Anyone ever stay on South Beach before cruise?

Two moms with our 20 yr old daughters are cruising out of Miami for their college Spring Break. We fly in really early the day before so we have a whole day to spend in Miami area. Our cruise is only 4 nights so I want the first day to be vacation feeling too. I'm trying to decide if South Beach would be a good choice and if so which hotel? Or maybe a little north of S.B.?

Looking for a nice pool area and around the $300 range (Sunday night stay).

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Blue Herons is a frequent poster on this board and lives in South FLA -- she has a link in her signature to a blog she runs with hotel/dining suggestions you might want to check out.

I would also do a lot of homework on trip advisor - your $300 budget might not go very far when searching for a room for 4 during spring break. :o Staying North of South Beach and using the bus/Uber to get around sounds like a plan.

We found a really nice place in South Beach on AirBNB with a good reputable host for a great price. You may check there, just make sure you have a reputable host before booking. VRBO as well.

consider too, Coconut Grove

when I lived in Miami it was given that the tourists went to "the Beach"

and the locals went to "the Grove"

OP didn't post exact date needed, so I cant find out the exact pricing... Rates can fluctuate by $100 or more week to week. However, the OP may want to try some of the following hotels for a decent pool area, but still not terribly expensive compared to others:

(Note The 2000 block and lower is generally considered South Beach)

Royal Palm South Beach (1545 Collins Ave)

Marseilles Hotal (1741 Collins)

Plymouth Miami Beach (336 21st Street / i.e. 2100 block)

Miami Beach Resort (4833 Collins)

Catalina Hotel and Beach Club (1732 Collins)

Sagamore (1671 Collins)

Holiday Inn Miami Beach (4333 Collins)

Deauville Beach Resort (6701 Collins)

Actually - I see in the OP's signature she is sailing 3/20, so I assume needing a hotel 3/19....

In addition to the ones I mentioned in the previous post, I also see that Hotwire has a 4.5* in South beach with a base rate of $213. One of the amenities listed is a pool.

If you go the Hotwire route, make sure you pick a hotel that has the pool amenity that you mentioned in the original post. Also, if it were me stated, I tend to stick with hotels that are at least 80% recommended.

Thank you for the great replies! I'm learning tons about Miami Beach & South Beach. I have a reservation at Grand Beach Hotel for $249 and Loews South Beach for $359. Loews is pricey but maybe worth it. I'm also thinking Sagamore or Royal Palm, both in South Beach and comparable in price ($289). I think I'll cancel Grand Beach for sure...too north.

Sagamore has bungalows that are 1200 sq ft which looks great, but Royal Palm is a half a star better on expedia. Any thoughts? Is Loew's worth the price? Thanks for taking the time to answer! :)

Thank you for the great replies! I'm learning tons about Miami Beach & South Beach. I have a reservation at Grand Beach Hotel for $249 and Loews South Beach for $359. Loews is pricey but maybe worth it. I'm also thinking Sagamore or Royal Palm, both in South Beach and comparable in price ($289). I think I'll cancel Grand Beach for sure...too north.

Sagamore has bungalows that are 1200 sq ft which looks great, but Royal Palm is a half a star better on expedia. Any thoughts? Is Loew's worth the price? Thanks for taking the time to answer! :)

I have stayed at both Loews and Royal Palm and really enjoyed both. Not sure if you have a car, but check with the hotel for their parking rates, as well as if there are any resort fees (per day) that you will incur. This may be a deciding factor. You cannot go wrong with either hotel since they are beachfront.

Go with The Loews. It is perfect for what you want and there is always a celebrity or two staying there.

Thanks again everyon and I loved your blogs BlueHerons. The Hotwire advice led me down another search and I found a great deal today on The Nautilus Hotel for only $229. Anyone stay here? Great reviews and 4 1/2 stars. Hard to pass up that price. Wow

Thanks again everyon and I loved your blogs BlueHerons. The Hotwire advice led me down another search and I found a great deal today on The Nautilus Hotel for only $229. Anyone stay here? Great reviews and 4 1/2 stars. Hard to pass up that price. Wow

I haven't stayed there, but the location is great, right on the beach, and it has really good reviews on Trip Advisor. Go for it!

I have visited several of the hotels in that area when I did a travel agent fam (familiarization) trip in that area about 5 years ago. Royal Palm was one of my favorites out of the approximately 15 hotels we visited.