Please help with Hotel in Miami

[Misty_Que]

We are flying to Miami on January 3/06 for a pre-cruise stay before departing on January 7/06. There will be a group of 15 adults and 2 kids. We are looking for a hotel on or close to the beach, not too far from the port, but close to things to do such as shopping, resturants, etc as we would like to tour the area a bit. We are also thinking about maybe a hotel that offers kitchenettes. We are from Canada and I've never used any internet websites such as priceline and I am a bit scared too.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :confused:

[TrentS]

I'm sure there are some hotels with kitchenettes near the beach but I'm not familiar with any... From what you describe you want, you'll want to be in South Beach, but keep in mind that South Beach in January is extremely expensive. If you look at a map you'll generally want to be along Ocean Drive, Collins, or Washington Avenues, below Lincoln Road Mall (1700 block).

 

There are many many hotels in South Beach, and I don't know how much you're prepared to spend, but keep in mind that the nicer hotels have been gutted and completely rebuilt, many of the cheaper ones though haven't and are rather nasty. You have to be very careful and check them out thoroughly. Here are some "mainstream" hotels that I'm personally familiar with, all are right in the middle of everything South Beach has to offer...

 

Loews (on the beach)... http://www.loewshotels.com/hotels/miamibeach/default.asp

 

South Beach Marriott (on the beach)... http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/MIAMB

 

Courtyard South Beach (3 blocks from the beach)... http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/MIACB

 

If you want something more high end Hotel Victor is spectacular, right next door to the former Versace Mansion, and across the street from the beach... http://hotelvictorsouthbeach.com/

[TrentS]

Personally I'm too picky in where I stay to use Priceline, but if you want to learn about it and Hotwire you may want to read these websites...

 

http://www.biddingfortravel.com/

 

http://www.betterbidding.com/

 

http://www.biddingfun.com/

[Misty_Que]

Thank you Trent....I'll check these out. I am pretty picky myself which is why I've never even tried to use hotwire or priceline. I am hoping not to spend to much on a hotel but I still want something nice as this is our wedding! But we have 20 guests to worry about as well.

[TrentS]

Well congratulations on your wedding! :)

 

Yeah, South Beach is tough, especially that time of year as the nice places are not cheap, and the cheap places are not nice, but it's a wonderful area to stay in with so much to offer. You definitely don't want to be in a dump for something as special as your wedding trip!