We were thrilled to escape the cold of New York in sunny Hollywood, FL. There is private parking right in front, so that was great! The apartment was in a perfect location only steps away from the Boardwalk and beach. It felt light and bright upon entry. It is a cozy little one bedroom apartment that is really only meant for a couple, but it has a pull out bed where the kids slept–and were quite comfortable.
There is a cute little counter spot meant for two people to eat across from one another on stools, but we used the coffee table in the living room for meals. There is a couch and two chairs–so plenty of seating. There is a stove top but no oven, and there’s a microwave–so don’t plan on doing any major cooking. However, it’s perfect for breakfast, and then you can head out to see the sights! Walmart is only a few minutes away, so that’s an easy spot where you can find whatever you need to stock up for your stay.
The best part about this apartment is its location! It is right off the beach where the sunshine and sand await you. My husband and I took a run by the Boardwalk every morning we could, and then popped back into the apartment for coffee and breakfast. There’s a Keurig and a coffee pot–so take your pick. Since we were there on Christmas, we spent the rest of the day at the beach with the kids. You have to watch out for jellyfish, but we swam anyway. The apartment has beach towels, sand toys, beach umbrella, chairs, and a cooler you can easily carry out to the beach. It was nice to just sit by the water and take in some sun while the kids played in the water and sand.
Although we definitely enjoyed taking in the beach, we wanted to see some sights and try some food too! On night one–Christmas Eve–we went to Amara Paraiso @ 3101 NE 7th Ave., Miami, FL 33137. It is a beautiful waterfront restaurant known for its fire grill fare. On night two we went to Dr. Limon (doctorlimon.com)–an AMAZING Peruvian restaurant. There is one close by in Hallandale, but it was closed on Christmas–so we went to the one in Miami Lakes. It’s part of an outdoor mall area, so you can’t tell much from the front–but I promise that the food is delicious–especially their ceviche!
On day 3 we went to the Yellow and Green Farmer’s Market @ 3080 Sheridan Street. It’s open on weekends, and we didn’t get to see it in all its glory because of the holiday weekend. It was closed on Christmas, so many of the shops didn’t feel it was worth opening for just one day–or they just took the holiday weekend off. Either way–what we saw and ate was still yummy and fun. Many of the stands offer samples, so you can taste a little of this and that before you commit to buying. We sampled some vegan banana bread, cookies, energy balls, green juice, fruit slushies, candied walnuts, and more. We bought some snacks and then ate BBQ at one of the stands. When it’s in full swing, there’s lots of fresh veggies and fruit, live music, and even more treats to try. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach, and that evening we took a 45 minute drive to Coral Gables to see the Fairchild Night Garden. This tropical garden is a magical wonder! If you like tropical plants, fairies, talking trees, and floating bubbles that puff mist when they pop–then this is a must see. We truly felt like we had been transported into an enchanted jungle!
On Day 4 we drove 30 minutes to Little Havana! We took the Little Havana Cultural Walking and Food Tour, and I highly recommend it! (https://littlehavanawalkingtour.com/cultural-daily-tours/) We tried sugar cane juice, guava pastries, Cuban coffee, and churros! We stopped by the Bay of Pigs monument to learn some history, strolled by Celia Cruz’s sidewalk star, saw some local neighborhood roosters, and checked out a Cuban cigar and Guayabera shop. We then finished the tour with a Cuban lunch in the garden of a local restaurant. Then we had more coffee at the famous Guantanamera cafe, ice cream at Azucar, and some guava pastries for the road from the local grocery store. If you stay into the evening, you can hear some fantastic live Cuban music!
On our 5th day, we drove 1.5 hours–a long but worthwhile drive–to the Everglades! There are a number of tours, but the one we took was Captain Jack's Airboat Tours @ 905 Dupont Street and really enjoyed it! I truly loved the airboat ride through the glades. We were there at 2:45 PM hoping to hit the hottest time of day with our fingers crossed at the idea of catching a look at an alligator–and luckily we did! Our boat captain shared interesting information about the surrounding nature and drove us through the beautiful landscape that is the Everglades. This experience definitely checked a box for me. I truly loved this moment. They hype up the “Animal Show,” but it’s not really a show. There’s an alligator, but he clearly had no idea we were there for any kind of entertainment. Alligators are most definitely not the dolphin of the Glades. However, there were a number of alligators to see up close, and we were able to hold an alligator–which was definitely a very cool thing to get to do!
NOTE: We didn’t get to it, but a friend of mine also recommended making a pit stop on your way to the Glades at the Skunk Ape Headquarters @ 40904 Tamiami Trail East, Ochopee, FL. (https://www.skunkape.info/).
On the day we had to fly out, we decided to take a drive to the Design District in Miami. We walked around the shopping area, took some pictures of the sidewalk art,