Review of Our Time in Florida

[bankerbabe]

Hi all. We just returned from our cruise, and I thought I would pop over here to share our experience in Miami. Who knows, maybe it'll help someone else.

 

We flew into and out of West Palm Beach because it offered a $100 per ticket savings over flying into any of the other area airports. For a family of four that more than paid for the rental cars to drive to and from Miami. The airport itself is relatively small and easy to navigate and the drive to Miami was straight and easy; I'd choose West Palm Beach again if the price were right.

 

The first night we didn't arrive until after midnight, so we just stayed at a Springhill Suites in West Palm Beach for the night. It was the one at MetroCentre, and though not directly next to the airport it was not far. It was clean and nice - your basic business traveler's hotel. We were only there for about 6 hours or so, so I can't comment much further than that.

 

In Miami we chose the Marriott's Villas at Doral on the Doral Golf Course. We had a two bedroom, two bathroom villa on a small lake adjacent to the Marriott resort. Although not anywhere near the beach, we really liked this place. The pool was nice, units were very clean and spacious, and it was a picturesque setting. It also worked great for us because we had another family of four staying with our family of four (they were on a tight budget) and we had plenty of room plus a full kitchen to prepare a meal or two. We also had another family of four that came to hang out with us most of Saturday.

 

Driving in Miami stinks. I will never again complain about traffic encountered elsewhere - Miami is worse than New York City, Los Angeles, and certainly worse than Houston. I mean really, do people not realize what a TURN SIGNAL is for? Not to mention the suicidal drivers. Yikes. Oh well, we got around all over the city and didn't damage our rental van in the slightest. I was the navigator and hubby was the driver - and we only screamed at each other once.

 

We had dinner at Texas de Brazil in Miami Beach one night and it was easily the highlight of our trip. Fantastic food, great service, and a pretty atmosphere. Yes, the one at Dolphin Mall would have been closer, but I wanted to go to Miami Beach anyway.

 

We returned our rental cars at Miami International Airport and there were ample shuttles to the cruise port available. It seemed as though most of the rental car companies had shuttles available both to and from the cruise port. We had rented through Alamo pre-cruise and Thrifty post-cruise and both had shuttles that were quick and readily available. Never much of a wait at all.

 

Overall, we really enjoyed Miami (except for the fellow drivers) and would gladly return again. With an iPhone in hand, I could navigate anywhere we needed to go with relative ease. The beaches were pretty, although I don't think that South Beach is our scene (we aren't pretty enough, and one woman actually made a snide remark about us walking down the sidewalk with children in tow, even though they were behaving very nicely and just walking).

 

If anyone has questions, I'd be happy to answer them if I can.

[bills blasters]

Thanks for the review. We will be cruising out of Miami for the 1st time in Jan. Still trying to decide where to stay and if we should rent a car or not. Maybe not after reading your post. LOL.

[bankerbabe]

Oh no! I didn't mean to put you off renting a car. Really, I think it would have been difficult to get around without one and I totally don't regret having rented one at all. We would do it again without hesitation. But it was REALLY an experience.

 

I should also mention that, although we've driven in some of the larger cities, we are from a fairly small town in Oregon. We complain about traffic when we have to slow down to 55 mph. So the traffic in Miami was a bit of a shock even though we had been forewarned.

[littlechief]

I just made my reservation yesterday at the Villas. We are a family of 5 and thought the two bedroom would work out better for the family--as opposed to staying in a cramped room on a beach.

 

We are flying in two days before our cruise in December. From what you mentioned, it is probably best to rent a car. I think we will fly to FLL--we LOVE Jetblue & it only goes to FLL. The kids will be 10, 7, and 5 when we cruise.

 

I will welcome ANY advice. I know you mentioned kids...any acitivities you would recommend? I heard the Marriott has activities planned throughout the day. Is that true? Do you think we have enought time to maybe check out FL on Friday and check out Miami on Saturday? Our cruise leaves on a Sunday. Our family could go either way...sightsee the entire time or just sit at the hotel.

 

Is there a market near the Villas? We have never been to that part of Florida, so I am really clueless. I am just trying to figure out geography and distance and what financially is best for a family of 5. We will be cruising out of Miami.

Thanks for your help!!