The Broken Shaker

First World Problem: I left my contacts at home during my bachelorette party weekend in Miami!

The first two nights, I borrowed Kristina V's extra pair of contacts but by the end of the weekend my eyes started getting all weird and twitchy and I had to switch back to my Warby Parkers.

I was feeling super odd and ugly with my four eyes look on South Beach but when I got to the Broken Shaker I felt perfectly at home. Finally, a low key spot for girls like me!

I loved the tiny inside bar which played an eclectic mix of old school R&B jams (think Otis Redding not Blackstreet) and had an amazing treasure of curio tacked on to every corner of the wall. The outside patio has twinkly lights, lots of seating areas, trees galore, and a ping pong table. It was the perfect spot for people watching and chit chatting with friends.

The cocktail list was small but very well thought out. My Moscow Mule did not come in a traditional silver cup but had a wonderful gingery bite. It was the perfect way to cool off in the steamy Miami weather. They also had a wonderful rum punch which at $8 a cup was an affordable alternative to the other drinks on the menu.

Off the beaten path but perfect for those seeking an alternative Miami experience.

Very nice place to come and chill and get away from the partying and clubbing scene at Brickell or South Beach. The drinks are very good! although about $15 per drink for cocktails. My friends rented a "bungalow" and we had a blast. They have beat up ping pong table at the back and some board games.

This place its one of the best spots to come and enjoy great times with friends without the loud, smoky, and superficial scenery from South Beach - at least your hair won't smell like cigarettes.

Hanging out at the Freehand hotel and having drinks at the Broken Shaker was an overall highlight of my brief hot adventure in Miami. Stretching out around the pool, in the hammock, in the wooden Adirondack chairs, or in the tiny lovely little indoor pocket of a bar with the gals shaking up excellent Sazeraks etc made the boomcha and menu pushers of Ocean Drive feel like a bad trip in distant memory.

$15 cocktails, ok, but there are ranges of super affordable all day drinking options here catered towards the hostel clients. So start with a $3 beer and work your way up to carefully crafted if that's what works for you.

There's a limited food menu and what I tried was totally nice - chicken salad with a glass of wine in the shade sufficed to soaked the stress of life back home right out of me. With excellent music on rotation throughout the greenery and around the pool, and the beach a block away, plus friendly staff (if a little deadpan and cooler than thou) I am, I must admit, a fan.