TRAVEL DIARY
📍 Miami
Welcome to the travel diaries!
Here to share my favorite spots and give some insight about hidden gems as I embark on different journey’s along the way.
Let’s begin…
As we get deeper into 2021, life finally takes shape of a mold we recognize. Often times, we don’t realize how lucky we are to have access to people, places, and things until they are taken away from us. In this case, I am referring to travel. The past year or so we lost connection to adventure, exploration, and the simple beauty that is discovering someplace new. Now, we are faced with opportunities to hit an on switch and take flight towards a destination.
There are many things known to be true in this world and one of them is the gravitational pull our souls are greeted with. We all have these gravity points we establish connections to, producing our own web of life. People, places, relationships, moments, and so much more take up space within these points of our existence. Each one is there for a reason.
Being in your 20’s comes with a great deal of reflection and realization. It also comes with confusion, mistakes, and feeling as though you’re stuck in this everlasting limbo. As I have fallen in love with photography this past year, I have also fallen in love with travel. I wake up with the desire to see a new part of the world that exists around me. Now, more than ever, I realize what a privilege it is to be able to do that.
My inspiration comes from this gravity point. From this desire to explore. So welcome to my travel diary - a place where you can see my adventures come to life. Expect them to be fun, informative, and take the shape of a scrapbook where photos and memories can live.
First stop? Miami 🌴
The Gabriel Hotel
Located in the heart of Downtown Miami on Biscayne Boulevard, this hotel offers amazing views, direct restaurant access, and a rooftop pool.
In search of a modern hotel? This one is for you!
Finding the right place to stay can be stressful, but I have learned three helpful things about this process…
(1) Stress gets you nowhere, so don’t do it.
(2) Doing your research ahead of time makes all the difference *cough, cough* book your stay early!
(3) Think about where you will be spending most of your time. Is the hotel you’re looking at going to give you easy access to those things? It is better to know this before you check in.
My boyfriend Emmett and I dove into researching hotels a few months before our trip because we knew going on a holiday weekend would make access scarce. To be quite honest, majority of the hotels in Miami were already booked, but we got lucky with The Gabriel. It was important that we had a place to let loose, and channel relaxation mode.
My favorite parts about this hotel were the dining and design elements.
Let’s start with food, shall we?
Emmett and I are early risers if you will. Breakfast lovers? Also guilty. So naturally… we had to check out the restaurant The Gabriel had to offer. As expected, it was a beautiful space. Greenery paired with beautiful lighting that hung from the ceiling, breakfast never felt so modern.
There is something nostalgic about the aroma of coffee when you first wake up. Would it be strange to say I find comfort in it? Coffee lovers I think you catch my drift. We were given a table right by the windows, so the reflection of the sun flirted with my coffee cup as we waited for the food to arrive.
I went with the acai bowl and Emmett went with waffles. Can you tell we have a sweet tooth? Both of them were delicious. They say we eat with our eyes first and let me tell you, this food was plated in such a pleasing way. The menu had a wide variety that would appeal to breakfast lovers everywhere.
Our one complaint would be the service. It was a little slow, but we didn’t mind too much since the intention was to kick back and relax. However, if we were in a hurry that morning, it would not have been the most ideal thing.
Overall, we loved the access to their restaurant. You can find it on the third floor and lunch/dinner is open to guests as well.
I recommend this option if you don’t want to spend time looking for a place to eat in the busy Miami streets!
Creative charm is what comes to mind when I think about the aesthetics of this hotel.
Walls were lined with vibrant imagery and this eclectic vision filled the spaces.
I have never stayed in such a modern space before and it was definitely something different. I love how they included this lounge area pictured above. Shelves were lined with books, artwork, and décor. Couches were dressed with pillows and tables were topped with plants.
We didn’t have much free time to spend in the lounge area but if we were to go back, it is a space I know we would take advantage of!
One of the nicest parts is that this area is located right outside of the restaurant on the third floor, making it convenient to kill time before your meal or to lounge after you finish.
THINGS TO DO
☀☀☀
Luckily my travel partner loves to create the itinerary for our adventures.
I believe you take different trips for different reasons. This one, was intended for us to relax and take a break from the hustle and bustle. However, we still wanted to plan out a couple activities. Below, I am going to share a few that I believe you should add to your list!
📍 Biscayne National Park
Biscayne is at the top of my most memorable moments from this trip. My boyfriend is passionate about National Parks and spends majority of his time crossing a new one off of his bucket list. This is one of the many things I love about him because it pushes me to dive deeper into my own adventurous soul.
With that said, Biscayne was one he wanted to experience. I have never been snorkeling before, in fact, I have never really swam in the ocean aside from dipping a toe in or allowing the water to hit the midpoint of my stomach. So this was an exciting, make my heart race, opportunity for me.
The entire experience cost around $230 and we easily rented two snorkel bundles for the day. It started at 1:30 and we were back to shore around 5:00 pm. It was a very straightforward program where you checked in at the gift shop, filled out a waiver, and made sure to arrive 30 minutes prior to the activity.
Everyone we encountered at the institute was incredibly kind and the men who accompanied us on the boat were nothing short of informative. It was evident they are filled with passion when it comes to their job. After getting sized for our fins and learning how to inflate our life vests, the boat ride began. It was rather long considering the further out you go, the clearer the water is. I would say that was the one downside of the experience. The time it takes to get out to the location in the water really took a decent chuck of time away from the swimming.
They share stories of the land and waterway as you ride out to your destination and that was wonderful. I enjoyed learning about the life that exists under the surface and hearing about the history of the nature was eye opening.
Once I got into the water, any fear I had of doing something unfamiliar, slipped away. It was beautiful to be one with nature and get to glance at the world that comes to life in the ocean. There is this immensity to the entire thing. I felt so small in comparison to the water that surrounded me, but in the best possible way.
If you are looking to catch a glimpse of the sunset or go for a quiet walk near the water, the park has a great trail for this. We were able to snap some photos and enjoy the scenery before the adventure drew to a close.
Whether it’s your love for National Parks or you want some water based activities to do… I highly recommend looking into Biscayne.
🐟
📍 WYNWOOD WALLS & ART DISTRICT
If you only have 24 hours in Miami I highly suggest you check out Wynwood Walls and this entire art district. This is another one that made the top of my list in terms of memorable moments!
There is such magic in this neighborhood that thrives off its colorful murals. They painted the town with larger-scale work and every step you take is guided by the creation of well-known artists. If you are looking for a place to find inspiration or you are in search of a “happening” area, Wynwood is your perfect destination.
There was a $10 entrance fee because let’s be honest, most things cost money these days. However, I believe it is more than worth it. You have free range to look at art and take photos of the pieces that speak to you most.
It was a perfect way to see the personality of Miami and appreciate the skill of graffiti and street art simultaneously.
The other plus side to this neighborhood is all it has to offer…
-Funky art galleries
-Craft breweries
-Coffee shops
-Boutiques
& so much more!
Tap into your creative side and dive into the art district, I promise you won’t regret it.
📍 Panther Coffee Shop
Located near Wynwood
2390 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL
Attention all coffee lovers… this one is for you.
I find so much joy in the simple act of grabbing a coffee and sitting down to savor it. It was so fun to discover Panther Coffee in the Wynwood district.
This shop was popular on Reddit AKA my boyfriend and I’s savior when traveling and trying to find the best places to eat/drink.
Panther Coffee was our favorite café we went to while in Florida. As you can tell from the photo above, the ambience was incredible. They had funky lights and exposed wood which really complimented the vibe of that entire neighborhood.
So, how was the actual coffee? Delicious.
It was extremely hot this day so we gravitated towards iced coffee. Caramel iced latte is usually our go to, but after being informed they were out of caramel syrup the barista recommended we try vanilla and honey mixed to give us a similar flavor profile. We went for it and it was divine. Not too sweet, and you could actually taste the rich flavor of the coffee.
There is no indoor seating at this one which was more than okay. The outdoor seating options make up for it.
The energy here was great and we would definitely go back! I would say the only downside was the price. Two iced coffees came out to be around $18.
When on vacation… I say it is okay to splurge and treat yourself a bit!
☕
Well, that brings us to the end of this Miami travel diary 🌺
I hope you enjoyed it and found some of this information helpful for any future trips you may have planned in this city!
I can’t wait to share my next adventure.
Sincerely,
KW