Miami

Our last Miami trip a few years ago was solely a shopping one, but now that we get to have Jodi tag along with us, we added the Miami Zoo and plenty of pool time to the agenda! But mostly... shopping =)

We don't buy clothes on island, firstly because clothes (along with everything else) are rather expensive, and secondly, there is not much in terms of choice. Most of us islanders wait until a week long (or even weekend long) trip to Miami is planned to do any and all shopping! Whether it's kitchen wares, toys for Jodi, clothes, electronics or linens, the very many ginormous shopping malls with huge selection of products at great prices are a must. And Miami is, very conveniently, only a 70 minute flight from Cayman!

First 10 minutes of the flight                                     Next 60 minutes of the flight

We stayed at a lovely hotel in Miami, The Fairmont Turnberry Isle, which was a stone's throw from one of the shopping malls we frequented, Aventura Mall. We even bumped into friends of ours from Cayman there (Marius and Lara) who we didn't know were staying there too!

The Hotel's Koi Pond

Most days were spent shopping in the morning and then home after lunch to relax by the swimming pool in the afternoon. And most days we went to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch or supper. It Is Awesome. Not only do they have the best selection and most delicious cheesecakes EVER, they also have a phenomenal food menu with the largest, tastiest salads EVER! (Yes, I just uppercased "EVER" twice. That's how much we like the place). JP and I shared a salad (different one each day) which filled us up and also worked out to be a great value for money (that's only if we didn't buy a slice of cheesecake too)! They have 30 different types of cheesecake!

JP and Jodi placing their order

Ready for my day of shopping and chillin by the pool!

Shopping at Dolphin Mall

They have the coolest shopping carts for your purchases.... and your baby

Aventura Mall - Jodi napping

Jodi loves her new forward facing car seat

Fun in the pool

Pool's waterfall

There was a lovely pool at the hotel and even better than that, a lazy river running around it too which was also a highlight for us! For those of you who don't know what a lazy river is, it's a narrow pool that flows similarly to a river, there is a slow current which allows you to gently ride around lying on tubes /rafts. We were so thrilled that we packed Jodi's floaty, cos we just plonked her in there and she floated perfectly around the lazy river with us!

Jodi leading the way round the lazy river

Snack Time

Round and round we go. Lazy rivers are now my new favourite thing!