For more years than I can count, a group of us girls (women?) have been getting together and getting away in the fall. It began with college reunions but we’ve liberated ourselves from that one destination over the years and visited other places. This year, we went to South Beach.

South Beach is a boring four-hour drive from my home in Orlando with the only enlivening events being a true Florida specialty, vehicles that shouldn’t even be on the highway. Once there, however, the city had laid out everything for a perfect girlfriend weekend. The weather was ideal – clear skies and 84 degrees with a nice breeze - a bit warm for northerners perhaps but delightful for the rest of us who’ve had a blistering summer. There were lots of excellent restaurants and spas within easy walking distance of the beach. And finally, there were the requisite throngs of oddly and more often than not, underdressed, people to watch while sipping cocktails.

Here's the recap of a child-free, stress-free, even mostly beach-free weekend in South Beach:
First, the a walk on the beach. We did this mostly to say we had visited the beach and to work up a thirst. It’s also a parallel to Ocean Drive, South Beach’s tourist trap of choice. We unfortunately walked right by the AAA-rated A Fish Called Avalon, and the noisy Mango’s which looked like the place to be if you wanted to party (we didn’t right then), and ended up at a restaurant with overpriced, mediocre food and drinks. I shall leave this place un-named but I vowed to plan things better for the next day.

Saturday started with appointments at the excellent Uhma Spa, followed by lunch at Big Pink. By this time, I’d started reading the AAA Florida TourBook (I’d like to say it’s one of the one of the perks of working here but these are free to all AAA members).  I’d chosen wisely. All three of us ordered Pinky’s Hollywood Breakfast. As advertised, it was a “bed of golden polenta fries layered with bacon, sautéed spinach and 2 poached eggs topped with a rich cheese sauce and fresh basil.” Mmmmm.  After that, there was only one thing to do. Totter back to our accommodations, lie in the sun and take a nap.

Again guided by the AAA Florida TourBook, we chose Yuca for dinner. The black bean soup was excellent and we followed these up with a selection of Cuban Tapas instead of the entrees for dinner. For dessert, the Cuban rice pudding was slightly better than the roasted pears but both were worth the calories.  Content, we headed over to historic Espanola Way for a nice evening stroll.  Tantra, a restaurant which turns into a nightclub at 11.30 pm was a good stop for a drink.

Sunday it was back to the spa for a second helping of treatments. Then as my friends blissed out in the warmth of the passenger and back seats respectively, I resigned myself to the fate of driving the four hours back to Orlando.

Miami International Airport offers many convenient flights into town. American Airlines has a hub there with a gigantic dedicated terminal. There’s construction approaching the airport so plan accordingly.

We stayed at a relative’s condo in South Beach. For the rest of you, there are a number of well-located hotels in the area. Click on the TripTik Travel Planner map of Miami Beach (right) for more information.