Best Hotel in Miami prior to cruise

[ggooglyboogly]

Hi everyone -

 

I'll be doing a create-your-own 9 day cruise on the Getaway this September (combining a 2 day with a 7 day).

 

Normally I'd stay with my parents in Fort Lauderdale before the cruise but they'll be relocating up north to Melbourne, so i'm planning on flying into MIA and staying near the port.

 

I'm sure this information is somewhere on here and i'll get some flack for asking, but if any of you could tell me the best resonably price hotel near the port of Miami, preferably with somewhere I could walk for dinnner, and somewhere thats not too close to the "party-Zone" in Miami (i'll be cruising with an infant) I would be forever grateful.

 

Thanks in advance - have a great day - and how about that race track on the Joy?

[Cruisermom2nick]

I am curious about this as well as we are going to get a hotel in July....:)

[ColinIllinois]

No one will give you flack but you want to check out the Florida Ports of Call forum for this. Tons of information that you are looking for.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

[Keith1010]

I would recommend Hampton Inn.

 

Good price.

 

Includes Breakfast.

 

And close by to Mary Brickell Village with lots of restaurants.

 

Keith

[Tarheel_Cruiser]

Holiday Inn - Port of Miami is excellent IMHO.

 

The Bayside Marketplace is right across the street and the rooms have an excellent view of the cruise ship dock.

[Keith1010]

Check out Holiday Inn but I didn't mention it because I think it will cost more then Hampton Inn and I prefer this Hampton Inn Location and hotel over this Holiday Inn property.

 

Keith

[ggooglyboogly]

I will look at both options!

 

Appreciate the advice.

[davesgirl51]

Agree with both Keith and Tarheel (even though we always stay at the Hyatt). It is all in what you mean by 'best' and I presumed that you meant fairly close to ship, restaurants within walking distance and not too noisy). You can always ask for a high floor room because of the baby.:):)

[EleventyBangBang]

I haven't gone yet but I ended up booking Hampton Inn. Good price, good reviews, and there's a train that goes directly from Miami Airport to like one block away from the place. They do also have a shuttle to the port for, IIRC, 8 dollars... (However, they said it leaves at 10:30 IIRC, so if Vibe passes are part of your plan then that probably won't work.)

[FireEater]

Holiday Inn - Port of Miami is excellent IMHO.

 

The Bayside Marketplace is right across the street and the rooms have an excellent view of the cruise ship dock.

 

I have stayed at this place twice. Both on points though...:)

 

It has a bar/restaurant on property and I must say, it was pretty good both times I used it. A few blocks South is a drug store (forget which one) that you can find last minute items to take onboard or replenish. If you get port view, you can see all the ships when you wake up from your room. It is right down from the Areana and across the street to some park you can stroll.

[Lady Arwen]

Holiday Inn - Port of Miami is excellent IMHO.

 

The Bayside Marketplace is right across the street and the rooms have an excellent view of the cruise ship dock.

 

My choice, too. Location is perfect. CVS is also just down the street. Bayside Marketplace is a great place to browse. The hotel is not a 5 star, but we found it to be clean and quiet. We watched our ship sail into the harbour first thing in the morning. Nice!

[FireEater]

I would recommend Hampton Inn.

 

Good price.

 

Includes Breakfast.

 

And close by to Mary Brickell Village with lots of restaurants.

 

Keith

 

Keith, when is your next cruise? Where to? On what line?

 

I got addicted to your blogs....:)

[Va. Plumber]

We stayed two weeks ago for two nights at The Fortune House Suites.

 

We booked through HOTELS site for around $140.00 plus tax. (They do add $12.00 a night resort fee.

 

It is in the financial district. Miami has free trolley and overhead rail system.

Both located two blocks from hotel. It is 2 miles to port.

 

We used trolley to go to Bayside for dinner and for trip to Whole Foods. We wound up with a two-bedroom, two bath apartment which had full kitchen.

Unit also had a washer and dryer.

 

The shuttle to port for two was $20.00 plus tip. Took cab from Bayside back one night. It was $15.00 including tip.

[GeezerCouple]

We love the Intercontinental.

 

Make SURE you ask for a port view; only one side has a direct view, and it's a GREAT view.

 

It really got us in the mood each time, watching the ships come and go.

We always get in at least one day in advance.

 

As for truly "best", if cost is not a factor.... there are some top, top hotels nearby (no direct view, though) that seem to be paradise, but... $$$$$$

No need for that just before a cruise!

[Square]

We love the Intercontinental.

 

Make SURE you ask for a port view; only one side has a direct view, and it's a GREAT view.

 

It really got us in the mood each time, watching the ships come and go.

We always get in at least one day in advance.

Are there things conveniently close to the Intercontinental? I have a reward stay through IHG and I could use it at the Intercontinental or the Holiday Inn Port of Miami for no cost. I'll be traveling with our younger kids so I'd like to be able to grab any items we missed or didn't want to fly with. Any help is appreciated!

[purpletequila]

Not sure about your budget but The Epic was phenomenal.

[GeezerCouple]

Are there things conveniently close to the Intercontinental? I have a reward stay through IHG and I could use it at the Intercontinental or the Holiday Inn Port of Miami for no cost. I'll be traveling with our younger kids so I'd like to be able to grab any items we missed or didn't want to fly with. Any help is appreciated!

 

I think DH had to go about 2 blocks for a CVS (not sure, but a map should help).

It's not far from a main road that parallels the water, and then the blocks in from that.

The hotel is set off sort of by itself, but just off the main area.

 

But with young children, there is a wonderful park/green area along the water right across from the hotel.

You can also see the ships arriving/departing from there.

(The Saturday evening before Christmas, there seems to be a wonderful festival; we stumbled upon it 2 years ago by accident.)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Check out Holiday Inn but I didn't mention it because I think it will cost more then Hampton Inn and I prefer this Hampton Inn Location and hotel over this Holiday Inn property.

 

Keith

 

For the night of September 1 the Holiday Inn is $159 and the Hampton Inn is $189, both refundable rates.

 

Bill

[ggooglyboogly]

For the night of September 1 the Holiday Inn is $159 and the Hampton Inn is $189, both refundable rates.

 

Bill

 

Fairly good rates! When i did alaska last summer i think it was 350+ per night with the NCL pre-cruise stay package. I'll probably err towards the cheaper side for this as we land at 4-5pm that night and we'll be off to the ship as early as possible.

 

Someone mentioned Vibe - i'd piss a lot of people off if i brought a baby up there! But, I have done vibe on two occasions (pre-child!) and it was fantastic, would highly recommend.

 

For Miami they offer the Pullman but that's right at the airport which i'm not too keen on.

 

I'll be giving a good look at these two hotels when i get home from work tonight - really appreciate all the advice.

 

Once hotel/flights are booked i'll go back to focusing on how my first aft balcony!

[NLH Arizona]

My choice, too. Location is perfect. CVS is also just down the street. Bayside Marketplace is a great place to browse. The hotel is not a 5 star, but we found it to be clean and quiet. We watched our ship sail into the harbour first thing in the morning. Nice!

My choice as well. There are a few restaurants and bars at Bayside Marketplace, in addition to the stores.

[kelkel2]

The JW Marriott Marquis. Ahhmazing hotel. We loved it so much we booked it again for this coming cruise.

[zorbarick]

There is one other possibility if you're a bit of a gambler. We are on the Getaway April 3, and with Spring Break, hotel rates were really, really high for Saturday night. I ended up using Hotwire, and got a really good deal on the JW Marriott (the one on Brickell, not the Marquis). If I remember correctly, it was at least $150 less than any of the "top" hotels in the area (including the JW Marriott itself) were charging to book with them directly.

 

Obviously, you won't know where you are staying until you commit, but if you restrict to the neighborhood you want to be in and the star rating you want, you should be able to narrow it down to a handful of likely choices. In my case, I was pretty sure I would be OK with most of the likely hotels, so I took a chance. Your results may vary.

[ilovetotravel1977]

I just booked the JW Marriott Miami for $174/night. A little higher than I wanted to spend (Canadian here!), but I'm excited to check out Mary Brickell Village. And I believe there is a CVS next door.

[samiam0403]

I have stayed at this place twice. Both on points though...:)

 

It has a bar/restaurant on property and I must say, it was pretty good both times I used it. A few blocks South is a drug store (forget which one) that you can find last minute items to take onboard or replenish. If you get port view, you can see all the ships when you wake up from your room. It is right down from the Areana and across the street to some park you can stroll.

 

Just a note for anyone staying at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami - they no longer have a liquor license, so no bar. In January and March, it was closed with no idea of when they would get it back. I was told in January "any day now" and in March "soon." The restaurant is still open though, and everything was good when we had lunch there last week.

[beerman2]

Have stayed at Intercontinental , was lucky enough to get it through Priceline, and it was fantastic.

 

We had a corner roon looking out to the port. It was the "best" room. Very spacious.