Welcome to Miami, bienvenido a Miami...

After the sheer craziness of Las Vegas, we were so very excited to hit the beach in Miami! This excitement was made even greater by the fact that we'd booked to stay at The Standard.

The Standard Miami is part of the small The Standard hotel chain and is their very first spa hotel. It's beautiful. BEAUTIFUL! I'm seriously not sure how I'll ever be able to stay in another hotel again. Which could be a slight problem...

I'm going to be totally honest, our room itself was a bit more basic and a little less cosy than I was hoping, but, as we'd read in advance, this isn't a hotel to go to if you want to spend all day in your room - the rest of the grounds are waaay too perfect for that!

We did plenty of research before we booked our Miami hotel and The Standard fit the bill on so many fronts. We wanted to be close to South Beach, but didn't want to pay a premium for that or be surrounded by constant noise; after the scale of the Bellagio, we fancied somewhere a little smaller and more intimate; we wanted a pool and we wanted a touch of Miami glamour. Not to much to ask, surely!?

The Standard is located just outside South Beach, but only a 5 minute walk from Lincoln Road and about a 15 minute walk from the beach. From the moment we arrived we felt relaxed and looked after, with the friendly front desk staff happy to advise on restaurants, walking routes and things to do. On holiday, we often find it very difficult to just sit by the pool and do nothing, but we were able to explore Miami and still enjoy plenty of time unwinding, which probably perfectly sums up The Standard's ethos. The hammam spa was also beautiful, but the weather was just too darn good to spend too much time inside. We never did make the early morning yoga classes though...

Even if we hadn't loved Miami (we did), we'd have loved The Standard and it's now high on our list of places to return to. We've even wondered if we can tag a few nights in Miami on to any other US-based trip we might take. Totally do-able...!

The Standard Spa Miami Beach, 140 Island Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139

Goodbye Las Vegas, hello Miami!

Five days later, with some of our Las Vegas prejudices challenged and some having been very much confirmed, it was time to head back to the airport...and fly to Miami! We were beyond excited, though still sorry to say goodbye to Vegas. More photos coming up soon!

Las Vegas: Eating our way along the Strip

If you've read any of my previous travel posts, you might have clocked onto the fact that food plays an embarrassingly big part in all of our travel experiences. When I was a child, I remember my excitement at finding Krispy Kreme in the Harrod's food hall on a trip to London and one of my favourite presents my dad's business trips was a roll of watermelon bubblegum picked up in New York. Slightly more recently, I even found a way of incorporating my love of food and location into my university dissertation. Obsessed isn't the word...and all of our trips away are preceded by several weeks of frantic internet searching, looking for the best places to eat.

We'd heard whispers of an amazing local spot that served the best nearly ice cream. Nearly, schmearly - ice cream is my thing. Well, one of them.

Luv-it Frozen Custard has been serving up its sundaes, shakes and malts for 40 years, but, despite being pretty close to the Strip, it's not really on the tourist radar. Liking a challenge, we set off with a map and a hope in our hearts. And we weren't disappointed. This place is a true local gem, a bit of realness in an otherwise crazy city.

We went for the original vanilla frozen custard (basically ice cream with extra egg, making it properly rich and creamy), with various toppings. We ate them sat at a bus stop, waiting for our ride home. Delicious.

My only word of warning? We possibly left our visit a bit too late in the day. This place is at the quieter end of the Strip, near Stratosphere and we did start feeling a little less safe as the sun went down. We were probably fine, but agreed that if we went again, we'd go earlier in the day.

Frozen custard was by no means the only delicious food we sampled in Las Vegas. Here are a few other highlights...

BLT Burger, The Mirage

Our first night meal here, the result of a 'what the flip are we going to eat!?' moment, has sparked a burger craze that shows no signs of stopping for us. Juicy, meaty, proper American burgers - I didn't even pick out the pickles! The only thing that could slightly outshine the burgers? My NUTELLA milkshake. Heck yes. 

BLT Burger is The Mirage and has a bit of a sports bar feel to it, located along a corridor from one of the entrances into the casino. So, not a posh meal place, but great for a fun dinner.

Lemongrass, Aria

No food photos! Just this slightly blurry one of me looking excited to eat...

We love Thai food and this place really hit the spot one evening. We dressed up and, after exploring the rest of Aria (one of the newer hotels on the Strip), finally found Lemongrass tucked away in a quieter area of the casino. The food wasn't anything unusual, just tasty Thai, served up in a swanky but relaxed restaurant. Yums.

Pinkberry

We also love Pinkberry, it's flippin' addictive. Get it in your belly.

Holsteins, Cosmopolitan

Yep, more burgers - and this time in a restaurant that describes itself as a 'concept'...argh! In need of a meat fix though, Holsteins was really rather good. They were rammed midweek (always a good sign!) and we had an hour's wait for a table - not a problem as there was plenty nearby to keep us entertained. The upshot was that we did slightly suffer later though as our (thoroughly charming) waiter was clearly under some pressure to get us fed, watered and out as quickly as was comfortably possible, to free up our table again for the next people in the queue. Despite this, we really enjoyed a fun meal here, with great food and a delicious chocolate malt (I am nothing if not predicable). The burgers here were marginally better than those at BLT Burger, plus Holsteins feels like more of a restaurant, but you'd have to weigh that up against potentially having a long wait (whereas we walked right in when we went to BLT Burger).

Mrs. Fields, Flamingo

I love warm, chewy, gooey American cookies and Mrs. Fields make some of the best. I tracked an outlet down at the Flamingo hotel and we enjoyed a couple of cookies whilst watching the flamingos one afternoon.

The Buffet, Bellagio

Oh my word. I have never in my life seen so much food. I have never in my life created such weird combinations of food on one plate. And, until now, I have never in my life considered a future in competitive eating. But, after an hour at The Buffet, I'm realising such a life could be pretty fun! Having started the day off in the gym, we felt pretty smug as we joined the buffet queue. It didn't last long though - the food was too good. Fresh pancakes, waffles and fruit rolled on to rotisserie chicken, roast beef and vegetables, which made for patisserie and puddings. Buffets are all a part of the Las Vegas experience and this was certainly a fun one - so naughty, but sooo good. I was only sorry we'd left it until our last day and couldn't fit in a repeat visit, though I'd probably have had to have been rolled out of Las Vegas if we had!

Top tip for the buffet? A breakfast visit is cheaper than going for lunch, but they won't kick you out when the menu changes. So, go 30 minutes before the end of breakfast and stay for lunch too!

The Cheesecake Factory, Caesar's Palace

Is it wrong that one of my main reasons for visiting Caesar's Palace was that I knew there was a Cheesecake Factory there? Probably, yes. Never mind, I am what I am. The Cheesecake Factory is no Junior's (the ultimate American cheesecake experience), but it's really rather good and our visit brought back fun memories of a previous visit in San Francisco during our honeymoon. I went for the Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake and Mr. O chose Linda's Fudge Cake (which I polished off for breakfast the next day, but that's another story...). Yum.

Oh food! Always a pleasure, never a chore!

Luv-It Frozen Custard, 505 E. Oakey Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89104

BLT Burger, The Mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Lemongrass, Aria, 3730 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Pinkberry, 3752 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Holsteins, Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Mrs. Fields, Flamingo, 3555 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109

The Buffet, Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109

The Cheesecake Factory, Caesar's Palace, 3500 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Las Vegas: Horseback riding at Bonnie Springs Ranch, yeehaw!

Four days in and we needed to see some more of the beautiful Nevada countryside. Mr. O - who I think has secretly always wanted to be a cowboy - had done his research and found a place where he could live out his childhood dreams...the 'world famous' Bonnie Springs Ranch!

Built in the 1840s as a stopover for wagons travelling the Old Spanish Trail, the ranch is now owned by Miss. Bonnie, a former ice skater and Las Vegas showgirl who was a friend of Howard Hughes back in the day. Talk about old school glamour! Nowadays, Miss. Bonnie lives on her ranch, which seems to do a rip roaring trade in horseback riding in the wilderness.

We signed ourselves up for an evening trail, arriving at the ranch for the last of the afternoon's sun. Successfully suited and booted (and ok, I know the helmets looked absolutely ridiculous, but there was no way I was letting either of us go without...plus they gave me plenty of chances to laugh at Mr. O...), we were introduced to Sage and Dusty, our partners in crime for our time on the trail. With just our guide and one other guest in our group, we set off on our trek through Red Rock Canyon.

Oh my word, it was so incredible! Don't get me wrong, I love the creature comforts of city living, but good grief, I could have just sat back and looked at those mountains all day long. I just couldn't get enough of the scenery...it really did feel as though we were in an old western film, especially as the sun started to set and the colours all around us came to life. It was so relaxing, riding on horseback and taking it all in as the rhythm of Dusty's walk rippled beneath me. We slowly made our way through the terrain, with view after view opening up in front of us, completely surrounded by silence - a truly peaceful experience. It was honestly just beautiful from start to finish.

We followed the canyon trail for about an hour, seeing dried out creeks, Joshua trees, deer and burros (though thankfully not encountering any mountain lions!) before reluctantly making our way back to the stables. After waving a last goodbye to Sage, Dusty and our lovely guide, we headed into the ranch's restaurant, ready for some good ol' cowboy grub. Sadly, the food wasn't great (I ate more of the side salad and bread than I did of my main course), but the setting was just perfect - exactly what you'd expect from a ranch - and the service was warm and welcoming.

Dinner done (and just as the band was starting up), our wagon home rolled into town and all too soon it was time to head back to the big smoke. We had a brilliant night out at the ranch - I'm just sorry we couldn't stay longer to dance the night away.

Bonnie Springs Ranch, 16395 Bonnie Springs Road, Blue Diamond, Nevada 89004

Las Vegas: Visiting the Grand Canyon

What's fast becoming a frightening number of years ago, I was a geography student. Whenever I tell people this for the first time, their first reaction is normally to laugh and then either ask if I'm any good at colouring in or how much I know about oxbow lakes (seriously, those questions never get old...). Though my geography love has always been firmly based in the human geography camp, I really do love the great outdoors and being surrounded by natural beauty, which I think has a lot to do with growing up by the sea.

Anyway, when we decided to make the trip to Las Vegas, perhaps embarrassingly it wasn't the prospect of the casinos, luxury hotels or incredible nightlife that excited me most...it was the fact that I might actually get to visit the Grand Canyon. And (geek alert) the Hoover Dam, the subject of many a good GCSE Geography exam paper!

It turns out, the Grand Canyon is FAR from Las Vegas. Like, a five hour drive far (hey, I never claimed to be any good at reading maps...). And helicopter trips are expensive (plus, as a not-so-great flyer, helicopters sort of terrify me). So, at one point, I started to resign myself to the fact that we wouldn't actually get to make the trip. Mr. O however is much more logical than I am. We were so close! We both wanted to go! And who on earth turns down the opportunity to visit the GRAND CANYON for goodness sake!? It was possibly a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so, after a bit of research, we found the perfect option for us.

Instead of a helicopter, we would take an aeroplane tour to the canyon, arriving early and having it pretty much to ourselves, leaving just before the arrival of the hordes of visitors who travel by coach. Not the cheapest option, but money we felt would be worth spending, buying us back the time we'd have otherwise spent on board a coach ourselves. Taking an early morning tour would also mean we'd avoid being at the canyon in the full heat of the day, something we were later very glad of!

Dragged from my bed at 6:00 the next morning, we were up and out, breakfast muffins in hand, ready to be collected at 6:30. We were whisked off to Maverick Airlines' base in Henderson, just outside of Las Vegas, where we were soon introduced to our pilot, Derek, and welcomed aboard the plane that would take us to the canyon. Captain Derek gave us a great commentary along the way, pointing out the sites and making sure we all had a great view as were passed by the Hoover Dam (whoop whoop!).

After 40 minutes, we touched down on the West Rim of the Grand Canyon, ready to spend the next three hours exploring. The lovely thing about the trip was that from this point on, it wasn't guided. We were free to explore the surrounding area as we wanted, wandering, climbing and hiking our way to increasingly awesome views. This was truly a breathtaking experience - one of those mornings that will stay with us both for as long as we live. Surrounded by such a vast, incredible natural phenomenon, the scale of which we couldn't even begin to capture in pictures (though we gave it our best shots!), was so very moving. It made me feel like such a small cog in this massive, beautiful world, but also truly grateful for all that I have and for the chance to count my blessings hand in hand with Mr. O.

We stood and watched and soaked it all in for as long as we could. Then we jumped back on our little plane and headed back to the bright lights of the Strip, the complete polar opposite of the natural beauty we were leaving behind. We were home in time for an afternoon by pool...bizarre.

Maverick Aviation Group, 6075 S. Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119

Note: We decided not to bother paying extra to visit the Skywalk - and we really didn't feel like we'd missed out once we saw it either.