Flying into Miami.

[milomummy]

Hi all. We fly into Miami late in the evening on the 21st December (this year). Out travel agent recommended that we stay a couple of nights in Miami to get used to the time difference etc and we took his advice, and booked the hotel he recommended.
Now, on trip advisor, the hotel doesn't get great reviews (The Penguin, Miami Beach) so I am wondering, should we maybe just stay here one night and see if we can book into somewhere in Orlando for one night before our booked stay at The Best Western Lakeside? Or maybe even see if we can book there for the night?
From what I have read/heard, Miami isn't really the best place to take a 5 year old to anyway, and the worry of it is stressing me out a bit. I am now thinking that surely getting to Orlando and sussing everything out (as we are first timers) as soon as possible is the best idea, but agree that one night in Miami is definitely worth it due to tiredness etc.
Failing that, can anyone recommend a decent hotel in the Miami area, safe, easy to find and with parking? I am more than prepared to lose the money we paid for The Penguin if there is somewhere better to book.
I hope that this makes sense to you!
Thanks

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi,

Firstly we love Miami, secondly no it isn't for children but what you need to remember is 'Miami Beach' is a totally different propostion to Miami itself and personally feel in your circumstances a 2 nights stay would be a good start to your holiday.
We wouldn't hesitate to stay there for a few nights if we flew into Miami.

The biggest problem you may have is car parking, that may sound a bit of a silly comment given your post but many hotels on the beach really have limited parking facilities, there just isn't the space.

I can recommend a few that may be worth a look and I know they are some of the top rated in the area:

Hilton Grand Vacations Club - 1430 Ocean Drive Miami Beach, FL 33139
Nassau Suite Hotel - 1414 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33139
Courtyard by Marriott Miami Beach Oceanfront -3925 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33140
Eden Roc Renaissance Resort and Spa - 4525 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33140

We have stayed a few times on Collins Avenue and it's part of 'sunny isles' within the City Of Miami Beach.
It's as safe as anywhere I have ever stayed. Also some of the hotels on the likes of Ocean Drive and South Beach are more likely to be unsuitable for you, unless you want to have disco music on till 3am etc

Any more hints let me know - in easy reach of Collins Avenue also are some excellent shopping opportunities like Coconut Grove, Bal Harbour and the Aventura Mall.

Another option is not to stay in the Miami area , Fort Lauderdale is really nice and is not too far a drive either, the Pelican Bay Resort is fabulous and right on the beach, it also has a kitchenette too.

http://www.pelicanbeach.com/

 

[Brad98]

We flew into Miami two years ago at Christmas. We drove up to Fort Lauderdale and stayed at The Pelican. It was fabulous. Swimming Pool, Lazy river swimming pool, right on the beach, good food, valet parking. Would definitley recommend it. I shopped around on the 'cheap hotel rooms' web sites then got the hotel to match the price, they were more than happy to do that. Good Luck xxx

 

[UKDEB]

Is Miami Beach the same as South Beach? We stayed there back in 2006 and it was disappointing to say the least. To be fair, it probably lived up to our (low) expectations. Should we ever decide to visit Miami again, we'll elect to stay at Coral Cables or Biscayne Bay.

In August last year, due to the price differential, we ended up flying into Miami rather than Orlando. Who are you flying with? Our Virgin flight landed at 2.15pm so, even with the time taken to collect the car (all car hire depots are offsite), we had driven half-way to Orlando and checked into our hotel by 5pm EST. We'd chosen the PGA National partly due to a great rate, but equally thanks to its location. Distance-wise, it's closer to Miami, but due to the time taken to get out of the airport and the city, it's more or less midpoint time-wise.

The next morning we were checking into our Disney resort before 10am. Had we not waited for the hotel restaurant to open (at 7am) to take in breakfast before our journey, we could have been in Orlando at silly o'clock.

I don't go along with your TA's advice to stay in Miami to get used to the time difference. On the contrary, I'd recommend driving halfway the first night and then taking advantage of the time difference (i.e. the fact you'll be awake at the crack of dawn) to get to Orlando early the next day.

You're looking at a four hour drive which is not the most sensible thing to undertake after a transatlantic flight. Neither does it make sense, in my mind, to stay in Miami unnecessarily. Splitting the journey is the way to go in my opinion.

 

[milomummy]

Thanks for your replies.
We live in Germany and are flying from Dusseldorf with AirBerlin, our flight is scheduled to arrive in Miami at 1815 local time or thereabouts.
We are staying in Fort Lauderdale for 3 nights/4 days at the end of our holiday, have heard it is lovely there.
I think I am going to go into the Travel Agents tomorrow and see about changing our itenarary slightly. I know we'll lose some money, but for me, it isn't really that important, I am far more concerned with having an amazing time. I think going on up towards Orlando is the best solution. Both me and dh drive so if one is tired the other can take over.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Is Miami Beach the same as South Beach?

My understanding is, probably wrongly!
City of Miami Beach is seperated by regions, North Miami Beach with the likes of Bal Harbour, Surfside, Indian Creek and North Bay Village.

South Beach you have the Art Deco, Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles, Ocean Drive, Espanola Way, Washington Avenue and others.

Key Biscayne is then further south.

You also have Coral Gables, where Coconut Walk is - and that apparently is regarded as a city too.

I still think it's a good idea to stay somewhere around here for a couple of nights, it's an ideal chance to do something different from Orlando and due to the driving time - certainly in our experience it's an opportunity that doesn't come along very often.
If it was me, I would stay at the Pelican at Fort Lauderdale - and have the chance to explore the likes of Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Miami from there.

 

[milomummy]

Thanks for your input. It's SO confusing for a first timer, especially for someone like me who is obsessed with getting it right. DH has been in Iraq since May and I have been doing all of the planning, I just want it all to be so perfect!
Neither of us have been to the States at all and I do think it would be good to see something other than 'just' Disney, but I don't want to get it wrong!!

Someone, please bang me over the head to stop the million thoughts racing through it....

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Thanks for your input. It's SO confusing for a first timer, especially for someone like me who is obsessed with getting it right. DH has been in Iraq since May and I have been doing all of the planning, I just want it all to be so perfect!
Neither of us have been to the States at all and I do think it would be good to see something other than 'just' Disney, but I don't want to get it wrong!!

Someone, please bang me over the head to stop the million thoughts racing through it....

No need we all plan our holidays in advance and try to ensure everything is covered, it's a lot of money to spend so we all like to make sure we are doing the right thing.

You are right to try and plan things properly.