slumming it, south beach style

[robbyxoxo]

just got back from our first land vacation in five years.....was a nice change from doing cruises....turned out to be less relaxing than i thought it might be in comparison to cruising....but i guess thats partly due to the fact that i have ants in my pants and can never sit for long......i thought id throw out some info that may come in handy for those cruisers who stay in south beach prior to cruising......if you're a penny pincher you'll prolly find some of this to be of interest.........getting to our hotel from the airport we had decided to try the local metro buses as opposed to paying for a taxi....we were happy with that decision....bus trip cost us a total of $3 and took a tad over an hour to get to our hotel....taxi woulda cost $30.....the bus gave us a good feel of miami....enjoyed the ride....we also took the bus back to the airport when leaving with no probs.......in south beach we stayed at 2 diff hotels....spent 3 nights at the Tudor purchased on hotwire for $44 per night....great location and decent hotel.....we would certainly stay there again....next 4 nights was at the Holiday Inn purchased on priceline for $40 per night....location is a bit north of all the action but still within walking distance....hotel is a bit nicer than the Tudor....hot tub and pool and free loungers on the beach are all nice perks........along the beach they have a great boardwalk that extends along much of south beach....its nicely landscaped and gives a great view of the ocean as well as the back pool areas of the hotels along the strip......we walked all the way down to the port where we could see a carnival ship parked......great sights to see all the way.......we spent one day at Haulover beach....its like 10ish miles north of south beach....spent the day at the nude beach there....ultra kewl!.....super neat, laid back experience.........we spent two nights at the nite club Mangos.....this still remains one of the busiest tourist spots.....barely clothed women dancing up on the bar to some great music...i think i could go there every night and not grow tired of it.......Lincoln road still rocks as the people watching spot to catch the locals doing their thang....a very reasonable place to eat on Lincoln in the center of all the action is a place called pizza rustica.....super pizzas, unlike what we find back home.......other great reasonable places to eat can be found just off of Lincoln, on Washington ave.....some little hole in the wall markets have some super grub that only the locals stop in to eat....the most casual dining you'll find anywhere....lunch specials for $3-5 bucks with portions big enough to feed 2 people......weird items to eat like pigs feet, oxtail, hamhocks, goat, tongue........all made with a cuban flare.....yummers.....cheap cheap booze can be found on washington ave as well....one liquor store in particular was dirt cheap and had mass selection of wines...........washington ave is also home to many of the funky clubs where the locals go....some skanky stuff goin on at nights.....a must see for those adventuresome peeps..........so thats the deal.....spent a great 7 nights on south beach....walked 5+ miles a day and saw about 1000 fake bewbies during the week.....a good trip indeed and highly recommended as a spot to stop before a cruise:)

[L2J]

Robby - sounds like you had a good time! We were starting to wonder if you fell in :D J/K.

 

You only saw 1000 boobs the whole week? :(

[DebBrown]

Robby, thanks for the review!! Some of my gal pals and I are going to head down there for a weekend after the holidays so now I will be in the know with all the great spots to go!!

[glrounds]

Thanks, Robby.

 

Don't always agree with you, but you're never ever boring. :D Very good review of the South Beach scene. Seriously, only a 1000 bewbies ? :D And skankier than the disco on a ship at 4:00 am ? :D

[bhardy1]

Thanks for the great review - we are heading down to South Beach this Sunday!! We are staying at the National and our friends are staying at the Holiday Inn - Is the 2 places in walking distance?

 

Also, we would love to go to Little Havana - How far is that from South Beach? Have you ever been? Anybody else out there been to Little Havana?

 

We are doing a 4 night cruise and staying the night before and the night after in South Beach - Can't wait!!

[robbyxoxo]

ok, maybe it was MORE than a 1000 bewbies i saw:).....i started seeing them even in my dreams after first day!.....and i can only imagine whats goin on in the cruise disco at 4 am lol.......the National and Holiday Inn are around 6 blocks apart....so easily walking distance....the National has super primo location being right next to Lincoln road.....cant tell you anything about little havana........south beach does have these neat little buses that run around the art deco district for only a quarter per ride.....another nice alternative to using cabs.......the weekends are absolutely packed in south beach......you are almost a minority if you speak only english....sooo many people from around the world visit miami....lots of europeans.......enjoyed tasting expresso from different locations each day....as well as all the great pastries they make.....

[rtobiejr]

i always find it interesting to hear what people say about miami...it never fails to amuse me! i've lived here all my life (currently live on south beach, and am in law school at University of Miami), and Miami is so complex in so many ways, and the SoBe side is only a slice of the pastelito/pie/Jamaican patty that is MIA!

[countercast]

Fab review, robby. Have you thought of posting it under Ports of Call? Might be useful to lots of people.

 

I know I'm looking for similar insight into Ft Lauderdale for 1.5 days pre-cruise with my teens......

[iluvdoxies]

haha robby- you think most Carnival cruisers are classless, yet your idea of a great time is seeing boobs???

[robbyxoxo]

lets remember, men of ALL class levels love a good bewb job!:)......im not talking about your everday, normal bewbies here.....im talking about the kind that you can only find in mass quantity in a few rare places, South Beach being one of those places!.....tanned and perfect bewbies are not easy to come by.......God bless South Beach and the women who live there:)

[LiLBxQt]

oooh boyyy ill be going down to sobe a day b4 my cruise.... with all the boobies i might jus feel outta place.... hmmmf maybe ill get a quickie job done down there ... haha

[CruiseReg]

Last December we did 2 days pre-cruise on Ocean Drive at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club. Excellent restored hotel and suite. I highly recommend it (along with HGVC in general).

 

http://www.hiltongrandvacations.com/ownership/resorts/southbeach.html

[halos]

:D

Hey XO!

I must agree with glrounds...you are never boring. ;) I'm actually really looking forward to your review on the Miarcle when you get back...(I think) :eek:

 

You're leaving soon correct???

 

If it's at all possible, have a great time.

 

OH...actually, there is a great documentary film out called WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW? and it's about Quantum Mechanics and how your thoughts create your reality...maybe you should try to find this film at a theater near you and see it before you cruise...it may help with your cruise experience!! :D

[robbyxoxo]

LiLBoxQt, LOL....i just read where bewb jobs done overseas can be had for half the price as here in the US!....i forget what country they were touting as the best place to have it done....saving $3000 would be worth the extra airfare lol.......HALOS!!!:)....what kinda theatres do you have there that show that sorta movie? lol......It does sound interesting though!....almost educational!....anything slanted towards the expansion of my education i try to avoid...;)........we leave this friday for our Miracle cruise....we are driving down and spending a week in florida before the cruise....My wife quit her job 2 weeks ago and me being off during the winters is allowing us to kick back and take our time on getting back home.....i now see why retired seniors enjoy life!........not waking up to an alarm clock is kinda nice......I actually am getting really excited to do this cruise, so you may get a glowing review when i return lol....wouldnt that be something if i came back with no complaints? lol..........i think weve received a small upgrade already....we booked a 4a and i think we're getting a 5a which is like some sorta outside cabin with a door?.....i have no clue since we usually dont even get so much as a window lol......hold down the CC fort while im gone:)

[L2J]

haha robby- you think most Carnival cruisers are classless, yet your idea of a great time is seeing boobs???

Seeing "plastic" sure beats looking at an "utter".

 

Robby - Have a great time and don't get the boobs done :D

[robbyxoxo]

LIV, lol....my boobs will remain undone lol....see yall on the flip side....im due for good weather on this cruise.....if it rains all week ill be one cranky boobie