untold blisses

We have just returned from such a ridiculously blissful holiday in Surfside, Miami.  So blissful, that I almost immediately loaded up Google Flights when we got back home to figure out when we’re able to go back.   We essentially did nothing for 85% of the time, but we did nothing in one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed at (more on that in this post).

It was a holiday with a couple of new experiences for me which was very satisfying considering we had no plans whatsoever, which brings me to number one on my First list:

Holiday without a spreadsheet
A bit of hyperbole as we don’t always have our holidays planned down to the minute (although, our New England spreadsheet was magnificent).    This holiday was the first beach/resort/do nothing holiday that Husband and I have been on, and it’s pretty much the only holiday of this type I’ve ever been on.  I was a bit anxious to start with as I thought we’d easily get bored, but I managed to work my way through 8 books and just as many naps.  It was wonderful.

Virgin Atlantic Flight, and on a 787 Dreamliner
Virgin have always been just outside my price range for the times I’ve been across the Atlantic, but I managed to grab a cheap(ish) pair of flights to MIA a few months back and we did actually notice a difference in service.  I think it helped being on the Dreamliner – we were by an exit so had more space than we knew what to do with, the humidity and air in the cabin was so much better than older planes so I didn’t leave feeling disgusting, the engine noise was so quiet, and the mood lighting was very fun.  I’m convinced that my complete lack of jetlag is because of the 787.  The food was edible, and the flight attendant sat opposite really looked after us (oddly, she lives in the next town over from us).  They started boarding the plane an hour before the flight in Heathrow, so we had such a relaxing flight on the way out – none of the cliched scrum as they board row by row.  Plus, I got a mini-Fab!

Uber ride
Living in The Country, where my house is a 10 minute walk from the station and a 20 minute walk into town, I haven’t really had much need for an Uber.  Miami was the perfect place to try it out.  We took five rides in total (and should have tried to get one from MIA to the hotel, as it worked out half the price of the regular cab!) and really enjoyed talking to the different drivers we had, including one who had a very nice BMW 5 Series.  It was quick and easy, no worrying about finding the cash, and no irritating TVs playing ads on loop on the back of the passenger seat.  And for $12 from Surfside to pretty much anywhere in Miami Beach, it seemed crazy to not get an Uber.  I’m a convert.

Hat
I am not a hat person.  I hate hats.  But my very first hat probably did save my skin and allowed me to have a much more comfortable trip.  I bought this Uniqlo hat with inbuilt wearable sunscreen and it just meant I didn’t need to worry about my scalp.  It also meant that there are very few photos of me from the holiday because I really hate hats.  I can’t say that I’ll be getting more – how do hat people not have constant anxiety about their hat blowing away in a gust?  My unique paleness was further preserved by the judicious and liberal application of my new favourite SPF, Neutrogena Dry Touch 100 SPF.  Yeah, that’s right, 100 SPF.  I love it.

‘Swim’ in the ocean
Sure, as a child I paddled a lot in the shallows around the UK, but as I have never learnt to swim and am terrified of water, it was usually only up to knee height.  On our last morning in Surfside, we woke up early and went down to the sea for a quick dip.  I hadn’t intended on going in further than my knees again, but Husband held my hand and calmly enticed me further until the water came up to my chin.  I did panic almost the entire way in (my catchphrase was “I’m drowning”, even at the knee-level) but we ended up staying out there for about 45 minutes.  Husband did valiantly try to teach me to swim, but it just wasn’t going to happen.  I did manage a bit of water-treading which was good enough for me.  I only wish we’d done this every morning.