My partner and I are embarking on a cruise from Miami in November 2026. He has never been to Miami or Ft Lauderdale apart from Miami airport. We are in our early 70s and looking for a quieter area to stay pre-cruise for 4 or 5 nights, preferably somewhere close to shops and restaurants. We prefer smaller hotels or condos and would be willing to hire a car so could go elsewhere eg. Pompano. Beach access is not a priority. Alternatively we could stay somewhere in Miami such as Coconut Grove Another option could be South Beach/South Point as I understand they are fairly close to the cruise terminal

I used to know the Ft. Lauderdale, Coral Gables and North Miami areas from visiting family, but have not been there for well over 25 years, so any suggestions would be welcome.

If you don't get good answers here, I'd hop over to Cruise Critic.

All I can report is that many of my friends who grew up in Miami have moved away, either to other parts of Florida or out of state.

I always liked the Gables and Coconut Grove but don't know what they are like now. If I could afford the CG Biltmore, I'd stay there for nostalgia sake.

In 2023, we spent a weekend in downtown Miami for a wedding weekend. The wedding was at the Four Seasons but we stayed a few blocks away at the Novotel. Really enjoyed this hotel, very clean and comfortable room, nice rooftop pool easy garage access in and out, self-parking. We found many casual breakfast spots on Brickell. We drove around looking at the architecture and really enjoyed seeing the Wynnewood Walls and drove by Bayfront Park. On another trip we toured Vizcaya, the historic mansion which was not far away. Have also been to South Beach, lots of interesting Art Deco architecture as well as many restaurants.

Thank you for your tip about Cruise Critic.

Thank you for your feedback. I remember visiting Vizcaya on several occasions in the past so have fond memories of there.

I now realise that I may be there over Thanksgiving so am wondering whether to do a different cruise to avoid it.