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It honestly doesn’t get much better than white sand, clear water and two beach babes! Today I am finally sharing our family beach trip to Playa Amore in Miramar, Florida over the July 4th Holiday. I think the slight delay has a little something to do with the fact that I edited 79 pictures. Why of why Brittany?!? As much as you may like my blog, you probably do NOT care to see quite that many! LOL. The class on batch editing and saving at Haven last weekend would’ve done WONDERS for this post! So I scaled them back and am just sharing the highlights from our trip.
Our beach trip this year was literally worlds apart from basically the last eight years worth of toting a trailer load of baby gear to the shore and wiping sand covered faces. Don’t worry mommas, it gets better. WAY better! As in, you can actually sit by your husband in a beach chair, sip a mojito and actually carry on a conversation. Can I get a hallelujah?!? Although a baby on the beach is about the cutest thing EVER, I remember all too well the sunscreen tears, sandy mouthes and endless chasing. It was literally like 2016… poof!… easy kids at the beach! God bless the 3’s! Honestly my very favorite baby/toddler age. Please don’t turn 4 soon Winnie. Pa-leeeaaase!!! So here is our trip in pictures and the scoop on our favorite moments, places and activities. Hayes Beach Trip 4.0 here we come!
For more information on renting this beautiful townhome, CLICK HERE! Also, read my recent blog post “A Dreamy Gulf Coastal Beach Rental” for a full townhome tour and details on all of the paint colors, furnishing sources and everything in between! (post contains affiliate links)
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Beaching It!
Image By: Brianna Moore Photography
My Suit / Winnie’s Suit / Addie’s Suit
We truly beached it this year. The girls dug and splashed for hours and hours and hours with an occasional “daddy take me to the ocean”. We also found a huge inflatable boat at a local beach shop and ended up spending hours in it! The waves were so calm that the girls and I piled inside while Mark pulled us around. Since we were there during the heat of the Summer, after the first day we discovered that 2pm-8pm was the BEST beach time. We would “flit” around for breakfast and lunch and then head down early afternoon. Everyone else starts packing up around that time so we called it “our little secret”.
My Suit / Winnie’s Suit / Addie’s Suit
Hanging Out Inside
Playa Amore was truly one of a kind. It was like stepping into a Coastal Living magazine every time we stepped inside. Not to mention that it is absolutely HUGE! My mom even joined us for several days which was a huge help with the kiddos and even allowed us to sneak in a date night!
Out on the Town
Although I have to say that we spent most of our time at the beach, we did venture out some so here were our favorite moments, restaurants and adventure spots…
Surf Hut… This cute little oceanfront restaurant was walking distance from Playa Amore so we dined there several times for lunch. They even had corn hole boards set up to play while you wait for your meal.
Bad Ass Coffee… I biked to get coffee. I seriously just had to do it so I could say it but it was so much fun! I joked with Mark that I wanted to fill my bike basket with peonies and a cute little puppy while sipping my Iced Mocha Macchiato. Because that would be totally Instagram worthy right?!? And then he bursted my bubble with the fact that I would have to steer with a coffee in my hand and I am not exactly the absolute most coordinated chic on the block. Well dang. Still so fun though!
Whale’s Tail… Another walkable little lunch joint where I enjoyed fish tacos for the hundredth time!
And then came July 4th… I have wanted to try this for absolute EVER so we hit the beach with a camera and a million sparklers to give it a try. A little harder than I expected but super fun! A little tutorial…
SPARKLER PHOTOGRAPHY
The key is to set your shutter speed CRAZY low. This means that you will definitely need a tri-pod. I used the big “box” on the beach where they store beach chairs. Depending on how much you are trying to write, you will need the shutter to stay open for at least 5-20 seconds. Have someone that lights the sparkler and then someone who is taking the picture. Once it is lit, say “GO” for them to start the image. Cursive works best and I found it easier to write and then flip the image in Photoshop so it wasn’t backwards.
Lulu’s… I have to say that this was our FAVORITE lunch spot! It was such a fun atmosphere and the food was seriously amazing! Definitely worth a hop in the car.
Gulfarium… During one of the super hot days when we chose to hit the beach early afternoon, we spent the morning at the Gulfarium. Given the fact that I am a little spoiled with living 45 min from the Georgia Aquarium, I cannot say that it was AMAZING but the girls enjoyed it. Most of it did end up being outside but at least it was covered and gave us a little break from the heat! It is also right down from Rockin’ Tacos which was great and had gorgeous beach views!
Ice Cream Truck… Oh my goodness my girls could not get enough of this! It was the only way we could get them off of the beach and they were in complete awe of the idea. It stopped right in front of Playa Amore!
Louis Louis… Our favorite dinner restaurant spot for the week was the sister restaurant to Red Bar. Except that Red Bar is IMPOSSIBLE to get in without waiting forever and a day and they have the EXACT same menu. Their crab cakes are TO DIE FOR…
Bikes… Playa Amore offers bike rentals and we seriously had too much fun with these!
Sailing… Mark and I LOVE sailing! We have gone twice in the past but have never brought the kiddos. We did a sunset sail which left out of Destin and it was absolutely STUNNING! Plus, we got to watch the fireworks show once we got off right over the water. A must do! And here’s my wonderful mom too!
Henderson Park Inn… I have to say that this is one of THE most beautiful and romantic spots I have ever seen. My mom offered to watch the kiddos one evening so we hit the town. Mark searched for the most romantic destination in the area and Henderson Park Inn had great reviews. We felt like we were walking into one of our favorite series, Revenge, well minus the murders and craziness and drama. It was a picture perfect setting with amazing sunset views.
I mean… I just had to… That’s what you get for making fun of me BABE!
Thank you guys so much for following our journey!
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XOXO, Brittany Hayes
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