So…what did we learn from adding Miami Beach to our “budget-friendly road-trip?” 😅 That this part of Florida should probably be skipped, or at least quickly passed through if budgeting is truly your buddy on your next travels to the state. While we were excited to be in the sun, fun and festivities, it ended up becoming a bigger chunk that we had anticipated and even felt a little stuck with the fact that we booked a 2-night minimum there. Read on to hear the whole story!

 

 

 

 

Why Miami Beach Wasn’t the Best Place to Slow Down

At first, it seemed like a great idea. Book 2 nights in the same place, force ourselves to actually unpack and unwind for a hot minute, and enjoy the things around us without having to rush out the next day. Turns out though that this probably was the worst place to do so, since it was not only one of the most expensive, but also one of the most overwhelming.

We are super home bodies, a little introverted and get social anxiety in large crowds or around people for too long. (Hence the heavy travel focus on backpacking in remote off-grid locations for several days at a time).😂

So, when we woke up here on Day 2 of our stay, we realized that maybe we’d made a mistake and that we should think about those things more thoroughly when the next trip comes around. It didn’t help that it also wasn’t the easiest Airbnb to get to, not to mention not one of our favorites, either.

Day 7: Miami, Sunshine, and a Packing Reality Check

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So what did we do instead??

Why of course, pack up all of our things once again, hit the sunrise early, then come back to pack up the truck and head outta town. The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous, but we still wouldn’t put it above the ones that have no buildings or people in the background.

Then to top off our frustration, when we were leaving the parking garage that was supposed to just be $20, it ended up being $200 instead!!!🫠Talk about miscommunication, eh? When I spoke to the host about this confusion, she mentioned that it depends which garage we parked in, (even though they all looked similar to the one she’d mentioned). And, while I know this was technically on us, it really sucked when we got to the meter and it came back with one extra zero than we anticipated it being. 👀

Because of this mishap and the frustration of moving everything from the parking garage to the stay, we decided that from now on when staying in cities, we’ll opt for better bags and hotels instead. Lesson learned! 💪 In turn, this will also save us on beach rentals, parking and pool access fees, as well as if we’d like to go to the gym since most have them on property.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trading the Crowds for Gators and Open Roads

Next we decided to head toward the Everglades, (shoutout to my dad who used to work in these!), which took us about 3 hours to drive the one-way road there and back. We made a few stops along the way at the pull-offs, visited both visitor centers (similar but still cool each in their own way!), and even took the route that included the Nike missile site. 🚀 Definitely recommend stopping here if you’re there within hours, it’s pretty cool if you’re into these kinds of things especially being so far out in the middle of nowhere! It’s open between December and late March from 10am-2pm. During the rest of year, the access is usually limited to guided, pre-arranged tours.

We got to encounter a bunch of wildlife, (my favorite was the alligators!),🐊 which you can see especially well in the Royal Palm area. However there’s also a ton of birds, fish and turtles along the water or the walking trails. There’s also plenty of room for picnics with tables and places to stretch out for a family get-together!

Since we were already so close to the Florida Keys, we decided to splurge a little more and book the Casa Marina on Key West. (Earlier in the trip we’d taken the Keys out of the equation since they were so far away, but since the Everglades park put us in pretty close distance, we decided, why not!)

And, since we had the annoying time in Miami with the Airbnb debacle, this sounded like a grand time to be able to just chill in a fancy hotel room for a night. Plus, they had onsite beach access, a free pool and affordable parking, not to mention the fact that we didn’t have to wonder how the room was going to turn out this time. 😅

Day 8: The Highs, Lows, and Prices of Miami Beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key West Nightlife and Hotel Stay: Was the Splurge Worth It?

On the way to the hotel, we indulged in some more leftovers via our handy-dandy portable crockpot, which was a great little investment for this kind of trip. And, as we drove through the keys, we noticed that they were all pretty similar, and that we would probably only go back to the ones where we could easily access great scuba spots and then of course return to Key West being the destination spot that it is in itself.

After checking in, we grabbed an Uber and headed toward one side of Duval Street, then decided to walk the whole way back to the hotel taking in the vibes along the way. It reminded us a lot of Miami and New Orleans, with the little shops and cute restaurants everywhere. We made a little time to shop, have dinner, and grab some ice cream, because of course. (Wicked Licks was the best! And the Grand Cafe did not disappoint).🍦

The walk back was pretty, calm, and perfect. It was a beautiful end to a long adventurous day, and once at the hotel, we were not complaining on the amount spent. Sure, it was more than we spent most of the nights, but it was also perfectly clean, the service was impeccable, and the property was absolutely stunning. It was more than refreshing.

We decided that we’d look ahead in the year to see when it’s more affordably priced, and come down for a weekend just to veg out in the sun.☀️
P.S. They also have rentable golf carts to drive the island! How cool is that?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key West Hotel Tips + What We’d Do Differently

Unfortunately, the fire alarm went off at 3am, so that was less than ideal.😹 But other than that, we got a great night of sleep, and thoroughly enjoyed the morning, (which I’ll talk about in the next post!) So stick around and see how we got started going back north!

Also! Pro tip for fancy hotels: Don’t worry about paying the premium for a better view in your room. (We had a giant AC unit outside of ours and zero good views, but it didn’t matter, especially because we were getting in late and also leaving early). I’d recommend instead getting the more inexpensive room and then going out to the actual beach and lounge area that are free! Win, win!

Now, per our agreement with sharing the expenses, check them out below to see how our Miami to Everglades to Key West day turned out! Let me know in the comments if this is something you’d be okay with bending your budget for or if you’d prefer to skip them altogether.🤷‍♀️

See you in the next post, friends! ✌️

Southern States Road Trip Expenses for Day 9:

• Hotel:  $547.77
• Parking: $90.00
• Dinner: $142.18
• Shopping: $80.41
• Ice cream:  $31.08
• Park souvenir: $8.59
• Water – free from the hotel! Yay! (But there’s a CVS down the road and a Walgreens if you need anything else!)
  • Total: $900.03🫠

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for Following Along Our Miami Beach on a Budget Journey

Thank you so much for reading and being part of our journey! It means more than you know to have you here following along through the highs, the hiccups, and everything in between. This stretch of the trip definitely taught us a lot about budgeting, expectations, and finding the right balance while traveling. If you’ve ever had a trip not go quite as planned, just know you’re not alone. We’re learning right alongside you! Stay tuned for the next post as we start heading back north, and as always, feel free to share your thoughts or experiences in the comments.