Hotel in Miami

[carnival kid]

Have not gone out of Miami in 15 years looking for a hotel close to things to do walking distance and offers pick up from airport transfer to and from port and breakfast in the am thank you all for your suggestions

[coevan]

most of the "airport hotels" are in industrial area and not much walking around. Coral Gables would be very nice, but pricey and doubtful they have a free shuttle. Bayside, which is close to the cruise terminal has plenty of shopping and restaurants. We don't care for most of the hotels free fake eggs, we prefer to eat a better breakfast.

[ricew001]

I posted this question too and this is all the feedback I got:

 

Dorall is West of the airport and a LONG way from the port.  Miami Beach is further from the port than downtown hotels.

 

Arriving late and just want a room and pool?  Look at La Quinta East ( shuttle to the port!) and hotels in the Blue Lagoon neighborhood (Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, etc.)

 

Downtown look at Hampton Inn Mary Brickell and Holiday Inn POM.

[cruisemein]

Last Oct. we stayed at Hampton Inn Brickell, fits your criteria, except I don't believe they offer shuttle from the airport, we used Uber. They do shuttle to the Port and breakfast is included along with a free drink per person. Lots of great restaurants within walking distance.

[BoDidly]

1 hour ago, coevan said:

most of the "airport hotels" are in industrial area and not much walking around

Agree, Embassy Suites would have the things your looking for as for in house breakfast"Real Eggs ",managers evening reception and transport  .But we had the guy transporting us to the port to stop places for last minute items we needed.

Edited March 6, 2019 by BoDidly

[CruzinKristin]

I typically stay at Hilton Garden Inn.   Free transfer from MIA.  I believe it is $12 per person to shuttle to the port.  The shuttle will drop you off right at the ship and hand your bags to the porter for you.  Breakfast is an up charge, pool is nice.

[jimbo5544]

2 minutes ago, CruzinKristin said:

I typically stay at Hilton Garden Inn.   Free transfer from MIA.  I believe it is $12 per person to shuttle to the port.  The shuttle will drop you off right at the ship and hand your bags to the porter for you.  Breakfast is an up charge, pool is nice.

A word of caution on the shuttles, depending on the hotel, there will be many people who will want to get there ASAP.  Patience rules supreme when using a hotel shuttle.

[RHilla619]

Stayed at the Miami Marriott - Biscayne Bay back in August of 2017, and definitely recommend it. It's just over the bridge from the Port, which allows for awesome views of the ships in the morning. Really exciting waking up and seeing your ship off in the distance. Here's a link to their cruise package which includes room, breakfast, and transportation to the port.

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-deals/miabb-miami-marriott-biscayne-bay/

[coevan]

2 hours ago, BoDidly said:

Agree, Embassy Suites would have the things your looking for as for in house breakfast"Real Eggs ",managers evening reception and transport  .But we had the guy transporting us to the port to stop places for last minute items we needed.

 

 

We love Embassy Suites and the extra room for my late sleeping wife. However, this was the worst Embassy Suites we have ever stayed in. Only the omelette station has real eggs and the line was 10 deep with one cook, who could not multitask. They did not have "real ground coffee" verified by the manager. They had a coffee machine and the attendant filled it with liquid coffee from a carton. The poor service started at check in and never got better. We took an Uber to a seafood restaurant, too afraid to eat dinner there. 

[BoDidly]

27 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

We love Embassy Suites and the extra room for my late sleeping wife. However, this was the worst Embassy Suites we have ever stayed in. Only the omelette station has real eggs and the line was 10 deep with one cook, who could not multitask. They did not have "real ground coffee" verified by the manager. They had a coffee machine and the attendant filled it with liquid coffee from a carton. The poor service started at check in and never got better. We took an Uber to a seafood restaurant, too afraid to eat dinner there. 

 

I can see it happening . That Embassy and the one on 17th St, Fort Lauderdale can pack the people in. We rise early and usually the first ones out.  17th St FL I avoid all together .Milk is the only thing I drink for breakfast.

[Knights on the Beach]

44 minutes ago, coevan said:

We love Embassy Suites and the extra room for my late sleeping wife. However, this was the worst Embassy Suites we have ever stayed in. Only the omelette station has real eggs and the line was 10 deep with one cook, who could not multitask. They did not have "real ground coffee" verified by the manager. They had a coffee machine and the attendant filled it with liquid coffee from a carton. The poor service started at check in and never got better. We took an Uber to a seafood restaurant, too afraid to eat dinner there. 

 

We love Embassy Suites and used to stay at this one fairly frequently but it's been several years since we've been back.  The last time we were there the manager's reception was a joke.  It was completely taken over by locals who came in for free drinks.  They were loud, obnoxious and made a big mess.  Hotel management didn't seem to care so we didn't care to stay there again.

[zippyjet]

Always love helping out fellow cruisers. I have a lot to say on this topic but first some questions.

1. How are you getting to Miami? Flying, Driving? If flying, which airport? MIA or FLL?

2. Time element: How many nights pre and post cruise?

3. If coming in at least a day before est. arrival into Miami area?

Now, here's what I do:

First off, I'm an airline employee and fly non-revenue. My airline does not fly into MIA so, its FLL for me. I'm usually on a longer vacation/holiday so, though my cruise is the main event I have pre and post cruise activities. With the exception of maybe one year I'm not doing a hurry up just to get to the cruise trip meaning I like to have at least a full day and night in Miami. With that said, I do at least one night in Miami Beach. Actually you can get halfway decent hotel rooms right on the beach for the same or even less than downtown by the port. You do have to take a Lyft or Uber but, the rates from Mid Beach (North of South Beach) are reasonable. I stay at a place right on the beach with the promenade/boardwalk called the Crystal Beach Suites (around 7000 block Collins Ave. Across the street from the hotel there's a great Cuban place called Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine. A very good Chinese joint that delivers, Walgreens, even (barf out) a Dennys and Publix supermarket all within a city block of this hotel. It's not fancy by any means but its clean, comfortable, the A/C rocks and it's a small suite with a fridge, microwave, furnished with dishes, glasses, forks and even a dishwasher! The living room kitchen has a bar for seating and a double pull out sofa  bed which is one of the most comfortable sofa beds I've ever experienced. Attached is the main bedroom with a Queen bed that does the trick. I do the pool and beach the day before and even on embarkation day, work out in the pool, take a dip in the ocean, clean up and off to the port for my cruise. Being an VPIF or whatever they call it, my embarkation time is around 1230 to 1330 hours. Usually it's an easy on to the ship. This way, I get my workout in so, I can get unpacked, meet new friends, get the lay of the ship and participate in the spa raffle which gives away certificates.

For disembarking day, I view that as a necessary evil of cruising. Hurry up and get your ass off the ship. I make sure I partake in a nice final breakfast and depending on my friends, schedule, budget and flight loads leave this up in the air. I've just headed to FLL to fly home to Baltimore. Rented a car with my friends who live in the Tampa/St. Pete area and drive back there with them spending a couple nights there. Sometimes we do the 20 minute flight from FLL to TPA. Many times including last year off the horizon if time and budget allow me, I get a hotel room on Miami Beach for one to two nights though, I don't stay at the Crystal. I'm into a travel routine and equate the Crystal Suites pre-cruise. I've stayed at the Best Western Atlantic Beach Resort and the Shelborne South Beach too. Usually, I can check in early. However, last year we couldn't get into the room till after lunch, I was tired ended up sleeping. Got some time on the beach at dinner time. Me and my friend were so pooped we ended up getting pizza delivery that night. Normally, I'd walk Lincoln Rd. Mall or Ocean Drive. That was an expensive undertaking. I enjoyed it but, not worth two to three hundred bucks. The next day, I worked out in the hotel pool and went into the ocean, cleaned up and me and my friend drove to her house in St. Pete, FL.

I say if you can do it, do at least one night pre and one night post cruise in Miami Beach. Just look our for good hotel deals and really push for an early check in after leaving the Port of Miami. Hope this helps. Happy cruising!  

[coevan]

We love the Las Vegas Cuban Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale. Very close to the airport and at least 5 hotels within walking distance

[JohninDC]

On 3/6/2019 at 4:16 PM, carnival kid said:

Have not gone out of Miami in 15 years looking for a hotel close to things to do walking distance and offers pick up from airport transfer to and from port and breakfast in the am thank you all for your suggestions

No Miami hotel will pick you up post cruise and transport you to the airport or hotel.

 

La Quinta East and Embassy Suites offer both airport and port shuttles.  Post cruise you can grab a taxi back to MIA for $27+tip of use Uber for under $20.

[Flymia]

On 3/6/2019 at 4:16 PM, carnival kid said:

Have not gone out of Miami in 15 years looking for a hotel close to things to do walking distance and offers pick up from airport transfer to and from port and breakfast in the am thank you all for your suggestions

 

looking for a hotel close to things to do walking distance  +  offers pick up from airport transfer to and from port= Does Not Exist. 

 

Don't focus on shuttles. Pick a hotel in Downtown Miami or Brickell and then take the $5-10 Uberx ride to the airport. Hampton Inn Brickell is a top choice and offers free breakfast. 

[fstuff1]

On 3/6/2019 at 4:43 PM, ricew001 said:

I posted this question too and this is all the feedback I got:

 

Arriving late and just want a room and pool?  Look at La Quinta East ( shuttle to the port!) and hotels in the Blue Lagoon neighborhood (Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, etc.)

 

La Quinta East is 8miles from Port Miami.

Any other hotels near pier that has free pier shuttles?

 

here's a listing of Hotels near Port Miami with a guest rating equivalent or higher than La Quinta East (but dont know about free pier shuttles):

https://www.hotels.com/search.do?resolved-location=CITY%3A1516192%3AUNKNOWN%3AUNKNOWN&f-guest-rating-min=7&f-distance=2.0&f-lid=1687505&destination-id=1516192&q-destination=Miami, Florida, United States of America&q-check-in=2019-03-25&q-check-out=2019-03-26&q-rooms=1&q-room-0-adults=2&q-room-0-children=0&sort-order=PRICE

 

Edited March 8, 2019 by fstuff1

[ricew001]

5 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

 

La Quinta East is 8miles from Port Miami.

Any other hotels near pier that has free pier shuttles?

 

here's a listing of Hotels near Port Miami with a guest rating equivalent or higher than La Quinta East (but dont know about free pier shuttles):

https://www.hotels.com/search.do?resolved-location=CITY%3A1516192%3AUNKNOWN%3AUNKNOWN&f-guest-rating-min=7&f-distance=2.0&f-lid=1687505&destination-id=1516192&q-destination=Miami, Florida, United States of America&q-check-in=2019-03-25&q-check-out=2019-03-26&q-rooms=1&q-room-0-adults=2&q-room-0-children=0&sort-order=PRICE

 

Thanks for this. I'm cool with an Uber. I'm not cool with those high prices. WOW.

 

So La Quinta is under $200 so I think that's where I'll be. LOL! 

 

thanks so much for sending. I'm sure it will be very helpful to many folks here.

[JohninDC]

La Quinta East is very isolated - okay if you are arriving late and happy with delivery pizza or Chinese.  Check hotels in the Blue Lagoon area near MIA, with a local strip mall nearby (across the street from the Hampton Inn BLue Lagoon) with dining, shopping and fast food options.

[Tony O]

On 3/6/2019 at 9:46 PM, zippyjet said:

Always love helping out fellow cruisers. I have a lot to say on this topic but first some questions.

1. How are you getting to Miami? Flying, Driving? If flying, which airport? MIA or FLL?

2. Time element: How many nights pre and post cruise?

3. If coming in at least a day before est. arrival into Miami area?

Now, here's what I do:

First off, I'm an airline employee and fly non-revenue. My airline does not fly into MIA so, its FLL for me. I'm usually on a longer vacation/holiday so, though my cruise is the main event I have pre and post cruise activities. With the exception of maybe one year I'm not doing a hurry up just to get to the cruise trip meaning I like to have at least a full day and night in Miami. With that said, I do at least one night in Miami Beach. Actually you can get halfway decent hotel rooms right on the beach for the same or even less than downtown by the port. You do have to take a Lyft or Uber but, the rates from Mid Beach (North of South Beach) are reasonable. I stay at a place right on the beach with the promenade/boardwalk called the Crystal Beach Suites (around 7000 block Collins Ave. Across the street from the hotel there's a great Cuban place called Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine. A very good Chinese joint that delivers, Walgreens, even (barf out) a Dennys and Publix supermarket all within a city block of this hotel. It's not fancy by any means but its clean, comfortable, the A/C rocks and it's a small suite with a fridge, microwave, furnished with dishes, glasses, forks and even a dishwasher! The living room kitchen has a bar for seating and a double pull out sofa  bed which is one of the most comfortable sofa beds I've ever experienced. Attached is the main bedroom with a Queen bed that does the trick. I do the pool and beach the day before and even on embarkation day, work out in the pool, take a dip in the ocean, clean up and off to the port for my cruise. Being an VPIF or whatever they call it, my embarkation time is around 1230 to 1330 hours. Usually it's an easy on to the ship. This way, I get my workout in so, I can get unpacked, meet new friends, get the lay of the ship and participate in the spa raffle which gives away certificates.

For disembarking day, I view that as a necessary evil of cruising. Hurry up and get your ass off the ship. I make sure I partake in a nice final breakfast and depending on my friends, schedule, budget and flight loads leave this up in the air. I've just headed to FLL to fly home to Baltimore. Rented a car with my friends who live in the Tampa/St. Pete area and drive back there with them spending a couple nights there. Sometimes we do the 20 minute flight from FLL to TPA. Many times including last year off the horizon if time and budget allow me, I get a hotel room on Miami Beach for one to two nights though, I don't stay at the Crystal. I'm into a travel routine and equate the Crystal Suites pre-cruise. I've stayed at the Best Western Atlantic Beach Resort and the Shelborne South Beach too. Usually, I can check in early. However, last year we couldn't get into the room till after lunch, I was tired ended up sleeping. Got some time on the beach at dinner time. Me and my friend were so pooped we ended up getting pizza delivery that night. Normally, I'd walk Lincoln Rd. Mall or Ocean Drive. That was an expensive undertaking. I enjoyed it but, not worth two to three hundred bucks. The next day, I worked out in the hotel pool and went into the ocean, cleaned up and me and my friend drove to her house in St. Pete, FL.

I say if you can do it, do at least one night pre and one night post cruise in Miami Beach. Just look our for good hotel deals and really push for an early check in after leaving the Port of Miami. Hope this helps. Happy cruising!  

Difficult to read your post due to your choice of color on fonts

[fstuff1]

5 hours ago, Tony O said:

Difficult to read your post due to your choice of color on fonts

 

plus lack of paragraphs.

wall of txt 😞

[ransrider]

I am looking for hotel suggestions in Miami Florida. Trying to decide between Hampton MIA Brickell Downtown (great reviews, close to everything, very busy neighborhood, $338 for 1 night as a Hilton Honors member--tax is a killer!) or Hampton Garden Inn Airport/Blue Lagoon (also great reviews, comp breakfast and airport shuttle, food in walking distance, appears to look like a nice neighborhood on Google Maps, $202 for 1 night). Which would you recommend? TIA

[d9704011]

Well, if you want to save money stay out by the airport.  If you’re looking to do something in Miami go to the one in Brickell; we stayed there last year for two nights and really enjoyed it but we also spent some time exploring the Miami (downtownish) area.

[JohninDC]

Arriving late and just want dinner and a room - choose Blue Lagoon (we prefer the Homewood Suites there).  Arriving earlier and want to experience some of Miami, then stay downtown.

34 minutes ago, ransrider said:

I am looking for hotel suggestions in Miami Florida. Trying to decide between Hampton MIA Brickell Downtown (great reviews, close to everything, very busy neighborhood, $338 for 1 night as a Hilton Honors member--tax is a killer!) or Hampton Garden Inn Airport/Blue Lagoon (also great reviews, comp breakfast and airport shuttle, food in walking distance, appears to look like a nice neighborhood on Google Maps, $202 for 1 night). Which would you recommend? TIA

 

[Choozin Croozin]

On 3/6/2019 at 4:54 PM, cruisemein said:

Last Oct. we stayed at Hampton Inn Brickell, fits your criteria, except I don't believe they offer shuttle from the airport, we used Uber. They do shuttle to the Port and breakfast is included along with a free drink per person. Lots of great restaurants within walking distance.

Did you feel safe in that area at night? We are staying at the Courtyard on Second St/ We stayed there about 12 yrs ago and walked around fine, but there was a group of us. We are seniors (old but in shape), so a little more concerned. We are not stupid, we do keep a watchful eye out. 

[cruisemein]

12 minutes ago, Choozin Croozin said:

Did you feel safe in that area at night? We are staying at the Courtyard on Second St/ We stayed there about 12 yrs ago and walked around fine, but there was a group of us. We are seniors (old but in shape), so a little more concerned. We are not stupid, we do keep a watchful eye out. 

We are in our early sixties and felt quite safe, we walked to an Italian Restaurant and ate dinner and walked back around 9:30 or so, about 3 blocks from the hotel, seemed like there were quite a few tourists around.  There was also a nice bar right beside the hotel that we stopped into before heading to bed.

Edited March 15, 2019 by cruisemein
typo