time of year. By the time March rolls around I am ready to escape to warmer weather. Miami is the perfect little getaway, with only being a 2.5 hour flight from Philly. We spent 4 days with Loews Miami and it was amazing!

The Loews Miami has several great restaurants right on site, along with serving Starbucks coffee. For breakfast we ate at Preston's Market attached to the hotel. You can sit inside or outside and have a view of the palm trees, pool, and beach in the distance. They offer a buffet or sit down dining. We chose to dine outside to enjoy the weather and view. Their avocado toast and eggs Benedict were delicious!

After breakfast we headed down to the beach. If you're staying at the hotel the beach lounge chairs are complimentary. They also offer umbrellas and private day beds, which we absolutely took advantage of.  The day bed was perfect to give you the option for shade if the sun gets too hot. They sit a few feet high off the sand and include cushioned pads to lay down or sit up along with an huge awning to hide from the sun. Similar to the pool cabana, you get butler service with the beach front day beds. Loews Miami sits directly on South Beach which has bright blue warm ocean water, just like the Caribbean. 

Our last evening in Miami we dined at another on-site restaurant, Lure Fishbar.  The restaurant's decor is a swanky nautical atmosphere with dim lighting. We started off with some cocktails, of course. I got the Sake 75 which was Tanqueray gin, Soto sake, basil, cucumber, honey, and Prosecco. It was beyond delicious! Josh got The 4 B's which was Bulleit bourbon, Brute Americano, Banane du Bresil, and bitters. We started with spicy tuna crispy rice, oyster deviled eggs, and tempura shrimp tossed in spicy sesame mayo for appetizers. If you know me you know sushi is my favorite food. So for dinner we got a Kenai Roll: spicy wild king salmon, cucumber, fried shallots. HellFire Roll: spicy tuna, cucumber, temporary flake, brûléed tuna, avocado, with kimchi sauce. Dynamite Roll: spicy scallop topped with spicy tuna, yellowtail, and tobiko and a side of the house fried rice. This meal was some of the best sushi I ever had and a great ending to a much needed trip! Thank you Loews Miami for an amazing time. 

If you know me, you know traveling is my favorite thing.  I look at it just as I would paying my bills, it's something I will always spend money on and I need it.  Over the last year traveling has been very different, but Pack Up + Go gave me a great travel experience right in my city of Philadelphia with one of my closest friends Jimmy! 

Pack Up + Go is a surprise travel agency.  First starts by you answering a short quiz on personally interests. (Examples; staycation, road trip, outdoors, plane, trains etc.) You will set a destination, a budget, and a timeframe along with favorite types of food, activities, and just the basics on how you like to personally travel.  The best part is everything is a complete surprise until your about to leave for your trip!  

The morning of our staycation I received a fun envelope with an itinerary for the weekend. To start we had check-in instructions for the Kimpton Hotel Palomar, we were welcomed with a bottle of wine and desserts waiting in the room. Kimpton Hotels are all over the world not just Philly.  If you ever get a chance to stay in one, do it, each location is so unique and beautiful! In our itinerary we were given our plans for dinner at Parc, a charming french bistro that Jimmy has never been too. (Parc is already one of my favorite restaurants in Philly, their french onion soup is to die for!) Along with tickets to a walking food tour for the next day. We explored different food stops in the city included a Philly Cheesesteak of course and ended at the famous Reading Terminal Market. 

Overall Pack Up + Go put together a perfect weekend for us based off the questions I answered before the trip.  I would highly recommend their service. Would be perfect to surprise a significant other, girls trips or even a solo trip to explore a new city! Thank you for a wonderful weekend, check out my Instagram for a fun reel from the weekend!