Birthdays. Some love them, some hate them and many just don't care. But for me. I CELEBRATE my birthdays - big time! I can't stop time anyways, so I might as well enjoy it and make the best of it.

Last week it was that time of the year again and we celebrated my birthday, the big 3 O, with a getaway to nowhere else than Miami, "where the heat is on, all night on the beach, till the break of dawn". Our good friend Jan amazingly offered us to stay at his apartment at the Mondrian South Beach, which is located right at the bay and is famous for its pool parties. A major shout-out to you, Jan. Thank you so much!

My sister and brother-in-law organized the whole thing (thank you a million - you guys are priceless!) and off we went. After a smooth flight, we arrived at noon on a Friday and with a change of clothes, we went straight to the beach. Miami's South Beach was just straight gorge. I mean I heard about the great Florida weather and its beaches, but I was honestly surprised how beautiful South Beach actually was. White sand as far as the eye can see, palm trees everywhere, beaches were super clean, and the water so clear, you can see the bottom. We rented lounge chairs in front of the Sagamore hotel for $13/day, which I think is a steal, and for the next couple of hours, we grilled ourselves like meat on sticks, with an occasional dip into the deep blue sea to cool off. Life is good!

Before we went back to the apartment, we stopped by at The Setai for a refreshing drink right at the beach. Once back at the Mondrian, we freshened up and enjoyed the fantastic view of the bay from our balcony. The party at the pool area beneath us was already underway. We watched the shenanigans and cheered on with a glass of bubbly.
For dinner, we decided to go to Poseidon, a Greek restaurant we found on Yelp. They greeted us with a complimentary shot of Ouzo - can you say, Hoppa! After a brief chat with the waiter we ordered the award-winning grilled octopus, which was phenomenal, we continued with smoked tuna, whole sea bass and finished off with a seafood risotto. Needless to say, we were stuffed, but happy as a hippo. Later in the night, we walked down the infamous Ocean drive. Now people, listen! "Miami bringin' heat for real" said the Fresh Prince and he didn't say that for nothing. Ladies are confidently half-dressed. Curves and muscles are all over the place. Being skinny is almost a foreign concept here. Left and right, wherever I looked, I saw self-confident women and men strutting their assets. The faith must have rubbed off on me, because once in Miami I was feeling way more fearless with my beach body than ever before. #Slaycation all the way!

We ended up at Mango Tropical Cafe that night, a club with live performances on an extended bar table. The dancers wore colorful outfits and smiled from one ear to another. Guests were chiming in - vocally by singing along or physically by dancing. From Latin classics over Michael Jackson imitators to Lady Marmalade, the songs just instantly invited you to swing your hips. I loved it and had a ball, but make sure to go early enough to avoid cover charges and be aware: They hit you with an 18% gratuity fee no matter what, even if you just drink, stand, and have nowhere to sit. But with the right 'tude, you can have a blast there.

The next morning we decided to start the day with a healthy brunch at Pura Vida. I ordered the DRAGON FRUIT bowl with raw organic dragon fruit, blended with banana and topped with mango, kiwi, bananas, granola, almonds, and coconut. A colorful delicious mix that fully satisfied and rejuvenated my one-year older self.
We continued our day at the beach. It seemed that it got hotter and hotter with every day passing, and for the first time in a very long time I actually got a little sunburn. To cool off we left the beach, bought some champagne bottles, and started partying on our balcony. At one point the music at the pool grew softer and the music from our apartment got louder. The pool crowd started cheering towards our balcony while hits like Despacito, Enrique's Bailando and Duele el Corazon, Shakira's Chantaje, and Ricky's Vente Pa' Ca were banging straight from our apartment. Life is one big party at the Mondrian for sure!
Before we went out for dinner we enjoyed the marvelous sunset over Miami bay. After seeing all shades of red and orange we headed out to Zuma. Unfortunately, they hit us with a wait time. Now we love Zuma, but not so much that we would wait 2 hours. And since flexibility was our middle name this weekend, we just moved on to another great seafood restaurant - Truluck. First of all, upon our arrival, they greeted us with our names at the door (we called, before we walked over, to make sure that they have space), second of all they placed a birthday card, signed by all waiters and chefs, on our table, and last but not least they offered impeccable service and great food. What a place to dine! 

After rolling out of this place, we decided to dance off some of the calories we had just taken in. The waiters of Truluck recommended the bar/club Blackbird Ordinary, so we went there. Since we were eager to dance, but nobody was, we just started the party - again. People were staring at us first but soon joined in. So we ended up having a blast - again. Yay!

For our last day, we went to Rosetta Bakery for our brunch. They offer delicious Italian pastries, fresh OJ, and great coffee. From there we walked straight to the beach one last time. After bidding farewell to the Atlantic ocean, we headed back to the Mondrian to join the pool party and enjoy a yummy Piña Colada. At the pool, everybody was just having a good time and strangers were checking each other out. Not in a sleazy or judgy way, on the contrary, it was more out of interest and mutual admiration - both from men and women. What an awesome vibe! Our flight back to New York was on the same evening, so we wrapped up soon and said one last time 'Adiós' to the bay, the Mondrian, and Miami from the balcony.

Thank you, Miami, my sister, and my brother-in-law for an amazing birthday weekend! I couldn't have asked for more - love to all and everything!