We've - family of four, kids 20 & 15 - decided on a Caribbean cruise leaving from Miami for next summer, and since none of us has been there, thought we'd spend a few nights in the area before or after. I'd love to be on a beach, but don't want to spend more than $150 - $175/night for each of the two rooms I assume we'd need. If we're near action/activities appropriate to our kids' ages, all the better.

My wife and I have talked just about Miami [Beach], but I have this hair-brained idea that some place in the Keys might be fun too. Any suggestions or advice would be much appreciated.

When I have a problem such as yours, I go to "destinations" at this site and at Frommers to see which hotels they recommend. When I find appealing options, I seek the opinions of them from who contribute to this site and to www.tripadvisor.com

Thanks happytrails. I usually do what you suggest, but given the current thread about whether or not reviews can be trusted, I thought I'd ask the question a little tongue-in-cheek.

But I really know little about Miami, except that South Beach is apparently a hot spot, and expensive. So I'm hoping for advice about (safe) areas that might work for us as much as specific hotel recommendations.

It depends on what you want out of Miami. Trendy shopping, art deco and party people then stay on South Beach. Tiki huts, rum runners and fishing stay on Marathon Key (upper keys). Key West is about a 4 hour drive from Miami. Coconut Grove is in between both (off US 1) which is also by the water and close to Key Biscayne which has all the rentals for water activities. CocoWalk, in Coconut Grove, is fun, great shopping, beautiful Marina. You can stay pretty much anywhere in Miami and just take day trips to the upper keys, SoBe, Key Biscayne (light house), etc. Again, it just depends on what you want to see and do while you are there.

We stayed at this place north of Miami Beach....

http://www.bwoceanfront.com/

Perhaps the area is called Surfside. Great location right on a nice beach with crystal clear water. The place is a Best Western. The hotel itself is so-so. Free parking and decent breakfast.

The room my wife and I got would have slept 4. I think we had a king bed and a couch that opened up. Maybe it was 2 full beds and a couch, I can't remember.

Full kitchen in our room. Tables and chairs to sit down and eat.

The people running the hotel were nice and the neighborhood is good with a supermarket about 2 blocks away.

But I have stayed in much "nicer" hotels. The place is a 15 minute car drive to South Beach.

Keys may be a little hair-brained for a few nights, but when you are making flight arrangements, check flights to FLL and PBI (West Palm) as well - I have found sometimes one is much cheaper and you may be able to fly non-stop to one city and not the other.

Hotels near beach can be a little less expensive near FLL and PBI - if you are renting a car anyway there is rarely a drop-off charge for Florida-Florida cities.

Just thought I would add that to mix.

Beachbum, have you been to the keys before? While I love them, not sure this would work for you for this trip.

Have you looked at the Sonesta Beach Resort in Sunny Isles?

Also, check out The Loews in South Beach.

Hi Beachbum!

If you're considering the Keys, try Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Island -Mile Marker 62. The drive is a little under 2 hours from Miami International Airport. (It's an AWESOME drive in a convertible, but you may have to much luggage for that option.)

My husband and I have always enjoyed our stays at Hawks Cay, particularly because there's something for everyone in the family; spa, watersports, sunset cruises, swimming with the dolphins, etc. There's nice size pool and man-made beach area. (Bear in mind that most, if not all, the beaches in the Keys are man-made.)

Another reason we love staying at Hawks Cay is its location. Being on Mile Marker 62 means you're approximately 1 hr away from Key West.

Their 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom Villas are much better than the hotel rooms. If renting a Villa ask for one with a Gulf view (on the south side of the main entrance) for spectacular sunsets.

On your way to Duck Key or on your way back, stop by Tower Pizza on Mile Marker 100.6 in Key Largo for lunch!

;-)

Hey all, thanks for the advice and suggestions. To answer your question, GoT, no, I haven't been to the keys before. Not having done much research yet, I was thinking that if the plan is to spend a few days on the beach, maybe better somewhere in the keys than Miami. But now I'm wondering about the hassle and cost of a rental car, not to mention the drive. Or, would we need one in Miami anyway?

Guess I need to do some more research!! And soon! I checked Loew's for our dates (Labor Day weekend next year) and it's showing as not available.

Okay, so I've done some more research, and decided it'll be better to spend a few days in Miami pre-cruise so as to avoid Labor Day weekend. And now I've got a whole lot more places to choose from. I Googled for art deco hotels and got a bunch that look pretty cool, and are priced under what I'd expected. Then I noticed that none state explicitly that they have A/C, which I know we'll want/need. Should I assume that all/most Miami hotels will have A/C, or limit my options to only those which say they have it?

beachbum, ALL hotels in Miami will have AC. They simply could not survive without.

If you go with one of the deco hotels, you'll have to get two rooms. Most standard rooms are too small and a double/double room at one of the deco hotels is a premium room.

Let me know which hotels you are looking at and I can give you some information.

The Courtyard by Marriott would be an excellent choice for your family. They have a really cool rooftop pool and they would have a double/double as a standard room.

Another option would be a priceline hotel.

Hi again Beachbum!

My other suggestion would be the Fountainebleau Tower and Suites (NOT the old buildings which I believe are closed.) www.fontainebleau.com --(Watch the spelling, or you'll get bogus websites.)

You'll be appx. 3 miles away from all the action on South Beach [which runs up to 20th & Collins), but the 44th & Collins location that's not necessarily a bad thing!! For starters, you won't have to deal with the noise and the crowds that are present on South Beach 24/7, valeting at the hotel will be much easier than finding a parking spot on the beach relatively close to your hotel and as GoTravel mentioned, the Art Deco hotel rooms can be on the small side... and noisy!

I NEVER book a hotel room without first checking it out at www.tripadvisor.com.

;-)

You'll be able to walk for miles on the boardwalk behind the hotel, the pool is terrific and the beach is great!

Thank you both for the suggestions.

I checked Fontainebleau and it looks great, but since we'll probably need two rooms (at their ages, brother & sister might be willing to share, but certainly not with us old fogie parents together in the same room), it was a budget-buster. Courtyard by Marriott would work, but I'm hoping for something with a more distinctly Miami feel (if there is such a thing). Or, am I being unreasonable? Because it's off-season, I think I could fit places like Strand Ocean Drive and The Palms into the budget. Any comments on those places? Thanks!

Trust me on this beachbum, the deco hotels are fun for about five minutes then the miniscule rooms and bathrooms drive you insane.

Forget going north of South Beach because it is a PIA and you must have a car. That rules out The Palm and the Fountainbleu (plus the beach in Mid Beach isn't as nice).

Check out these:

Doubletree Surfcomber
The South Seas
The Shelbourne

Don't rule out The Courtyard by Marriott. The location is fantastic and you will appreciate the room in the hotel.

Unlike hotels in other tourist areas, location is irrelevant in South Beach. Ocean Drive hotels in the middle of the action are all across the street from the beach and the oceanfront hotels are just as far from the beach as the Ocean Drive hotels.

Everything is within walking distance.

Thanks GoTravel, I very much appreciate the help, especially the location info. South Seas looks like a winner, so I'll try that first. I'm sure I'd also like the Doubletree, but ran into the budget issue again there.

Hey, we've got room for one more at Bandon the week after next. If you can get here, I'll buy you a round of golf! ;-)

I'm in! LOL!

Just that tiny issue of getting to Bandon Dunes!

The South Seas is a great deco hotel in a fantastic location. Your room includes a heavy breakfast. You can also walk down to the sister hotel The Avelon on Ocean Drive and eat your breakfast there!

The hotel is oceanfront with a great pool almost right next door to The Delano which is a must do.

"I'm in!"

Alright!!! You play poker? Or bridge? That's the only way I can recover my losses on the course.

But you're killin me now! Avalon is a sister of South Seas? Any reason we shouldn't stay there? Looks to have a better location. :-? Thanks for your help, GoT.