Need Miami Help

[DEERINH2O]

Hi there, so we are driving from Atlanta Georgia on 12/11 and staying the first night in Orlando area. On Sunday we are driving into Miami for a one night stay. I would like a hotel not far from the beach and one that hopefully offers free parking or inexpensive parking. We are leaving on the Destiny from POM on Monday. I will stay in Ft. Lauderdale as well if anyone has any suggestions that would be great.

 

thanks,

Kathy

[RuthlessBunny]

That free parking and beach thing is going to be mutually exclusive.

 

Here's my primer of the various areas and hotels. Ft. Lauderdale is going to be less expensive. With more options for free parking for the length of your cruise and easier access to the beach. You can take an SAS shuttle to and from POM. Of hotels in Miami that might have free parking, Blue Lagoon, Doral or the Embassy Suites Airport might.

 

FLL

 

17th Street/Downtown Hotels: These are moderately priced chain hotels on a very wide street. Surrounded by chain restaurants and drug stores where you can buy last minute items. Hotels would be Hyatt Place, Marriott and Hilton brands. Charmless, but convenient and inexpensive. Most have free shuttles from FLL. Hyatt Pier 66 is on the edge, right at the drawbridge, but a great hotel with a marina, outdoor bar and grill and a water taxi stop. Use SAS to get to POM.

Las Olas Blvd: A lovely little street with cafes and shops. Only one hotel here, but it's very nice, Riverside Hotel. Folks have been getting amazing deals on this property through Hotwire and Priceline.

 

Ft. Lauderdale Beach: If you get in early, and you want a taste of the tropical lifestyle, you can stay on the beach. Westin, Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort, Lago Mar and W are options. This area is full of beachy restaurants and shops. More spendy than 17th Street, but very nice and fun. Eat at Primanti Brothers for the ultimate Pittsburgh sandwich. Take a bus, or drive up A1A to Aruba for a meal right on the beach!

 

Hollywood

 

You can get the Westin Diplomat Golf or Beach resort in Hollywood. About half-way between FLL and POM, it's a lovely resort with an amazing pool. If your plan is to just veg before your cruise and you want a resort to do it at, this would be the place. You'll have to arrange for transportation, but if you check it out on the web and they have a good price, it's a wonderful, luxurious experience. There's also a Crowne Plaza in Hollywood. Both properties are on a trolley route to the beach and boardwalk.

 

MIA

 

Downtown: I can't recommend downtown Miami for anything. While Miami Beach is vibrant and exciting, downtown rolls up the sidewalks at 5:00 PM. The only thing left are cruise tourists and zombies. The Intercontinental is a huge hotel, full of cruisers. Bayside Marketplace is a short walk away. Personally, I think Bayside is a tourist-captive kind of place. Full of goofy boutiques and crappy restaurants. Some cruisers LOVE it though, so check it out. SAS will pick you up at FLL and bring you here. Short cab ride to POM. There's also Holiday Inn-Port of Miami. Some people think it's nice. Mostly Europeans who are used to old, dingy places with small rooms. (No judgement intended.) If this isn't your bag, then skip HI-POM

There is a new area called Mary Brickell Village, close to The Conrad, which is coming up on discount sites for $95 (jump on that if you can get it.) Eat at Perricone's, an Italian place in a garden. There’s also a Publix for last minute purchases at fair prices.

www.marybrickellvillage.com

 

Blue Lagoon: An office park spanning about 5 miles, rather its own little city. Lots of moderately priced hotels, restaurants and strip malls. Loaded with cruisers who just want a clean place to lay their heads. Most have shuttles to POM.

 

Miami Beach: The place they show you on TV. Ocean Drive, Collins Blvd, South Beach and Lincoln Rd respectively. The hotels on South Beach are typically VERY expensive and the rooms are VERY small. Party 24/7, with lots of young people walking around, seeing and being seen. Mid-Beach on Collins is the Fountainebleau. The punchline to many jokes in the fifties and sixties. Elegant older hotel, recently stripped to the studs and renovated. A Hilton property. Not particularly close to either South Beach or Lincoln Rd, but if you want to wear your Jackie O sunglasses, check in and just relax, this is a wonderful choice. When I stayed there, the rooms were huge and I loved the old fixtures. That may have changed. But the location is awesome. Up by Lincoln Rd, there's the Sagamore, a boutique hotel with unique rooms and very good pricing. If money is no object, then the Ritz-Carlton at Collins and Lincoln would be my first choice.

 

Coconut Grove: An intersting shopping district, anchored by a Bayside Marketplace type structure called Coco Walk. Miracle Mile (the name of the street) includes funky shops, restaurants and venues for the arts. I saw an evening of ballet here once. This is an option if you plan on renting a car, or have lots of money for taxis.

 

Coral Gables: The real Miami. Not the glamour and excitement of Miami Beach, not the commerce and tacky tourist traps of downtown, but a real, elegant neighborhood filled with older homes. There's sort of a main drag down there with a few high-end restaurants as well as the sort of places where one can lean into a window and get a cafe con leche and toasted Cuban bread for breakfast. Hard to get to, congested and more of a place to stay if you're exploring Miami and you don't want to be in a touristy area.

 

Airport: There are a few hotels out at the Miami Airport, the only one I can recommend is the Embassy Suites-Airport. They have a shuttle to POM in the morning, usually $10 per person. Better choice if you're flying into MIA and cruising POM.

 

Doral: The other side of the Airport. Very far west, with lots of moderately priced hotels, restaurants and strip malls. This is where you stay if all the other places are full due to boat shows or holidays. Safe, clean and convenient.