3.5 days in Florida before a cruise out of Miami- where to stay?

My kids (13 and 14) and I are sailing out of Miami and we will arrive 3.5 days before our cruise. We can fly into Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. We like the beach and will be ready for some relaxation near a pool or beach. We have never been to this part of Florida before. Any recommendations for where to stay and what to do?

Same here.... my cruise this fall is also my first time in Miami. Based upon the recommendations of Cruise Critic members, I have selected Stay at Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Miami Brickell Downtown for the week before the cruise. This choice was influenced by several factors:

• Close proximity to the Port of Miami
  
• Within walking distance of stores Walgreens, CVS, 7-11, and Publix market
  
• Within walking distance of transit system MetroMover and MetroRail. You can take that to the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science which will appeal to the kids.
  

For lots of information (attractions, hotels, etc.) on Fort Lauderdale, check out www.sunny.org.

This recent thread might help too: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2620894

We find FLL area to be more family friendly and in general, comparable hotels in Miami tend to be more expensive than those in the FLL area.

If you choose to stay in the FLL area you probably will need a rental car; if you choose to stay in Miami or Miami Beach you do not need to want a car - parking is expensive and Uber/Lyft are easy.

Good luck with your planning.

I do prefer Miami over Fort Lauderdale but given what you have said I would look at Fort Lauderdale.

A place that I would recommend for the family is the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Resort & Spa.

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/fllsb-fort-lauderdale-marriott-harbor-beach-resort-and-spa/

It has a great pool and beach area and it would be great for the entire family.

Keith

if I had 'a couple of days' ...

I'd rent a car and zip to the Keys .....

Key Largo or Islamorada

As far as beaches go, especially with a family, then Ft Lauderdale would be my choice also. Though there are parts of Miami Beach which are also very nice. However I would caution against South beach if you are with family. Night time there can be very loud, boisterous and and the noise is often heard inside the hotels. North of South beach might be ok though.

If you don't really need a beach, I might consider a hotel in downtown Miami. There are trolley buses, and taxis to get around easily to the beach areas, then come back to hotel in downtown for the evening, Bayside marketplace has lots of fun and restaurants, entertainment, tours etc.

So my choice would be downtown Miami, or Brickell area, then just bus or taxi it to the beach, but so much to do from a base in downtown area. Just my opinion though.

What is your price range?

Do you want a resort that you can spend the entire day at by the pool and beach?

Do you want to explore around Miami a bit?

A bit of both?

If you pick Ft. Lauderdale, which is a decent choice for a family, make sure to get a rental car so you can check out Miami Beach, Miami, Brickell etc..

Fly into either FLL or MIA the price difference in transportation cost is nominal if you are talking about saving money on 4 tickets.

It is not cheap. But I highly recommend the Fountainbleau resort in Miami Beach.

Thanks, all! I think we will go with Ft. Lauderdale. I am not interested in the South Beach scene so we will likely just avoid that. Thanks!

Do check out the Marriott Hotel I mentioned.

It is a great property and nice for families.

Pool and Beach are right there.

Keith

I stayed 5 nights Jan 2018 and will again stay 5 nights Jan 2019 at Best Western Plus Oceanside, 1180 Seabreeze Blvd, Ft Lauderdale.

They have a great free hot breakfast, bar with food, 100 yards from the beach, rent bikes, $ washer/dryer, $1 trolley and regular bus with stops in front of the hotel, water taxi within walking distance, restaurants in the area.

No shuttle to/from FLL/MIA/hotel. Taxi from FLL to hotel under $25, Uber would be cheaper.

We are also cruising out of MIA. Shuttles recommended on Cruise Critic from FLL to MIA charge a lot more from Beach area hotels. Best Western has a shuttle that they use that charges $25/pp to MIA.

My kids (13 and 14) and I are sailing out of Miami and we will arrive 3.5 days before our cruise. We can fly into Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. We like the beach and will be ready for some relaxation near a pool or beach. We have never been to this part of Florida before. Any recommendations for where to stay and what to do?

Do you like wild life? If so drive west on Tamiami trail (US41) and visit with local wild life.

These can be seen from the walkway at the Everglades National Park visitors center on the The Trail at about mile 48 or so.

There are also many places for air boat rides. The best are inside the indian reservation

Cheers.

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This totally depends on price range. If you want the best beach experience, relaxing, with pools, walkable, etc. Margaritaville on Hollywood Beach is probably the best option for you, without a doubt. It's great for families like yours with lots to do.

Thanks, all! I think we will go with Ft. Lauderdale. I am not interested in the South Beach scene so we will likely just avoid that. Thanks!

Unless it is a city wide conference like Ultra or Winterfest where you will see a lot of ratchet, the days of South Beach being a complete singles party scene are long gone. You'll mostly find international families or conference attendees. South Beach is very expensive, Midtown Manhattan expensive. When Jersey Shore recently shot here, no one would let them film so they filmed at their house, a club in Wynwood, and Clevelander.

That said, I think it sounds like Fort Lauderdale is a good choice for your family. I really like the Best Western Oceanside, Marriott Harbor Beach, Bahia Mar, Lago Mar, Sleep Inn (no pool but budget), The W, The Hilton, The Conrad, The Westin, The RC and a lot of the renovated 1950s retro motels on North Beach/Birch Road.

The other choice since you are cruising out of Miami, I love Key Biscayne. It is a gorgeous, upscale, family/residential island with a few fantastic resorts. The Ritz Carlton is a fantastic family resort with a wonderful kids club. The other resort I'm familiar with is the Silver Sands Beach Resort and it reminds me a lot of the Lago Mar. It is an old school, family run resort.

Good luck!