Miami Hotel for Day Trip Down the Keys?

We'll be arriving very late on November 6 and want to get an early (and easy) start the next morning for a drive down the Keys. In which area should we be looking for a hotel? Also, we'll be picking up the rental car at MIA upon arrival but will likely be too tired to navigate super-far. Thanks in advance.

Several nice hotels in the Blue Lagoon area near MIA - Homewood Suites, Sofitel, Hampton Inn, etc. All offer airport shuttles - you could wait and get your rental car in the AM.

Several nice hotels in the Blue Lagoon area near MIA - Homewood Suites, Sofitel, Hampton Inn, etc. All offer airport shuttles - you could wait and get your rental car in the AM.

Will the hotel shuttles be running after midnight? I understand (some of) the car rental places are open 24 hours and we'd prefer not to have to go back in the morning to organize the car rental. We could consider doing it the other way though. The hotels I'm presently looking at are in Coral Gables - will this give us any head start on the Keys?

How late does your flight get in?

If you are up to it, I'd head to Homestead. There are some really nice chain hotels and restaurants there that would work perfect for you.

Or if you can drive a couple of miles further, The Anchorage Inn is at the very beginning of Key Largo (MM 108 I think) and would give you a really great start in the morning.

I've never stayed there but we pass it all the time when we go diving in the keys and always wonder why I don't hear more about it.

How late does your flight get in?

If you are up to it, I'd head to Homestead. There are some really nice chain hotels and restaurants there that would work perfect for you.

 

Or if you can drive a couple of miles further, The Anchorage Inn is at the very beginning of Key Largo (MM 108 I think) and would give you a really great start in the morning.

 

I've never stayed there but we pass it all the time when we go diving in the keys and always wonder why I don't hear more about it.

Allowing for the inevitable delays, I think we'd be lucky to be in by midnight (after departing YYC at 2:00 pm with a Dallas layover). I was looking at Homestead but being unfamiliar with the area, not sure how easy a 30 mile drive in the middle of the night would be. Any advice?

Allowing for the inevitable delays, I think we'd be lucky to be in by midnight (after departing YYC at 2:00 pm with a Dallas layover). I was looking at Homestead but being unfamiliar with the area, not sure how easy a 30 mile drive in the middle of the night would be. Any advice?

Coral Gables is only going to slow you down. Miami traffic can be a nightmare in the morning.

Homestead is VERY easy to get to. Probably much easier than trying to get to Coral Gables. CG doesn't have street signs. They are written on rocks on the ground and are impossible to see at night.

You'll see the signs to the turnpike to head south coming out of the airport. It is very easy to get to Homestead.

Coral Gables is only going to slow you down. Miami traffic can be a nightmare in the morning.

 

Homestead is VERY easy to get to. Probably much easier than trying to get to Coral Gables. CG doesn't have street signs. They are written on rocks on the ground and are impossible to see at night.

 

You'll see the signs to the turnpike to head south coming out of the airport. It is very easy to get to Homestead.

I agree, it won't take that long to get to Homestead on the turnpike and when you get up in the morning you will be out of the Miami chaos, ready to enjoy your day in the Keys:)

The Courtyard Marriott in Homestead is nice we were there last winter. Pretty much all the chain hotels are represented there.

Wherever you stay, make sure that it is close to the FL Turnpike.

Wherever you stay, make sure that it is close to the FL Turnpike.

That's a roadway, right? Is it actually called the "turnpike" or is it named something else? And is a turnpike basically what I would know as a highway?

That's a roadway, right? Is it actually called the "turnpike" or is it named something else? And is a turnpike basically what I would know as a highway?

The "Florida Turnpike, Homestead Extension" is highway#821. It's a toll road that runs through western Miami-Dade County (and miles north of there through the state) and using it to get to the Keys avoids the bumper to bumper city traffic. So you might as well be able to get to it easily in the morning when you hit the road. The Blue Lagoon area near the airport is adjacent to the Dolphin Expressway 836, which takes you to the turnpike.

turnpike is a toll road ... limited access highway ... but you must pay extra to use it.

if you are considering the Homestead plan .... I'd get a room right at the end of the turnpike in Florida City. You don't need fancy as you are not going to be there very long and there are several .... this will put you right at US-1 ready to hop to the Keys.

Best Western-Gateway To Keys

411 S Krome Ave Florida City, FL 33034

(305) 246-5100

Holiday Inn Express Florida City Gateway to the Keys Hotel

35200 S Dixie Hwy Florida City, FL 33034

(305) 247-3414

there's a Cracker Barrel right here too for breakfast . . .

P.S. this portion of the Florida Turnpike is ELECTRONIC TOLL ONLY so you really have no option but to pay for this option in your rental car (or they are gonna ZAP you with extra fees) How rental companies handle this .... i.e. what they charge, and how they charge varies widely and impacts your rental's cost. (to go from Miami Airport to Florida City and NOT TAKE the toll road will probably take you twice as long)

See https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

{I lived in South Miami for over 10 years and dd now lives in North Miami .... I am a wee bit familiar with the area ... we still routinely travel to Key Largo to go diving}

p.s. Nov 6 is a Thursday so the traffic warnings apply .... investing time to get away from the city on the night of arrival may be well worth the effort. I would not go deeper into the Gables ... stay Blue Lagoon or get the heck out of Dodge. The Dolphin is not a pretty sight during the morning rush hours . . . nor is traffic in the Gables if you need to get BACK to the Dolphin. If you stay IN the Gables ... early and easy start ain't gonna happen .... you'd want to sleep in 'til 10 to let traffic clear.

Really good information; thanks to all. I'm confused though. A toll-road is fine, but I don't understand a toll-road where you can't actually pay the toll. If this is something I need to organize with the rental car place in advance, please explain. :confused:

Also, what is the S. Dixie Highway? One of the hotels I'm looking at is right off of it - is that good?

Really good information; thanks to all. I'm confused though. A toll-road is fine, but I don't understand a toll-road where you can't actually pay the toll. If this is something I need to organize with the rental car place in advance, please explain. :confused:

All tolls are charged directly to the car by transmitter or license plate. Whichever rental car company you decide to use can let you know how they charge you.

Really good information; thanks to all. I'm confused though. A toll-road is fine, but I don't understand a toll-road where you can't actually pay the toll. If this is something I need to organize with the rental car place in advance, please explain. :confused:

 

Also, what is the S. Dixie Highway? One of the hotels I'm looking at is right off of it - is that good?

S. Dixie Highway in Florida City or Homestead?

S. Dixie Highway in Florida City or Homestead?

Looking at a map I guess it would be considered in Florida City, but the two don't seem very far apart. It's hard to get oriented; here we have large population centres separated by countless miles of empty space :D.

Florida City and Homestead ARE next to each other, in fact when many mention Homestead in relation to the Keys what they are really thinking of is Florida City. In Florida City the turnpike extension ends and dumps into South US-1 aka Dixie Highway

US-1 in South Miami and then down the Keys AKA Dixie Highway

if you are looking at a hotel in Homestead on Dixie Highway it is off the turnpike .... not far apart ... but they are two different roads in Homestead . . .

**********************

the Sunpass.com link explains electronic toll

In short, they removed the toll booths a few years back because stopping to pay a toll slows traffic and causes traffic jams. Now it all happens by computer. Two systems are in place. In the beginning and still in use is SUNPASS. Here you buy a transponder that is read automatically when you pass what was previously a toll booth. You 'pre pay' tolls by putting money on the transponder account or just hooking it to a credit card. By doing this you get a discount on the tolls; when you pass a reader the toll is deducted from your account. The older transponders BEEPED telling you the toll was paid ... new ones dropped that.

If a car does not have a transponder the system takes a picture of the lic' plate and accessing official records sends a monthly bill for tolls on that tag to the registered owner with a small (a dollar or two) service charge. No biggie . . .

The PROBLEM is when this bill is on a rental car and how the registered owner (AVIS, Hertz .... whomever) passes this bill on to you. You are given the option to 'prepay' tolls (essentially borrow a SUNPASS, alto most rentals are actually toll by plate and their computers dissect the bill every month). If you decline this, and encounter a toll (as small as 50 cents) ALL rental companies will pass that toll on to you and add a service charge , some are small and reasonable while others are UP TO $25 PER TOLL!!!! Again, this is explained and the fees charged by various major rental fleets are provided for comparison.

The turnpike extension as it is called IS electronic toll or toll by plate ONLY ... there are BIG SIGNS warning of this. There are no toll booths . . .

Florida City and Homestead ARE next to each other, in fact when many mention Homestead in relation to the Keys what they are really thinking of is Florida City. In Florida City the turnpike extension ends and dumps into South US-1 aka Dixie Highway

 

US-1 in South Miami and then down the Keys AKA Dixie Highway

 

if you are looking at a hotel in Homestead on Dixie Highway it is off the turnpike .... not far apart ... but they are two different roads in Homestead . . .

 

**********************

 

the Sunpass.com link explains electronic toll

 

In short, they removed the toll booths a few years back because stopping to pay a toll slows traffic and causes traffic jams. Now it all happens by computer. Two systems are in place. In the beginning and still in use is SUNPASS. Here you buy a transponder that is read automatically when you pass what was previously a toll booth. You 'pre pay' tolls by putting money on the transponder account or just hooking it to a credit card. By doing this you get a discount on the tolls; when you pass a reader the toll is deducted from your account. The older transponders BEEPED telling you the toll was paid ... new ones dropped that.

 

If a car does not have a transponder the system takes a picture of the lic' plate and accessing official records sends a monthly bill for tolls on that tag to the registered owner with a small (a dollar or two) service charge. No biggie . . .

 

The PROBLEM is when this bill is on a rental car and how the registered owner (AVIS, Hertz .... whomever) passes this bill on to you. You are given the option to 'prepay' tolls (essentially borrow a SUNPASS, alto most rentals are actually toll by plate and their computers dissect the bill every month). If you decline this, and encounter a toll (as small as 50 cents) ALL rental companies will pass that toll on to you and add a service charge , some are small and reasonable while others are UP TO $25 PER TOLL!!!! Again, this is explained and the fees charged by various major rental fleets are provided for comparison.

 

The turnpike extension as it is called IS electronic toll or toll by plate ONLY ... there are BIG SIGNS warning of this. There are no toll booths . . .

OK, and by agreeing to pre-pay tolls, how does one know how many to pre-pay for? Is it a flat rate and if you actually use less they refund you, kind of like pre-paying for gas before a fill-up? Please pardon my ignorance - there are no toll-roads in Canada and the only ones we've ever encountered in the States have had the option to pay in cash. I really, really appreciate this information.

I use the term pre-pay for simplicity .... you agree to "participate" thru the rental company and you'll see the tolls later as a second charge to your credit card. As I said, different companies do this different ways and some details are on

https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

for example with a Budget car: once you encounter a toll you are automatically "in"; the fee is $3.95 a day PLUS actual tolls at cash rate ... maximum $16.75 a month (30 days) PLUS tolls.

compare to THRIFY: Customer must either OPT-IN or DECLINE at time of reservation or at the rental counter. $8.99 flat fee per rental day (tolls are covered). $45.99 maximum weekly fee. PlatePass® All-Inclusive Tolling must be sold for the length of the rental contract. It cannot be purchased only on certain days. If not enrolled at time of reservation or at the rental counter, and user incurred toll charges by utilizing a dedicated or express lane, a $15.00 administrative fee + toll is assessed for each infraction to a maximum fee of $105.00.

Sorry it is so confusing ... welcome to Florida

Bottom line - make sure we sign up for automatic tolls at the rental car counter. VERY GRATEFUL to you for bringing this to my attention. We would not have understood the gravity of this without the information you've given! (LOL - if there's anything you ever need to know about driving across the barren Canadian prairies - just ask. I'm here for you! :D)

frequent visitors to Florida sometimes choose to simply buy a SUNPASS transponder. The $25 version can be moved from vehicle to vehicle and it is easy to ADD a rental car for the duration of a visit. If a transponder is in the car, the rental company is cut out of the loop. I've had a transponder for 15 years ....

{there is also a $5 version but it is NOT intended to be transferred from car to car ... it is a use once version <one vehicle> ... but at the end of use you CAN get any unused funds on the account refunded}

Thanks to all who advised on this thread. With your help and based on your advice we had an excellent trip down the Keys prior to our recent LOS cruise. We stayed in Florida City after a very late arrival to MIA and were good to go the next morning. After visiting Key West we came back up as far as Marathon for an over-night and made it out to Port Everglades at a very leisurely pace on Saturday. We didn't encounter any traffic issues anywhere. All in all a great success! Thanks again.

happy happy . . .

So glad it worked out!! Thanks for coming back and sharing!!