Marriott Biscayne Bay

[Bestbubba]

We are staying at the Marriott Biscayne Bay 1 night pre-cruise. Has anyone stayed there that can give any info on nearby shopping/restaurants?

 

Thanks

 

Sue

[Cruising89143]

This hotel is my choice for staying in Miami. Bayside Marketplace is really the closest shopping area. It is not upscale or like a large mall.

http://www.baysidemarketplace.com/html/

There is a small area that is located in the Doubletree next door but most go to Bayside. I would suggest that you use a taxi to get there and not the metro. There is a lot of construction going on in the area at this time. I have some photos in my link below that shows the views from the bayside rooms. Look in the Navigator photos.

[leoandhugh]

We stayed there for 3 nights post cruise last Thanksgiving. Be sure you ask for a room that looks south so you can see all the ships docked - the other direction is just another hi rise condo building. We went to the Bayside mall and thought it was tacky but there are a couple of chain restaurants there - Bubba Gumps was one I remember. We ate breakfast buffet in the hotel each morning which saved going searching for some place and the restaurant is very pleasant. Do not know about dinner however. Even though the previous poster advised against using it, and yes there is a lot of construction in the area, we did use the metro - you can see the station from the road in front of the hotel.:)

[KarinaGW]

Top 2 pictures on this page are the veiw to and from Voyager and the Marriott:

http://www.cafekarina.org/cruise/g3.html

[leahmariess]

We stayed there in January for 1 night but didn't go out except for a walk around the area which didn't last too long.

 

There is a really nice restaurant in the hotel on the main floor I believe. It was really good but a little pricy. I think around $13.00 for a hamburger.

 

Def. a nice place though, AMAZING down beds, nice views, large rooms, nice balconies and shuttle!

[emeraldcity]

We stayed there a year ago, and would do so again in a heartbeat. Wonderfully comfortable beds. Outstanding view. There are some rooms with real balconies, but we requested a room on an upper floor with a view of the cruise ships. We got the room at the end of the hall on the 16th floor. Fabulous view, but the sliding glass door simply opens onto a ledge with a balcony railing. So we pulled chairs over and sat next to our balconette. Actually my daughter squeezed out onto the ledge between the window and the railing a couple of times.

 

Very nice pool area as well. It was a bit cool, but then Miami in March can be unpredictable. We hadn't been swimming since the city pool in our Cleveland suburb shut down after Labor Day so we spent some time there.

 

As for the Metro, my DD loved it. But there are some who feel more comfortable taking a taxi. We went, of course to Bayside. I love the energy of the music groups that play in the plaza there in the afternoon. It gets me in vacation mode ... after the stress of the work world, the last minute frantic trip preparations, and the annoyances of air travel slip into my past.

 

I'm an early riser and I got some relatively nice pictures of the Explorer slipping into the port in the early dawn.

 

I thought lunch was a bit pricey, but it was very, very good ... and the view from the dining room was outstanding. We also had the breakfast buffet and it was well worth the price tag ... of course, I may just be swayed by the inclusion of cheese blintzes in the offerings.

[Bestbubba]

Thank you everyone for taking the trouble to reply, I really appreciate all your helpful comments.

 

Sue

[bass-notes]

We stayed there this past Sunday to Monday after getting off the Freedom. It's a nice hotel, particuarly if you can get a room with a view of the port. We were all crying when the Freedom pulled back out;)

 

One thing we were not totally pleased with were the hotel porters. Upon arrival, a porter took our bags off the shuttle and wheeled them into the lobby and expected a tip. A second porter then took the bags from the lobby to the room and also expected a tip.

 

Leaving the hotel, one garment bag fell off the porters cart at the elevator. We had already gone to the lobby and consequently didn't realize we were short one until we got to the airport. To their credit, the hotel drove the bag to the airport when we called but by then my stress level was through the roof.