I began planning to see Taylor Swift in Miami back in February. It began when my friend visited on Valentine’s Day (Galentine’s for us!) and we toasted to going to the recently announced additional US show in Miami. I didn’t want it to be an empty toast, one of those things that would have been cool and fun but never quite worked out, but there was a lot of work and planning left to do. In that moment, I honestly had no idea if I could actually make all the pieces come together.
When she and I reconnected in March when she visited again, and I realized she had the dates marked off in her calendar, I understood she was actually as, okay almost as, excited about this as me, and we needed to do it.
Despite the fact we’re talking 7-8 months before the show, when I began to look for hotels in Miami, I found many had already been booked up. I kept searching and reading and checking rates and availability and landed on the Acqualina for the pricing, room type available, AAA five diamond and Forbes five star ratings (It’s actually the first Forbes five star property I’ve stayed at), the spectacular ocean views, and the distance to the stadium.
The Acqualina is not actually in Miami, instead, it’s in Sunny Isles Beach. This means we were directly east of Hard Rock Stadium and would not have to fight our way through routine Miami traffic in addition to concert traffic. It was a great decision, made for a relatively easy drive to the stadium, and I would stay there again for an event at Hard Rock for this reason alone. Despite the fact it meant the hotel was pretty much closed after the show, it was also nice to be in a calm and relaxing area instead of Miami since it’s quite the party town.
But there are plenty more reasons to stay at the Acqualina. Though there were a couple minor issues throughout the stay like the hot water in one of the sinks not getting hot and a fan not being in the room as requested, there was only one larger issue. The room was not ready upon our arrival as it was around 2:30 and check-in is at 4. Though I did tell the hotel our estimated arrival time, I understood it could not be guaranteed. They said they would try to expedite things, particularly once we arrived, but that didn’t happen. Instead I had to go up an inquire about our room again at check-in time. A call was made and it turned out the room was ready. This was frustrating and threw me off a bit (for example, I forgot to charge my phone and hoped it would hang in there during the show – it almost made it, and my friend let me borrow hers!), but things happen.
Onto all the good stuff! Like the view. If you aren’t going to Miami for an event, the view from Acqualina is reason enough to stay there. It is built closer to shore than most hotels and it shows. Our 27th floor room had a view that I could not get enough of. We walked out immediately upon arrival, overnight, and cherished every moment out there until we had to check out. The sound of the waves, being able to see what felt like forever into the distance. It was magic.
The room itself was clean, spacious and luxurious with a comfortable bed, gorgeous bathroom with great lighting, a full-sized kitchen, a pull out bed, an additional day bed, and a balcony that had two access points. It would be a great place to spend a longer vacation with the kitchen since eating every meal out can get to be a lot.
The little touches really meant a lot. Namely, upon our arrival, the hotel handed out friendship bracelets and sunglasses, given basically the entire hotel was heading to the show. Also, I requested a stuffed branded bear and was gifted that. I absolutely love it as a token of my trip.
In general, the staff is attentive and aware. One lady noticed we probably wanted a photo and offered without us having to ask. When we sat by one of the stunning pools for a few moments after walking on the beach, multiple people asked if we needed anything. This was really awesome. I also want to shout out Randy the concierge for helping me figure out parking at the show prior to my arrival and then helping my friend get the correct location in her phone for easy arrival to the show.
The resort has four restaurants, two of which were closed when we needed to eat dinner in order to get to the show on time, one of which was outside and the weather was way too windy, chilly, and misty for that, and the other is Il Mulino. It’s a small Italian chain based in New York, and honestly wasn’t my first choice for dinner. However, they got us in and out and prepared a really nice meal. Because we didn’t get the full experience, I can’t say much more than that. There’s also a tiny coffee and ice cream spot and a spa that we just walked through quickly.
Breakfast is included with every stay. This is a very nice touch. While one of the restaurants is open in the morning, we chose room service and our swoon worthy view. It was totally the right decision as breakfast was simple excellence and we got to watch surfers catching some pretty impressive waves.
I wish I would have had a little more time to explore Acqualina, but I really made the most of it and soaked up as much of that salt air as I could. It was the perfect place to stay for our little adventure that was incredibly far outside my comfort zone. I can’t wait to continue to push the boundaries of my life for a future as big as that ocean.
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