Miami - Advice please

[Rosie1066]

We disembark Journey in Miami in November and have three nights before our flights back to the UK.  We've never been to Miami before.  Any suggestions/comments/advice regarding our time in Miami would be much appreciated, especially as to where we should base ourselves - The Beach, Downtown or out at the airport?  Also any pointers to find reasonably-priced hotels.  We're there for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights which might make a difference.  We're just in the process of confirming cruise and flights so I haven't had the time to do the research I'd normally do and the three days in Miami weren't planned.  This forum is my default for anything relating to Azamara cruises!  (I hope this is the type of question that I'm allowed to post on this Forum.)

[Nunfa1]

We did 3 days in Miami before our cruise last year, also our first time staying there. We stayed at the Gates Hotel South Beach, lovely hotel just at the end of South Beach so a bit cheaper. 

Miami is an intersting place, nothing opens before 11am and eating out is generally expensive, but we were in South Beach. Ubers were cheap and reliable.

Brickell is another popular area, that's on the mainland and there are no beaches nearby. It really depends what interests you. 

[Dr H]

I am a very jaded American who is not exactly thrilled with American cities. Question. Are you willing to drive here? Personally, the thought of driving in the UK terrifies me, and I won't do it. But if you are willing and brave, you can have an amazing time. Drive into the Keys, possibly as far as Key West. That is a good 3hrs away, but you don't have to go that far. Consider driving across to the Gulf side and staying in the Naples area. The Gulf is infinitely nicer than the Atlantic side. PH mentioned South Beach in Miami. I've never been, it's on my bucket list. See the film "The Birdcage" first.  Then go. Do your homework regarding restaurants and dining. Seafood is amazing in Miami. Joe's Stone Crab is probably a tad touristy and definitely not cheap, but the crab is incredible. (Stone crabs come from the Miami area, crab is caught, one hand is chopped off for you, the crab goes back into the drink to regrow the limb.) The Cuban coffee is to die for, sadly a huge number of Cubans had to die to get to our shores. Cuban food in Miami is unlike Cuban anywhere else in the country, or probably Cuba. Go into Tripadvisor.com which I believe is the parent company of cruisecritic, you should find a wealth of information there. I wouldn't stay near the airport. It's great for an overnight stay, but restaurants will be limited, and the airport itself is only about 20 minutes from just about anywhere in Miami. I recommend the beach area, but do some homework. I love using booking dot com (hope I'm not committing a mortal sin by saying such a thing) because it is free, very easy to compare places, locations, prices, and both making and cancelling reservations is very easy. Happy planning, and great to have you coming to the States.

[PirateWife]

Miami hotels are expensive. Be aware that most of them tack on a resort fee to the room rate.

[travelberlin]

I would suggest staying at Brickell. Nice neighborhood with hotels in all price categories. South beach is overpriced you have to pay a “resort fee” .

[81Zoomie]

We recently stayed at the Hotel Indigo in Brickell prior to a cruise.  There were coffee shops, a Publix, etc. within walking distance.  Dinner in the hotel was great.  Plus, they have happy hour!  We would not hesitate to stay there again.

[Dynacruiser]

I travel to Miami at least once a year.    I usually book mid-level hotels, I am not a party animal, like to sit and read by the beach, and love good restaurants.  Here are my personal views as a visitor, not as a local:

 

Areas:

Airport.  No, this would be my last choice.  Nothing to see or do there.

 

Downtown.  I stayed there a couple of times and would not be my first choice.  Downtown is more business oriented, more office people traffic.  Brickell (is it part of Downtown, or just next to it?) may be a good choice if you want a quieter area away from the famous Miami Beach, but I absolutely prefer Miami Beach.

 

Miami Beach. This is the place I keep going back to and I am not a sun worshipper.   It is a 9- ile long beach, so I will divide it in three areas:

 

1) The northernmost I would stay is around the Hotel Confidante.  Decent beach, uncrowded, but not a lot of pedestrian traffic and a long walk or an uber to the more pedestrian areas.   Stay in this area only if you want to be near the water but in a quieter place away from the crowds.   Lots of residential buildings nearby.

 

2) The area around Lincoln and Collins.  Use the Ritz Carlton as a marker (of course it’s not a budget hotel).   This is my favorite area and the one I recommend to everybody.  This part has a lot of pedestrian areas (Lincoln street is great for walkers.  I would not recommend the restaurants on Lincoln for the food but to people watch).    I believe this area is already considered South Beach.

 

3) Southernmost part:  Use Lummus Park as a marker.  This is probably the noisiest and perhaps most fun area in Miami.  I have never stayed here, as it is a bit too crowded and noisy for me, but my friends tell me that there are plenty of budget hotels.  I do like to walk this area, though, love the art deco architecture. Some famous restaurants and clubs in the area, some famous people late at night (when will I run into Messi?), but be careful, many affordable restaurants are just tourist traps with bad food.    

 

 

Warning: Miami is expensive.  You get what you pay for.  Don’t expect a nice room, ocean view, nice pool grounds, nice beach access, unless you are willing to pay for it.  A budget hotel will be quite spartan, no luxury, may smell from countless large families bringing wet towels into the room, your view will be the wall of the building next door, etc etc.   A while back, I went to pick up a friend at a budget hotel in South Beach near Lummus Park, and it was very budget, almost looked like a hotel by the hour; it only had two folding chairs at the lobby.  Research your hotel very carefully.

 

If the OP is still around, I will gather my list of hotels I’ve stayed and restaurants, and will continue this post later.

[Werangels]

4 hours ago, Dynacruiser said:

I travel to Miami at least once a year.    I usually book mid-level hotels, I am not a party animal, like to sit and read by the beach, and love good restaurants.  Here are my personal views as a visitor, not as a local:

 

Areas:

Airport.  No, this would be my last choice.  Nothing to see or do there.

 

Downtown.  I stayed there a couple of times and would not be my first choice.  Downtown is more business oriented, more office people traffic.  Brickell (is it part of Downtown, or just next to it?) may be a good choice if you want a quieter area away from the famous Miami Beach, but I absolutely prefer Miami Beach.

 

Miami Beach. This is the place I keep going back to and I am not a sun worshipper.   It is a 9- ile long beach, so I will divide it in three areas:

 

1) The northernmost I would stay is around the Hotel Confidante.  Decent beach, uncrowded, but not a lot of pedestrian traffic and a long walk or an uber to the more pedestrian areas.   Stay in this area only if you want to be near the water but in a quieter place away from the crowds.   Lots of residential buildings nearby.

 

2) The area around Lincoln and Collins.  Use the Ritz Carlton as a marker (of course it’s not a budget hotel).   This is my favorite area and the one I recommend to everybody.  This part has a lot of pedestrian areas (Lincoln street is great for walkers.  I would not recommend the restaurants on Lincoln for the food but to people watch).    I believe this area is already considered South Beach.

 

3) Southernmost part:  Use Lummus Park as a marker.  This is probably the noisiest and perhaps most fun area in Miami.  I have never stayed here, as it is a bit too crowded and noisy for me, but my friends tell me that there are plenty of budget hotels.  I do like to walk this area, though, love the art deco architecture. Some famous restaurants and clubs in the area, some famous people late at night (when will I run into Messi?), but be careful, many affordable restaurants are just tourist traps with bad food.    

 

 

Warning: Miami is expensive.  You get what you pay for.  Don’t expect a nice room, ocean view, nice pool grounds, nice beach access, unless you are willing to pay for it.  A budget hotel will be quite spartan, no luxury, may smell from countless large families bringing wet towels into the room, your view will be the wall of the building next door, etc etc.   A while back, I went to pick up a friend at a budget hotel in South Beach near Lummus Park, and it was very budget, almost looked like a hotel by the hour; it only had two folding chairs at the lobby.  Research your hotel very carefully.

 

If the OP is still around, I will gather my list of hotels I’ve stayed and restaurants, and will continue this post later.

I am not the OP but this is really useful for us as we will need a hotel later this year and it’s a very, very long time since I was in Miami.  Thank you.

[Dynacruiser]

2 minutes ago, Werangels said:

I am not the OP but this is really useful for us as we will need a hotel later this year and it’s a very, very long time since I was in Miami.  Thank you.

 

I''ll send a more detailed email on hotels and restaurants and things to do when I have more time.

 

[Rosie1066]

Many, many thanks for all your replies.  They have been really useful and helped me focus.

 

And I'm so sorry that I've been unable to acknowledge them before now.  I really have appreciated them.

 

Thank you.