[Chelsae Anne | Photography]

This past weekend, I escaped West Palm Beach and traveled to Miami Beach for a mini-getaway with my best friend, Jennifer. We stayed at Circa39 Hotel, a charming boutique hotel located just across the street from Miami’s white sandy beaches, in the heart of Miami Beach’s “Wundermile” – a stretch of developments near South Beach and the Design District.

On Friday, we grabbed drinks and light bites at the hotel’s bar, Wunderbar, and had the most delicious (well, more like 3) glasses of sangria. Weather was iffy so mid-way through drinks, I ran outside to the courtyard to quickly take a picture of my outfit.

Sorry it’s not great quality! But in case you missed it on Instagram, here it is again:

TOP: Here/SHORTS: Similar here and here/HEELS: Steve Madden/CLUTCH: (c/o) Pilyq – similar here and here

We spent the rest of the night relaxing and enjoying the hotel! My room was perfect. It had a tropical feel to it with hardwood floors, big plantation-style shutters and lots of window light. I also loved how roomy it was…

On Saturday morning, we shot a couple looks for the blog and then relaxed by the pool for the rest of the afternoon! Surrounded by lush tropical landscape, the pool deck was cozy and super convenient for quickly cooling off (around this time of year, Florida can get really, really hot). It was also conveniently located next to WunderBar… #timeforsangria #again

I wore…

CROCHET BIKINI: (c/o) Top & Bottom/HAT: H&M/BAG: H&M – similar here and here/BANGLES: H&M

In my last blog post (scroll down for more), I mentioned loving the line, Prose & Poetry from Saks Fifth Avenue Boca Raton. This top is from them as well! I wore it with white high-waisted shorts from Finders Keepers and with baby blue heels. You can wear this top as a mini skirt or with the matching skirt.

TOP: (c/o) Saks Fifth Avenue/SHORTS: (c/o) BKNR/HEELS: Steve Madden/SUNNIES: (c/o) Express

We concluded the day with the most delicious dinner at Essensia Restaurant + Lounge at The Palms Hotel & Spa. The restaurant’s farm-to-table philosophy shined through the cuisine. Everything was very fresh and flavorful. My best friend and I started with the Tempura Avocado (amazing!) and the Watermelon Caprese (both of which, were recommended to us by the chef who greeted us at our table with a warm smile and friendly introduction to the menu). For our main course, Jennifer had the NY Strip and I had the Pan Seared Natural Chicken with parmesan-pea polenta. It was hard to choose a favorite between the two (both were perfectly done) but if it were up to me, I’d go with the chicken!

(Sorry for the picture quality! It was pouring so the lighting was rough!)

For dessert, Jennifer ordered a small pastelito and I ordered vegan, gluten-free chocolate mousse (also recommend to us by the chef!). We ended with two cappuccinos and a full stomach. Overall, it was outstanding! If you’re in the area, definitely check out this restaurant!

DRESS: (c/o) Storets/HEELS: Michael Kors/CLUTCH: (c/o) Pilyq – similar here and here/BANGLES: H&M

The rest of the night was filled with salsa dancing, too much laughing and lots of fun! Stay tuned for Pt. 2 – I’ll be sharing three more looks on the blog and more about Circa 39 Hotel!

Xo, Stephanie