I recently went to Miami for a week, and it was incredible. Miami feels like paradise. It is a mixture of a city and a beach and the weather is fantastic. We stayed in the Red South Beach Hotel and were there for 6 days in total.

Miami had always been on my wish list. As you may have noticed, I love visiting America. I think this is due to my obsession with American TV growing up. I went to Orlando when I was 15, so this wasn't my first time to Florida. Miami was very different though. 

We did so many different things whilst there, such as a trip to the Everglades, a baseball game, a bus tour and a boat tour. My favourite part of the trip was the sightseeing bus tour and I would recommend this to anyone who is travelling to Miami. The city is so big and there is so much to see, the hop on hop off tour is a perfect way to see as much as possible in an easy and convenient way. 

There were 4 routes, and the ticket lasted for 48 hours - and we didn't even complete it all in that time. There were still places I would have liked to have gone and if we had been there longer, I would have considered buying another 2 day ticket. The buses also have a tour guide, who shared loads of cool facts about the different areas. 

Some of the tour highlights were:

Bayside

 This was the main bus stop where all the routes start. This area is home to the Miami Heat stadium - much to my boyfriends delight. There is also a small shopping complex with numerous restaurants including Hooters, Chilli's, Five Guys, Bubbu Gump Shrimp and Hard Rock Cafe. 

There is a small selection of shops, some market style, and some actual shops such as Express, Gap, Footlocker and Guess. Bayside also has a harbour, and it's where you go to start all the Biscayne Bay boat tours - another must do. On these tours, you can see all the homes of the rich and famous - not sure how true these celeb tours actually are, but there are some beaut views and perfect photo ops. 

Coconut Grove 

Another beautiful area of Miami, big houses, beautiful scenery and a place you can dream of living in. When driving through, look out for the peacocks strolling through. One of the stops is another small shopping area, where you can find The Cheesecake Factory - home of the best cheesecake in the world, and also some delicious food. I had an amazing Californian Cheesesteak sandwich and it was probably my favourite meal I had in Miami. This was followed by a huge chunk of salted caramel cheesecake, which sadly was so big I couldn't finish it. The choice of cheesecake options is amazing, you won't be able to pick! 

Little Havana 

This is an area we didn't get to explore properly, but I wish we did. It is home to the Cuban community of Miami. As you drive through, you are hit by a delicious smell coming from the numerous food places. If I ever go back, I will definitely head there for a meal. We got off here as it was the closest stop to Marlins Park - home of the Miami Marlins Baseball Team. we were however warned that the neighbourhood was not the safest to walk through, so we got our first Uber to the stadium for a Baseball game. 

Art District 

Driving through the art district we saw some amazing graffiti art work on the buildings. This is another area we did not have enough time to explore as I think if we had got off at the art district stop, there would have been lots to see. Lots of people got off here, and the place seemed very busy, so I think there was a lot more there than you see driving through. I did however, get some great photos of some brilliant art. 

South Beach 

This is one of the main tourist attractions in Miami. The bus takes you nice and close to the beach, and you can go to places such as Lincoln Road Mall - so many shops!!, and Espanola Way - a spanish style street with numerous restaurants. We went to a lovely Italian restaurant, where I had a delicious Carbonara accompanied by Cosmopolitans. The prices were a bit higher than other places, but the atmosphere and tasty food makes it worth it. South Beach is also home to shops such as Sephora and DASH. Along Ocean Drive you can find famous places such as The Clevelander and The Sugar Factory. The tour also takes you past some famous hotels and past Millionaires Row, which is 'supposedly' homes to stars such as Justin Bieber, David Beckham and Simon Cowell. South Beach and Ocean Drive also have some amazing art deco style buildings that make the place even more beautiful.

So last week I went to Miami! What an amazing place.

Bedroom

View from room - window was a bit dirty!

Hotel pool area

1. If you are visiting the Statue of Liberty (which you just completely must) then aim to go really early. I have been twice, the first time we went early lunch time and had to queue for about 2 hours. The second time, I did my research. The first ferry is at 8.30am - so we got there for 8am and barely had to queue. It was so much better. The only downside was, none of the food places were open on the island. The souvenir shop however, was open. 

2. You need to visit both The Empire State Building and The Rockefeller Centre. You may wonder why you would need to do both. You need to do one in the day, and one in the night, as the view is incredible both light and dark. I almost missed seeing the night time skyline as I was super tired. But my friend dragged me there and I'm so glad I didn't sleep through the experience. 

3. Times Square is so much better at night. There is much more atmosphere and the brightness and lights are incredible. Its still good in the day, but better at night. I have walked through Times Square at 5am and there is still loads of people about. 

4. Don't forget to tip. This is a general American thing, not just New York. It's the thing over there, you need to tip in restaurants, in taxis, at the bar, and in hotels. If you don't tip, it is considered very rude, and sometimes they will actually ask you for their tip.  Try and have dollar bills available for smaller tips. 20% is usually the average tip amount. 

5. None of their prices include tax, so don't be surprised when you get to the till and its actually a bit more than you thought. Also try and keep in mind the exchange rate. I find when something says $10, I see it as £10 - but its not! Its cheaper!

6. The 9/11 memorial is the most emotional place you will ever visit. It's a must visit. But if you intend to go the museum, you will need to book online before hand. I have never been inside because I forget to book every time.

7. Make sure you walk around other areas that just tourist areas. New York is an amazing place, but sometimes I think the non tourist areas are the most interesting. 

8. It's quite difficult to get a big bag onto the subway. They have turnstiles to get in, so unless you have someone with you to help, you will struggle with big bags on the subway.

9. You can get a week pass for the Subway for about $35, which is pretty incredible considers you can pay like £12 a day on the London Underground. Be wary of the subway at night though. Don't travel alone. 

10. You will encounter some very 'different' people in New York. I have had people sing to me, strangers trying to get money off me, and various other strange things happen. It's all part of New York. You will also meet the happiest most over enthusiastic people, as well as the grumpiest people ever. Just embrace it. 

11. Wear comfy shoes, you will find yourself walking distances you didn't even know where possible. There is nothing worse than having blisters and sore feet on holiday. Especially in a destination where a lot of walking is involved. But don't worry if the pain begins, a yellow taxi is always around. 

New York was always my dream and goal when I was younger.  Whilst at university, I have New York page markers to remind me that if I read the pages, one day I would get to go. And it worked...kind of, I went not for work, and not as a famous make up artist, but just as a tourist. 

1. Red Light District

There is nothing seedy about this I promise. The Red Light District was one of the most interesting places I have ever visited. Walking through brings many different emotions. You will cringe and feel sad for the girls (and guys) that you see, but there is also that school girl immaturity that will make you find the whole place funny. It is so much bigger than I ever imagined and also very busy. A strict rule is that you are not allowed to take any pictures whilst there, so dont try and get a selfie with any of the girls. One of the best things I did when there was visit The Red Light District Museum. This gives you more of an insight to the area, you can see examples of the rooms they are in, and also what got them to this point. It is ver sad to see, as a lot of the girls are there due to drugs. You can also stand in a window and see what it is like to have everyone looking at you the way they do when they walk past - dont worry you get to keep your clothes on, and it is obvious it is a museum.

2. Anne Franks House

My biggest recommendation if you are planning on visiting Anne Franks House is to get there as early as possible. We went late morning and still queued for 2 hours (in the hail stones) to get in. If I am honest, I didn't really know the full story of Anne Frank before I went, and was not really fussed about visiting, I purely went because my friends were very keen to go. I am so glad they persuaded me though as it was a very interesting experience. You get to walk around the house, watch videos and read many interesting things throughout. Again, you are not allowed to take pictures as you walk through - you can only do that if you are Beyonce apparently, but I do things cameras and phones an be a distraction sometimes, so I think this is a good thing.

3. Canal Boat Ride

One of my most enjoyable moments of my trip to Amsterdam was the canal boat ride. Luckily the sun made an appearance for this trip and it was so relaxing. On the boat we went on, we got headphones so we could have a guided tour of the whole trip. You could pick what language you hear and they tell you what everything is. It is very interesting to listen to but also I found some of the journey I didn't need to wear the headphones as I was so relaxed looking at the scenery. It takes you all around Amsterdam and you can get some great photos. The canals are everywhere in Amsterdam, as the city is pretty much made up of canals so the journey can go on for about an hour. 

4. The Iamsterdam Sign

A great photo opportunity. I believe there are a few of these signs around as I have seen there peoples photos and they have a different back drop to the one we were near. The signs are very busy in the day, but if you can get to them in the night there is no one about so you can get some cool photos. You can climb on the letters - not that I'm encouraging you, incase you break an arm or something. But it is a must have photo if you are visiting the city. A challenge is trying to get the whole sign in one picture. As you can see... I failed. 

5. The Sex Museum

Let be honest, if you are going to Amsterdam, you have to go here. You will see some of the weirdest things you have ever seen in your life at this place. It was tacky and fantastic experience. There was one room that you have an option to skip, and personally I did skip it because it was a bit too much, but the rest of it is pretty entertaining. After visiting a museum of a very similar nature in New York, I can confirm that this one is much more amusing. When in the building, you are allowed to take photos, which can mean you end up leaving with some very 'different' photos on your camera. Maybe  not the kind of pictures I should post on here. The place is quite small and hard to spot from the outside. So here's a picture, so that you know what you are looking for. 

6. The Ice Bar 

My final place is a 'visit with caution' place. This is due to the fact that I personally had a bad experience, however I think the place would be a lot more enjoyable if that hadn't happened. Like most ice bars, it literally is just a bar made of ice. You get to wear the big blue coats with a hood and some gloves. Unfortunately we were bought our tickets from a man who told us we could go in the next group, so we downed our drinks and went and put the coats on. When it was time to go in, a separate member of staff said we were queue cutting and was very rude. When we explained the man had told us we could go in, he said in front of everyone (customer included) that we were liars and he had never spoken to us. Obviously that did not start us off with good vibes and it put a downer on the rest of the visit. I have been to other Ice Bars with no issue though and it has been pretty fun.