Miami

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Geo: 25.7942, -80.129

On Sat we Uber'd to our hotel on the strip in South Beach, Miami. Our Peruvian driver said our hotel was very close to a really good Peruvian cafe, and recommended it to us. The food at 'El Chalan on the Beach' was exceptional. The fish ceviche was as good as we've had anywhere and we also had a popular meat dish, Lomo Saltado, that was very tasty. Followed it up with a super sweet Dulce du Leche caramel dessert that we had enjoyed in Sth America. A bit of a food problem as we had arranged an Italian dinner with Ewen and Robyn Thomson that evening, but we managed.

Sunday we had a lazy morning and then went to the Port to board Regent Seven Seas' newest ship, the 'Explorer'. Launched in July 2016, the Explorer is claimed to be the most luxurious cruise ship ever built. It is very impressive and I've included a few pics of our heavenly cabin. We've completely unpacked and still have unused robe and drawer space. My initial impression is that the free wi-fi is very slow. Hmm, I may have to pay for a faster plan...

Met up with our friends and travelling companions Peter and Susan Agnew, the instigators of our cruise.

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Photos

Collins Ave, South Beach
The Art Deco architecture is well done and pretty pervasive. Lots of Super Cars driving on the street, several with loud music blaring and unlikely occupants. The dress affectations were widely varied, from not much at all to the opposite. Tourists in orthodox apparel were easy to spot.

South Beach
Apart from the rows of umbrellas on the sand, the beach has a Gold Coast feel with white sand.

Beach Promenade
The walkway separating the beach from the resorts was worth the walk.

Dolce Italian Miami
Caught up again with the Thommos and their visiting friend Sian. A great Italian dinner with plenty to drink. Ewen oversees Hyatt resort/hotel construction in Latin America - pretty much everything south of Texas.

Cruise track
Miami, at sea, Grand Turk, Puerto Rico, St Maarten, St Barts, Virgin Is, Dominican Rep, at sea, Nassau, Miami.

Cabin 830
Bed and TV/buffet, with the private balcony through the curtains. Our stewardess visited and asked which drinks did we want stocked in the complementary bar fridge. All very swish.

Cabin 830
The sitting area and desk. The spacious walk-in-robe is behind the bed, with the bathroom and cabin door behind that.

Bathroom
With a bath and separate shower to the right.

Comments

[Kerrie Lonn]

The room looks terrific. Safe travels on the high seas.

[Kerrie Lonn]

2 days without a post from Sel- his concerns re: wi-fi seem to be well founded -withdrawal can be difficult...