Miami hotel & Priceline advice wanted
 

Is there a section of Miami or Miami Beach that has not-so-expensive beachfront hotels? If so, can you describe the general
ambiance of the area (Bohemian-ish, retiree-ish, etc)?

And - supposing I want a not-expensive but nice beachfront hotel - what district should I bid for on Priceline?

I don't know how to put this nicely, but "non-expensive" and "nice" in South Beach simply do not belong in the same sentence. If you want nice it will be expensive, simple as that. If you don't want nice, that's another matter.

I'm going to agree overall with Patrick's assessment-- nice beachfront hotels will be pretty pricey. South Beach is the best place to stay for the young, the single and the trendy, and you pay for the privilege of having constant entertainment options around you. Other parts of Miami Beach are more reasonably-priced, but comparatively boring IMHO.

I would bid for a four-star or resort property in South Beach if I were you (check biddingfortravel.com for hotel lists and reviews). If you're concerned about getting beachfront and don't care about having a lot of good restaurants/cool nightlife around you, just bid on four-stars up in Miami Beach. You'll get more bang for your buck to be sure (bigger rooms).

<b>South Beach</b> is probably the priciest area for hotels both on and <i>near</i> the beach because it's the &quot;in&quot; place. But north of there is relatively less $$. This area may be a bit more family oriented and you may find lots of kids at the pools at the hotels depending on season.

Priceline is an excellent option but if you HAVE to be ON the beach (as opposed to a block or 2 or 3 away) you can only bid &quot;resorts&quot; in either Miami Beach or South Beach. (Be aware PL includes some hotels in their South Beach area that aren't really in South Beach (like the Roney) but if you have a car or don't care about being there....) There are some very good 3 and 4 star hotels on Priceline list in both Miami Beach &amp; South Beach but they also mix a few that aren't on the beach.

As rjw says, look on biddingfortravel.com They have the Miami hotel list and also links to reviews. You'll see some people being disappointed by location sometimes. This website also shows what people paid for rooms.

Another place to look is the website roomsaver.com I haven't used it personally, but whenever I'm in Fla. I always see their booklets with great sounding deals. I think it could also lead you to some interesting hotel choices. For example, I see a rate of $79 for the South Seas hotel. On doublechecking reviews on tripadvisor.com, the reviews of the South Seas sound pretty good.

Good luck.

South Beach is the only area of Miami Beach where you do not need a car. Any other areas of Miami Beach (Mid Beach, North Beach, Surfside, Sunny Isles, Bal Harbour, etc) you must have a car.

Shopping, dining, accommodations, and nightlife are all within a twenty block area in South Beach.

Bal Harbour and Sunny Isles have beautiful beaches.

The only area of Miami Beach I prefer not to stay is Mid Beach.

Miami mainland has beautiful beaches as does Key Biscayne.

Curious why you don't like &quot;mid beach&quot; GoTravel and what area do you define as mb?

It isn't that I don't like Mid Beach, I'm just not as fond of it as other parts of Miami Beach.

Traffic is very heavy, beach isn't as wide as those south or north, and I'm not a big fan of the hotels Mid Beach. The Eden Roc, Wyndham, and Fountainbleu have a very 'sterile' feel to me.

Does that make any sense?

The Forge however, is my absolute favorite Miami restaurant and it is in Mid Beach.

Thanks GoTravel. Have not been in these hotels in <i>years</i> so was curious about your comment. I would have thought mid beach would be terrific because of proximity to South Beach w/o the premium price but I understand your point.