What to do? Land in FLL 4:15 pm

Looking for tips!

Myself, husband and two kids (5 and 9) land in FLL at 4:15 pm the day before our cruise.

Do we stay in FLL that night and head to Miami the next day? Or head south right away and stay in MIA that night?

Our hopes for that evening are a really good seafood restaurant within walking distance of hotel (or a low cab/uber fare) and a quick stop at a dollar store/Walgreens to get the needed beach toys that we don't want to pack in luggage!

We are hoping to spend around $200 or less on the hotel, if that helps.

And if you have specific recommendations on the trek from FLL to MIA (which I know is not a huge trek at all!) feel free to throw those in, too!

Thanks for your expert advice :-)

From another post of yours it appears your cruise is in March. There won't be much within your budget that time of year (at least in a safe neighborhood with decent amenities). Normally I would say you are arriving early enough to make the trek down to Miami that day, but you will have to decide if an additional hour-ish of travelling is within your kids' tolerance; presumably it would push their dinner to later than normal.

Though slightly in the opposite direction from FLL to PoM the SE 17th Street area in Ft Lauderdale fits all your needs well; plenty of shops and good restaurants within walking distance. Holiday Inn Express and Hyatt Place are two recommended mid priced hotels on that strip.

You can also try hotels in the Stirling Rd/I-95 area, most of which have free shuttles from FLL and are a quicker ride down to Miami in the morning. Check the 'Airport South' locations of Springhill Suites, Comfort Suites, Cambria Suites or Hilton Garden Inn. All should have rooms more than large enough for four, but may actually be more expensive than the 17th Street suggestions. And no seafood restaurant in walking distance (unless you count Red Lobster :eek:) so a short ride to dinner would be needed.

Since there are four of you, Uber to Miami might actually be no more than a shared shuttle priced per person.

Looking for tips!

 

Myself, husband and two kids (5 and 9) land in FLL at 4:15 pm the day before our cruise.

 

Do we stay in FLL that night and head to Miami the next day? Or head south right away and stay in MIA that night?

 

Our hopes for that evening are a really good seafood restaurant within walking distance of hotel (or a low cab/uber fare) and a quick stop at a dollar store/Walgreens to get the needed beach toys that we don't want to pack in luggage!

 

We are hoping to spend around $200 or less on the hotel, if that helps.

 

And if you have specific recommendations on the trek from FLL to MIA (which I know is not a huge trek at all!) feel free to throw those in, too!

 

Thanks for your expert advice :-)

It will be recommended here you stay in Ft Lauderdale, but what is your date of arrival? Under $200 may or may not be even be remotely possible at most hotels near the port or beach depending on the season.

Stay in the FLL area, where comparable hotels are generally cheaper than in downtown Miami, and Uber or shuttle to POM the next day. http://www.sunny.org has lots of FLL area tourist and hotel info.

March, particularly around Easter/spring break will be tough on a $200 budget. Start shopping now for something you can cancel without penalty, and then keep looking for deals.

You should listen to John even though he lives in a vast wasteland. :cool:

I think you have a common misconception that South Florida is loaded with seafood restaurants, it's not. We don't have a fishing industry here as they do on the Gulf Coast. Imagine my shock when years ago I was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii and I asked a local where I could to get some good seafood and he replied, "Red Lobster."

You could go to Rustic Inn Crabhouse, but it could cost you close to $200 for your family of four.

http://arkrestaurants.com/rustic-inn-fort-lauderdale/

There is Islamorada Fish Company located in the Bass Pro Shop.

http://restaurants.basspro.com/FishCompany/DaniaBeach/

Hotels that you can walk to both of these restaurants are Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn and Homewood Suites on or just off of Griffin Road in Dania Beach. Also in the area is Tropical Acres Steakhouse.

http://www.tropicalacres.com/

This is so helpful - thank you all very much!

We arrive in March, so we are battling the Spring Break prices :-)

Thanks again!

We are flying into FLL in Feb the day before our cruise in Miami. We have rented a Airbnb, a block from the beach (this one is a 1 bdrm condo) for 113.00 with tax and fees. We have done lots of Airbnb's and have always had a GREAT experience. We were able to even book the same one for the night that we return.

We are flying into FLL in Feb the day before our cruise in Miami. We have rented a Airbnb, a block from the beach (this one is a 1 bdrm condo) for 113.00 with tax and fees. We have done lots of Airbnb's and have always had a GREAT experience. We were able to even book the same one for the night that we return.

I seriously doubt they can get a rate like that in March, but AirBnB, Homeaway, VRBO and even Expedia are good alternatives. Be aware of the cleaning fees and extra fees tacked on, though.

https://www.expedia.com/vacation-rentals/

Personally, I'd raise the budget and find a hotel in a walkable safe area. With kids, stay at a hotel like Hampton Inn Brickell in Miami. Or a hotel like Hyatt Place Convention center in Ft. L.

Both offer free breakfast. Hyatt Pl. has a free shuttle from the airport. Both have restaurants and stores a short walk away.

I agree if looking at airbnb with kids, rates will be higher for the larger place. Cleaning fees for just a short stay can outweigh the value.