Miami Port hotels...anyone stay @ any lately?

[stacyinpa]

Trying to sort thru many, many awesome ideas for a pre cruise stay near the port of Miami ~

 

I was wondering if anyone has sailed recently and experienced any of these hotels? I would like to stay closest to the port, but I must say I would rather stay at an upscale kind of hotel. Are there any hotels close to the port? I saw a post about the Holiday Inn/Miami Port, but I wasnt sure if I would like it. Any opinions?

 

I checked the Marriott Biscayne / Miami and because I clicked on 5 people they have no rooms but yet if I make that 4 they do...go figure.

 

I am looking to book for Fri Dec 23 and checkout Sat Dec 24 for our Christmas cruise on board the Triumph :)

 

Thanks a bunch,

Stacy in PA

[bankofdad]

I checked the Marriott Biscayne / Miami and because I clicked on 5 people they have no rooms but yet if I make that 4 they do...go figure.

 

 

Most hotels near the port only allow four people in a room, that's why you're seeing no availablility for five people. The Holiday-inn at the port, however, will book some rooms on-line that will hold up to six people (they have rooms with two double beds and a queen size sleeper sofa).

 

The Holiday-Inn near the port is very convenient, and is right across from Bayside Marketplace which IMHO is very fun. Again MHO, but there are two main drawbacks of this hotel. First, the noise at Bayside can continue on well into the night as many festivals/events are hosted there. When we stayed a DJ contest was going on, and it was so loud our young children could not fall asleep until the early morning. Second, the sofa beds are extremely uncomfortable (as I've found the case to be at most hotels, but in particular here). It's advantage is that 5-6 people can stay in the same room, if that's a need for your group/family. I've seen numerous CC posts where members were very happy with this hotel, it's just not my preferrence.

 

I liked the Sheraton, but it's closing and being torn down. I'm sure if you doo a search on these boards, you'll get a lot of good ideas. This has always been a popular subject.

 

Good Luck!

[TrentS]

If you're looking for an UPSCALE hotel then the Holiday Inn would not be a good choice, and neither would the Marriott Biscayne Bay. The Holiday Inn is, while in a great location, just an old hotel with very mixed reviews, and not even close to being "upscale". The Marriott Biscayne Bay has spectacular views, but again, it's a typical Marriott - It's a nice hotel, but very mainstream, not exactly "upscale".

 

If you want a more upscale hotel in downtown Miami there are a few...

 

The spectacular Mandarin Oriental... http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hotel/526000001.asp

 

The Four Seasons... http://www.fourseasons.com/miami/index.html

 

Conrad International... http://miami.conradmeetings.com/

 

JW Marriott... http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/miajw

[bankofdad]

If you're looking for an UPSCALE hotel then the Holiday Inn would not be a good choice, and neither would the Marriott Biscayne Bay. The Holiday Inn is, while in a great location, just an old hotel with very mixed reviews, and not even close to being "upscale". The Marriott Biscayne Bay has spectacular views, but again, it's a typical Marriott - It's a nice hotel, but very mainstream, not exactly "upscale".

 

If you want a more upscale hotel in downtown Miami there are a few...

 

The spectacular Mandarin Oriental... http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hotel/526000001.asp

 

The Four Seasons... http://www.fourseasons.com/miami/index.html

 

Conrad International... http://miami.conradmeetings.com/

 

JW Marriott... http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/miajw

 

I agree with this post. The Mandarin Oriental is in a very nice spot right on the bay with balcony rooms.

[KruznKel]

So for someone like myself doing a pre/post stay in Miami and not planning on spending that much time in my room that the HI Port of Miami will do... I can't justify spending over $200 per night for a hotel when mainly there just to sleep... Since we are spending and extra 5 days in Miami..

[lovemylab]

We have booked the Holiday Inn Port of Miami. The location was perfect and the price was right. I found most of the other hotels in the area to be too pricey considering we will only be there long enough to sleep.

[TOMMYCRUISER]

Booked the Intercontinential on priceline and got it for $100 it's a five star hotal as good as any I feel and it's next top bayside about two city blocks from the center of it.

 

 

Tom

[Lasher_2]

Booked The Palms for $130/night with an oceanview king bed online with the hotel. This is also a 4.5 star property right on the beach. There are deals out there you just need to look a bit for them.

[TrentS]

Booked the Intercontinential on priceline and got it for $100 it's a five star hotal as good as any I feel and it's next top bayside about two city blocks from the center of it.

Intercontinental Miami is a nice place in a great location, but it's a FOUR star hotel, not five.

[stacyinpa]

I take it you live in the Miami area or have a great knowledge of the area. Either way I appreciate your input. I have never been the the Miami area of Florida.

 

I read about the Holiday Inn @ the Port of Miami....and then I see the ones you mentioned in a previous post to me. Whats your honest opinion of them? I think you like the JW Marriott, right? Is that close to the port? My 2 daughters get a kick out of seeing the ship in the port. Is that with any of these you mentioned? When we sailed out of Tampa we stayed at a Marriott (newly built) and we could have actually walked to the port if we wanted. Of course towing our luggage with us made us change our mind :)

 

I want a clean room thats safe and close to the port like I mentioned. Do you think any of these meet what I am looking for or am I going to have to sacrafice something? This may sound silly or make me sound like a wacko, but we had a BAD experience w a Days Inn and I am so scared to stay in a lower rated hotel even if only for a nite. The room was filthy, bugs crawling...yuk...just terrible, yet the brochure looked so nice! So I guess I am paranoid :(

 

I respect your opinion. Thanks a bunch.

Stacy in PA

[stacyinpa]

Trent...I dont mean I have to be in a hotel with a spa, fitness club...etc. I didnt mean upscale that way. I am not someone who thinks she is high class or something. I guess what I meant to say was I want a nice, clean, safe place to spend the nite. Like I said...my first experience with 'value' hotel if thats what you call them was horrible and I guess I am just scared of being in a dump. To be blunt, thats exactly what the place was. Garbage all over the lot, burned out cars (2) littering the lot, workers throwing clean (or so it was supposed to be) bedding from floor 1 to floor 2 and 3, bugs crawling in our bathroom, visible filth on the table in the room.....oh it was disgusting. It was in my Triple A book and the brochure was beautiful. Looks are deceiving I know, but gee. I thought I had searched long and hard enough for that one, but then again I didnt have a place like this to go when I needed the help. For this board I am forever grateful!

 

So....did that make more sense? How can I find out more about the HI? It just seems weird if there arent many hotels near the port. But maybe I just cant visualize it either. Thanks again, Stacy

[TrentS]

Okay Stacy I understand what you're after now... I take "upscale" to mean the best of the best. The hotels in the links that I sent above are the very best downtown Miami hotels, and in most cases they're not cheap.

 

I would never even mention any place that's anywhere near as bad as your previous experience was! That sounds horrible!!! Places like that certainly do exist in Miami, lots of them in fact, but I would never recommend any place I wouldn't stay in myself and I'm quite picky.

 

Yes, I like the JW Marriott, it's an extremely nice hotel that has quite good rates for AAA members - I don't know if you are or not, but if you are it's a bargain for as nice as it is. It's about 10 minutes from the Port of Miami in a very nice area, but there really isn't much of a view of the port from it.

 

The Holiday Inn is a more budget type hotel. It's an older property that was formerly a Best Western, remodeled and became a Holiday Inn a couple of years ago. The location is great, directly across the street from Bayside Marketplace and the bridge to the port. There are many on here who love it, as well as those who say never again. It's not a dangerous place, and would be nothing like your Days Inn experience, but it's level of service and cleanliness have been debated by many. I guess it all comes down to how picky you are as the reviews have been very mixed.

 

The Intercontinental is a very nice, clean, safe hotel that's on the south side of Bayside Marketplace, and about a 5 minute ride into the port. It has a great view of the ships and entire port from the upper floors... http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ic/1/en/hd/miaha?irs=null

 

The Biscayne Bay Marriott is a nice hotel, typical Marriott, and has a spectacular view of the Port of Miami and the entire channel. It's certainly clean and safe, but I don't recommend walking around at night in the neighborhood it's in. It's only 5 minutes from the port, but is north of a freeway and many homeless live in the underpasses, and there's also a very large construction site a block away. As long as you take taxis it's fine and safe... http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/miabb

 

The Hyatt-Regency is a few blocks west of the Intercontinental. It's not the best for views of the port, but it's a nice, safe, clean hotel... http://miamiregency.hyatt.com/property/index.jhtml

 

If you're not familiar with Bayside Marketplace, it's an open air mall downtown at the entrance to the port, with many shops and restaurants... http://www.baysidemarketplace.com/

 

If you wanted to stay on the beach, South Beach is only about 15 minutes away from the Port of Miami and there are many hotels there as well. South Beach is safe, and full of block after block of hotels, restaurants, sidewalk cafes, clubs, and shops. Here are just a few popular nice, clean, safe hotels. There are many MANY others, but these are ones I'm familiar with and know to be great places...

 

Loews South Beach... http://www.loewshotels.com/hotels/miamibeach/default.asp

 

Royal Palm Crown Plaza... http://www.royalpalmcp.crowneplaza.com/

 

South Beach Marriott... http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/MIAMB

 

Hotel Victor... http://hotelvictorsouthbeach.com/

 

Ritz-Carlton South Beach... http://www.ritzcarlton.com/resorts/south_beach/default.html

[TOMMYCRUISER]

Thanks Trent my fault with the 5 star on the Intercontinential I seen it said 4 star and wrote 5 I guess my mind is slipping.:o

 

 

One question is you don't mind I know this a hotel thread but if you could give me a few restuarant ideas it would be great we've only ate at Bayside Hard Rock, Lambardi's and so forth but it'll be my 40th in October down there and would like a good seafood place.

 

Thank

 

Tom

[bankofdad]

Thanks Trent my fault with the 5 star on the Intercontinential I seen it said 4 star and wrote 5 I guess my mind is slipping.:o

 

 

One question is you don't mind I know this a hotel thread but if you could give me a few restuarant ideas it would be great we've only ate at Bayside Hard Rock, Lambardi's and so forth but it'll be my 40th in October down there and would like a good seafood place.

 

Thank

 

Tom

 

It's not seafood, but I love this place www.rodizioplace.com. It's a real authentic Brazillian steakhouse with great food. It's about a five minute cab ride from bayside off of Bricknell.

[TOMMYCRUISER]

Thanks BankofDad that sounds excellent and different:)

 

 

Tom

[grvdggr71]

If you make it over to the South Beach area, I highly recommend Mango's for dinner. It's on Ocean Drive. You can't miss it.

[TrentS]

Mango's is a fun place right in the heart of South Beach, if you get close you can't miss it!... http://www.mangostropicalcafe.com/

 

TOMMYCRUISER - I'm not a big seafood lover, but I'll give you a few popular places I know to be good, all on South Beach...

 

Grillfish... http://www.grillfish.com/

 

Monte's... http://www.montysstonecrab.com/

 

A Fish Called Avalon... http://www.avalonhotel.com/restautrant-miami-beach.asp

 

Joe's Stone Crab is an institution, long lines to get in, but personally I don't think it's what it once was... http://www.joesstonecrab.com/

[TOMMYCRUISER]

Thanks Trent I'm more of a steak guy myself but I figure I'd try the fresh seafood down there.

 

 

Is there a Shula's in miami I know there is in Ft.Lauderdale I'm guessing there must be since he coached there for years.

 

Tom

[TrentS]

Steak! NOW you're talking ;)

 

Yes, in addition to Shula's on the Beach in Fort Lauderdale there's a Shula's Steak House in the Alexander Hotel on Miami Beach... http://www.donshula.com/steakhouse/miamibeach/

 

And a Shula's Steak House at Don Shula's Golf Club in Miami Lakes... http://www.donshula.com/steakhouse/miamilakes/

 

And the less expensive, more casual sports bar Shula's Steak 2 at Don Shula's Hotel in Miami Lakes... http://www.donshula.com/steak2/miamilakes/

 

Smith & Wollensky is great, at the end of South Beach alongside Government Cut, a great place to have an early dinner and watch the cruise ships sail from... http://www.smithandwollensky.com/Miami.asp

 

The Capital Grille is another, downtown Miami on Brickell... http://www.thecapitalgrille.com/Locations/Miami/Main.asp?Location=Miami

 

There's also a Morton's downtown, also on Brickell... http://www.mortons.com/website/htmldocs/locations/miami.html

 

And a Ruth's Chris is Coral Gables... http://www.ruthschris.com/index_o.php?cmd=viewRestaurant&restaurantID=3823

 

If you get up to Fort Lauderdale don't miss Jackson's Steak House downtown on Las Olas, one of the best steak houses in the country!... http://www.jacksonssteakhouse.com/

[russnleanne]

There you go again Tom, making me hungry ;)

 

Sounds like some wonderful choices!

 

Leanne :)

[GloriaF]

Are there any Miami hotels that have free parking during the cruise if you stay there pre-cruise?

[Bequia]

Are there any Miami hotels that have free parking during the cruise if you stay there pre-cruise?

 

Gloria, Summerfield Suites offers a park and cruise package http://www.parksleepfly.com/cruiseport_hotels/hotel_display.php?hotel_type=cruiseport&cruiseportID=5

[GloriaF]

Thanks, Bequia - that is a good site to know about! :)

[texascruzer]

Booked The Palms for $130/night with an oceanview king bed online with the hotel. This is also a 4.5 star property right on the beach. There are deals out there you just need to look a bit for them.

Did you mean the Royal Palms? because checking the web site and there is nothing close to that price.

[texascruzer]

Did you mean the Royal Palms? because checking the web site and there is nothing close to that price.

never mind... i found it.