Good boutique hotel! The Shelley is smack dab in the middle of the Miami Beach strip and well…read morewithin walking distance to shopping, restaurants, the beach, bars etc. my stay here was great. I really enjoyed the pantry they have available for guests. I was able to get some good tea at nights and in the am. Though the rooms are gigantic they had all the amenities I needed for a short stay. The beds were cozy and even thought my room was on the first floor, there was no noise issues. They held my luggage after checkout which was also a plus.

on June 15th early morning the reception was very rude with me. I was a potential client. he…read moreliterally kicked me out from the porch . I wanted to stay with you for one week. not going to stay with you ever)

I love to discover history and there is something interesting in a park located south of Plantation…read moreon State Road 84 just west of the Davie Road Extension. In the park is Lock No. 1, also known as Sewell Lock and Broward Memorial Lock. A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats through different levels of water. This wooden lock is Broward County's oldest water control structure. Many people race by without ever noticing it is there but here lies one of the oldest structures in Broward County. Sewell Lock was built for the Everglades Drainage District in 1912 by the Furst-Clark Construction Company on the man made North New River Canal. The canal was built to drain the Everglades to allow for farming. It is a single lock that is 149 feet long and the entry controlled by wooden gates. The lock consisted of six-foot-thick concrete walls and large wooden gates that were operated by a hand-driven rack-and-pinion mechanism. The lock was built to to increase agricultural traffic along the North New River Canal. During this time the Everglades was being opened up to settlers and farmers. The canals linked the Everglades to the coast, not roads. The North New River Canal was a major transportation route for produce and catfish to travel from Lake Okeechobee to Ft. Lauderdale. In order to make the canal useful for boat transportation, locks had to be constructed in order to move the boats from one elevation of the water to another. Lock No. 1 at the south end of the canal was the first to be built in South Florida. Once the produce reached Ft. Lauderdale it was transported by train. Steamboats also used the lock to travel between Fort Lauderdale, the lake and Fort Myers via the Caloosahachee River. The steamboats carried passengers, cargo, and tourists up and down the river. After the 1920's highways and the railroad became the preferred mode of transportation. In 1926 the lock was closed permanently and allowed to deteriorate. Today boat traffic on the North New River Canal is limited and the lock is inoperative. Instead of a lock there is a spillway which keeps the area from flooding in a heavy rain by having three underwater gates that open by radio signal from the South Florida Water Management District in West Palm Beach when the water level in the river becomes too high. Excess water flows into the New River and out into the ocean. The Broward County Historical Commission worked with the the South Florida Water Management Department of Natural Resources to add the lock to the National Register of Historic Places in March of 1978. In the early 1990s the Historical Commission partnered with Broward County's Engineering and Parks and Recreation divisions, the state's Department of Transportation and South Florida Water Management District, and Department of Natural Resources to restore the gates on the west end of the lock. The lock now sits as the centerpiece of a park where it is a reminder of a time when people first started messing with the Everglades with unintended consequences. People have been trying to fix it ever since.

Found this so called "Park" to walk my dog off STRD 84 along the North New River canal which…read moreconnects Okeechobee to Fort Lauderdale maintained by Broward County Parks and Recreation. Plenty of parking spaces and a picnic table under a huge tree as shading from the intense western sun. Just a tiny grassy area to walk my dog with giant iguanas roaming. Looks like a great fishing hole though and boats no longer can travel this canal. FYI, the entrance is small and must make a quick turn in from STRD 84 so not to get slammed in the rear by oncoming vehicles. NOT recommended for dogs or kiddies.

One hidden gem along the beautiful Miami River, located in the historic Spring Garden neighborhood.read more

This is a park located in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Miami. The park is on Wagner Creek…read morewhere the Miami River meets the Seybold Canal. Spring Garden is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Miami. It was settled in the 1840's by William English who built a coontie starch mill. Coontie was used like flour in the Seminole diet. They passed it on the settlers and it became known as Florida's arrowroot. The land Spring Garden Point Park sits on used to be a tourist attraction called Alligator Joe's. In the early 1900's. Warren Frazee also known as Alligator Joe staged an alligator wrestling show for tourists visiting Miami. During the summer he would take alligators and other Florida mammals on tours to northern states. While displaying animals at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition he contracted double pneumonia passing away shortly after at the age of 46. Adjacent to the park is another historic piece of land, the former estate of John Seybold, a German immigrant who came to Miami in 1896. He became a successful baker and bought the property where Alligator Joe's once sat on the Miami River. He developed the neighborhood of Spring Garden named after a spring on the southeast corner of NW 11th Street and NW 8th Street and a garden of oak trees and palms. The Seybold family lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years. Spring Garden experienced significant growth from 1910 to the 1940's. Spring Garden Pointe was created in 1999 when the Spring Garden neighborhood partnered with the Trust for Public Land. This is a passive park where people from the neighborhood like to walk their dogs. There are trees, a paved path, and a couple of benches including an interesting stone one. I enjoyed reading the historic signs and watching the boats as they sailed down the Miami River. This park is on the Miami River Greenway, a 6.2 mile trail that begins at Bayfront Park and ends at NW 24th Ave. The trail links neighborhoods, businesses, cultural attractions, historic sites, and 9 public parks along both banks of the historic Miami River.

Absolutely love this place. Beautiful, clean, comfortable. Amazing food and drinks. The guava…read moredaiquiri is fantastic. The staff, Bridget, Rhea, Jonathan, just some of the nicest people and the absolute best customer service. Close to the beach, a canal across from it and a great pool in a great location for shopping, dining, everything. This is now my go to hotel when it's cruise time. Highly recommend.

Impression: great hotel for the price, great location, rooms are varied, but are not bad at all for…read morethe price. Parking on site, for a short stay or as a transitional hotel great hotel to choose. Staff is also great, I wish I remembered names, but I don't. But they were nice and helpful. We stayed here 2 separate times and had 4 rooms in total. Now for my gripes, some things to be aware of. One of my rooms did have an unpleasant odor. You'd notice the smell when you walk in, but it would soon kinda just fade away. Not a deal breaker. On our second stay at this hotel they were going to be having a beach event so they were setting up for that, perfect timing for some drilling? Hammering, power tooling? To happen at 6:38 am right outside of my window. There was no sleeping through that and lasted like 10 min. Again not a deal breaker. SMEG fridges in all the rooms we were in... not sure why? Maybe just vibes or if you had a month worth of groceries (seriously though, isn't this a huge expense for electricity?). No actual garbage cans. Now I didn't turn the mattress to find it, but besides the 0.5 gallon garbage in the bathroom, I didn't see any actual disposal system for trash. My biggest gripe, there was one receptionist who bothered me a lot. He was nice, but it's the kind of incompetence he showed that really begs the question, if you don't like working in hospitality or as reception... why are you here?. On our second stay here he helped me check in, well I helped myself he just told me he couldn't actually help me cause that's not how things are done here. Apparently this place places your room keys in books on a bookshelf, in a book that locks that you get a separate email notification about after you check in. Now this could be completely my fault for not reading my check in instructions, but I don't remember seeing that, and we didn't have to do that the first time. Basically why are you at reception if you're not actively receiving patrons? This is unfortunately like the one thing that kills me all the other people I talked with at reception helped... so you're just choosing not to? Cool. We also asked about extending our check out in the AM as we had an afternoon flight, I asked about this he gave me the info I needed, fantastic. When we decided to extend our check out time later that night he said only one of our rooms viable for this option, I said okay, he said he wrote that in the notes and I'd be charged. I went to confirm in the morning because I just knew in my head he hadn't actually done this and wouldn't you know he hadn't. Thankfully reception in the am was different and she was very helpful and got us sorted, and I didn't ask but it seemed as though both of our rooms would have had this option available not just one. All this to say, we had a great stay here, I would recommend it for short stays. Staff is great, not many amenities, but you're in Miami girl go enjoy the beach. But there is one guy there who doesn't seem like he likes to do some of his job which only slightly negatively affected me, but it bothered me enough to mention it cause like why? Anyways. Now this didn't ruin the trip for us and it was really just slightly bothersome and inconvenient, but this is just one of those little things that bothers me so much.

Shorecrest is a neighborhood that is part of Upper East Side Miami. Established in the thirties and…read moreforties, this hidden community is bordered by Little River on the south, Biscayne Boulevard in the west, Miami and Miami Shores in the north, and Biscayne Bay in the east. Shorecrest is dotted with historic homes built during Miami's 1930's and 40's boom era. It's coziness reminds me of a simpler time. I really love this neighborhood. As I was passing through I spotted North Shorecrest Park and stopped to stretch my legs and check it out. The small but well maintained neighborhood park has a paved walkway, benches, swings, and climbing equipment and slides. The park is around the corner from the Phyllis Ruth Miller Elementary School so I imagine this park is quite busy after school.

Miami Shores has 2 nice-sized parks within walking distance of each other. This one has a…read morechildren's playground area and a large field for games. Park benches are included. The other, Military Trail Park, around the corner, has paved walking trails as well as a fenced-in dog park. Both have free parking in the front of the parks beside the sidewalk. The parks are maintained by Miami-Dade county.

Roatan was a pleasant surprise for my family and I this year. We came to Roatan on the Carnival…read moreMagic with few expectations. I had no idea I would fall in love with this place. The people are friendly. The place is beautiful. We had a blast here! We visited the following places: 1) Arch's Iguana and Marine Park. Cool place... get to see lots of Iguanas along with other animals like parrots. They also have a nice marine section. 2) Stone Castle Cameo Factory Institute. Jaw-dropping art studio. They make art out of sea shells. The skill to do the works of art they make is astounding! Must see! 3) Rusty Fish. This shop makes items and art out of recycled items, its neat. 4) Roatan Chocolate Factory... guys its a chocolate factory... need i say more? 5) Roatan Rum Factory... rum factory! Yeah! Great rum... also delicious rum cakes! Place has a great view of Roatan as well 6) Luna Beach... absolutely beautiful beach!!!! Wonderful! 7) Luna Bean... great coffee shop! Amazing service! Friendly staff! I wish I could have stayed here a couple of days at least! I loved it and so did the family!!!!

Our experience wasn't as great. It was probably our least favorite port of the entire cruise. It…read moreapparently rains a lot in Roatán. This day was no exception. However, the shops and covered spaces around the terminal were crowded with people trying to stay dry. The area where everyone meets for shore excursions was chaotic. We were told to go to a specific numbered line to meet our tour group. It ended up changing numbers along the way. It was totally unorganized. Our tour was late arriving to Roatán Island Brewing Company due to a car accident near the port. That one road is the main artery for the entire island. The detour took us through some very narrow streets through Coxen Hole (the capital city). The best I can say is that we really did get to see the real Roatán. There were lots of sights pointed out to us along the way. A 3 hour tour ended up being a 5.5 hour tour that we didn't plan for. We finally made it to the brewery. All went well until our guide lost track of his tour participants. He even left some people behind. Thankfully, they ended up catching up with us at the Carambola Chocolate Factory. The chocolate stop was a surprise to us. It wasn't in our tour description. I did a quick walk through, and tried some chocolate along the way. I ended up buying a $10 chocolate bar. It was good, but unfortunately I can't tell you much about this brand. It was a self-guided tour, and we didn't stick around long enough to see it all. It would have been nice if the chocolate factory had been planned better and built into the tour. It felt more like we were brought there last minute to buy chocolate so that the guide could get a commission. I know... a trip is what you make of it. The brewery in Palmetto Bay was a cool experience. That was the positive part of our day in Roatán. I'll end it on that note.

Granada Park is a tiny sliver of land along Granada Blvd. It seems to exist solely to showcase a…read moreunique piece of art gifted to Coral Gables from it's sister city, Granada, located in the community of Andalusia Spain. The art piece was donated by Jose Torres Hurtado, the mayor of Granada. It was created by Tino Marmoles, a marble producing company from Spain. Coral Gables became the sister city to Grenada in 1989. Granada is Spanish for pomegranate which is the subject of the white marble art piece. Pomegranates are called the crown royal of all fruit because when they are upright they have a calyx that resembles a crown. The fruit symbolizes fruitfulness, abundance, fertility, ambition, prosperity, and has been considered a symbol of good luck since ancient times. The sculpture was installed piece by piece like a jigsaw puzzle by the Public Works Department. Ice was inserted between the pieces and as the ice melted it lined up the pieces. The pomegranate is a symbol of the friendship that exists between the two cities. The art work was dedicated in February of 2008. The park also contains a paved walkway and antique cobblestones donated by Emma Dolores and Sara Marlee Broad.

Cool place to walk, run or jog, lots of people and pet friendly. Hospital and school near by…read more Residential neighborhood please respect residents.

This isn't really much of a "park" but some much-needed greenery among the towering buildings…read more Recently, the City of Coral Gables has tried to use this space and it's other green spaces a little more. For Halloween, they had a very cute pumpkin patch at Pittman Park and a lot of people showed up. I hope they continue to host seasonal events like this at Pittman Park. I work in the area and come here a lot for lunch. They could do a little more to the park to make it more appealing. The fountain does not even work... Nonetheless, I have noticed that I am not the only person who uses this as a lunch spot and it gets a good crowd. I hope that the City pays a little more attention to this park because there are not too many around. It would be great to see more happening here on the weekends, even if it is something as simple as a pop-up fruit and veggie market (when the Gables Farmers Market is off-season) or a spot to sell Christmas trees in December.

While visiting Giralda Plaza, I discovered Pittman Park, a small, shady passive park in Coral…read moreGables. Pay-by-app parking is available on the surrounding streets. Pittman Park reminded me of the historic squares in Savannah, with its trees, benches, and proximity to nearby restaurants. The park is also home to Tuxedo, a public art installation by Jean Ward. As part of the city's Smart City initiative, free Wi-Fi was recently added to encourage local businesses to use the park for outdoor meetings and gatherings. In the fall, the city transforms the space into a seasonal pumpkin patch. This quiet park was the perfect place to relax for a few minutes while planning my next destination. As I sat beneath the shade trees, the local trolley passed by adding to the charm. It's also an ideal spot to enjoy a snack or ice cream from one of the nearby businesses in Giralda Plaza while taking in the surrounding Coral Gables neighborhood.