I have yet to finish my laundry or even completely unpack my bags from my two months in Europe, but on Friday, it was already time to throw some flip-flops and a bikini into my carry-on and prepare for the next trip. Destination: Florida. Excitement level: sky high.
If you’ve hung around these parts for some time, you’ll know I have an unabashed love for the Sunshine State. After all, my parents have had a timeshare in Orlando since I was a tot, and we’ve spent many summers and long weekends lounging around Destin and the surrounding Gulf area of the Panhandle. I simply don’t think you can find more beautiful beaches or such varying shades of aquas anywhere in the continental United States. Why wouldn’t you want to vacation here?
But this time, there was a different agenda: the iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party. If I was feeling even remotely sorry for myself for missing that little ol’ bash Bonnaroo that takes place in my backyard every summer, that was all but forgotten during a 12-hour stretch of nonstop live music at the Fontainebleau.
And to add the level of awesomeness of the weekend, it turns out my longtime friend Angie, her sister Rachel and my blog pal Alex would all be there, as well, which was purely coincidental.
Let’s just say that SVV had no trouble at all jumping into the fray of Miami-bound women. You can tell the weekend was extremely hard on him.
We also got to meet Adam, another virtual friend I’ve had for years who blogs about hipster travel; he flew over from Berlin for the occasion and brought his equally adorable friend Denise as his +1.
On Friday night, we headed over to Bianca at the Delano for dinner then chilled out at the Fontainebleau for all the pre-concert events. The pool party officially kicked off at noon the next day, and while we had VIP passes and permission to roam around as we pleased, we stationed ourselves at the VISIT FLORIDA cabana all day and made ourselves quite comfy.
I mean, there was an ice chair and bar. In Miami. Mull that one over for a bit.
There was #LoveFL swag all over the place. And better yet, it was neon pink! I’m all about neon this summer (or anytime, really).
There were celebrities. Granted, I didn’t know who many of them were—several starred in new CW shows, as the network was one of the sponsors—but Miss USA 2011, Alyssa Campanella, also was spotted taking pics. And so was Scooby from How I Met Your Mother (otherwise known as Robbie Amell).
Jason DeRulo kicked off the day with a set, during which I realized I know a whole lot of Jason DeRulo songs, most of which I didn’t actually know were sung by Jason DeRulo.
After his performance, he was hanging out in the cabana next to ours, which might have been the weirdest part of the whole experience: the accessibility of the talent. Stars, they’re just like us!
All the daytime acts at the Ultimate Pool Party took place, well, you know, in the pool. Or rather on the stage at the end of the pool overlooking a sea of bodies.
Krewella was the second big act to play, and while I’d never heard of them before, I quickly became a fan. My fangirldom grew exponentially when I met them later that night, and they couldn’t have been sweeter and more likeable.
Iconapop also got up there and did their thing, and I really wanted to FaceTime all of my Enrichment Voyages friends into the concert—I tried, but no dice—as “I Don’t Care” was the anthem of our voyage.
We went back to our rooms to shower off the sunscreen and prepare for an all-nighter, which started with drinks in the lobby lounge and moved out onto the lawn for the evening entertainment beginning with Afrojack who we watched from our perch at La Cote.
Then, they brought out my fellow Tennessean, Ke$ha, and the place erupted.
Now, there are plenty of things Ke$ha said that I won’t repeat, and while at times I don’t necessarily agree with her whole image, I can’t help but admit that her music is catchy.
I’ve rocked out to many a Zumba and Dailey Method class to “Your Love Is My Drug.” (That said, I can’t imagine dedicating songs of certain profane topics to my mother. Yikes.)
Another Tennessee gal, Miley Cyrus, was also in the house as DJ. Alas, I didn’t get to sing along to “Party in the USA” and all I saw of her was this: a grainy yet unmistakable platinum mohawk.
But the closing act was who we were all most excited to see: Pitbull.
He was the perfect closer to the perfect summer concert. We didn’t actually stick around for his entire set either, as we’d finagled our way into the Fontainebleau’s exclusive club Liv and had to be in line by 11:30pm. But no worries: I ran straight into Pitbull in the club later that evening as I was coming out of the bathroom. Oh, Miami.
When the club got a little too packed around 1:30am, SVV and I decided to bail—early but admirable showing, I’d like to think, as we’d been up and going non-stop since 8am. This weekend proved to me that I’m not as lame as I might think I am. I mean, I can hang with the big college girls when I really want to. And so can that husband of mine.
And for all of you who think Florida is for retirees: Think again. This is not yo grandmama’s vacation destination.
Disclosure: Thanks to VISIT FLORIDA, Clear Channel and iHeartRadio for an awesome weekend! While we were official guests of the hosting parties, I assure you every last opinion is my own and that no one asked me to drink all the bourbon, rock out to all the artists and stay out way past my bedtime. That was all very much my own doing. OK, and I might blame these girls a little, too.
I’m so glad you LOVE Florida as much as I do. Thanks for saying all those wonderful things about the beaches in my homestate and focusing on how fun it can be. You have no idea how many haters I’ve encountered in our Navy travels. They just don’t know or will never understand.
Frankly, that shocks me. I’ve never been to a part of Florida I didn’t love, and I’ve been all over the state! Many times.
The unpacking and laundry can wait!! Looks like a blast! perfect time of year to go to Florida.
And surprisingly, while it was hot, it wasn’t THAT hot. High 80s the whole time. Great for getting in the pool by day and hanging out on the lawn by night with a coastal breeze keeping things cool.
Amazing recap of a fantastic weekend! SO wonderful to finally meet you and SVV in person after all these years of creepin’ on ya online! xo
DITTO. Let the creepin’ continue!
This looks SO. FRICKIN. FUN!!! Sounds like an absolute blast. And funny that when I read that you ran into Pitbull by the bathroom, my first thought was, “oh, Miami” too 🙂
Ha. There are no words but “oh, Miami.”
Too many familiar faces for me to comprehend right now!!!! Seriously.
The one thing missing was YOU!
This looks like the best weekend ever- Pitbull AND travel bloggers? So jealous!
I don’t know which was better: the Pit or the other blogstresses!
Not my sort of gig, but looks like a pretty fun party.
Is it sad that I only know of 1 of the artists you listed? And who puts a $ in their name?
Not usually mine either, to be honest–I LOVE live music but am not so much a party girl–but I had one of the best times of my life. For real.
Florida has grown on my a lot since Andrew has been in Alabama. I’m impressed with how beautiful the Panhandle beaches are. I also knew that Southern Florida is a lovely place, but discovering white sand beaches and turquoise waters just two hours from where Andrew is has been a wonderful surprise.
Oooh the Panhandle is my favorite. I know you’ve been frequenting some of my favorite spots, like Seaside, lately and I’m jealous every time I see those photos!
Now THIS looks more my scene than the Roo! Poolside!
YES! As fellow Southern gals, it’s no big surprise we’d be so drawn to watering holes. If only the ‘Roo could have a huge pool at Which stage…hmm…
WOWZA is all I have to say! that looks like one crazy awesome good time! LOVING all the hot pink swag as well- I’m a sucker for anything neon or bright pink!
Neon is the theme for my upcoming family reunion this next week. It’s ridiculous the amount of pink and orange and yellow I’ve stocked up on for the occasion 😉
Sounds like you had a blast. Not sure it’s my kind of thing either, but I have the feeling I would have enjoyed it too 🙂
I’m sure you would have found a way to have a blast 😉
OMG I LOVE PITBULL. He is totally my guilty pleasure and I listened to him all through Latin America. Wish I was cool enough to head out to this awesome party! Looks like you guys had fun! 😀
I didn’t even realize he was Latino until the party!
YOU DID NOT BUMP INTO PITBULL?!? Caps are totally necessary here, this sounds like the party of all parties!
I know, right? Sometimes I wonder if I hijacked someone else’s life as this was not meant to mine…
I. Am. Jealous! Of the Miami weekend (I’ve never been and lately have really been wanting to visit), of that fun pool scene, of the great company and of some awful-yet-amazing music. It sounds so fun!
The only thing that could have been more fun about the weekend was having you there, as well! Still holding out hope for Nashville in October… 😉
Two things:
First, living in Las Vegas, we have pool parties like this all the time, but they really skeeze me out. You’re so normal, though, and you had a blast, so I’m wondering if I might actually have a good time if I decided to give one of these pool parties a try.
Second, I LOVED following this pool party on Instagram! Thanks for sharing it minute-by-minute on that platform while you were there!
Ha, I love that I give off the impression of normalcy! Job here done. Did you notice, though, how I enjoyed the whole party via a cabana poolside and NOT in the water? For good reason… (I’m semi-germaphobe.)
I LOVE Miami! It’s such a fun party town… now I want to go back! Looks like you guys had a great few days 🙂
What I love about Miami is that it caters to the non-party types like me who LIKE to go out and drink and eat good food but not necessarily do it till 5am. I’m more of a cocktails-and-lounge kind of girl and there are plenty of places for people like me to chill out.
Looks like a ton of fun!
Robbie Amell is a total sweetheart! He was one of the celebs at a OneHeartland fundraiser I helped run a few years ago and he just couldn’t have been nicer. Looks like he still is!
And super trippy – Alex looks so much like her sister (or the other way around, I suppose, since she’s older) who is a student I’ve been working with at NYU for the last couple of years. I kept doing double takes scrolling through this post.
Yes, definitely! I’ve seen photos of Alex and Olivia, and I think they could be twins. How fun that you know her!
We didn’t actually meet Robbie so I can’t say if he’s nice or not, but I can attest that he is> nice to look at 😉
1. fun time!
2. welcome home to the good ol’ usa
3. you were in the cabana next to a star because you’re a STAR KL : )
Haha, why thank you! (Also, I wish!)
Looks like you almost had TOO much fun!!! 🙂 So awesome we got to bump into each other, though it’s a shame it was only for a few minutes. Hopefully, we’ll get to spend more time together in a couple of weeks? <3
Most definitely! I arrive the day after your birthday–belated celebration? Since you and Lucas are the queen and king of go-somewhere-awesome-for-every-occasion, are you doing anything for the big 3-1? 😉
I don’t think so this year. I’m kinda burnt out from traveling believe it or not. Okay, I say this now, but I might change my mind in 3 weeks. Haha! However, in this moment I will be here. Ughhhhhhhh 31!!! 🙁
Really enjoyed exploring your blog – particularly like your photographs. Wondered if you’ve ever considered travelling to Mongolia?
Would love to, just haven’t had the chance (yet)!
Loose place
wow that’s a lot of people filling up the pool, what a party – looks like Miami is hot, hot, hot!
That really looks like an awesome pool party. Summer is already in the air.
This is a monster of a post but you definitely captured the best of the weekend! Your photos really show just how much fun the pool party was 🙂 So so so glad we got to hang out, too!
wow… these people are having so much fun in the pics. I wish i would be there partying hard like these party loving people.
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