The Floridian Hotel, 990 N. Homestead Boulevard Homestead, FL 33033 305 247-7020

When South Beach/Miami Bureau Chiefs Stewart and Dena Stewart need to get away from the fun and excitement of South Beach, where do they go? They met Bertha Morales who is a wonderful goodwill ambassador for the Floridian Hotel and all of the Homestead, Redlands area. 

To find a quick, stress-less getaway, they hit the road and discovered Homestead – the city just above the Florida Keys.

The Floridian Hotel proved to be an ideal spot to call their base. Conveniently located, they were able to take day trips to the Keys, of course, as well as the Redlands (with fabulous farms), Coral Castle, Monkey Jungle, the Everglades, and so much more.

The Floridian dining room serves a continental breakfast buffet (with eggs, sausage, hash brown potatoes, melon salad, assorted cold cereals, breads, bagels, rolls, croissants, donuts and much more) is open from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

People were friendly and polite and very accommodating. Conveniences – the Floridian Hotel is directly across the street from a huge shopping mall with everything including Publix, CVS, Marshalls and restaurants (Chinese, Japanese, Cuban, Mexican).

Take a tour of some of the nearby sites such as “Robert is Here”, the best fruit stand in the State of Florida, and the Gator Grill, where the owner prepared alligator tacos which were surprisingly delicious.

Along the lush Miami Countryside the Stewart’s discovered some of the most beautifully crafted pottery, which Homestead is known for. Our go-to at the Floridian Hotel, told us about nightlife and places to dine during the week. We learned we could accomplish both by going to Krome Avenue in the heart of Homestead.

Go for dinner at El Toro Taco, owned by Hector Hernandez and his family for more than 38 years. The food is authentic Mexican with vegetables and spices freshly picked from farms in the Homestead/Redlands area. Hector described the history of Homestead as having its ups and downs; and now that visitors are using Homestead as their base for their day trips, Homestead once again is on the upswing.

Directly across the street at 28 S. Krome Ave., Homestead, FL 33030, 305-248-1060, just a few miles from the hotel is Stick & Stein – a huge pool hall sports bar. Next door is the Monkey Bar – an outdoors Tiki Bar a-la-Key West, next to a South Beach-like Martini Bar, next to the Country Dade Jail, a Country bar with line dancing and all that it goes with. 

All the bars are owned by the same person, with walk-through passageways make it easy to bar hop. After enjoying these locations, come back to the Floridian for a late night dip in the luxuriously heated pool.

Then, there’s Schnebly Redland’s Winery – with lychee, avocado, guava wines, and a beer brewery located at 30205 SW 217 Avenue, Homestead, FL 33030.

The Floridian Hotel, with comfortable, immaculate rooms and excellent service, is situated around a heated, inviting pool, shuffle board court, and tiki huts.