Miami Beach- where we stayed and what we ate
While in Miami, we stayed at the Trump International Beach Resort in Sunny Isles, Florida. The name "Trump" has political implications today that it didn't have when we first stayed at the Trump Int'l almost four years ago. That we loved the resort when we were there last time was the primary reason we stayed there this time. We knew the hotel was very nice, was right on the water, and was in walking distance to stores and restaurants so we weren't reliant on buying everything we needed at the resort.
The Trump has two pools- one of them we didn't even go in this time. The pool we didn't go into is just a big rectangle. The other pool has tons of water features including water falls, a zero entry area, and a deeper end. All it was missing was a big slide or two :). The Trump is also right on the ocean. The kids were definitely at ages where merely having a nice pool wasn't enough. They wanted more excitement than just a pool and the ocean/ beach area definitely provided more excitement than just the pool area.
As for eating, our plan was to purchase grocery items at a nearby Publix for our breakfasts and lunches and then go out for dinner. However, our plans changed when a most welcome event occurred at check in. We were "upgraded" free of charge to the breakfast dining package. That meant that we received complimentary breakfast at the hotel's breakfast buffet every morning. The buffet offered everything we could have asked for in a breakfast and more: an omelet station, about eight kinds of fresh fruit, a variety of pastries/ baked goods, standard breakfast meats and less standard ones like smoked salmon and cold cuts, eggs prepared numerous ways, etc. We LOVED the buffet and ate a ton each morning for breakfast. Because we ate so much for breakfast, we didn't get hungry for quite some time so we just snacked around lunch time and then had an early dinner.
Our dinners consisted of two different Mexican restaurants (eaten two different evenings, obviously :)). One was a "Jewish" Mexican restaurant that we'd eaten at the last time we were in Miami. By "Jewish" I mean it was owned/ operated by Jews and was kosher. The food was fantastic and we didn't miss the dairy. When I say the food was fantastic, I mean, of course, that Donnie and I liked it. The kids did not like their entrees at all and only ate chips and salsa. The other Mexican restaurant was authentic; our server looked at Alyssa's face and said, "Oh those little brown spots, what are they called? are cute on her face." We replied that they were called freckles :). I'm glad he didn't ask me what those little brown spots on my face were- age spots- woulda been awkward!! Again, Donnie and I liked our food but the kids, save Alyssa who ordered chicken fingers and fries, didn't like theirs much. We also ate at a Cheesecake Factory that was located in a nearby shopping mall. We were pretty sure our pickies would be fine eating at Cheesecake Factory and they were, thank goodness!! Dinner one night was popcorn at a movie theater (poor Donnie who wanted a real meal after the movie but the rest of us didn't want to eat anything because of all the popcorn we ate during the DUMB (Gods of Egypt) movie).
Staying in Miami resulted in our skin getting tan/ red and our bellies increasing in size a little bit. Isn't that what vacation is for?? Seriously, some people travel to enhance their cultural awareness, make them more well rounded world citizens and/ or to experience life changing events and activities. Not us- give us the sun, a pool, some chairs, preferably an ocean and plenty of junk food and we will call that a fun and successful vacation any day of the week :).
These waterfalls lined the pool on one side. Picture would have been cute with open eyes!
Alyssa was trying to sneak up on Donnie...
and the proceeded to give Abby the strawberry on it. Jacob consumed literally no fruit the entire time we were in Florida :(
Should have taken two pictures- maybe Donnie's eyes would have been open in one of them...
This was one view from our balcony
Facing the camera down from our balcony- we were on the 20th floor
Taken from our balcony with my zoom lens
This was our view looking straight out. The rectangular building in the bottom of the picture is a public K-8 school. I've heard schools in Florida aren't good (generally) but this one sure has a nice location vis a vis Biscayne Bay!
Our hotel from the beach
Another pool shot...
Eating lunch by the pool...
In our hotel room. Jacob loves to get his picture taken.
Jacob's favorite place to be ~ besides the beach!
It was our "salsa" at one of the Mexican restaurants where we ate dinner one evening. It was thin and kind of gross, quite frankly, but we still ate it!!
Then Donnie ordered a side of guac and received a little bit more than he anticipated!!
This was my first plate of one morning (and my first diet Coke of the morning) at the breakfast buffet. I know it was my first plate because I always started off with an omelet...
We loved the It's Sugar store in the nearby Adventura Mall. Only a hefty price tag kept me from buying this bad boy.
But this guy was on sale- $4.99 (reg. $19.99- I think it was left over from Christmas but chocolate lasts a long time so I wasn't deterred!!). Jacob and I each had one of the cups.
Buttered noodles at Cheesecake Factory- the pasta is even bow tie pasta- the kind Alyssa insists that I use when I make her buttered noodles for lunch at home.
My red velvet cheesecake- it was pretty good but I'll get a more classically chocolate cheesecake next time.
I can replicate buttered noodles at home pretty easily. This cheesecake- not so easily. Happy to see that Alyssa (and Abby) shares my love of photo documenting!!
The girls in front of the Trump hotel
Now in front of the fountain...
I took this in front of the fountain looking up...
Making wishes...
Biting into the BIG Reese Cup
This breakfast would be complete with...
... a Diet Coke. The person making the omelets this particular morning wasn't quite as adept as the person who'd made them the previous days. I didn't care- whether intact or torn, the eggs, cheese, bacon and scallions were going to the same place...
Now this is salsa- at the Jewish Mexican restaurant
Our room- at 4:35 am on our last morning :(
The Trump has two pools- one of them we didn't even go in this time. The pool we didn't go into is just a big rectangle. The other pool has tons of water features including water falls, a zero entry area, and a deeper end. All it was missing was a big slide or two :). The Trump is also right on the ocean. The kids were definitely at ages where merely having a nice pool wasn't enough. They wanted more excitement than just a pool and the ocean/ beach area definitely provided more excitement than just the pool area.
As for eating, our plan was to purchase grocery items at a nearby Publix for our breakfasts and lunches and then go out for dinner. However, our plans changed when a most welcome event occurred at check in. We were "upgraded" free of charge to the breakfast dining package. That meant that we received complimentary breakfast at the hotel's breakfast buffet every morning. The buffet offered everything we could have asked for in a breakfast and more: an omelet station, about eight kinds of fresh fruit, a variety of pastries/ baked goods, standard breakfast meats and less standard ones like smoked salmon and cold cuts, eggs prepared numerous ways, etc. We LOVED the buffet and ate a ton each morning for breakfast. Because we ate so much for breakfast, we didn't get hungry for quite some time so we just snacked around lunch time and then had an early dinner.
Our dinners consisted of two different Mexican restaurants (eaten two different evenings, obviously :)). One was a "Jewish" Mexican restaurant that we'd eaten at the last time we were in Miami. By "Jewish" I mean it was owned/ operated by Jews and was kosher. The food was fantastic and we didn't miss the dairy. When I say the food was fantastic, I mean, of course, that Donnie and I liked it. The kids did not like their entrees at all and only ate chips and salsa. The other Mexican restaurant was authentic; our server looked at Alyssa's face and said, "Oh those little brown spots, what are they called? are cute on her face." We replied that they were called freckles :). I'm glad he didn't ask me what those little brown spots on my face were- age spots- woulda been awkward!! Again, Donnie and I liked our food but the kids, save Alyssa who ordered chicken fingers and fries, didn't like theirs much. We also ate at a Cheesecake Factory that was located in a nearby shopping mall. We were pretty sure our pickies would be fine eating at Cheesecake Factory and they were, thank goodness!! Dinner one night was popcorn at a movie theater (poor Donnie who wanted a real meal after the movie but the rest of us didn't want to eat anything because of all the popcorn we ate during the DUMB (Gods of Egypt) movie).
Staying in Miami resulted in our skin getting tan/ red and our bellies increasing in size a little bit. Isn't that what vacation is for?? Seriously, some people travel to enhance their cultural awareness, make them more well rounded world citizens and/ or to experience life changing events and activities. Not us- give us the sun, a pool, some chairs, preferably an ocean and plenty of junk food and we will call that a fun and successful vacation any day of the week :).
These waterfalls lined the pool on one side. Picture would have been cute with open eyes!
Alyssa was trying to sneak up on Donnie...
The sister friends had a blast together!
Jacob asked for a fruity drink by the pool one day...
and the proceeded to give Abby the strawberry on it. Jacob consumed literally no fruit the entire time we were in Florida :(
Should have taken two pictures- maybe Donnie's eyes would have been open in one of them...
This was one view from our balcony
Facing the right on our balcony
Facing the camera down from our balcony- we were on the 20th floor
Taken from our balcony with my zoom lens
This was our view looking straight out. The rectangular building in the bottom of the picture is a public K-8 school. I've heard schools in Florida aren't good (generally) but this one sure has a nice location vis a vis Biscayne Bay!
Another pool shot...
Eating lunch by the pool...
In our hotel room. Jacob loves to get his picture taken.
Jacob's favorite place to be ~ besides the beach!
What is this broth like looking substance?
It was our "salsa" at one of the Mexican restaurants where we ate dinner one evening. It was thin and kind of gross, quite frankly, but we still ate it!!
Then Donnie ordered a side of guac and received a little bit more than he anticipated!!
My mini tacos were good
One of our breakfast vouchers
This was my first plate of one morning (and my first diet Coke of the morning) at the breakfast buffet. I know it was my first plate because I always started off with an omelet...
Pool side
Jacob in the pool
Lyss heading into the pool...
Abby
We loved the It's Sugar store in the nearby Adventura Mall. Only a hefty price tag kept me from buying this bad boy.
But this guy was on sale- $4.99 (reg. $19.99- I think it was left over from Christmas but chocolate lasts a long time so I wasn't deterred!!). Jacob and I each had one of the cups.
Buttered noodles at Cheesecake Factory- the pasta is even bow tie pasta- the kind Alyssa insists that I use when I make her buttered noodles for lunch at home.
My red velvet cheesecake- it was pretty good but I'll get a more classically chocolate cheesecake next time.
I can replicate buttered noodles at home pretty easily. This cheesecake- not so easily. Happy to see that Alyssa (and Abby) shares my love of photo documenting!!
Another morning's first plate...
The girls in front of the Trump hotel
Now in front of the fountain...
I took this in front of the fountain looking up...
Making wishes...
Biting into the BIG Reese Cup
This breakfast would be complete with...
... a Diet Coke. The person making the omelets this particular morning wasn't quite as adept as the person who'd made them the previous days. I didn't care- whether intact or torn, the eggs, cheese, bacon and scallions were going to the same place...
Now this is salsa- at the Jewish Mexican restaurant
Snuck this profile picture of Jacob at dinner while he was watching TV- The girls and I saw a picture of a model in the Armani store in the mall and thought he bore a striking similarity to Jacob (the model was faced side ways).
Here is the Armani model picture- obviously the hair is different but I think there's a similarity (Jacob is better looking than the model in my (perhaps biased) view!).
I took this picture at the beach one day because I thought the colors were so pretty- don't know the two people pictured at all :).
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