Jet Skiing with Dolphins! (Miami 2017)

For day 2 on my trip to Miami, it was a jet skiing trip. I've never been on a Jet Ski before so this was an absolutely crazy experience and well worth it. So much fun and I was ridiculous ecstatic to see wild dolphins! Just moments before, we were swimming with them. 

Click here for the vlog or watch below!

For the first day of a holiday, it was very much an early start for me but after heading to bed at a reasonable time, I actually felt really refreshed to be up and ready for breakfast at 9am. Plus, after not eating much of tea last night, I was pretty hungry. It was a simple breakfast and not necessarily one that I would expect from a 4 star hotel but nevertheless, it hit the spot and the double chocolate chip muffins were amazing. 

We caught an uber, organised via the reception desk at the hotel, to Bayside Marketplace. It's almost a port and shopping centre next to each other but I thought it was beautiful. 

I loved seeing the American shops I've grown up watching on TV, in films and of course, scattered on YouTube. I think seeing Bath and Body Works in person was the best but we also saw Chilli's and Best Buy opposite.

Like I said, I've never been jet skiing before and I absolutely loved it! Before starting, we had to take a 25 question test. It was quite simple but I was a little nervous. It's a lot of money to spend if you're not able to drive because of a failed test. In the end, we both got 100% and in reality, the 2 questions (one each) we were stuck on, the marker practically told us. I'm not really sure what the point of it is but I can no drive any motorised water vehicle legally!

When the other two people in our group arrived, we had a brief safety lesson. I was a little shocked by how brief it was but he told us the basics on how to drive the jet ski and I guess that was enough. It was amazing to drive it and I loved that we each had our own. It was so much fun and I feel like I got the hang of it pretty quickly.

Originally, I was following behind Katherine but I quickly realised she wasn't in control so decided to overtake her. She kept veering off into the wrong direction but I think she eventually got the hang of it. I felt I was actually quite good but I hated going over 25 miles per hour. I was super slow compared to the instructor and the other two German's but it was really good because I could go at my own pace and catch up, while they waited in certain parts.

We ended up having a little stop at one of the man-made islands in the middle of the ocean. It was beautiful and the white sand beach, mixed with the quiet surroundings and wildlife were perfect.

It was over far too quickly and I could have easily done it all day. The guide actually said that last week he was on it for 2 hours (granted at his speed of 50 miles an hour) and travelled straight across to the Bahamas. That's crazy! Can you imagine a day trip to the Bahamas?! Now that would be living the dream. 

On the way in, I pointed out the spider hanging down but Katherine hadn't seen it so when she did, she loved it too. I still have no idea what it's there for but it's an unusual quirk I love. 

We decided to save a little bit of money so we caught the bus back to the hotel. It was actually really easy and a fun, cheap alternative to not only travel back but to see a bit more of Miami itself. Instead of taking the direct route of a taxi, we went in and out of some of the less tourist-y places. I loved the towered building that was opposite. I did look it up and find out what it was but for the life of me, I can't remember what it is.

By the time we got back it was just after 3pm so we had a couple of hours to relax before we had to start getting ready and head for our meal at a pre-booked restaurant. We stayed at the hotel, got a free drink with our voucher and then simply sunbathed and swam in the pool. Due to way the hotel is built, it's quite shaded most of the time as it's almost a courtyard with buildings on all 4 sides which blocks the sun. Still, at 26 degrees, it wasn't cold.

I was super excited to head to Nikki Beach. I was told it was a very popular restaurant and after looking up the menu, I was really looking forward to the food too. Both Katherine and I got dressed up in our fanciest clothes (that we'd brought) and headed over in the uber. I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't too far away; it's basically at the very far end of Ocean's Drive, which is a very straight road filled with restaurants. 

From the outside it looked amazing and so cute but unfortunately, when we arrived, the night time security guard told us it was closed. Quite honestly I was furious, and a little rude to him. We'd come all this way after all...

After a few minutes searching, waiting and looking around, it was very clear that there were no staff in the entire building but we had no choice other than to leave. The guard was super helpful and gave us a number to ring in the morning, but I think he understood our frustration.

Luckily, like I'd mentioned, we actually knew where we were so we headed down towards to hotel and looked at all the different restaurants on the way back. I really fancied carbonara so once I saw that, I was sold. It was actually super yummy and a really good choice so it all was fine in the end.

We walked to the far end of Ocean's Drive, once again seeing all the palm trees lit up and then walked along the beach front. I love the feel of sand between my toes and it's somewhat of a holiday tradition to walk along the beach after an evening meal.

Be sure to read and watch Day 1 and stay tuned because over the next few days, I'll be making my Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 posts live!