Weekend Review - Vol. 3

 January 15-19, 2022

Hi! Welcome to a special weekend review. We were out of town in Florida and I want to record the trip here in this blog post! We had the best time. 

Saturday (1/15) we flew out of Midway and landed in Miami about 2:30pm. We picked up our rental car - the window was busy! We drove to our hotel which was near the executive airport and checked in. We had a little snack and got changed, and then headed to go eat. We ate at a place called Planta Queen. It was booked up, so we ordered carry out and ended up eating at a table downstairs (it was located in an outdoor mall). We ordered the general d's cauliflower, crispy rice with watermelon 'tuna', and gyoza. We really liked it, but it was a little pricey. 

After dinner, we walked around a little and then had some dessert at Fireman Derek's. Dan got the apple pie cheesecake and I got cookie cake pie. It was so good! 

Then we went to a Miami heat game. We had a hard time parking, but made it eventually. We stayed through the third quarter and then left - we were very tired, and were glad to go back to the hotel. 

On Sunday we got up and checked out of our Miami hotel. We stopped at Publix to pick up some snacks. I wanted to get some key lime pie but they only had the whole pies (we were looking for a half or a piece!) and we couldn't commit to a whole pie for just the two of us for a few days lol. 

We started the drive to the Keys. We took more of a back route so we drove by lots of farms and landscaping businesses. As we reached Islamorada, we noticed a pretty severe thunderstorm was coming, so we decided to stop for lunch so we wouldn't be driving through the rain. We stopped at Islamorada Fish Company - it was awesome! Dan got a fish of the day sandwich (yellow fish) and I got a salad that was amazing. It had mango, red pepper, coconut flakes, almond slices, and a coconut poppyseed dressing. The downpour started right before we got our food and made for a dramatic lunch! We still had a great experience there and it was one of our favorite meals. 

We finished the drive and checked into our hotel, Isla Bella Beach Resort on Islamorada, right before the seven mile bridge. The weather was still pretty cloudy but it was no longer raining. We walked around the resort and then I read on the balcony for a little bit. 

For dinner, we ordered carry out from Sunset Grille and Raw Bar which was just down the street from our hotel! We got calamari, pesto mahi, caesar salad, and key lime pie. It was all so tasty, especially the pesto mahi! I think we got the wrong dessert (I think they gave us creme brulee cheesecake instead of key lime pie, lol), but it still tasted good so no complaints from us. We ate on the balcony which was just lovely, and then watched a few episodes of the new season of Cheer. 

Monday I got up and walked over to the cafe on the other side of the resort. I picked up an iced latte and a muffin! I read on the balcony and had breakfast. 

Then we got ready and started the morning sitting by the beach. We did some more reading and just hung out (this will become a common theme on this trip, haha). Around noon, we headed over to the beach bar and ordered lunch from there. I got the blackened mahi sandwich and Dan had the impossible burger. The food was good, but the view was the best part! After lunch we stopped at the room to pick up some more sunscreen and then sat in a shaded area that afternoon. We ordered some cocktails to enjoy! 

Dan went for a run across the Seven Mile Bridge and I showered. We met back up and watched the sun set on the beach. It was beautiful! 

We went to Lazy Days South for dinner. We sat on their back patio and could see our hotel across the bay! Dan ordered the seafood platter (shrimp, mahi mahi, scallops, and oysters) and I had a salad that was delish. It had coconut shrimp, grapes, spinach, oranges, and strawberry vinaigrette. 

We ordered our key lime pie to go and enjoyed it in the hotel while watching more Cheer!

On Tuesday we slept in and had breakfast on our balcony. We wanted to use the paddleboards that the hotel had available, but it was too windy and we couldn't go out. We headed to the pool where we read for a while. 

After taking a little swim, we went over to the cafe and ordered the vegetable panini and a smoothie. They were both pretty good. We sat back in the shaded area and enjoyed our last afternoon! I ordered some chips and guac. We got ready for dinner a little earlier so we could sit and enjoy the sun set. It was stunning! 

For dinner, we went to Burdines. This place's vibes were our favorite! We ordered french fries, the seafood platter (blackened mahi and shrimp), and fried key lime pie for dessert. 

Yummm. This place was super cute and the food was great. We watched some more Cheer, did a little packing, and got ready to check out the next day. 

Wednesday we got up and had breakfast, packed up, and took our stuff down to the car. We walked along the beach one last time and then checked out of the hotel. We were sad to leave for sure! Then we got in the car and started the drive to Miami. I wanted to stop at a souvenir place but when we showed up it was not quite what we were expecting, lol. So that was a bust. We finished the drive to Miami and had lunch at a place called Della Bowls in Doral. 

After finishing lunch, we stopped at Costco to fill up the rental car and then headed to the airport. We dropped off the car, checked in, and waited in a long security line. After losing our boarding passes in our backpacks a few times, we made it onto the plane and were nearly the last people to get on, lol. The flight wasn't totally full and it was relatively easy! Once off the plane in O'Hare, we got our luggage quickly. Dan's parents picked us up in our car with Millie, so we could leave right from there! We drove back to Milwaukee after quickly organizing the car, and were glad to be back home, but sad the trip was over. We had the best, best time!