My experience in MIA - Transportation and Hotel

[sdmike]

Hi everyone. I thought I would add my two cents to this forum about transportation and hotels in Miami. First off, we are a family of 5, which makes hotel selection a bit more interesting.

 

We arrived at MIA last night around 11:30pm, and by shortly after midnight we had our luggage. We had shopped for a shuttle service and found them to be in the $80+ range for us to get down to our hotel downtown. What did we choose? A cab. We went to the curb and picked up a van cab that fit the 5 of us. The trip downtown lasted around 10 - 15 minutes and cost $23 plus tip. Done deal door to door for 5 people for $30. The heck with shuttle services.

 

As for hotel, we chose the Hilton Downtown on Biscayne. It's an older hotel but still in great shape on the inside. It's in a crappy part of town, but they had a guard at the entry to keep stragglers out of the building. The lobby is up on the second floor and you need to take an elevator up from street level. They have free wifi in the lobby area, and it was full of teenagers even at 1:30am using this free service. There's some teen convention here by the looks of things. So far they have been quiet and respectful though. The food at the restaurant was good, but like with most hotels pretty expensive. A basic lunch (burgers, chicken wings, salad) cost us about $80.

 

The reason we chose the hotel is because of the junior suite. It cost us $139 per night, and it's HUGE. Two queen beds and a sitting area with couch and chairs, with the couch folding out into another queen. It's a corner unit with floor to ceiling windows with a view of downtown and the port (1202). The weather here is nasty as TS Bonnie rolls through, but the room is big and comfortable and we don't mind hanging out.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of our view and the room.

 

View this morning as the storm rolled through

 

Much better now...

 

 

The cruise ship terminal

 

 

pardon the mess, but we're "living" in here today. You can see the floor to ceiling windows and the view. Yes, I know my son is about to whack my daughter with the bed bolster. :rolleyes:

 

[eandj]

Your family looks like they'll have a memorable time! Hope you have safe and sunny skies!

[Keith1010]

Have a fun time.

 

I agree with you, that I would always take a taxi from the airport into downtown Miami rather than a shuttle. Even if there is one person and in that case the taxi would be a little more expensive it is much easier.

 

Keith

[1frayfan]

Thanks for the info....I just literally called the Hilton Miami Downtown (we are staying there too) an hour ago and found out....no shuttle service! I guess "local area transportation" on their website refers to the metromover, not a shuttle like I thought!

 

I have been searching the internet desperately trying to find a way from the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the port. (are you taking a cab to the port as well???)

 

Thanks again for the info!!

[sdmike]

Thanks for the info....I just literally called the Hilton Miami Downtown (we are staying there too) an hour ago and found out....no shuttle service! I guess "local area transportation" on their website refers to the metromover, not a shuttle like I thought!

 

I have been searching the internet desperately trying to find a way from the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the port. (are you taking a cab to the port as well???)

 

Thanks again for the info!!

 

Yep! I'm just going to have the bellman call a cab for us in the morning. It'll be tons easier, and cheaper, than hiring a transportation service. It's only a couple of miles to the port. We're also taking a cab down to Bayside tonight. I might also add that because there will be 11 of us to the airport after the cruise we decided to hire a service. It turned out to be a little more expensive, but I didn't want to mess with waiting for a cab with a tight airport connection.

[Rock Chick]

Thank you for this info. I'm in the process of searching for a Miami hotel. I was going to search for one with a shuttle service (I'm travelling alone) but now I'll get a cab from the airport and to the port I think.

[sdmike]

Thank you for this info. I'm in the process of searching for a Miami hotel. I was going to search for one with a shuttle service (I'm travelling alone) but now I'll get a cab from the airport and to the port I think.

 

yeah, cabs are everywhere. Inexpensive and easy.

[Moon Orchid]

Yep! I'm just going to have the bellman call a cab for us in the morning. It'll be tons easier, and cheaper, than hiring a transportation service. It's only a couple of miles to the port. We're also taking a cab down to Bayside tonight. I might also add that because there will be 11 of us to the airport after the cruise we decided to hire a service. It turned out to be a little more expensive, but I didn't want to mess with waiting for a cab with a tight airport connection.

 

Please post your experience about the Bayside Market place. We have a group of 12 wanting to go to Bayside area for sight seeing and dinner on our upcoming cruise in October! Thanks in advance.

[DPurcell58]

Also, let us know how you like the Epic!

[Marie51]

Thanks for the info....I just literally called the Hilton Miami Downtown (we are staying there too) an hour ago and found out....no shuttle service! I guess "local area transportation" on their website refers to the metromover, not a shuttle like I thought!

 

I have been searching the internet desperately trying to find a way from the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the port. (are you taking a cab to the port as well???)

 

Thanks again for the info!!

 

Cab from the downtown hotels to port of Miami is about $10. Easy and quick.

[sdmike]

Please post your experience about the Bayside Market place. We have a group of 12 wanting to go to Bayside area for sight seeing and dinner on our upcoming cruise in October! Thanks in advance.

 

Well, Bayside is showing its age a bit. It's still nice to walk around and check out the small shops and kiosks because they have some unique things, but there are some vacant shops both downstairs and upstairs on each side. A sign of the struggling economy, I guess. It's similar to Seaport Village in San Diego, but Bayside isn't overrun with t-shirt shops and other uber-touristy shops like Seaport. Seaport has nicer weather and more outdoor areas though.

 

Bayside has entertainment in the evenings, and it has to be one of the best people watching venues ever. I would guess that 75% of the people roaming and working there do not speak English as their primary language, and there are plenty of interesting tourist fashions to observe from other countries. We were there on a Friday night and BOY were some of the people dressed to the 9's in some of the most...ahem...let's just say provocative outfits I've ever seen. My wife was teasing the heck out of me the entire evening, and I was trying to avoid giving myself whiplash. haha

 

As for eating, there are some decent places depending on what you like. On one end is a Hard Rock Cafe which is fairly large and popular. I'd recommend eating there due to the variety. There's also a Bubba Gump's, a Hooters, Chilis, and several stands where you can get ice cream, smoothies, italian water ice, and other things. There is also a cuban place on the north end between bayside and AA Arena. The place looks huge, and if you're into Cuban food it might be worth a try. They also have a fairly good sized food court which isn't unique except for the types of food they have. Instead of something like "hot dog on a stick" they have cuban food, a cajon counter, etc. Lots of great selection, but the whole place seemed sort of "icky" to me. My kids wanted to get something there so I did, but I didn't want to hang around. :)

 

So if you're into walking around taking in the shops, grabbing a bite to eat, and sitting outside along the water people watching, you should have a great time.

[Moon Orchid]

Thanks so much! Sounds like you guys had fun at Bayside. We will definitely check out the areas you mentioned, when we are there!