italyinjuly

going on a mid december cruise out of miami. Flying in friday night , landing about 9pm, vruise leaves the following day at 4pm. While i like south beach (we have been about a half dozen times) i would like something "easier" this time around given our short stay. either something close to the port or the airport, preferably with a free/cheap shuttle to the boat on Saturday. It would be great if it was a "nicer" (of the class of a hilton on up i guess) hotel, maybe even with a pool.

thanks for your help!

miguelgcuadra

hotels on brickell avenue are right for what you are looking for...these are mostly businessmen hotels , you may be able to get good rate for a weekend night.

Andrew

I've used Priceline.com to book pre-cruise hotels in Miami several times for family and friends. I've always gone for 3-star hotels in downtown Miami and done well. I've gotten the Radisson a few times and recently the Hyatt for $48/night (plus fee and tax) in November. Although that does not include taxi or shuttle service from the airport or to the port, the hotel savings more than made up for the extra shuttle costs.

If you have a few extra minutes to learn how to use Priceline, go to www.BiddingForTravel.com and check out the FAQs and the Miami hotel section. Don't bid too hastily - figure out what you are doing first, understand how Priceline works (for example: PL is non-refundable). You'll find that you are likely to get only 4 or 5 possible 3-star hotels downtown in Miami and that they are all at least good if not outstanding for the money.

Andrew

amcc

The Hotel InterContinental on Chopin Plaza, the Mandarin Oriental and the JW Marriott on Brickell are all very, very nice. I don't know for sure, but I would imagine all of them have a pool.

EugeneNY

I'll second Andrew's suggestion. You can get a 2.5 to 4* hotel in downtown Miami for $35-50 on Priceline, depending on your date of arrival. The cab fare to the port should be in the neighborhood of $7-10. I once stayed in the 4* downtown Hyatt for $35, but now weekends appear to be more expensive mostly thanks to the cruising industry. Just a few days ago I was bidding on a downtown hotel for Jan. 1, 2005 (1 night). Even though most of the downtown hotels are already fully booked for that day, I was able to get the 2.5* Courtyard Marriott for $47 ($139 on Expedia).