Now, this post may be long overdue seeing as my birthday was just a little over 2 months ago but I wanted to document and share these memories anyway! This year instead of a gift, Will decided to treat me to a little staycation getaway in Miami at the JW Marriott and let me tell you… it was beyond amazing!

Saturday morning we filled the car up with gas, grabbed some coffees and headed south. I always get a bit giddy driving into any city after living downtown Chicago for a bit a few years ago – as soon as we saw the skyline my heart started to jump! We pulled into the JW and from the second the valet opened our car doors we felt like celebrities. The service was next level and worth every penny in my opinion. This is exactly the kind of place you want to stay to feel pampered and relaxed while unplugging & the JW Marriott nailed it!

Here is the view entering the hotel:

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Our check-in was not until later that afternoon but we had scheduled a couples massage for noon and wanted to take advantage of the amenities before heading up to our room. So we checked our bags with the doorman and headed up to the spa! We both went into our locker rooms to get into our robes & slippers and met up in the waiting room.

I got the Swedish massage and Will got the hot stone – this was his first massage! I will admit, it was not the best massage I have had but I do not regret booking our appointments due to the fact that this was a new experience to share together and it was still relaxing!

After our massages <3

There were saunas in the locker rooms that our massage therapists advised us to take advantage of after our treatments – they were separate, which was kind of a bummer, it would have been nice to hang out and chat/relax together but it was still enjoyable by myself!

Our next stop was the rooftop pool. We slipped on our suits and stepped outside to the beautiful lounge/pool deck! It could not have been a more beautiful day outside!!

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Is he not the cutest?!

We ordered lunch, read and soaked up the sun! I loved that the pool deck had umbrellas so we were not directly in the sun all day, and of course, I loved their blue color palette! After a while, a lot of the kids and families cleared out to head to dinner so we took advantage of the empty pool and went for a dip.

Around 4 we decided to check-in, grab our bags and head on up to our room! We stayed on the concierge level which was really nice. It was fairly quiet and our suite was very spacious!

We showered up and headed down to the lounge they have right off the lobby. We had plans to go out to a nice restaurant in Miami but felt no need to once we got to the lounge – there was almost nobody in there and the atmosphere was right up our alley looking right out of Charleston! We ordered a charcuterie tray and enjoyed each others company.

After an hour or so we decided to check out the restaurant upstairs and see what was on the menu. We agreed that would be perfect and grabbed a  table on the terrace (again the only ones there!) We ordered a seafood platter to share which ended up being just enough for the both of us! While we were eating this little bird would not leave us alone – it was the cutest thing but it just kept looking at us! Will thought it would be a good idea to share a bite of his lobster with the bird…

I tried to get Will to take a picture of my outfit after dinner and this is the best we got hahaha – This beautiful dress was gifted from a friend and Kate Spade and I absolutely adore it! I saved it to wear for my birthday dinner!

Dress, Similar Espadrille Wedges

After dinner, we called it a night, headed back up to our room to watch a movie and order room service dessert 😉

Since we stayed on the concierge level, the breakfast downstairs was complimentary and they had EVERYTHING including a station where someone could make you a custom omelet and eggs any way you’d like! Will slept in so I slipped down there alone, enjoyed my coffee and breakfast & brought him up a plate to enjoy in bed before heading out!

I am so grateful (still, even 2 months later haha) for the fun getaway we had to celebrate my 23rd birthday! I am also so grateful for another year of life, my health, family and this beautiful life I have!!

Thank you so much stopping by and reading! How do you like to celebrate your birthday?! Leave a comment below 🙂

Lot’s of Love,

Rebecca