WarrenWST

Hi. My wife and I (early 60's) are trying to plan a trip to Florida last week of February. We are very active..like to take long walks with some jogging spurts. Love local food with fresh vegetables. I particularly like local craft beers. I am struggling trying to find the best option for us. Last year we went to Clearwater and St. Petersburg. We love the fact that there were beautiful and safe places to take a brisk walk and/or jog and that St. Petersburg offers several great restaurant choices. Naples also offers great restaurant choices along 5th ave and 3rd street as well as a nice walk to the pier. We want to try a different part of Florida this year and looking for our best chance of great warm weather. Miami is rated the best place in US with the warmest avg temp in February so we are thinking that may be nice. We are looking for a nice resort within reason price-wise (not a Four Seasons) that has great views and you can take a safe walk for both recreation and for restaurants. We don't plan on hitting the bars late at night although I do enjoy a nice tavern for a casual dinner. Not looking for anything gourmet. Miami is overwhelming to me upon first looks. The only time we were there is when we flew into Ft. Lauderdale and took a bus with the kids to take a cruise from there. I have asked several friends and I have heard that Bal Harbour would be the closest thing to what we are looking for. Any suggestions on what part of Miami we should consider that gives us the best of all worlds, i.e., safe, beautiful, nice reasonable resorts, many casual restaurants to choose from, great places to walk/run? Appreciate your advice. Thanks, W

Dukey1

Topping this for you.

Did you consider the possibility of Key West?

WarrenWST

Hi. Great thought. We went to Key West and Islamorada 2 years ago. It was very nice. We thought about splitting time between Key Largo and Miami this February but after some further reading into Key Largo didn't sound like that was the place for us. What are your thoughts about South Beach or Bal Harbour. Based on my research it looks like both places offer great and long walk ways along the water.

garyt22

Try the Kimpton Surfcomber, The Royal Palm Miami Beach, or the Loew's for your dates... all are in a perfect location on the Beach and walking paths on Collins...
If you find these properties too pricey, then look elsewhere... don't forget to add parking and Resort fees...

J62

Consider also one of the smaller boutique hotels in Miami beach rather than a resort. You'd be closer, within walking distance, to a lot of MB activity, restaurants, etc.

tom42

What do you consider a "reasonable" price? "Reasonable" for a a nice hotel in South Beach, with great views an in February is all relative. For instance, while I really liked the Loews when I stayed there a few years back, looks like it is running in the $700-800/ per night range for the end of February. Yikes.

WarrenWST

Hi. Tanks for all the advice.
In terms of reasonable we would prefer to spend no more than $400/night. I see what you mean though because we have been looking and some of the places want $700 plus per night. I booked the Palms to be safe but even with just 2 doubles and a city view it is over our budget. The Kimpton was higher as well as Loews. Ideally we would stay in a nice location on the ocean with a large nice pool steps from the walkway and within walking distance to a variety of restaurants. We are not into the high end dining. Like local casual great food restaurants. Any other suggestions? Thanks!

LoveCrossingBorders

The Baywalk/ Riverwalk in downtown Miami is a must. It reminds you of Clearwater Beach ( though it's not a beach) lots of thing to see, do, shop, drink, eat... and it's view off the water is breath taking. You'll thanks me. Next you spend a day in South Beach ( the Beach and the famous downtown area are steps apart. Lastly, you can do the boat tour of Millionaire Row.... They are amazing multi-million dollar homes the can only be accessed by boat. It's about an hour boat tour.

LoveCrossingBorders

Baywalk/ Riverview in downtown Miami is a must. So is South Beach.

WarrenWST

HI. Is the Palms hotel and spa in South Beach? They say they are but my research says it is on Miami Beach. Should I be concerned? I'm trying to find something more reasonable. Is anybody familiar with the Shelborne? Thanks, W

Gretchen

I guess you have reaad this explanation of South Beach vx. Miami Beach
Difference Between South beach and Miami beach | Difference Between

garyt22

I recommended The Royal Palm on Collins.... the Palms is further north and not near Ocean Drive.

WarrenWST

Hi. Is near Ocean Drive where we should stay? The Palms is also on Collins isn't it? Thanks, W

WarrenWST

Hi. we have booked our flights and decided to fly in and out of Ft. Lauderdale based on the best prices and flight times we could get. We were thinking about splitting time between Key Largo (3 nights) and Miami (3 nights) but now leaning towards spending all 6 nights in Miami. We decided we would just like to relax in one place. I'm still struggling for hotel choices though. I appreciate the feedback on the Royal Palm but the reviews weren't appealing. I have booked the Palms Hotel and Spa in mid beach and so far it appears to be the most reasonable in terms of pricing and beachfront. The boardwalk is exactly what my wife and I will enjoy in terms of taking walks and light jogs. The only disappointing things about the Palms is the fact that they don't haver a balcony and seems to be a bit farther from South Beach restaurants. I was hoping we could walk to and from restaurants. If not, hopefully there is Uber or Lyft. I'm still searching daily for deals for hotels in South Beach. Although mid beach may be best for my wife and I because we have no intention to stay out all night or go to fancy gourmet restaurants. Is anybody familiar with the Marriott Stanton. It is listed as South Beach but appears to be at the far end. Is it a good location? Better than the Palms Hotel and Spa? Most of the other beachfront hotels on South Beach as well as the Fontainebleu are way above our price line, e.g., $500 or much much more per night. Would appreciate more help. Thanks, W

Dukey1

Yes you can use both Uber and Lyft.

You must remember that you are coming here in the so-called "season" when everybody else wants to come here, also. Are you renting a car at FLL when you arrive? If you are and are driving down to Miami be aware of the SunPass only express lanes and avoid them. Do NOT take Rte1 or A1A south since that will take you forever to get to Miami.

You say you are looking for hotel deals. Are you using a booking engine such as Booking.com or Trivago?

WarrenWST

Hi and thank you. Yes, we are renting a car in Ft. L. Thanks for the advice on the driving!
I have looked on all the booking engines.
Are you familiar with the Palms Hotel and Spa in mid beach vs the Marriott Stanton in South beach. Is one location much better than the other? If we stay at the Palms, can we walk to South beach and the restaurants? The Palms receives much better reviews that the Marriott yet the Palms doesn't have a balcony. But it does appear to have a very nice pool. Thanks again, W

WarrenWST

Actually, upon further review and advice we have booked the Marriott Stanton. WE now have a balcony and believe we are in a better location. Any recommendations on restaurants and must do's would be helpful. Thanks, W

Nomadicas

best time of the year to visit. Make sure to take in Biscayne Bay and you may consider jumping on the Brightline train for a day in west palm beach

WarrenWST

Thanks! We'll make sure we do. Any restaurant (casual) recommendations? Or other must do's?

For food we like just about everything (except Sushi) as long as it is fresh. Love seafood, chicken, vegetables, craft beers,.

W

WarrenWST

Just got back and wanted to share our experience. First, we wish we were still there. It was wonderful! I wasn't sure what to expect in Miami especially South Beach but thanks to some excellent advice from all of you we made the right decisions. We stayed at the Marriott Stanton on South Beach and it was definitely the right choice for us. Excellent location, staff, and pool. Right on the boardwalk. We were able to walk/run on the boardwalk for 2.5 miles towards mid-beach before the construction and all the way to South Point in the other direction. Actually South Point is only approx. .75 miles from the Stanton but it is beautiful. We saw about 7 cruise ships guided by either helicopter or police boat through the channel to the open sea. We had excellent weather and basically got up, had coffee at the Starbucks, relaxed by the pool, took a long walk/run, and went out to eat. Just what we wanted to do. One day it was cool so we decided to venture off and took Lyft's to Wynwood to see the art and Bayside for a great walk around the bay. We didn't rent a car (great decision). We took a Lyft from Fort Lauderdale to South Beach. I think it only cost $43. $37 on the way back! Our room wasn't ready when we arrived but we took advantage of their two complimentary margaritas at Lolo's and had some nachos. Once checked in with our room with a balcony we went for a long walk along the boardwalk and beyond to check things out. South Beach is pretty amazing. I must mention that the pool at the Marriott is not as big as some of the other larger resorts and therefor lounge chairs are a premium. For the most part the pool attendants have a great and fair system where you can't leave your chair unattended for over 30 minutes or they take the towels off and give them to another guest from a wait list. This actually works for us who don't get up at 6am and throw a towel and book on a chair so that when you feel like it you could use it. The first day we waited 4 hours for chairs but we got them at prime time. No complaints because it was fair. The other days we got there around 10am and basically enjoyed the sun and water. For dinner we ate at Santorini by Giorgios. It was fabulous. It is a Greek restaurant and I highly recommend the Salmon Mediterranean. The next day we had a late light lunch at the Big Pink restaurant. However, be careful, because their plates are huge! For dinner we had pizza at the Hosteria Romana on Espanola Way which is a pedestrian way like Lincoln Road with outdoor cafes. We had pizza which was okay but disappointed with our waiter. On Tuesday we wanted cuban food and the concierge recommended Havana 57 also on Espanola Way. The food, service, and atmosphere were excellent. On Tuesday, we ate at Naked Taco where we learned about Taco Tuesday's where you can get taco's for $3 and Margaritas for $5. Their tacos were delicious. I will do individual reviews on the hotel and restaurants. Wednesday we ate at Joe's Stone Crab. Felt we had to since everybody raves about it. We did wait a little over an hour but didn't mind. It is expensive but the crab is really good! Glad we went. On Thursday, after visiting Wynwood and Bayside.When we returned, I went to the pool to catch whatever sun that was left and met somebody from Minnesota who highly recommended La Locanda for Italian. So we went. It was absolutely delicious. I had the bow ties with salmon in a pink sauce.You want to go there. The owner is fantastic, On our last day, since we had a late flight, we caught more sun by the pool before we headed back home. While there, we also walked the beach which the color of the water was beautiful. We saw some great waves. It was a fantastic trip. I felt like we were in Aruba with the beautiful breeze that allowed you to enjoy the sun. The Marriott was the right choice for us. Can't say enough about the boardwalk. Everything was within walking distance. I know I wrote a lot but I really enjoyed it and wanted to share the experience with all. Thank you all and for those that have any doubt about going to South Beach, go. The food, people, architecture, and location is amazing!