Mother-Daughter Trip to Miami, Florida

After spending an entire year traveling throughout Europe, my first couple of months back home had me feeling restless. The normalcy of life was creeping in, and the lack of adventure made me cringe. All I needed was a plane ticket anywhere. I didn’t have to leave the country or go on some extravagant trip; I just craved a change. Within the first week back home, I was already looking at plane tickets. I knew I could not go through the entire summer without something to look forward to.

I found inexpensive airfare to Miami and booked my ticket within the week. The trip would be right before I had to go back to San Diego for the fall semester. Having this plane ticket gave me something to look forward to while I spent every day of summer working or studying for my summer school courses.

Some of my earliest memories of travel are the summer vacations I spent in Miami with my family. I remember hearing the thunderous nights and feeling the humid air. I spent long afternoons at the beach, sleeping under palm trees while dozing off to the sound of Spanish conversation. But this was not what brought me to Florida every year. My family went to Miami to visit our Cuban relatives.  It seemed like everyone I knew in Miami was somehow my “cousin”.

My mom was born in Cuba and came to America when she was just seven years old. While she has her immediate family members here in California, the rest of her relatives live in Miami. She has always told us stories about life in Cuba, however this was through her seven year old interpretation.

For me personally, I’ve always been fascinated with my Cuban heritage. The only problem was that I really didn’t know any other Cubans in California besides my mom’s family, which is very small. When I was growing up, we spent many summers vacationing with the Cubans in Miami. During my high school and college years, taking our annual trip to Florida became impossible with our busy schedule. Before I knew it, almost 10 years have past by since my last visit to Miami.

Finally after a few months of impatiently waiting, my mom and I hopped on a plane to Florida. The first few days were spent in a sunny beach side town called Naples, and then we headed back to Miami to finish off our holiday.

Usually when I travel, I have a general idea of what I want to see and do every day. I know what kind of food I need to try, what parks I need to see, and what bars I need to hit up at night. With this trip, I left all the planning for my cousins. I knew this wouldn’t be a normal traveling experience where I’m scrambling to check out all the touristy spots, but I was 100% ok with that. I wanted to be with my Cuban family, and that was my biggest priority.

Food / Mojitos

We stopped at Mango’s Tropical Cafe in South Beach for a Mojito and a quick bite to eat. This restaurant is catered towards more of the tourist crowd, however they have such a fun and wild atmosphere. The Latin live music and dancing were very entertaining. The best part about the place is they have over 10 different mojitos to sample. I highly recommend trying the pineapple or passion fruit. Both flavors are perfectly refreshing after spending an afternoon in the hot Miami sun.

Another great restaurant we went to was a place called Mojitos. As you can guess, we ordered pitchers of Mojitos that were amazing. This place had a live Latin band and a dance floor packed with Cubans young and old. I had so much fun learning how to dance like a true Cuban! Oh yeah, and the food was amazing as well.

We went to a spot that was highly recommended to me  called Havana 1957. This restaurant brings out a fresh bucket of plantain chips to every table that are to die for good. Their authentic Mojitos are garnished with a sugar cane stick.

On our last night, we celebrated our wonderful trip with a dinner at Ortanique. This restaurant is in Coral Gables on Miracle Mile. They are known for having some of the best Mojitos, which were my favorite! This was a great place to order a few appetizers to share.

The majority of the nights we ate home cooked Cuban food. All of the Cuban women helped out in the kitchen. Whether they were setting the table or frying up plantains, everyone was participating. Everything that they cooked up was heavenly. I forgot how much I LOVE Cuban food.

Beaches

One afternoon, we walked on Ocean Boulevard down in South Beach to check out all of the lively bars and restaurants down there. Turns out, South beach was the first area developed in Miami sometime during 1910. You can see this in the retro-style buildings to this day. South beach is definitely known among the tourists as being a popular area to check out in Miami. It seems during the summer months this area can attract a rowdy crowd, but that just makes it even better for people watching.

We spent several days relaxing at the beach. Instead of going to the more popular beaches like Miami Beach and South Beach, the cousins took us to two more low key spots. The first one was Key Biscayne. This Beach had a beautiful lighthouse at one end, which really made it unique. The walkway that leads to the beach is surrounded by trees and wildlife.

The other beach we checked out was Matheson Hammock Beach. This one is great for little kids because of the calm enclosed waters. It also has countless palm trees right on the sand that provide perfect shade for a little siesta.

My trip to Miami was the perfect ending to my summer vacation. It was so nice to finally see my relatives again. Not only did I learn so much about my Cuban heritage, but I was also immersed in Spanish for the majority of the trip, which I absolutely loved.

I already know that I will be back to Miami next summer. From now on, going to see the cousins in Florida is going to become a priority. This trip has reminded me the importance of family, and I am so thankful to have them in my life.

See yeah next year, Miami!