Miami hotel suggestions

[scubatigger]

I'm looking for a hotel in Miami (on the beach) pre-cruise. Any suggestions?

[BlueJacketsFan1]

We are booked on the Valor this October and are arriving in Miami two day early and have reservation in South Beach. Tripadvisor.com is a good site to check out all the hotel in the Miami Beach area. We will be staying at The Park Central hotel which is on Ocean Dr. and acrossed from the beach. It has ranked very well and is available at a fairly good price.

[bankofdad]

I can't suggest anything on South Beach, but have stayed in Central Miami Beach a number of times over the years. Central Miami Beach is the area along Collins Avenue between 21st Street on the South, and 46th Street on the north. It's really easy to get to the port from this area as well (about a ten minute taxi ride).

 

There is a boardwalk that fronts the beach, and makes for a nice walk/jog. It about two miles long total. Along this stretch, our favorite hotel in the Fontainebleau Hilton. Stay in the Towers if you can, ocean view. Spectacular views. If you don't care about Oceanvew/balconies, I've seen where others have gotten great pricing for this property at Priceline. The pool are is vey nice as well. If you have kids, they added an area called Cookies World with a water slide, tubing stream and cabanas. My kids had a blast there when we stayed post-cruise last year.

 

We've also stayed next door at the Four Points Sheraton, and enjoyed that as well. Less cost than the Hilton, the only problem is that they will not give an advance gurantee on an oceanview balcony room, if that's important to you.

 

The Holiday-inn at 22nd street is a good choice for a budget hotel on the beach, too. The Best Western also has a beachfront hotel around 43rd & Collins that's a good budget hotel (check that though, I had heard they were going to sell the property). Neither of these two hotels offer rooms with balconies.

 

Beware that there are a lot of older hotels that are not in the best condition and don't offer very good service at all along Miami Beach. We've been in a few that just felt damp, musky, moldy, creepy:eek: . Over the past ten years we've noticed a lot of re-construction and demolition along the area. If you get a deal offered for Oceanfront that just seems to good to be true, it probobly is to good to be true.

 

Further north in the Bal Harbor area, we've stayed at the Sheraton Bal Harbour, which was nice. It just wasn't as convenient to get to other areas of interest in MIami.

 

Hope this helps!

[becky14]

I'm looking for a hotel in Miami (on the beach) pre-cruise. Any suggestions?

 

hi we are booked on the valor july 10 and going a night b4.....we are staying at the marriott biscayne bay. Its beautiful place you can see the boats dock from some of the rooms. It is also not far from downtown bayside thats y we r staying there lol

 

hope this helps;)

[Snowball]

We've also stayed next door at the Four Points Sheraton, and enjoyed that as well. Less cost than the Hilton, the only problem is that they will not give an advance gurantee on an oceanview balcony room, if that's important to you.

I am staying at the Four Points Sheraton for my pre and post cruise stays (one night before and one night after). I heard that there is parasailing and wave runner rentals right at the beach there - is that true? Do you have any idea how much the parasailing and wave runners cost there? Any tips about this hotel that you can pass along? Thanks!!! :)

[bankofdad]

Hi Snowball,

 

You can arrange for parasailing right on the beach or through the conceirge. In fact, the first time I ever parasailed was there. If I recall, the cost was something like $60.00, but that was a few years ago. The operator that took us could let you go up as far as 1500 feet, which gave a spectacular view of Miami Beach from the air. There are also wave runner rentals right there, but I didn't use them so I can't comment on the cost.

 

If you want an ocenview room, make sure you ask for it at check-in. They won't give you the best available room unless you ask (I know this from experience).

 

The pool is not very large, but they do have a poolside bar and grill and plenty of lounge chairs. There is a walkway that goes over the boardwalk and right to the beach. That's where you'll find the cabana rentals and wave runner rentals. The in-house restaurant was also pretty good, and a lot less expensive that their neighbors (the Fontainebleu Hilton and Eden Roc).

 

If you go to South Beach, take a taxi. Parking down there can be a challenge. Getting to/from the port and Bayside area is very easy and only about ten minutes away.

 

For the price, I thought this hotel was great, especially if you can get the oceanview balcony room. We've stayed there three or four times, and were always very pleased. Have fun!

[Snowball]

Thank you so much!!! I booked this hotel through Priceline and think I got a great deal. I will be sure to ask for an oceanview room when I get there - it's worth a shot. The worst that can happen is they say no. I think my chances are probably pretty good since I am staying there in June which is a low season for them.