Winter in Miami is quite unique for a European:
it’s basically spring/summer.


So when you plan to go don’t pack too heavy, but make sure to have an overcoat (I experienced a storm that dropped the temperature down significantly even during the day).
In the custom Google Map I attached here you will find highlighted all the places I am going to talk about in this post to have them at your hand in case you decide to visit them!
It’s an interactive map, so you can also add informations and notes for other travellers under each place!


When you land at the airport make sure to download these apps: UBER and LYFT, they are very useful if you want to go around Miami (especially at night).


DAY 1


I arrived in Miami in the afternoon, so after dropping my bags I headed to South Beach to admire the sunset and have dinner.

To walk down Ocean Drive from the 15th down to the Art Deco Historic District in the evening, it’s a spectacle of colours, lights, architecture and music.

The Latin vibe is predominant here: people gathers in groups outside, by the bars playing music down Ocean Drive, some other on the beach.
The atmosphere is relaxed and positive and the Art Deco style give the area a touch of Movie set.

I waited for sunset on South Beach (that compared to European shoresides it’s pretty big) and it was just incredible: the sun sets behind the tall building nearby the beach, from bright pink and blue to intense red and black.
If you are travelling in a couple and want the “romantic” atmosphere: that’s the one.

I then decided to have dinner at the famous Big Pink, typical American Diner with massive portions (Europeans be careful, when I say massive portions, I mean it: I ordered a nachos plate as a starter that had the size of a breakfast tray). With the bright red colours and friendly staff, it feels like to be back in the 50`s.


If you prefer a more romantic set, the Italian restaurant “Mercato della Pescheria”, in Española Way (another area that deserve a visit for the nice lights and decor and the vibrant atmosphere, might be a better choice.
From Italians to Italians: the food was awesome.
They have a sea food raw bar, handmade fresh pasta selection and different kind of meat cuts, so if you are undecided on what you want just head down there and let the menu and the charming waiters inspire you.


DAY 2


I rarely do that, but sometimes when I don’t have much time, I get a day ticket for a Hop on/hop off bus. This tour gave us an amazing opportunity to visit globally both south beach and Downtown Miami (included Little Havana and Coral Gables)


These are the places where I recommend to have a proper stop and get off the bus:


Wynwood walls
Bayside Market Place (Downtown Area)


At the Wynwood walls you can experience the world famous graffiti and collection from the Taj Mahal; vibrant and full of youngsters it’s the perfect place for insta pictures! 


For dinner we decided to try the Steak Brasil Churrascaria, and it didn’t deceive us at all!
If you are a foodie like us and into eating till you can hold your breath, this is the place for you.
they have a large selection of meats and side dishes, it’s a feast for the palate.

as I previously mentioned, I am obsessed with Rooftop Bars, so I headed to one of my favourite blogs ever www.therooftopguide.com and I picked the one that looked like to be in the best spot ever: Area 31
(you can have a sneak peak of the view in my 1 minute vlog on the top of this post)


Located on the 16th floor of the Kimpton EPIC Hotel, this is both a bar and restaurant (they highlight their brunches, so it might be worth a try!), with stylish decor and a sophisticated but young vibe.
They have an extensive list of cocktails, wines and bubbles; but if you like to be surprised like I do, just ask their favourite.


As they say, Miami is always a good idea! If you want a place to mix both relax, laid back places and more vibrant, crazy and fun ones, it’s definitely a city to put in your bucket list for your next adventure!

our picture was featured on the instagram page @timeoutmiami
follow them for more inspiration about miami

UPDATE: We have just been featured as well on the @wynwoodwallsofficial ig account! 

I was one of those Italian teenagers watching High School Musical, The OC, Desperate Housewives and more, dreaming about America.
It always looked cool, fun, big, bright and loud.
So when I finally booked my tickets for the US, I could not wait to get there.
Here is a 1 minute video of my 3 days experience in Las Vegas!

Here the top 5 things to do in Vegas:

1. Walk down The STRIP at night
2. Have dinner at one of the all you can eat BUFFET
3. A Vegas show (I chose “Le Reve”) - you can purchase tickets in advance on this website www.vegas.com (apparently there are other websites where you can find better deals, but being my first time I didn’t want any catch and I preferred to use the official website)
4. Las Vegas Downtown (Night time)
5. One excursion to the Hoover Dam, Mojave Desert, Grand Canyon (if you can I suggest a helicopter experience over the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead) I booked mine with SUNDANCE HELICOPTER www.sundancehelicopters.coM​​

I chose a hotel in the downtown area.
Why? Because I found it was the best choice for price/value.
As you can still experience and see the iconic hotels on the strip, inside and out, even if you don’t have a room booked there, I found no reason not to book at the “Downtown Grand”, that at the time was offering great prices (www.downtowngrand.com) for a good value.
The room was very spacious and the bed super comfy. This hotel was a good choice to be able to escape the madness of Vegas at the end of the day.
It’s indeed an amazing city, but it can be quite overwhelming; this place will allow you to find peace and quiet after a busy day/night.
The Downtown Grand has its own casino area of course but most of all I loved the
“Freedom Beat” restaurant.
The food was actually great, I had an amazing breakfast.
In the evening sometimes they host events and live music.
I planned my visit as it follows:
Day 1: Flight to Vegas, check in, early night
Day 2: Excursion to the Hoover Dam and Helicopter Trip over the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead, landing in Las Vegas airport with SUNDANCE HELICOPTER; dinner in one of the famous Vegas unlimited buffet (Buffet at Aria) a stroll down the Strip and visiting the iconic Hotels-Casinos.
Day 3: Visit the downtown area, an unlimited Brazilian buffet (Pampas) followed by the Vegas Show “Le Reve” and a drink on the Stratosphere overlooking the strip from the 107th floor!

Day 1
As mentioned before, I arrived at night, after a long day of travel, so I checked in and went to bed.
I opted for an Uber to get from the airport to the hotel, there are not many options (but always ask the hotel where you will finally book, sometimes they might offer their own private transfers for a cheaper price).
If you are not familiar with it (especially if you come from Europe) I suggest you to download the apps “VIA”(www.ridewithvia.com) and “LYFT”(www.lyft.com): these are similar app to Uber in the States and sometimes they offer cheaper fares. If you are travelling in group ask your friends to download the same apps and use each other’s referral codes: this will give you a bit of credit to spend in future rides while you are staying in the US.
Day 2
After breakfast in the hotel restaurant “Freedom Beat”, I grabbed a coffee and a donut at Dunkin Donuts (FYI is just in front of the hotel and open 24/7) and jumped on my private van to start the excursion to the Hoover Dam. Never been so excited in my life!
The guide sent by SUNDANCE HELICOPTER (www.sundancehelicopters.com) was just great.
He drove over the strip, the famous Las Vegas sign and then we headed down the state of Nevada directed to the Hoover Dam.
Once we stopped at the Dam for a few pictures and souvenirs, we continued in direction of the heliport that is in Arizona.
Before taking off I had lunch (this was included in the deal) at the diner right next to the heliport: a real American experience.
A massive tasty burger, Pepsi cola and fries.
I felt I was living my American dream.
When we finally took off, we flew over the Mojave Desert and landed into the Grand Canyon for a little excursion, and we sipped a glass of champagne while admiring the stunning sunset over the red rocks of the Grand Canyon.
We then took off again and flew over the Lake Mead: the view was simply breathtaking.
We returned and landed finally at Vegas airport in the late afternoon, so we got the chance to see Las Vegas strip and it’s lights turning on.
Sundance brought me back to the hotel in style with a black stretched Limo (It was my very first time inside one).
It was the experience of a lifetime.
I think the pictures speak for themselves.

After chilling in the hotel for a couple of hours, I headed to the strip where I had dinner at “The Buffet at Aria” (www.aria.com):
This is an all you can eat buffet, with a relaxed atmosphere and different kind of cuisine: from Italian to Asian of any sort.
It followed a drink at the famous “The Chandelier lounge bar” (inside the Cosmopolitan - www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com) and I ended the evening with a stroll down the strip to admire the famous “Paris Las Vegas, the amazing fountains at the “Bellagio Hotel”, “the Venetian” and many more.

​Best view from Rooftops:
- For the best view from the south side of the strip I would recommend going to the “Foundation Room” of the Mandala Bay (www.houseofblues.com)
-For the best view from the north side and 360^ The Stratosphere (www.stratospherehotel.com)
If you are obsessed like me with rooftop bars I suggest you to follow this blog www.therooftopguide.com and their Instagram account @the_rooftopguide

DAY 3 
I DEDICATED MY THIRD AND LAST DAY IN VEGAS TO EXPLORE THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND TO AN EVENING OF ENTERTAINMENT AT THE ICONIC SHOW “LE REVE” (WWW.WYNNLASVEGAS.COM), DINNER AT THE BRAZILIAN RESTAURANT PAMPAS (WWW.PAMPASUSA.COM) AND DRINKS WITH A VIEW AT THE 107TH FLOOR OF THE STRATOSPHERE SKYLOUNGE (WWW.STRATOSPHEREHOTEL.COM/FOOD-DRINK/107SKYLOUNGE).
I WANTED EITHER TO ZIP LINE WITH SLOTZILLA ZIP LINE (VEGASEXPERIENCE.COM) OR SHOPPING AT THE LAS VEGAS NORTH PREMIUM OUTLETS (WWW.PREMIUMOUTLETS.COM) BUT UNFORTUNATELY WHEN I HEADED INTO ONE OF THE FIRST HOTEL CASINO IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA,
​I HAD A SMALL SETBACK.
​

(Little anecdote you can actually skip)
I was approached by a lady of the staff that asked if I was interested in visiting a new upcoming hotel in Vegas from the same chain; she said they just needed a few hours of my time and in return they would grant a free dinner at a Brazilian restaurant and a prepaid card for the value of 100$.
The perks convinced me to take the “tour” of this hotel, that ended up in being a 5/6 hours experience for a timeshare membership purchase. For those of you that are new to the subject (as was I) a time share is basically a subscription to a chain of hotels (or multiple hotels) in which after paying a certain amount of money per year you are allowed a certain amount of nights at no extra cost (or cheaper rates for certain kind of properties).
At the end of the tour of the Hotel I was sat down for a good couple of hours where they tried to sell me this package, but the prices were ridiculously high for a memberships of a year or more, with attempts to make me believe they were making great discounts just for me.
Anyway, it was a wonderful visit and a wonderful hotel, the hard sale at the end was just a bit too much, but luckily after refusing several times, I got the chance to go back to my hotel and continue my day with my perks!
Anyway...watch out...if they offer you free stuff/money, ask what’s the catch. I was naive and just threw myself into this (and honestly considered the perks it was not too bad) but be aware.

I then headed back to the Downtown Grand and packed ready to fly the following morning to the next American City on my tour!
LOS ANGELES!