High crime areas in Miami

[ddcog2002]

We are coming in two days before our cruise departs and are looking for a hotel. We were thinking of something in Hileah or some other out lying area as we will be site seeing form there. We don't want to have to move our luggage to a different hotel everynight. Our concerns are: 1. Avoiding high crime areas. 2. Taxi or car rental our first evening there. 3. Taxi or return rental from the port day of departure. Any suggestions? We are looking for reasonally priced hotels. I found a Holiday Express Inn in Hileah that looked good. :confused:

[TrentS]

Unless there's some particular reason you need to stay way out there why would you??? Um, and I trust you're quite fluent in Spanish if you'll be staying in Hialeah. You would most definitely want to rent a car as you'll spend far more than you'll save by staying out there on taxis.

 

That area is not really for tourists, take it from a local, stay downtown, on the beach, Coral Gables or Coconut Grove. These are all hotels that I'm personally familiar with, some are nicer (and much more expensive) than others...

 

Downtown... closest to the Port of Miami and Bayside Marketplace... http://www.baysidemarketplace.com/

 

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

 

Hyatt Regency... http://miamiregency.hyatt.com/property/index.jhtml

 

Intercontinental... http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ic/1/en/hd/miaha?irs=null

 

Marriott Courtyard... http://www.miamicourtyard.com/

 

Biscayne Bay Marriott... http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/miabb

 

Conrad International... http://conradhotels.hilton.com/en/ch/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=MIACICI

 

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

 

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

 

Holiday Inn Bayside (for the budget minded)... http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hd/miabb

 

South Beach...

 

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

 

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

 

Marriott Courtyard South Beach... http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/MIACB

 

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

 

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

 

Coconut Grove...

 

Mayfair Hotel & Spa... http://www.mayfairhousehotel.com/

 

Ritz-Carlton... http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/coconut_grove/default.html

 

Sonesta... http://www.sonesta.com/coconut_grove/

 

Coral Gables...

 

Hyatt Regency... http://coralgables.hyatt.com/property/index.jhtml

 

Biltmore Hotel... http://www.biltmorehotel.com/

 

Omni Colonnade... http://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/default.asp?h_id=8

 

Miami Beach (best only if you have a car)...

 

Fontainebleau... http://www.fontainebleau.com/

 

Eden Roc... http://www.edenrocresort.com/

 

Courtyard Miami Beach... http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/MIABH

 

Bal Harbour (best only if you have a car)...

 

Sheraton Bal Harbour... http://www.sheratonbalharbourresort.com/

 

Sunny Isles Beach (best only if you have a car)...

 

DoubleTree Ocean Point... http://www.oceanpointresort.com/

 

Le Meridien... http://www.lemeridien.com/usa/miami/hotel_us1840.shtml

 

Trump International Sonesta Beach... http://www.sonesta.com/SunnyIsles/

[ddcog2002]

Thanks for the info. Some in our group were worried about staying in Miami because of the crime rate. Are the hotels on your list relative areas? What areas should we stay away from?

 

They want to rent a car and drive across the Everglades the next day and stay in Naples the next night. Then back to Miami. Is Naples doable from Miami in a day? Looks like it is on the map. I'm just worried about transferring all the luggage the group will have to three different hotels. I'd like to find a place we can just stay at for the three nights.

[TrentS]

Those are all safe hotels. While crime can and does occur anywhere, Miami isn't all THAT bad! In fact the crime rate in some of the more "suburban" areas is worse than right downtown or on the beach. I don't recommend you walk around the side streets downtown at night, but you're certainly quite safe in any of the hotels, taking a taxi, or driving around. Of course you have to use common sense and be aware of your surroundings at all times, as you would in any large city, but if you're going to have a rental car you'll be FINE! :)

 

Of the areas I listed perhaps you might be more comfortable in Bal Harbour or Sunny Isles Beach, those are quite nice areas midway between Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

 

Naples is 90 minutes from Fort Lauderdale, 2 hours from Miami, certainly doable in a day. I don't know what you have in mind doing over there, but while it's a very pretty area, there isn't all that much to do over there IMO. There's some very nice upscale shopping, but you have the same basic stores in Miami, and more of them.

[ddcog2002]

Great information. Thanks again.

[RestintheCat]

Hi Trent,

I am map-challenged beyond belief. Am trying to choose between three Ritz Carltons for Dec. 22 and 23 before boarding a Royal Caribbean cruise. My husband is 67, I am 47 and we love to walk, swim, ride bicycles and walk some more. We're in bed by 10:00 PM. As in no clubbing or great restaurants as a rule. The three hotels are:

 

Ritz Carlton Coconut Grove Hotel

 

Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne Hotel

 

Ritz Carlton South Beach

 

Are any of the three closer to the Port than the other?

 

Thanks in advance for your local wisdom!

 

Abby

[TrentS]

The Ritz-Carlton South Beach and Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove are both about the same distance to the Port of Miami. The one on South Beach being oceanfront, Coconut Grove is not.

 

The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne is perhaps 2-3 miles farther from the port, but from what you describe you want I would recommend Key Biscayne over South Beach and Coconut Grove. Key Biscayne is a very quiet, safe, exclusive island.

 

There's a lot more to do in South Beach or Coconut Grove, but from the way it sounds you wouldn't enjoy the activities in those areas anyway. Key Biscayne is safe to walk in, as is South Beach, but I wouldn't recommend venturing out too far in Coconut Grove as some of the surrounding area is a bit rough.

 

If you want a nice, quiet relaxing stay at a gorgeous oceanfront resort go with Key Biscayne... http://www.ritzcarlton.com/resorts/key_biscayne/

[RestintheCat]

Dear Trent,

How great are you?! Thanks for the prompt reply. I had been totally leaning toward Coconut Grove, simply because of its website:

 

"With panoramic views of the neighborhood's tropical surroundings, Biscayne Bay or Miami's glittering skyline, The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami invites travelers to discover one of Miami's most enchanting walking villages. "

• Located at the heart of one of the city's most charming bayfront neighborhoods
  
• Within walking distance to the Streets of Mayfair and Cocowalk with fine shops, boutiques, and sidewalk cafes
  
• Five minutes from Villa Vizcaya, a historic Italian renaissance mansion on Biscayne Bay built in the early 20th century
  

So, what I saw was walking -- in the villages, in the bayfront neighborhoods, whatever the streets of mayfair and cocowalk are with sidewalk cafes and a villa mansion!

 

BTW, we just discovered the Ritz Carlton and it is our dream hotel. We keep ending up traveling with family on dates we would not choose (eg Christmas) to places we might not be interested in (eg a Royal Caribbean Western Caribbean cruise) etc. But, after allowing two nights at a Ritz, we've discovered we can do anything!

 

Thanks again for your quick reply,

Abby

[TrentS]

Well, Coconut Grove is a very cute area with shops and restaurants. Mayfair shops and Cocowalk are nice, Vizcaya is an interesting museum, but that 5 minutes is by car, not foot. If you venture a couple of blocks north of the shopping/hotel area of Coconut Grove though it's a quite nasty neighborhood.

 

This is Vizcaya, it's at the entrance to the causeway to Key Biscayne, about halfway between Coconut Grove and downtown Miami... http://www.vizcayamuseum.org/

 

If you did want to do some shopping though Coconut Grove is also about a 10 minute drive from Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables, which is a very nice upscale shopping center... http://www.villageofmerrickpark.com/

 

Yes, I love Ritz-Carltons. They're wonderful hotels, along with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Regent, and most members of Leading Hotels of the World... http://www.lhw.com/

 

Life is too short to stay in a dump ;)