For months after my twenty-ninth birthday I pretended to be excited about turning thirty. After all everybody around me was saying how exciting it was going to be, how much fun I was going to have, that thirties are the best age for a woman. The reality was that I felt from then on it was all going to go sour, I would be getting wrinkles, nothing nice would happen anymore.

Only my best friend knew how I felt and she decided to act. Since my birthday is in December and I do not particularly care for snow, she surfed some websites, visited several travel agencies and questioned coworkers. A few days later I was told that we are spending a fabulous long weekend leading up to my birthday in Miami, and specifically the Mondrian.

On a particularly gray day I packed and we jumped on the plane heading south. In the cab from the airport, I noticed how wonderful it was to see a blue sky and sun in the middle of winter. I actually thought weather was going to be the best part of our trip. I was wrong.

When we walked into the lobby, I was very taken by the décor. It was ultra modern and funky, very much my style. A quick check in and we were upstairs in our chic, spacious room overlooking Biscayne Bay. As for me, Mondrian Miami could not be situated any better. We changed and went downstairs to explore the hotel.

We did not get to see much, and I take the blame for it. We went outside to sit by the pool, and I found the view and the comfy sitting areas to be breathtaking, so this is where we spent the rest of the afternoon. From a friendly waitress we found out that we could not only get food or drinks by the pool, but also some of the spa treatments were offered there. The minute we heard it, we knew we would be starting day number two of our trip with a pool side massage.

It was an excellent decision. A wonderful, relaxing massage, a light breakfast enjoyed overlooking the Bay, and I forgot about my birthday for a bit. Especially when my friend said when you spend time in a luxurious hotel like the Mondrian Miami, a massage is really not enough. So we made whole day spa appointments, enjoyed quick lunch and explored South Beach, because nothing makes girls happier than some fun shopping. Well, almost nothing.

Next morning we promptly entered the spa area, and were mesmerized. The functional area was just beautiful, and as it turned out throughout the day, very comfortable. Treatment after treatment, we were taken care of by very pleasant staff working hard to make the experience fun for us. Late afternoon, when we were leaving the spa with flowers in our hair, I was completely relaxed and had a big smile on my face.

And I must say that smile widened at dinner. My friend made arrangements with the staff, and after we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the terrace, quite a big group of employees came out to support my friend in singing “Happy almost-birthday”, while the chef came out with my favorite German Chocolate cake with still only twenty-nine candles.

So if you are turning thirty, forty, or simply need some fun, I suggest you pack, take a good friend in tow, and fly down to Mondrian in Miami, because it’s a place where you can forget about things that bother you, or find out that life is so pleasant that nothing really bothers you that much.