Ideas for hotel near Port of Miami; reasonable pricing for first week April 2011

[Viklynn]

:confused:

First time going out of Miami for a cruise and need recommendation for reasonable priced hotel to stay night before and night after cruise. First week of April 2011, shuttle to port a plus. Never been to Miami so need lots of advice :)

:):rolleyes:

 

[eandj]

In order to get a shuttle to the port, you would need to stay at hotels nearer the airport. If you have never been to the Miami area, stay somewhere that you can get the feel of Miami Beach. Of course much depends on your budget and the time you will have to see the area.

 

Maybe stay in S Beach the post cruise night. Pre cruise....if you have very limited time, downtown is okay, with a visit to Bayside Mall. But downtown is just that, a big time downtown. Nothing special. If you have a full day and evening look elsewhere. There are tons of recs here. All depends too on what you want to see and do.

[JohninDC]

Hotels close to POM, some with a view of the port, will be in downtown Miami - try Doubletree, Marriott, Holiday Inn and Intercontinental. The city of Miami Beach is what you see on TV - hotels there will be older, smaller, many are botique style, and are usually more expensive -- but the location, dining and nightlife make it worth it to many. ;)

 

A taxi from MIA to downtown hotels will cost $25+ and takes about 15 minutes; it takes 20+ minutes & $32+ to get to Miami Beach from MIA; a cab the next morning to POM will cost $10-12 from downtown and $15+ from Miami Beach.

 

If you are arriving late and just want a clean room and dinner, search for hotels in near MIA in the Blue Lagoon area - Hampton Innn, Homewood Suites and others. There is a local strip mall within walking distance - across the street from Hampton Inn - with grocery, drug and liquor stores :D plus several dining options (try Casa Juan for great Cuban food :cool:). All will have free shuttles from MIA and a offer a commercial shuttle to POM for $10 per passenger -- if you are travelling with a family or group, a taxi from any airport hotel to POM will run under $30 including tip.

 

Another area to consider, with many shopping and dining options within walking distance, is Coconut Grove. If you are arriving very late the Embassy Suites at MIA may work for you - free happy hour, free hot breakfast, and free shuttle to POM for one person in your group (others cost $10 each :().

 

Please do not let "free-shuttle-itis" entice you to stay at a hotel that does not meet your needs or desires. Good luck! :)

[Viklynn]

THanks for all the tips! they are greatly appreicated.:)

[gradmabee]

We are cruising the first week of April as well on the Destiny. We just booked the Hampton Inn Blue Lagoon for $111.20. It is free breakfast and $10 per person to the Port. We are also using SAS as we are flying into FLL and then SAS back after the cruise for $15 a person each way. Hope this helps.:o

[catspajamasfan]

I think the Staybridge Suites is right around the Blue Lagoon area. I would recommend it..specifically if you have a larger group where you may be looking at 2 hotel rooms. We did a 2 bedroom suite there 2 years ago prior to going on a cruise and it worked very well for us---we actually had 6 in the suite, as there were 2 bedrooms/2 baths and a couch that made out into a bed in the living room. I recommend the Cuban restaurant too.

[catspajamasfan]

Sorry folks...just got home and checking my info....the name of the hotel is the Hyatt Summerfield Suites Miami Airport @ 5710 Blue Lagoon Drive. Sorry, got my hotel names mixed up.