Help with hotel selection - pre cruise Miami

[Lisa Aussie]

We are booked on the celebrity reflection cruise departing 5 April 2014. We are 2 Aussies, husband and wife who have never been to Miami. We are flying in the day before the cruise departs. So would like to be in a good area for a bit of sight seeing prior to the cruise. Plus would love some suggestions as to what we should be sight seeing.

Our travel agent has suggested the following hotels.

 

Mondrian South Beach

Ithaca Hotel South Beach

Victor Hotel South Beach

 

Hopefully someone can shed some light.

Btw we are 50 something's.

Regards Lisa

[BlueHerons]

We are booked on the celebrity reflection cruise departing 5 April 2014. We are 2 Aussies, husband and wife who have never been to Miami. We are flying in the day before the cruise departs. So would like to be in a good area for a bit of sight seeing prior to the cruise. Plus would love some suggestions as to what we should be sight seeing.

Our travel agent has suggested the following hotels.

 

Mondrian South Beach

Ithaca Hotel South Beach

Victor Hotel South Beach

 

Hopefully someone can shed some light.

Btw we are 50 something's.

Regards Lisa

 

I can give you some advice about the Mondrian and Hotel Victor but I don't know the Ithaca.

 

The Hotel Victor is ground zero for South Beach. Cool hotel, elevated pool, rooms are teeny. Don't book here if you like bathroom privacy because the bathroom walls are clear glass. LOVE this hotel and its oceanfront location.

 

The Mondrian is South of Fifth and the sunset views are magnificent. It sits on Biscayne Bay. The pool area is off the charts cool. The property is much more resorty than the Hotel Victor but the location isn't the best. You are in South Beach but a little off the beaten path. Since it is a Morgans Hotel, you can use both the Delano and Shore Club properties and it has a shuttle.

 

I like the Mondrian better but the location of the Hotel Victor better. Both are lux hotels. Mondrian has a very chill Sunday Brunch by the pool. We love going there and are forties and fifties age group.

[MrsAsiaJ]

OP your TA really recommended some great hotels. The Mondrian is very chic & upscale, the location isn't ideal since you would always need a cab to take you to lincoln rd mall or oceans drive (great outdoor restaurants to sit and people watch). Me and my husband love this hotel but are unable to stay there this time as the price is ridiculous for our dates. Never stayed at the hotel victor as it has always been out of our price range. I would like to suggest the bentley on 5th and ocean right above tgif, me and my husband have stayed here numerous times and we love the service and ambiance and the prices are reasonable to us.