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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Holiday Inn - Port of Miami Downtown

BassetPeople

By BassetPeople,
in Florida Departures

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BassetPeople

BassetPeople

Posted
Posted

I wanted to give a quick recommendation for a great hotel before a cruise out of Miami.

 

Planning to get married on the ship in the port of Miami also left me to make plans for a decently priced hotel that everyone could stay at preferrably near entertainment and restaurants. After much research online and a few phone calls I selected the Holiday Inn (Port of Miami Downtown).

 

LOCATION

Given the location of the port on Dodge Island, hotels don't get much closer to the port. No this hotel is not on South Beach, which would have been fun, but those hotels were seriously out of many of my guests price ranges and we never like spending a ton on a hotel before or after a cruise. HOWEVER, it's location is excellent! It's just across from Dodge Island and you can see ships come and go from the port right from your room window which was pretty cool. Getting to the port took just minutes.

 

HOTEL:

The concierge was outstanding prior to our arrival and while we were there. They truely made everything easy for all of us. Our wedding group was listed on a marquee in the hotel and made for an easy congregating point.

There is no continental breakfast but the restaurant, though pricey, was good.

The parking lot is small, but secure. We had a rental car for part of our trip and were able to return it nearby.

The price was competive, yet moderate and well worth what we paid.

Pool was nice and clean, rooms fresh and clean and make sure to request a room with a view of the bay, bayside and the port. That was wonderful.

 

TO/FROM THE PORT:

The hotel was very accommodating when I called, even arranging for a bus to come with a trailer, to take all my guests at once to the port. So wonderful! The fee for this was nominal (cheaper than a taxi) at about $5 per person. We enjoyed the ease of this as everyone was together cutting down on confusion. The concierge will arrange port transportation for anyone regardless of group size. The trip to the port took just minutes and the loaded and unloaded luggage for us.

 

RESTAURANTS & ENTERTAINMENT:

As for restaurants and entertainment nearby, this hotel is a jackpot for anyone with budget in mind. It is located directly across the street from Bayside Marketplace which proved to be WONDERFUL!

We walked across the street to land us in the middle of shops, restaurants, bars, entertainment, where the bay cruise tours left from, etc. It couldn't have been better!!! Coming in a couple of days early we took a bay cruise of the millionaires homes, shopped at the marketplace and enjoyed everything it had to offer.

We arranged for our rehearsal dinner to be at Bubba Gump's, and then enjoyed the free to the public DJ's and bands at the marketplace with our wedding party while sipping on fruity drinks ;) This was still family friendly (while we were there) and I assume it still is as the marketplace was monitored by police on bikes and walking.

 

PHOTOS:

The hotel from Bayside Marketplace

Guests and Wedding Party beside the bus

Guests on the bus

 

Bayside Marketplace and the prime location of this hotel made this one of our most favorite ports to leave from!

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JohninDC

JohninDC

Posted
Posted

Glad it worked out for you! :)

 

Probably not worth the hassel but you could have saved a couple of bucks by just grabbing a few taxis to get to the port -- the fare would have been $10-12 per cab split 4 ways (maybe 5 ways in a van cab). Hope you had a great cruise! :cool:

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BassetPeople

BassetPeople

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Glad it worked out for you! :)

 

Probably not worth the hassel but you could have saved a couple of bucks by just grabbing a few taxis to get to the port -- the fare would have been $10-12 per cab split 4 ways (maybe 5 ways in a van cab). Hope you had a great cruise! :cool:

 

Actually he stopped taking our money very quickly when he realized we were all one group. I think we paid a total of about $40 for the bus, trailer and his assistance with baggage. The hotel and their associated transportation were just very accommodating. I post the cost because I think that's the max it would be.

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janpa70

janpa70

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Posted

Glad to hear we will be there in June. Called today to make sure our wheelchair room was on first floor like 800# said it would be and they don't have them on that floor, so they gave us a room on the 3rd floor reserved already since this was the lowest floor he had. How were the elevators?

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BassetPeople

BassetPeople

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Glad to hear we will be there in June. Called today to make sure our wheelchair room was on first floor like 800# said it would be and they don't have them on that floor, so they gave us a room on the 3rd floor reserved already since this was the lowest floor he had. How were the elevators?

 

The elevators are not huge, but you shouldn't have any issue getting a wheelchair on them. Most of the first floor is taken up by lobby and restaurant so this doesn't surprise me and it sounds like a default that the 800 number puts handicap on the first floor for any of the chain's hotels.

 

SIDENOTE:

Some Expedia reviews for this hotel are bad and that surprised me. I think its important that people remember where they are. Downtown Miami (and south beach) are not young by any means. The hotel is up to date, clean and accessible. One just must remember that when these buildings were built quite some time ago the current standards for room spaciousness and width of hallways and such were not the standard then.

 

I think you will still be pleased. After all, this is just a launching pad for your cruise!

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janpa70

janpa70

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We are so looking forward to staying here cause we know that the end result will be the cruise, which we are so looking forward to. Thanks for the wonderful review and glad you had such a great time.

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BlueHerons

BlueHerons

Posted
Posted

I think you will still be pleased. After all, this is just a launching pad for your cruise!

Nice review!

 

While I am NOT a fan of the HIPOM, it fills a need for many people.

 

Addressing your remark, Miami is ten times the destination of any cruise ship stop anywhere in the Caribbean. It's a shame more people don't integrate Miami and Miami Beach into their vacations. It is a sexy, sultry, cultural, art filled, dining, shopping and architectual gem. Nothing in the Caribbean can compare.

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  • 1 month later...
Eng23

Eng23

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The reviews of this hotel have been pretty good since it's recent renovation a year or so ago. They were right in the middle of the renovation the last time I was in Miami.

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jkjmt

jkjmt

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No balconies. If you go to a search engine/images and type in "Holiday Inn Port of Miami", thousands of photos will come up.

 

 

UGH!!!! I booked this hotel assuming there were balconies. I wanted to sit out there and watch the bay.....will I be disappointed with the window????

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dewats784

dewats784

Posted
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There is a CVS a couple of blocks down the street. We have stayed in this hotel a couple of times. We really enjoyed both visits. Having the marketplace right across the street was wonderful. Also enjoyed the view of the ships the morning of our cruise. I would recommend this hotel to anyone for a pre and post cruise stay.

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  • 3 months later...
Cruisin 4 Ever

Cruisin 4 Ever

Posted
Posted
I wanted to give a quick recommendation for a great hotel before a cruise out of Miami.

 

Planning to get married on the ship in the port of Miami also left me to make plans for a decently priced hotel that everyone could stay at preferrably near entertainment and restaurants. After much research online and a few phone calls I selected the Holiday Inn (Port of Miami Downtown).

 

LOCATION

Given the location of the port on Dodge Island, hotels don't get much closer to the port. No this hotel is not on South Beach, which would have been fun, but those hotels were seriously out of many of my guests price ranges and we never like spending a ton on a hotel before or after a cruise. HOWEVER, it's location is excellent! It's just across from Dodge Island and you can see ships come and go from the port right from your room window which was pretty cool. Getting to the port took just minutes.

 

HOTEL:

The concierge was outstanding prior to our arrival and while we were there. They truely made everything easy for all of us. Our wedding group was listed on a marquee in the hotel and made for an easy congregating point.

There is no continental breakfast but the restaurant, though pricey, was good.

The parking lot is small, but secure. We had a rental car for part of our trip and were able to return it nearby.

The price was competive, yet moderate and well worth what we paid.

Pool was nice and clean, rooms fresh and clean and make sure to request a room with a view of the bay, bayside and the port. That was wonderful.

 

TO/FROM THE PORT:

The hotel was very accommodating when I called, even arranging for a bus to come with a trailer, to take all my guests at once to the port. So wonderful! The fee for this was nominal (cheaper than a taxi) at about $5 per person. We enjoyed the ease of this as everyone was together cutting down on confusion. The concierge will arrange port transportation for anyone regardless of group size. The trip to the port took just minutes and the loaded and unloaded luggage for us.

 

RESTAURANTS & ENTERTAINMENT:

As for restaurants and entertainment nearby, this hotel is a jackpot for anyone with budget in mind. It is located directly across the street from Bayside Marketplace which proved to be WONDERFUL!

We walked across the street to land us in the middle of shops, restaurants, bars, entertainment, where the bay cruise tours left from, etc. It couldn't have been better!!! Coming in a couple of days early we took a bay cruise of the millionaires homes, shopped at the marketplace and enjoyed everything it had to offer.

We arranged for our rehearsal dinner to be at Bubba Gump's, and then enjoyed the free to the public DJ's and bands at the marketplace with our wedding party while sipping on fruity drinks ;) This was still family friendly (while we were there) and I assume it still is as the marketplace was monitored by police on bikes and walking.

 

PHOTOS:

The hotel from Bayside Marketplace

Guests and Wedding Party beside the bus

Guests on the bus

 

Bayside Marketplace and the prime location of this hotel made this one of our most favorite ports to leave from!

 

I am interested in booking this hotel. Do all the rooms have a view of the water? Is the pool outdoors and heated? Is there a complimentary breakfast? THanks for your help

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

Posted
Posted
I am interested in booking this hotel. Do all the rooms have a view of the water? Is the pool outdoors and heated? Is there a complimentary breakfast? THanks for your help

 

All rooms do not face the water and from many you will not see water. No breakfast is included.

 

If you want something that will have a nice breakfast included and is closer to Mary Brickell Village with lots of great restaurants try the Hampton Inn.

 

Keith

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  • 5 months later...
lovermonkey

lovermonkey

Posted
Posted

This is cool. Thanks for the review. I just booked it the other day. Can any suggest a good breakfast place that is in walking distance? Besides S & S diner. I heard is good but a bit far to walk.

 

What other things are there to do around the hotel? Thanks for the idea of the CVS. That helps when I buy my pop.

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