MelissaHI

Hi all, I am going to Miami in the fall for a conference at the Fontainebleu Resort, located at 4441 Collins Avenue. I'm not going to stay in the hotel since the rates are too outrageous.

I can get a room at a nice hotel nearby for $100 less.

OR, I can get a nice room for a fantastic rate at the Beach Plaza Hotel, which is at 1401 Collins Avenue. I was told that although it is 30 blocks away from my conference, it is a very quick cab ride.

What do you think? Is it really that close/far from the Fontainebleu? I would prefer to stay at the Beach Plaza for a number of reasons, but if it's too far from my conference I'm going to have to (sigh) nix it.

LilMsFoodie

Maybe some will disagree with me but 30 blocks on Miami Beach is a pretty long way. The hotel you have selected is more South Beach which would be more fun, depending on how much free time you have at your conference. Cabs in the evening going to the South Beach area can be very slow and often pretty scarce.

The Eden Roc is next door to the Fountainbleu and it might be less expensive.

LMF

rjw_lgb_ca

Neither hotel is really that great, to be honest. But LMF is exactly right: 30 blocks on Collins Ave in Miami Beach is actually quite a long slog. The Eden Roc would actually be a much better choice than either the Fountainebleu or the Beach Plaza.

GoTravel

Melissa, your hotel is basically on 14th Avenue and the Fountainbleu is on 44th Avenue.

There is tons of public transportation but you could take the bus every day or a cab to the Fountainbleu.

I don't like that area of Miami Beach otherwise known as Mid Beach or Millionaire's Row. Too much traffic, too busy, and the beach isn't as wide as it is in South Beach. Also, you need a car to get anywhere in Mid Beach.

If you don't mind taking a cab or bus (I've taken the bus tons of times especially when we are carless in South Beach and want to eat at the Rascal House on 172nd Street) from South Beach, I'd stay at the Beach Plaza in South Beach.

About the Beach Plaza. I know absolutely nothing about this hotel. Let me look and see what I can find out.

What are your dates of your stay? Not exact, but give me an idea and I'll know what season, if any citywide events, yadda, yadda.

tigerhawk

Right next door to the Fountainbleu used to be a hotel called the Shawnee Beach Resort - it's not fancy but location and price were right. 10 years ago I stayed there at the last minute for a meeting when the Fountainbleu was booked and it cost about $65. You could walk on the boardwalk between the two hotels.

MelissaHI

Thanks for the replies! That helps a lot....I don't know anything about Miami so that helps. In April I was in Scottsdale and whenever they said, "Just two blocks," it often meant at least a 1/2 mile away!

I'll be there at the end of October.

Anyway.....If I don't stay at the Beach Plaza, I already have sights on the cheaper hotels near the Fontainebleu so no problem.

GoTravel

Melissa, I'm bumping this up in hopes that BamaKelly will see the thread. She had pretty much the same dilemna last spring.

For the most part, the hotels in that area except for the Wyndham, Fountainbleu, and Eden Roc are dismal to say the least. I'll see if I can find the thread.

GoTravel

Here is bamakelly's thread about The Fountainbleu and trying to find a place

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...=miami+wyndham

GoTravel

Melissa, do you realize that the end of October is the Miami International Boat Show?

Hotels will be sold out from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West.

I think the exact dates are October 27-30th. Fantasy Fest in Key West also falls over those dates.

Do you have your airfare already?

BeachBoi

Actually,its the Ft Lauderdale International Boat Show Oct 27-31.The Miami IBS is Feb 16-20 next year.

MelissaHI

I'll be gone by the 26th! I don't have my ticket yet, though.....anyway, I have a special arrangement with the Beach Plaza so I'll be able to get in no matter what. It's just a matter of whether to stay in that hotel or the Fontainebleau area.....thanks though!

GoTravel

Don't be so anal Beachboi Six of one, half dozen of another, Miami or Ft. Lauderdale........



Seriously, I do get them confused by occupancy will still be tight. Good time to buy a boat!

Brian_in_Charlotte

I'd brave the distance and stay down in South Beach. Much more fun to be had down there.

BeachBoi

Go...No anality (??) here....Much to my chagrin, I have to work both shows...grrrrrr....I dont like crowds.If I liked crowds I would shop at WalMart, right?? BeachBoi and WM do NOT go into the same sentence..

GoTravel

Funny you say that BeachBoi!

I just got off a Carnival Cruise a couple of weeks ago. The day of embarkation, my best girlfriend was sitting beside me and looked around at all the other passengers and said, "this is just like being at WalMart".

I kid you not.

MelissaHI

GoTravel, funny you should say that.....I was watching a Carnival Cruise boat check-in line recently and someone made a similar comment!

By the way, if you want to buy a boat, Roy Disney is putting his yacht, the Pyewacket, up for sale after the TransPacific Yacht Race this summer.

bamakelly

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...amakelly&fid=1

Sorry I am late on this thread! GoTravel posted my thread above when I was searching for advice about teh same problem. The link I have just added is the trip report from the same. We ended up staying at Eden Roc and LOVED it. I think South Beach would have been fine too, but we had a lot of free time -- it is quite a cab ride. The main reason nixed staying in South Beach was because once we factored in cab fare to and from the conference, we'd have spent just as much staying in the Eden Roc. This definitely turned out to be true. (While I still made many trips to South Beach from Miami Beach, my husband was not duplicating the trip to go to the conference--he just walked next door.) The only way to save $$ by doing this would be the bus option that GoT suggested.

After being there, I realized that there are several hotels not far from the Eden Roc and Fountainbleau that would have been a little farther walk but would have been much cheaper (and the walk wasn't terrible). I can't recall the name of a single one right now, but they were all in a cluster just a couple of blocks away. Maybe a Sheraton was one of them? (GoTravel do you know?)

Hope this helps!!

GoTravel

kelly, there is a Four Points by Sheraton but a girlfriend stayed there about a year ago and gave it dismal reviews for rooms, service, common areas, and surly staff.

bamakelly

I knew you'd know the 411. I just noticed that it was closeby, and I thought I remembered it being a much better rate. I was really happy with the Eden Roc, though, especially after we got it at a better rate than the FB. Either way, I hope MelissaHI finds what she needs!

MelissaHI

Thanks you guys, this is great! I still have time to decide, though. It's turning out that the parameters of my conference are changing, so that I may actually only have to spend two of my 4-5 days at the conference, if you can believe it. I arrive on Thursday or Friday (it takes forever from Hawaii). Then I have an all day meeting on Saturday, ONE very short meeting Sunday morning, then an all day meeting and dinner party on Monday.

I should confess that I wasn't that thrilled about having to go to Miami. However, once I started planning and posting for this trip, I started getting excited! Fodorites sure know how to get other fodorites excited about their next destination.