Miami hotel recommendations

[Isklaar]

I'm looking for a hotel for 2 nights prior to our Sojourn cruise in December.

We usually stay at the Four Seasons Brickell and have been happy with it. However this time we would possibly like a change.

I've been looking at the Four Seasons Surfside, the Faena (sp?) and St Regis Bal Harbour.

Can anyone recommend other hotels I should consider?  I've looked at Trip Advisor until I'm cross eyed and thought I'd ask here, often CC Seabourners make suggestions for super hotels that are more the 'hidden secret' type!

 I'd prefer to be within 30-45 minutes of the port, beachside location ideally,  good restaurant on site would help but not essential. 

[princeton123211]

Personally I'm not the biggest fan of Miami Beach so in generally have avoided staying there and have gone down for a night to have dinner and some drinks and walk around. I've heard good things about Faena but have not stayed there. I think the Ritz-Carlton South Beach doesn't really live up to expectations-- have stayed twice and regretted it both times.

 

If you are looking for something a bit different, a not so hidden secret are the suites at Casa Casuarina-- the former Versace mansion. Rooms aren't cheap and they often sell out (or are rented out completely by corporations) but you can stay in some of the original guest rooms all the way up to Versace's personal bedroom. 

 

When we are in south Florida we tend to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Ft Lauderdale (formerly the St Regis), Four Seasons on Brickell (a bit too corporate feel for vacation I think), and sometimes have even gone up and stayed at the Breakers in Palm Beach and just had a car service take us to the pier. 

 

The new Four Seasons the Surf Club looks great-- haven't gotten to staying there yet. 

[rl787]

We absolutely love staying at The Betsy at South Beach, which I think is about a 25 minute drive from the cruise terminal. We just feel it has a unique ambience that very few hotels have. For us a couple of nights pre cruise could not get off to a better start than a couple of days at The Betsy.

[T&C Fulham]

The Betsy.

As said above - unique.

[cuddles115]

Love the St. Regis.  Fantastic and worth the expense.  A perk is the Bal Harbor shops across the street.  The St. Regis is aways from the Miami port which can be a deterrent.

[GregD]

I agree with the above that staying on south beach is both overrated and just not that nice, even in a boutique hotel. I've always had great experiences at both JW Marriott's. The two W Hotels I tend to think are overrated and lost a bit of their flare.

[raphael360]

On 7/9/2019 at 1:25 PM, Isklaar said:

I'm looking for a hotel for 2 nights prior to our Sojourn cruise in December.

We usually stay at the Four Seasons Brickell and have been happy with it. However this time we would possibly like a change.

I've been looking at the Four Seasons Surfside, the Faena (sp?) and St Regis Bal Harbour.

Can anyone recommend other hotels I should consider?  I've looked at Trip Advisor until I'm cross eyed and thought I'd ask here, often CC Seabourners make suggestions for super hotels that are more the 'hidden secret' type!

 I'd prefer to be within 30-45 minutes of the port, beachside location ideally,  good restaurant on site would help but not essential. 

I’ve lived just north of Miami since 1977. I would be able to give up some up to date info on places to go see if you want. South Beach use to be fabulous but has really gone downhill in the past few years but I would certainly recommend a day trip there.  Let me know if you’re interested. Personally I would stay at the Hyatt regency Miami or the jw Marriott Miami and day trip from there. 

[kej1]

I like the Mandarin Oriental.

[raphael360]

14 hours ago, kej1 said:

I like the Mandarin Oriental.

An Excellent choice 

[Isklaar]

Thank you to all for your suggestions. We're currently in the process of deciding how long to stay in Miami pre-cruise. We had initially decided for just 2 nights but it may actually be a few days longer. If so, this will affect our choice of where to stay. Will be back for more input in a couple of days when the decision has been made, dependant on our work commitments.