Wanderlust Wednesday: Islamorada, Key West, and Miami, Oh My!

1. I'm just going to preface this post by saying that it is REALLY picture heavy. And long. But I won't be offended if you just scroll through the pretty pictures :)
2. I bought Mopey Batman for Blue shortly before this trip, so he came with us and entertained us immensely. Ok, now for the deets!

If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you'll know that I love planning, lists, and travel, and especially making itineraries and finding the best deals for activities. So I was SUPER excited planning this vacation, particularly because I got to include three different locations.

Our first stop was Islamorada. After flying into Miami and driving down, we were ready for lunch. The Amara Cay Resort where we were staying had a wonderful tiki bar with food and drinks right next to the beach. We were planning to rest for a bit, get changed, and then go out to dinner, but after a few too many rum runners, that was no longer an option. After an unfortunate incident with a hammock (where I didn't exactly "stick the landing"), we headed in and it was lights out.

view from out room/lounging tiki style

The hammock incident before/after
I scraped up my arm pretty good. Obviously, I thought this was hilarious.

The next day we were up bright and early to drive the two hours to Key West for a day trip. Everything you may have heard about how beautiful the drive through the Keys is is absolutely correct. Being that we were only in town for the day, I wanted to hit up the Southernmost Point early before the long lines and heat took over.

For some reason I thought there would be a lot of Cuban places, but I was wrong. We stopped and had possibly the best iced coffee I have ever had at the Cuban Coffee Queen. I wanted to try one of the sandwiches, but there was nowhere to sit. It's just a stand in a parking lot. Sigh. 

We took some silly pictures in and around Mallory Square, the main area besides Duval Street where a lot of the restaurants and shops are, located right on the waterfront. We stopped for lunch at Hog's Breath Saloon, where they made their own hot sauces and beer, and I had the best fish tacos ever. It was still overly hot when we were done, and we had to stay in town for our sunset cruise, so we took a ride on the Old Town Trolley to cool off a bit. It was actually pretty awesome; the guide was funny and informative, ad we got to see parts of Key West that we would've missed otherwise.

props/a mechanical chicken much like The Blogess' "Beyonce"/
The Original Spongeman

Mallory Square/ giant statues/ Kermit's Key Lime Shoppe

Hog's Breath Saloon/ the best fish tacos ever

Mopey Batman comes along for the ride

After the trolley tour, we had to stop in at Sloppy Joe's Bar, probably the most famous bar in the area. This is not the original which was rumored to have been a favorite of Ernest Hemingway, but we did stop in front of that one (Capt Tony's Saloon) so I could take a pic. We didn't go in though because it was full of shady characters, but of course we grabbed a beer at the "new" one.

Sloppy Joe's Bar, and the "Original" located across the street

We still had time to kill,  so we tried a flight at Waterfront Brewery. The views were amazing; the beers were sub par. As in, we had a hard time finishing the shared flight; none of them were very good. Oh well. The brewery itself was cool though; floor to ceiling windows/doors that opened onto the harbor, tons of board games, and lots of seating.

skies/harbor/flight

Finally, it was time for our sunset cruise. I booked a cruise because I heard that the crowds get ridiculous on Mallory Square and the sunsets were not to be missed. Boy, were they right! I booked through Floridays because they had superb reviews (one said it was cloudy and this crew got up and around the clouds while other sail companies missed the sunset) and only took a small group out to sail. There were maybe 10 of us total. The all-female crew of two were so accommodating, making sure we were comfortable, hydrated, and happy. I would recommend them over and over again. This was definitely a highlight of the trip, and these pics just do not do the sunset justice. I brought  a "real" camera along too though!

craft beers/ before the sunset

sunset/Captain Alex with Mopey Batman :)

On the third day, we rested. (And yes, I actually scheduled in "down time" at Blue's request.) One thing I was surprised to learn about the Keys is that there are no beaches because of the coral reef about 30 ft out from shore; the waves break on them, thereby not getting to the shore and "creating" a beach. I picked our hotel because they had a man-made beach, which was awesome when I wasn't falling off of hammocks on it.

After soaking up some rays, we headed to Islamorada Fish Company, which was half fishery and half restaurant, directly on the water. Pretty much everything is "directly on the water," but that is neither here nor there. They had a huge outdoor seating area adjacent to a dock where you could walk out and basically look at your dinner. Blue said that I couldn't finish my (amazingly fresh) fish sandwich, so I had to prove her wrong. (Also, I don't think I've eaten so much fish than I did on this trip. The people in the Keys REALLY like their fish, which I'm A-OK with.) 

Boom.

We followed up lunch with another local brewery, Florida Keys Brewing Company. I liked the set-up and the vibe; very laid-back, kinda artsy, started by a couple guys who just wanted to make great beer in their garage. (Literally, it was a garage with a tasting room off to the side.) They had so many options and it was all delicious! The place was tiny, but well worth the little detour. 

signage/the bottle cap mirror in the bathroom/ flight

We ended our time in Islamorada with dinner at the "award-winning" restaurant right next to our hotel, Lazy Days Restaurant. It was just "eh," nothing to write home about. This was the first fish sandwich I didn't like, the drinks were watered down, and the wait staff wasn't very nice or accommodating, but the view was amazing. Oh, and of course I tried key lime pie for the first time! I didn't like it, but then again I'm not surprised since I don't like custard textures or sour tastes.

The next morning we had breakfast at The Green Turtle Inn because I saw a sign that it was featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." The food was exceptional, and it was the first decent cup of joe I'd had since Key West. Then we hit the road and headed back to Miami since that's the airport we were flying from, and hey, why not? I'd never been to Miami. The #1 I wanted to see was the Wynwood Walls, a "graffiti park" full of amazing murals, and it did not disappoint! I only wish we could have stayed there longer, but it was just too damn hot.

After the quick detour, we found our hotel in the heart of South Beach. Can I just say that this was possibly the best hotel I've ever stayed at? Don't get me wrong, the rooms were TINY, but we were only sleeping there one night so I didn't mind that much. It was the amenities that drew me to this hotel. They had a pool (not common of many of the hotels in the area), with free cabanas (I've never gotten a cabana before- and all to ourselves too!) and pool floats, complimentary drinks upon arrival, and- the kicker- it's own beer garden, complete with life-size Jenga and Connect Four, corn hole, ping pong tables, loungers/picnic tables, and a gorgeous tree in the middle that lit up with little lights at night. I was in heaven.

enjoying our cabana/ funny ads coming in to Miami (it says "and fit")

planning my next move/ponging it up/dranks (with fresh ginger)

I thought there'd be a lot of authentic Cuban food in Miami, since it has been referred to as Little Havana, but we couldn't find it. Luckily the guys at the hotel hooked us up with a fabulous Cuban restaurant right outside of the beirgarten called Havana 1957. We ordered a pitcher of sangria, rope vieja (my litmus test for Cuban fare) and churrasco with a side of plantains. Everything was cooked to perfection, and they didn't rush is, which is always a plus in my book.

We meandered down one of the side streets and settled in to an outdoor hookah lounge. It was Blue's first time so I got to teach her how to do it correctly (don't inhale!). The people watching was also on point- a cyclist with a lemur popping out of his handlebar basket? Wish I'd gotten a pic!

The last day we got a late checkout and headed over to the Coconut Grove section of Miami on a recommendation from a coworker. The whole area was so... Not typical Miami. It was a suburban area with lots of shops and eateries, filled with families coming back from soccer games and all just very quaint. We grabbed brunch at Lulu on the Grove- an industrial styled restaurant with delicious food and inventive drinks though I stuck to a blood orange mimosa. 

We walked around the shops, stopped at a bar, but then retreated into the movies because it got too hot. All around it was the perfect vacation, and Islamorada is one of the few places I'd want to visit again! 

huevos rancheros/ the space/ a "Royal Canadian" and "After Sunrise"

turtles at the Hyatt Resort Hotel in Key West/Blue as shark bait/
one of the MANY roosters in Key West

Islamorada

To stay: Amara Cay Resort

To eat: Islamorada Fish Company - fish sandwich

To see/do: Florida Keys Brewing Company

Key West

To stay: Hyatt Resort Hotel & Marina Key West

To eat: Hog's Breath Saloon - fish tacos

To see/do: Floridays sunset cruise

Miami/South Beach

To stay: The Hall, South Beach

To eat: Havana 1957

To see/do: Wynwood Walls

Unfortunately this is the last ever Wanderlust Wednesday link-up! I will truly miss it because it was one of my favorites. Thank you ladies for putting this together and letting us share our adventures with you every month! 

Are you a planner like me? 

What do you look for most out of your vacations?