City Spot: Area Code 305

My fiance and I love food. Like many couples, we go out to dinner pretty often. And while we do have the usual spots we enjoy--hello, Tarpon Bend--we try to make it a point to venture out to new places as much as possible. 

So a couple of weeks ago when the hubs was craving a steak--which, who am I kidding, is pretty often--we went on a Google hunt for a steakhouse we hadn't tried. Here's where our search led us to:

Area Code 55 in Sunny Isles is Brazilian rodizio--you know, one of those places where they bring different meats around to your table--and I must say, it was pretty good. First off, the dinner is $30 per person, which is pretty inexpensive compared to other places with the same concept.

The menu has a lot of different options like flank steak, filet mignon, pork loin, chicken wrapped in bacon and, of course, their signature roasted pineapple. The salad bar had a good selection of different sides, including rice, potato salad, cheeses, veggies and soups, and if you're not a meat eater, you can choose to stick with the salad bar for $19 per person, instead.

After so much meat, we were way too full for dessert, but I did notice a chocolate brownie that looked pretty delicious. Oh yea, and if you're having drinks? Order a sangria, it's huge and very tasty.

New Gig: Justluxe.com

JustLuxe.com is one of my favorite websites. Besides having some killer fashion posts, JustLuxe often features great destinations, hotels and everything uber lavish in the world of travel.I was accepted as a contributor a while back and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to submit a piece that would be just right for the website. And that day finally arrived!

I had the pleasure of being invited to try a local restaurant called Atrio, which is located inside the Conrad Miami in the heart of the city's bustling Brickell financial district. The food at Atrio was nothing short of spectacular, but what made the experience even better was that the restaurant review I wrote was chosen to appear in JustLuxe.com's Miami City Guide.

Check out the post here!

Blog Lovin': I Travel Because...

Thanks to the wonderful world of Twitter, I was introduced to a really cool blog a couple of months ago. I Travel Because was started by a young lady named Rosalie Bartlett, who I've spoken to via Twitter and think she's awesome. The site showcases travelers from around the word, sharing what they love about traveling. I think it's a really creative concept and had a lot of fun going through the posts.

And, Rosalie was sweet enough to feature me on the site, too! How cool is that?


 Check out the post here.
 
To see all the amazing travelers featured, visit itravelbecause.com.

Travel Spotlight: Ocho Rios, Jamaica

I've been to the Caribbean quite a few times but I don't think I've ever seen beaches quite as beautiful as in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Here's a a glimpse of my most recent trip to visit to the little gem of an island, where I stayed at the Royal Plantation, an absolutely stunning property that's part of the Sandals Resort collection. Enjoy!

Arriving at the Royal Plantation feels more like arriving at a friend's home
than an actual hotel. Okay, so maybe a very wealthy friend's home... :)

This hotel is really popular among honeymooners, and with this romantic
landscape, it's very easy to understand why. Simply stunning. 

There are just 72 rooms scattered around the lush property.

Just look at this crystal clear water!

One of the biggest treats of this trip was having lunch at the home of
Butch Stewart, the owner on Sandals Resorts.

Do you absolutely love vacationing in the Caribbean? What's your favorite island?

Win a Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

Photo courtesy of squeaks2569; Flickr.com

The only thing better than traveling, is traveling for free! That's why, every time I come across a contest with a cool trip as a the grand prize, I try my luck. Hey, you never know...

I ran into this contest today, hosted by the National Geographic Visitor Center and Grand Canyon Expeditions. Up for grabs is a an 8-day rafting trip through the Colorado River, covering over 200 miles of river rapids. I've never been white water rafting but hear is a great time!

Enter the contest here!

Have you ever been rafting? I'd love to hear about your experiences :)

Travel Spotlight: Caribbean Cruising

Happy Thursday Blogger!

It's been a whirlwind over the last few weeks for me. Between a giant Florida weddings assignment I've been working on, to rounding up giveaways for the blog and a couple of other side projects, I've been super busy. Not to mention, making time for the boy, family and friends! But no complaints, I definitely would rather have too much to do than nothing at all. Do you like being busy all the time? How do you balance your work and social life?

Anyway, I've been meaning to post photos from my latest travel adventure, a 7-day Caribbean cruise I took this summer for my niece's birthday. I've taken quite a few cruises over the years and I really don't ever get tired of them. While I'm still skeptical of taking a fast-paced cruise vacation to a destination like Europe, I think cruises are perfect for the Caribbean as some of the islands are small and you can explore most of the terrain in a day's time. And the free food (okay, so it's  technically really "pre-paid" in your cruise fare) isn't too shabby either.

My latest cruising adventure was aboard the Carnival Valor, which visited Grand Cayman, Belize, Roatan and Cozumel, Mexico. Here are some photos I took along the way...

There she is, the Carnival Valor.

First stop, Grand Cayman. This photo does no justice to the gorgeous
blue waters here. Travel tip: Stop at the Tortuga Rum Factory for yummy
rum cakes and free samples :)

There's an area in Grand Cayman called "Hell." They
have a fun little store here where you can buy souvenirs
and get your passport stamped saying that you've
literally been to "Hell."

The neighborhood of Hell was actually named after the volcanic
rock formations there.

Next stop, Roatan, Honduras. Travel tip: While, there's a beach a short walk
from the port, the best beaches are actually about a 20 minute taxi ride out. Most
of the locals we spoke to favored Tabiana Beach.

Third stop, Belize City. Travel tip: Belize has some of the most beautiful
waters in the Caribbean, however, all the beaches/snorkeling is a 15-20
minute boat ride from Belize City. Book your excursion in advance! We
failed to do this and wish we had. Belize City is pretty underdeveloped, the
port authority is disorganized and frankly, the city is pretty dangerous to be
walking around in. If you go straight on an excursion from the ship, though,
you're in for some spectacular snorkeling.

Cozumel...they definitely saved the best for last. I always love visiting here
because the locals are so hospitable, the beaches are amazing and the
food is delicious! 

Just because Cozumel deserved two photos :)

Do you like cruising? What's been your favorite experience?

Giveaway Winner Announcement!

Hello Bloggers!

It's time to announce the winner of A Girl and a Suitcase's latest giveaway...

The winner of a free copy of The Privileged Pooch: Luxury Travel With Your Pet in Southern California is  comment #2, Amanda. The winner was randomly selected using Random.org. Congratulations, Amanda! I'll be emailing you for further information so I can get the book to you right away.

Be sure to keep visiting for upcoming giveaways! I'll be featuring another one very, very soon ;)