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February 20, 2012

Exploring Florida’s Key Biscayne

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Miss my first two posts from our mini-getaway to Miami this weekend? Here they are:

  • Adventures in Miami
  • Miami by Foot & New Balance Running Skirt Review

So, remember when I said we were spending Saturday night on South Beach? Well, we had our hotel locations mixed up — when we arrived in South Beach, we were told that we actually had reservations at their hotel location on Key Biscayne, which is about 15 minutes from downtown Miami and it’s own island. D’oh! Over there we went. 🙂

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Key Biscayne actually turned out to be awesome, and way more “us” than South Beach, anyway! It’s beautiful and more secluded with pretty state parks and trails; you felt like you were on a tropical island somewhere!

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Matt and I stayed at the Ritz on Key Biscayne because he was able to use his Marriott points to book us a night for free (apparently the Ritz and Marriott are partners). Awesome! I don’t think I’ve ever stayed at a Ritz before — the service was insane and we even got champagne upon check in. 🙂

We were also treated to a beautiful sunset on Saturday night shortly after we arrived!

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This was the view from our room — it was even more stunning in person.

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We had a low key Saturday and ate dinner at the on-site outdoor Mexican restaurant — the weather was lovely and the food was good, too. We took a nice walk on the beach in the dark after — one of my favorite things to do. The beach at night is so calming.

On Sunday morning, we headed out for another run! Our destination: Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, a little over a mile from our hotel and home to a pretty lighthouse.

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But… when we arrived, we found out that the entrance fee for pedestrians is $2 per person. Lame! It hadn’t even occurred to us we might have to pay to get in, so we didn’t have any money with us. State park fail. We headed back to the hotel, defeated, and decided to walk back to the park later along the beach.

The hotel had an awesome outdoor buffet brunch going on when we got back — there was a bit of a line, but thankfully we didn’t have to wait more than 15 minutes or so.

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I rocked the oatmeal and fruit:

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And shared an omelette with Matt, too. They had the most creative omelette-making station — Matt got one made with garlic and Indian curry! Plus tons of veggies, too. It was tasty. 🙂

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I also enjoyed a slice of unpictured bacon, obvi.

As soon as we were done eating… it was time for this:

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Oh man… I’m jealous of myself just looking at that picture. Can I go back?!

Matt and I hung out on the beach for a couple hours — it was amazing.

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After awhile, we made our way to the hotel pool for some swimming and a late lunch. I randomly had the lamb burger — it came with arugula, mint, and goat cheese and just sounded really good on the menu. It was! Plus a side salad instead of fries:

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Look who came to join us!

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So cool. He was BIG!

After our feast, we headed back out to the beach for lighthouse/state park attempt #2. We were determined to see this damn thing. 🙂 The walk along the beach was about 2 miles, but it was a gorgeous walk.

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We made it!

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The state park beach was bumpin’!

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We were hoping to climb the lighthouse, but alas, no dice. “Official tours only.” We settled for wandering around it, instead.

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I was so sad to leave Miami yesterday, but we had a great weekend. 🙂 I’ll be back to normal posting tomorrow — I hope you all enjoyed hearing about our adventures!

- anne
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19 comments
  • Sana
    February 20, 2012 · 8:54PM:
    Alright, next vacation you are taking me with you. You won't even notice me..... I will bring you sweetgreen!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      February 20, 2012 · 9:06PM:
      Deal ;)
      Reply
  • Mom February 20, 2012 · 8:54PM:
    Those sunset photos are stunning! I like the Jurassic guy who dropped by for lunch, too.
    Reply
  • HRCK the Herald
    February 20, 2012 · 8:54PM:
    Gosh, that looks amazing! The water in your pictures is so pretty with its different shades of blue. I'm jealous of you as well! :) Hope returning to Chapel Hill wasn't a let-down.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      February 20, 2012 · 9:05PM:
      Don't worry, I still love Chapel Hill, too. :)
      Reply
  • Alaina
    February 20, 2012 · 9:25PM:
    Oh wow, that is making me long for a tropical vacation! I need to get away. :-)
    Reply
  • Laura
    February 20, 2012 · 9:35PM:
    That Ritz does look amazing. It was great meeting you too...let me know if you want to hit up Guglhuph (or others)!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      February 21, 2012 · 7:37AM:
      Yes, definitely! Email me and we can figure out a night :)
      Reply
  • Gia @ rungiarun
    February 20, 2012 · 10:04PM:
    I love Key Biscayne! Its perfect proximity to enjoy some of South Beach's charms but a quieter beach vacay at the same time!
    Reply
  • Lexi @ Cura Personalis Foodie
    February 20, 2012 · 10:43PM:
    That sunset is absolutely breathtaking! And those omelets sound intriguing :)
    Reply
  • Jill K February 20, 2012 · 11:02PM:
    One word: Paradise! And watch out.... the Ritz can become habit forming! ;-)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      February 21, 2012 · 7:36AM:
      Haha except that we could never afford to actually stay there, alas!
      Reply
  • Lauren @ What Lauren Likes
    February 21, 2012 · 7:07AM:
    Awesome picutures :)
    Reply
  • Renie February 21, 2012 · 7:51AM:
    OMG, those sunset pictures are spectacular and I love the looks of the food this time. Beautiful pictures.
    Reply
  • Joss
    February 21, 2012 · 9:40AM:
    fantastic pictures and scenery! I especially love the sunset pics :D When I go to Florida it's usually a little place called Lauderdale by the sea :)
    Reply
  • Lesley February 21, 2012 · 11:21AM:
    Your pictures are gorgeous! Glad you had a good time. I live in Miami and sometimes, in the day to day bustle of things, I forget what an amazing city this can be if you just look around. It really is beautiful! That being said- does matt have any cute single friends down here?! ;)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      February 21, 2012 · 12:42PM:
      Hehe unfortunately not! He really only knows his coworkers down there, alas!
      Reply
  • Theodora's Mom February 21, 2012 · 9:38PM:
    Looks like a lovely place for a vacation. Hope to meet you someday
    Reply
    • Anne P
      February 22, 2012 · 8:29AM:
      I was so sad that you and Theodora were in NC and I wasn't! Looks like a fun mini-vacation. :)
      Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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