Day 2: Virgin Voyages | Scarlet Lady with South Beach
It was another day of sunshine and blue skies in South Beach. We started our day at the pool. Upon entry to the pool there is a pool attendant that checks you in and gets you setup with loungers and an umbrella. When the chairs run out, she keeps a waiting list so the pool never gets crowded. The atmosphere at the pool is very mellow with relaxing background music and lots of greenery. There were a decent amount of children swimming and playing, and it was still peaceful. Starbucks is located next door so we enjoyed sipping our coffees and eating breakfast poolside.
The pool is reserved for hotel guests, but I’m pretty sure I witnessed someone sneak in yesterday. The lounger next to me was occupied by a man who left for a short bit. He left his drinks, breakfast, wallet, and towels there and it was clearly visible that the seats were occupied. While he was gone, a woman with a service dog sat down. I assumed they were together. When the man returned, he stood there looking at the woman not saying anything. The woman immediately defended her dog saying he was a service animal. The man replied saying that this was his lounger and stuff. The woman then apologizes and moves. The guy had left an iced coffee there that the woman spilled on the towels and drank! Later, I overheard her telling another guest how she lived three blocks from here. It was an odd thing! Bottom line. Don’t leave your stuff unattended.
A multipurpose trail is located between the pool and beach. It’s filled with people walking, running, biking, roller blading, etc. Our hotel has bikes that guests can use as part of the resort fee so we checked out two to explore the trail. We rode 5 miles north and then turned around. The ocean breeze, sunshine, and sounds of the ocean made it an enjoyable place to exercise. It is however, a little difficult to bike between the chaos of walkers, runners, and bikers who each use the trail at their leisure. I didn’t hit anyone with my bike which felt like a true victory.
Back at home, we don’t go out for fancy meals often so in celebration of the new year and my birthday, we had dinner reservations to a steak house a short walk from the hotel. Our reservation was at 5pm, but they don’t take reservations for outside so we had to wait for an outside table to open-up. I didn’t look close enough to the reservation ahead of time! We were told it would be 45-60 minutes. The restaurant is located next door to a waterway and the sun was starting to set. We enjoyed taking in the beauty. We also witnessed Carnival’s Freedom float by as it departed for a cruise. As I was taking pictures, I placed my hand on a tree for balance. As I removed my hand, I decent sized splinter wedged its way into my hand. I tried to remove it but that thing wasn’t coming out without the right tools. I googled the nearest pharmacy and as we were deciding if we had time to stop there, my phone rang. The table was ready.
It had only been fifteen minutes so the table was ready way earlier than predicted. When we arrived at the hostess stand, I asked if they had a first aid kit with antibiotic ointment and a bandaid. They did so I patched up my hand and would deal with it after dinner. The hostess instructed us to head upstairs and that someone would be up there to guide us to a table. This area of the restaurant had just opened so we were offered our choice in seat. We chose a table next to the railing that overlooked the waterway. It was absolutely beautiful watching the sun set in a relatively quiet outdoor atmosphere.
The service was excellent and the meal was paced out over three hours. We started with drinks: an Old Cuban for Brian and Prosecco for me. The most delicious bread was delivered next. It was four rolls baked into a skillet and the whole skillet was delivered to our table. It was topped with melted butter, salt, and thyme. The bread was warm and perfectly baked. Brian and I had originally each ordered a salad, but our waiter informed us that the salads were large and easily shared. I’m so glad he said that because the salad could have been a meal ok it’s own. It was an iceberg salad with blue cheese, blue cheese dressing, bacon, and tomatoes. The bacon had an appearance more like thick pieces of ham and were divine. Our main course was next: stone crab for Brian and steak with a red demi-glace for me. We also had whipped potatoes to share. It was the best steak, I’ve ever had. We initially passed on dessert because we were so full. The waiter brought Brian another drink and said he’d check back later to see if we changed our minds. He waited just enough time for us to digest some of our food that when he returned, Brian ordered the skillet cookie with ice cream. All of the desserts were pretty large so we shared it. Of all the things we ate, this was my least favorite, but I’m not really a skillet cookie kind of person. I don’t like my ice cream melted. Brian thoroughly enjoyed it because that is one of his favorite type of dessert.
After dinner, it was time to take care of my hand. We walked about a mile to CVS where we picked up tweezers, rubbing alcohol, Neosporin, and bandaids then walked back to our hotel. It took me about five minutes to remove the splinter and bandage my hand. Good as new.
Stay tuned for more adventures!
About Me: My name is Amaris Scipione and I founded Adventure by Amaris in 2020 after over a decade working in video production. A debilitating concussion had me bedridden for weeks and it gave me time to think about my journey and how I wanted to re-direct my life back to my passion. Travel has always been my passion and I studied film and video at Penn State University with the intention of one day creating travel documentaries. Adventures by Amaris allows me to plan and elevate the travel experience for my clients. I also use my skills in video production to best prepare my clients for the experiences that await them and to showcase the amazing locations on planet Earth. If you are considering a family vacation or milestone vacation in the near future, please reach out! Request Vacation Quote
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