I had ten days off between my last day at my previous company and the first day at the new place! I could’ve spent those days just sitting at home but instead, I tried my best to find someone to go on vacation with me. I really did not care where we went, I just wanted to get to a beach ASAP. Luckily, my best friend Sydne had just finished her first year of grad school (YAY SYDNE!!) and she was 1000% down for an adventure.
We picked Fort Lauderdale, Florida!
We found flights within a half hour from each other landing wise and we were set. She found the cutest (and very affordable) hotel called The Fortuna which is part of the Gzella collection. We didn’t want to go crazy with prices and money so we kept everything pretty affordable. I flew Spirit and round trip costs came out to be $260 with a checked bag. While we are on the topic of checked bags, please always listen to the airline you are flying. I did not and ended up having to check my bag and paying slightly more at the airport because I broke the rules. Be a rule follower, don’t be like me.
This was my first time traveling solo. I usually am with family or Michael. But I remained calm and showed up to the airport 2.5 hours early which is excessive but calmed my nerves. I flew out of Philly International Airport which was a smooth process. For my first time going solo, I think everything (flight there and back) went super well!
Okay back to planning. So the Fortuna Hotel for 4 days, 3 nights came out to be $86 a night for three nights which was $258. Split between the two of us it came out to be $129. This is not bad especially because we chose the room that had a mini kitchen off the side in case we wanted to cook for ourselves. The only other thing we booked was The Cycle Party Ft. Lauderdale which was a pedal bike drinking tour of the downtown area. That was $39 ahead of time. We planned and booked everything so easily and smoothly!!
How stinkin cute! 
A little bar top area! 
The coolest painting! 
I loved how the shower was set up!
Now let me get into packing…I know I love to shop, go read two Science Sundays ago about Compulsive Buying Disorder lol. I had a few gift cards that needed to be spent so I figured what better time than now. If I buy enough stuff then I can get basically all I need for the summer. First stop was TJ Maxx! I had $50 to spend but at $89 I got free shipping. I ended up getting 13 items for $121 used the $50 gift card and only spent $71! I’m not too upset by that! Let me know if you want links to any of the stuff you see in the pictures!!
Next I went to Target. I had $40 to spend. I got a pair of sandals, a jumpsuit, a hat and a T-shirt for $45. Luckily I used my Target credit card and got the 5% off that brought me down so I was able to use the gift card.
At this point, I didn’t need anymore clothes. But I got this fabulous idea to put together a little gift bag for Sydne and I. I went affordable and checked Forever21. They had insane deals in their clearance section. I got each of us a beach bag, a phone case that said Vacay Mode, a phone ring to help hold it, and a pair of socks!! This was a surprise for her so she had no idea it was coming!
Look how adorable!! 
Sydne’s beach bag! 
My beach bag! 
I laid them out on the bed as a surprise!
Monday I ran around getting everything ready since all the packages had arrived. A special one was the self tanning kit I bought from QVC to try out. All the bloggers I follow have the Isle of Paradise drops and mousse so I figured might as well try it out. I showered and shaved and followed up with the drops mixed into my body lotion and in my face moisturizer. Then I sat for a few hours with Remi which turned into me napping lol
After letting the mousse dry, I saw somewhat of a difference but nothing dramatic. The next morning however, I looked sun-kissed!!
I packed Monday night into my new suitcase that I got for Christmas. But I picked the middle size instead of the smallest which lead me to having to check the bag in Tuesday morning at 3AM. Michael was quite displeased for having to take me so early but it was the cheapest option so he got over it real quick haha. Everything went well and once the plane took off, I was so involved in my downloaded Netflix series Blacklist that I didn’t notice I was alone. The flight was 2 hours maybe even a little less. I landed around the same time as Sydne. We got our bags and met outside.
We had made it to Florida!! And found each other somehow. We thought that would be the hardest part!! It was so so nice to see her!!! We live so far from one another and are so busy this was going to be the best vacay ever!!
Mind you it is 9AM and we thought it was like 2PM hahah. We showed up to The Fortuna and were welcomed with a clean smell and bright smiles! I had spoken to Ilona previously to arriving and she was so sweet! We went to our room, immediately changed into bathing suits, grabbed towels and got breakfast.
First stop was El Vez which was right across the street. Of course we got lost but the brunch and margaritas were perfect for our first meal!! We split huevos rancheros and a breakfast burrito and got the best of both worlds! The lime margarita was fabulous as well!
How cool is this menu? 
Reasonably price and quite delicious! 
Huevos Rancheros! 
Check out that marg! 
Breakfast burrito!!
After eating we headed to CVS to get sunscreen and snacks!! We got to the beach, put our stuff out on the sand and relaxation began! We stayed on the beach that day for a handful of hours soaking in all that Florida sunshine had to offer! We came back to the hotel where we sat by the pool for a few hours then changed and went to dinner!
We had dinner at a cute Italian restaurant called Caffe Europa! Sydne’s boyfriend’s mom and sister joined us and it was so sweet to meet them!! Wonderfully kind people!! At the end of the night, we were exhausted and desperately needed sleep so we got back to the hotel and passed out!
We ended up sleeping in until about 10 the next morning! We definitely needed the rest! Together we decided to make it a pool day since we had gotten pretty burnt at the beach. The pool was so cute and had chairs and umbrellas for us! Even a huge bean bag! We hung out there until around 2 PM. We had our Cycle Party drinking adventure that night so we wanted to get ready and head to downtown early to get dinner! Sydne recommended this Taco Bar called Taco Craft!! Seriously some of the best and unique tacos I’ve ever had! I got the steak taco and the mushroom taco. I wish I had more space in my stomach for more because they were just so dang yummy! The margaritas were cheap and delicious also! Peyton (Sydne’s boyfriend’s sister) tagged along too which was so fun!
The coolest taco spot! 
Best tacos in Ft Lauderdale!
We walked down to the Cycle Party location and our host Jeff was so enthusiastic!! We got signed in, labeled our personal cups, and off to pick our spot on the bike!! Let me tell you, this seat was not comfortable but I wasn’t there for the comfort lol I was there for the drinks!! Once everyone was ready we got started biking towards our first stop!! It was a combination of a historical tour and a party!
We stopped at three bars that had happy hour specials!! I got a Moscow mule at the first, a strawberry margarita at the second (best one I had in FL) and the last bar had ladies drinking free all night! SCORE!! I sweat my butt off so we drank to excess and burned it off in the same sitting!
Cycle Party bike! 
The Chemist’s Cup! 
The three gals! 
The emergency brake was on I promise! 
We had a blast! 
Thanks for the good times gals!!
After the tour ended, we went back to the free drink bar for ladies and ate snacks! We also realized people were doing headshots in one of the dining rooms so we went in and asked if we could have our picture taken. Well it was a University of Miami alumni event and as long as we had an alumni in the picture we could get them done! They eventually let us take solo pictures so we got drunk headshots done!!
We left that bar, stopped at another where I drank water until it was time for bed! We got an uber to CVS where we got our munchies and went to the hotel room to pass out!! Peyton stayed with us and all of us were so exhausted there was very little talking before we were all asleep!
Thursday morning Ilona took us on a tour of the three properties available through Gzella. We stayed at the Fortuna which is great for families. The Elita was stunning and perfect for a wedding. The Fala was perfect for larger families/groups who need more space. All three were so nice and close to the beach! I look forward to staying at the Elita next time I’m in Fort Lauderdale!! She was so incredibly accommodating during our stay! She made us feel very welcomed and always had candy for us at the front desk! I highly recommend staying at a Gzella property for your next vacation!
After the tour, Syd and I grabbed an umbrella and two beach chairs from the hotel’s bin and went to the beach for the entire day. I was still sunburnt on the front but worked on the backside of me. The wind was killer all day!! You should have seen the two of us trying to put and keep up a beach umbrella! I’m sure everyone around us enjoyed that! Eventually we went back to the pool to relax before going to dinner!
That we went out to eat at a little pub not too far from our hotel! We were stuffed by the end of it and knew we needed sleep!
Friday was our last day! So we spent some time at the pool before we packed our things and checked out!
We decided to have the hotel hold our bags so we could explore downtown Las Olas more. We went to lunch at S3 (Sand, Surf, Sun) and the food and drinks were insanely good! Perfect last meal!
Steak wrap and fries! 
Delicious burger and salad!
We then walked up and down Las Olas taking in all the shops and tourists! We stopped at a wine bar before I grabbed my first pair of Birkenstocks!! We went back to the Fortuna, got our bags and headed back home.
It was the perfect 4 days we both deserved. Life can be so overwhelming at times but then I remember I am lucky enough to be able to go on vacations to escape it for a bit. I am also super lucky to have a best friend like Sydne who is so genuine and kind.
Thanks for a fab four days Syd! I look forward to next year 😉
I hope this helps someone going on vacation to Fort Lauderdale! If you need any other recommendations just reach out!
Xox,
Z
