48 hours in Miami Beach: The Best Family weekend.
Updated: Feb 24, 2023
Sometimes the best family trips are weekend getaways. If your family wants a fun weekend in Miami Beach then this 48 hour itinerary may be the plan you are looking for.
In less than 48 hours we were able to soak up some beach therapy, enjoy some poolside novel reading, eat authentic Cuban food, and explore a world class science museum. This is how we did it:
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The Hotel
We chose the Grand Beach Hotel Miami Beach as our home for the weekend. The Grand Beach is an oceanfront hotel with white powder sand beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. The hotel was built in 2009 and represents modern coastal design. In addition to the beach there are 3 swimming pools and 2 jacuzzi hot tubs on the property. Poolside offers adequate lounging space and a pool side/ beach side bar serving all of the standard tropical drinks and many NA mocktails for kids. The suites feature modern designs in white, gray and ocean blue color pallets. Our room had a private balcony with a partial ocean view and a partial Biscayne Bay view. We experienced both the beauty of the White sand beaches highlighted with turquoise water and the phenomenal private yachts cruising the bay. Alaina and I had a private bedroom with on suite bathroom while the kids were provided a queen pull out couch with access to their own private bath off of the sitting room. The room also provided a mini fridge and bar lounge area and large smart screen TVs. During our stay the hotel was renovating their main restaurant so on property meals were very limited. I imagine once the construction is complete, the Grand Beach will meet most of your relaxation needs without needing to leave the property.
Friday Night
We checked in around 7pm and quickly found the rooftop swimming pool and poolside cabanas. We all chose to lounge in an open cabana and enjoy our beach novels. Our daughter Ariana was trying to rack up as many AR points as possible to get her class reading club shirt as soon as possible. After a while I made my way down to the beach bar to obtain refreshments and a few snacks for our family to enjoy while moon bathing and reading in our rooftop cabana. The night was gorgeous and we all had the best time together reading and snacking till late.
Saturday Morning
Sleeping in was at the top of our list for Saturday activities. Once up we grabbed our beach bag and walked down to the ocean front lounges. The sand was soft and the water temps were luke. Again we dug into our novels with a few breaks to cool off and splash in the ocean. The beach was clean, the lounges and umbrellas were well taken care of and there was plenty of seating for everyone wishing to enjoy the sun. For refreshments you needed to hike back to the pool area. The beach/pool bar was not offering service down on the beach. I would recommend a cooler for beverages and snacks. Check out our favorite beach bag choices here.
Saturday Lunch
We decided to leave the property and find chicken wings or burgers for lunch. We went for a drive to check out the Miami Beach area and found parking near Deco Wings and Burgers. What we found at the Deco was very much a small authentic Cuban neighborhood restaurant with inside as well as covered sidewalk seating. We chose to get inside out of the sun and immediately upon realizing our good fortune switched from a plan of burgers to Cuban sandwiches. I have tried Cuban sandwiches all around the gulf coast area as well as Orlando and Tampa. These Cuban sandwiches were by far the best I have had since moving to Florida. I wish we had taken an Uber. I would have enjoyed a Rum and Coke or Mojito with those sandwiches.
Saturday Afternoon
We spent the afternoon lounging poolside at our hotel and finishing off the novels we brought. If you are looking for a little more activity on your weekend away I would suggest paddle boarding Biscayne Bay or renting jet skis. We looked into both options but our kids wanted to play in the pool so we spent the afternoon on property. If you have older kids or no kids or just kids that love water sports here are my recommendations for rentals:
Research and read more reviews or book both companies here via Trip Advisor .com
Saturday Late Dinner
Here is what we did and what we should have done. It is a choose your own adventure for you. I can not give you a blog on the best 48 hours spent in Miami Beach with the dinner choice we made by not writing about the option we left on the table. Let me explain:
The plan was to have dinner at Havana 1957 on Espanola way. But we lucked into that very quaint Cuban restaurant for lunch. So instead we decided to walk the strip in front of the hotel and admire the boats on Biscayne Bay. Our walk led us to the Fontainebleau hotel. Inside the hotel is the Arkadia Grill. The grill is styled after a secret underground speakeasy and is very cool. The menu is a bit limited to gourmet burgers and pizzas but each one of our choices was delicious and went home full and with leftovers.
So why do I need to steer you to another restaurant after describing our amazing experience? Because the menu choices and atmosphere of Havana 1957 look spectacular! The web reviews and website made Havana 1957 our original choice when we were planning, and I think this restaurant will cap off your trip nicely. You have a choice of multiple locations around the Miami Beach area and each spot depicts Havana a bit differently. Check out there website here: www.havana1957.com
Sunday the Frost Science Aquarium
We were lucky enough to drive down to Miami Beach so we did not have a return flight to catch on Sunday, so no limit on the time we could spend on our final activity. But I strongly believe that you can spend a few hours seeing and experiencing all the attractions we did and make the short trip to Miami International airport and catch your flight to be home in time for dinner.
We spent four hours exploring this museum and were not able to complete every attraction. But we did enjoy the aquarium’s ocean bottom perspective. Think worms eye view for comic book art. We also sat through the planetarium show and completed the Sherlock Holms exhibit.
The planetarium show was one of the most relaxing experiences I have had in quite awhile. You are in for a very soothing journey through space while enjoying comfortable movie theater style seating. The Frost Science Aquarium gives you the opportunity to sit on the ocean’s floor and experience sharks, fish and other sea creatures the way a diver would with amazing visibility and luck. This aquarium exhibit was surrounded by science exhibits that teach underwater exploration and conservation. This was really a spectacular opportunity. The Sherlock Holms exhibit is temporary but I am sure it will be replaced by another top notch experience. But for now you can enjoy learning how the scientific method is applied to investigations and forensics through the eyes of Sherlock Holms. www.frostscience.org
As promised Sun, Atmosphere, food and education. To me this is the perfect recipe for a memorable family weekend away. Let us know your favorite weekend getaway by messaging us on Facebook or emailing sunhatsntravelmaps@gmail.com. If you take this trip let us know which restaurant you choose for Saturday night dinner. If you own or work at a cool spot that you want us to check out and give you a shout out you can use the contact info above to get InTouch.
To book parts or all of this trip consider the resources Trip Advisor has available here.
1 more bottle of sunscreen recycled and a weekend full of memories.
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