50 & Fabulous in Miami
What would you do to surprise your friend for her 50th? What if you had her husband’s credit card? We found ourselves in precisely this situation and are pleased to report, an (almost) all-expense-paid weekend to Miami is everything you would hope for, and more…
Deciding Where to Go & Where to Stay
We considered several potential destinations for the trip, but quickly chose Miami because the direct flight maximized our time at the destination actually enjoying ourselves. We had several flight options, but went with the early Friday morning departure and the late Sunday evening return trip. Again, to maximize our time away.
Given the short duration of the trip, we decided a centrally-located hotel would be a better option than a rental because we wanted to be able to enjoy the amenities a large hotel offers; didn’t want to add the expense of rental cars; and we wanted to be close to activities. We decided an ocean view suite would be special for the birthday girl, and the rest of us could stay in rooms close by, allowing us all to hang out in the suite’s living room together.
We contacted the sales department of two hotels, explained our situation, and asked them for the best deals they could give us on accommodations. Each hotel provided us with a few different options and different price points. Ultimately, we chose the 1 Hotel South Beach and we couldn’t have been happier with our decision!
Hats off to their marketing department because it was their commitment to sustainable living and community service referenced on their website, which led us to choose this property.
1 Hotel South Beach has sophisticated, yet fun public spaces, lots of amenities, and beautiful, comfortable rooms. We were able to get two rooms with two king beds each, plus a one bedroom suite for the birthday girl. The rooms all had large balconies with large, comfy seating. The bathrooms were spacious and modern. (There was no privacy in the bathrooms, so they weren’t ideal for sharing in that respect.) The sales staff was able to provide us with rooms all on the same floor and same wing to make it easy for us to hang out together in the living room of the suite, which provided ample seating.
While everything about 1 Hotel South Beach is special, the highlight would have to be the pools. There are multiple pools on different levels, including a roof top pool, bar and restaurant. The restaurant is open to the public, which provides an alternate way to experience the hotel without having to pay the high room rate. The lobby bar is also a hip spot in the evenings.
Making it Special
The most important lesson we learned is traveling with women is A-MA-ZING! Everyone participated in some aspect of the plan. Independent of each other, two members of our group had each started preparing goody bags for the plane. They combined their efforts and provided each of us with customized bags at the airport, which included chapstick, face wipes, comfy socks, eye masks, snack bars, and candy. The bags were labeled with the title of the trip, “50 & Fabulous Birthday Bash 2019” and included a personalized quote for each of us. Another woman assembled breakfast bags for each of us, which included pastries and fruit. These personal touches were so appreciated by all of us. It was so nice to have someone think of making our trip more comfortable and special, especially since that is typically our role within each of our families.
We kept as much of the trip a surprise as possible until the morning of. We gave the birthday girl cryptic information about what to pack and only told her a few of us were going. We drove two separate cars to the airport, but funnily we ended up right behind the other car on the way to the airport because who else would be driving that way at 5am? The birthday girl was a good sport and didn’t let us know that she had figured out who else was coming. Too bad we didn’t know that because the 4 surprise guests froze their behinds off waiting outside at the airport.
On the plane, we had the flight attendant make a special announcement about the birthday trip. He really made a big deal about it and made it fun. When we arrived, we had reserved a party limo to pick us up at the airport. The driver’s sign read – “50 & Fabulous.” The party atmosphere of the limo set the tone for us to really feel like we were on vacation.
One woman took the lead with researching activities and fun things to do. The plan was to do some pampering, some relaxing, enjoy the beautiful weather, savor delicious food, and have fun! We could’ve stayed at the hotel and done all of the above, but we booked restaurants and activities in advance to maximize our time.
At the hotel, we had placed an instacart order in advance with wine and snacks, so we could enjoy the suite. We asked the front desk to bring us something special to the room. They sent up chocolate cake and champagne. A few ladies were smart enough to bring birthday decorations and were able to decorate the suite when the birthday girl was out on a walk. We all chipped in for 50 gifts ranging from candy to lingerie to a sapphire necklace and one of our evening activities included Melissa opening her 50 gifts.
Before the trip, we found a groupon for a spa, and then called the spa directly to see if they would honor the groupon rate. We were each able to enjoy a service, plus full use of the many amenities at the spa including steam room, sauna, hot tub, and pool. We made dinner reservations at the birthday girl’s favorite restaurant, Pao, for the first night and then tried a Cuban restaurant, Lario’s On the Beach, on South Beach for the second night. Both restaurants were fabulous! The food was over the top delicious and the service was incredible at both venues.
The hotel’s house car was a Tesla. We all squished in together to go to a fancy dinner. A photo shoot with the Tesla was an added bonus.
One of the highlights of the weekend was brunch at the Palace on South Beach. The Drag Queen performance was completely outrageous and so much fun! Each dancer was bubbling with personality and really gave it all during their routines. A great way to celebrate a birthday!
Other ways we made the weekend special:
· Instacart order of wine and snacks in advance, so it was waiting for us at hotel
· Reservations at birthday girl’s favorite restaurant made in advance through concierge at the hotel
· Brought birthday decorations with us and decorated the suite while the birthday girl was out on a walk
· 50 gifts ranging from candy to lingerie to a sapphire necklace
· Tandem parasailing = awesome!
· Lounging by the pool = delightful
· Rooftop bar = refreshing
· Front desk delivered champagne and chocolate cake to the room, per our request
Lessons-learned
Utilize the Concierge. The concierge staff were able to create opportunities we couldn’t, such as getting a better reservation time at a hip restaurant and booking multiple activities for us in advance.
Front desk staff and bell staff are your friends. Treat them well and they will treat you well. (we tipped well.)
Contact venues to request special group rates, including honoring online coupons.
We asked people everywhere to take group shots of us, so we have lots of great photos.
