Miami Hotels

[Fantasia Sam]

Last year we stayed at the Intercontinental at Doral for one night, which was great and handy for I-95 but I wondered if there was a better option for us?

DH wishes the flight would land earlier because he would be very keen to drive up to Orlando that day but no can do.

I was wondering if there was somewhere nearer to the Airport that was nice based on recommendations from you guys.

It's just going to be for one night - prices for the Intercontinental Doral were only £90 but can I get cheaper that's just as good and close to airport. Also one of the things I didn't like about the Intercontinental was that once we were there we were tired and didn't fancy driving anywhere for dinner but the restaurants seemed a bit of a hike in a not so pedestrian friendly area so it would be great to get a hotel with a couple of chain options on our doorstep.

If anyone has suggestions I'd be open to them.

Cheers

 

[OldKeyWelsh]

We've stayed at the Hampton Inn twice and it was a good choice for us. I think it was the one at Silver Lake. It wasn't too expensive, nice and modern, and had a really nice breakfast. There are plenty of restaurants, fast food places and a supermarket nearby. There is a free shuttle bus to and from the airport - we didn't bother picking up our hire car till the morning after we arrived.

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Thanks for answering... I had a look around and found a really sweet deal. I'm a Starwood Preferred Guest and I got an email yesterday with some offers on. I ended up booking a Club Level Kind Room with Full Buffet Breakfast for 2 at Sheraton at Miami Airport for £70 including the tax so I am beyond happy with myself right now - this works great for us.

 

[UKDEB]

I was just flexing my fingers to post a lengthy reply and then I read your last post. Glad you got something sorted. Does that mean you won't be out there when we are, now? Or is this an extra trip/extraordinarily long one?

Oh, and prize for best username goes to OldKeyWelsh. Love it!

 

[Netty]

I was just flexing my fingers to post a lengthy reply and then I read your last post. Glad you got something sorted. Does that mean you won't be out there when we are, now? Or is this an extra trip/extraordinarily long one?

Oh, and prize for best username goes to OldKeyWelsh. Love it!

Please do flex those fingers!! we are looking at staying two nights in Miami this August and could do with some ideas as to where to stay!

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Hi Deb - ummm would you believe 2 trips? Damn that BA sale!! Cinderfella and I had to take advantage so we're booked Aug 30th 9 nights, 1 in Miami and 8 at funnily enough Old Key West LOL Cinderfella has never stayed there and Wayne continues to sing it's praises so thought we'd give it a shot.... that and it was the best availability for the points ha-ha

Netty - I did Hyatt Intercontinental Doral and loved it last year I think it's worth more than 1 night but if I was staying 2 nights I'd stay nearer the beach but Deb should be able to advise better.

 

[UKDEB]

What are the circumstances, Netty? Will your stay coincide with your arrival/departure in the US? Mid-trip? Will you be going to or from Orlando, or elsewhere? Will you be leaving or joining a cruise? Anything in Miami you're particularly keen to see or do?

 

[Netty]

What are the circumstances, Netty? Will your stay coincide with your arrival/departure in the US? Mid-trip? Will you be going to or from Orlando, or elsewhere? Will you be leaving or joining a cruise? Anything in Miami you're particularly keen to see or do?

Hi Deb
we are doing a road trip, just on the verge of booking the flights tonight!
The plan is to fly down to Key West (margaritaville is calling..!) staying 3 nights, then drive up to Miami stay 2 nights there, then over to the gulf coast staying a few places there, before ending up in Orlando for a few days, holiday was originally in September but due to dd due another baby again, we have brought it forward to August - 20th to 7th Sept. Never been to Miami so have no idea what is there!

 

[Netty]

Bumping!

 

[Netty]

bumping

 

[UKDEB]

Apologies, Netty - I've been really busy and this won't be a 5 minute reply. I promise to pull something together soon, though.

 

[Netty]

Apologies, Netty - I've been really busy and this won't be a 5 minute reply. I promise to pull something together soon, though.

Thankyou!
we have just booked the Key West Hotel, next is Miami

 

[UKDEB]

One thing I've learned is that Miami hotels aren't cheap. I'm not sure what kind of vibe you like, or what price-range you're looking at, but the places we've stayed are Hotel Victor, South Beach and the JW Marriott Marquis overlooking Biscayne Bay. The former is a funky boutique hotel; the latter Marriott's brand new, swanky flagship brand.

South Beach is a tricky one. It's definitely an experience and I'm glad I've done it, but I'm not sure I'd rush back there. It's what you'd expect it to be - the beautiful crowd hanging out, and young guns cruising around in their Ferraris and Lamborghinis. That said, the hotel was just what you'd want a funky boutique hotel to be and the restaurant scene on South Beach is suitably laid-back, yet foodie heaven at the same time.

The JW Marriott Marquis was perfect for our one night stay ahead of a cruise, but, despite its distinction of being Marriott's creme de la creme, it wasn't the best hotel I've ever stayed at by a long way. Slick, swanky: yes. Huge rooms with enormous deluxe bathrooms (with TVs in the mirrors) and a fabulous view over the bay: check. But the sum of the parts didn't equate to the best overall experience. I'd stay there again in a heartbeat at the right price (we got a ridiculously cheap rate through otel.com) but I wouldn't stay there at any cost. It was in a very good location for getting around and about in Miami, I'd say, although it's a very big place, so it really depends on what you want to do. We seriously considered The Epic which is bang opposite (and which we could have got for virtually nothing through Avios). Others in the frame were Fisher Island Club (although we'd have wanted to stay much more than our one night), Grove Isle Hotel and Spa (ditto), Hotel Beaux Arts (in the same building as the JW Marriott Marquis) and Casa Moderna (again, in the same building). I could go on and on, but what you're probably picking up on is that we like a great big dollop of luxury in our hotels! What that doesn't necessarily equate to, though, is ridiculously expensive. The reason we went for the JW Marriott Marquis in the end is that I'm very tenacious and I just kept searching and searching (over a period of several months) until I came up with a rate that I was willing to pay.

 

[Netty]

Yes it has also dawned on us how much the hotel prices are if you want the south beach area having said that we were looking at Hotel Victor it does look nice, at the moment its on a travelzoo offer, $229 for 2 nights, which is pretty good, the only thing stopping me is that you have to buy the voucher first then ring the hotel to see if they have availability for your dates, my worry is that I may end up with a voucher I can't use..

 

[UKDEB]

You're right, that's a very good rate, but a very odd arrangement. I wouldn't be able to bring myself to risk it. We've used otel.com a fair few times over the last few years and have found some absolutely cracking deals. You can pick up a 10% discount code via their Facebook page, 6% cashback via Quidco, and credits towards future bookings. Our suite at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota this November is costing £475 for 3 nights including taxes, compared with around $2100 through the hotel's own website. We could have got a deluxe room for less than £100 a night, all-in.

 

[Netty]

Thanks for the info on otels.com great site
I have emailed travelzoo to see what the happens if you buy the voucher and then can't get the dates..