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We are arriving at MIA at 11:45 PM from California on Thursday, April 18 and leaving Saturday, April 20 on a transatlantic cruise. Aside from changing planes at the airport, we haven't spent anytime in the Miami area. We are having trouble making up our minds as to how to spend that time.
Questions:
1. Should we get an airport hotel that first night, then move the next morning somewhere closer to the port or just go to the port hotel right away? Hotel suggestions?
2. How should we spend Friday? Rent a car and go where? Book a tour? Use our feet and public transportation to see some of the city?
Thanks.

Graziella5b

Hello, I live in Miami Beach, and this is what I would do,
Take a taxi to a South Beach Hotel. remain in the area till I am ready to take another taxi to the Port.
Ssouth beach is not far from thevPort, taxis have flat fares , I would check them both.
In SouthnBeach I would use my feet, there is plenty to do, lovely beach,good restaurants,cafes, bars, night clubs, nice boutique shops a lovely pedestrian street Lincoln Rd.Two small museums.
There is some kind of an electric tourist bus, should you get tired. Easy to rent bycicles.
Restaurants often included tip in bill so check to avoid tipping twice.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Welcome to Miami Beach, be prepared to listen to a lot of Spanish. Hasta pronto y buena suerte.

garyt22

grab the cheapest airport room when you arrive, get a good night's sleep and taxi to South Beach on Friday AM... drop your bags at your SoBE hotel and spend the day walking shopping, lunching, or beaching... then check in for a nap before a great evening walk and dinner... there is a full day of activity just on and around Ocean Dr and Collins

arrange your taxi ride on Saturday with the hotel ... the two cab rides are far less expensive than the cost of a rental car plus parking charges... have fun

Graziella5b

Hi Gary, basically we agree except for where to spend the first night.It is a personal choice , you have a point to save some money, but I would not do it because there is no assurance of getting a room early on
Friday at a South Beach hotel. I rather wake up have a nice breakfast and go to the beach,having a nice shower before going out or lunch.

As I said you have a good point and I have done it successfully in Europe when arriving to a city .
Cheers and have a nice day.

Ackislander

I agree with graziella. yes, you will be tired but given the choice between waking up in SoBe and waking up at MIA . . . .

garyt22

my reasoning is very simple... with delays you may arrive after midnight into Miami... luggage retrieval 20 to thirty minutes... cab ride to SoBe 30 minutes... at best you will get to the Hotel after 1am... with jet lag you may be ruining an entire day when you could get a quick sleep and start fresh on Friday...

Plus ... you will be paying at least $200 more for a night just to wake up at Sobe...

but it's your choice... have fun

Florida1

If you are interested in Art Deco, the Miami Design Preservation League does an art deco walking tour on Miami Beach. In the interest of full disclosure, it's been years since I did it, but I really enjoyed it.

BrookeSchaffer

Personally, I think it is better if you just go directly to your hotel. I stayed recently in one of the airport hotels and it wasn’t pleasant at all. Not an experience I would like to repeat. Your time of arrival is not very late for Miami standards so you can rent a car and drive to the hotel or simply take a cab and then get some drinks.

1. The hotel is something you have to consider. As you are spending two nights in Miami why not to stay in the heart of the city, where everything happens. Check downtown hotels and some beach resorts.
2. Definitely rent a car. You can go nowhere without a car in Miami. You can use public buses but it would take you forever to get where you want to be.

Hope this helped. Cheers.

jayne1973

We did the Art Deco tour mentioned above in November and really enjoyed it. Takes about an hour, maybe a little longer.
Beware of those huge drinks at the sidewalk cafes on Ocean Blvd. They say they are two for one, but it is actally two drinks in one giant glass. When we got our bill the cost was $25 per drink! But we were so drunk by then we just laughed...

Graziella5b

Hi Jayne, I live in Miami Beach, I am sorry about the 2by one drinks.
I understand that you are visiting and looking for a good time in MiamiBeach but
although I am Not completly surprised I think it is disgraceful.
I guess we are exposed to all the good customs of the world like sidewalk cafés
but also to bad ones, although I never heard that happening elsewhere....

jayne1973

Hi Graziella5b,

I guess we just had our guards down, as people tend to do on vacation. The whole scene at those Ocean Boulevard sidewalk cafes seemed a little scammy to me,with tiny $9.95 plates of food and those giant "2 for 1" $25 drinks. But we had still had a great time.

Live and learn!

Graziella5b

Hi jayne, i am glad that on the whole you had a good time.
That is why I really like fodors because it empowers us, the tourist.
There are all kinds of dishonest people like the place near Piazza Espagna in Rome that charged some British tourist,4 of them, 18 euros for each ice cream. They bought them to eat them while walking around, I mean they did not even sit down.
How about taxis in Buenos Aires that manage to replace the bill with which they are being paid and lie to the passenger saying Ii is not a good one. not that difficult to do.
In South Beach also you must be aware that most places dayle special is very expensive.
I guess one must not be shy to verify.
I bet there are a thousand tricks I have no clue.

Dukey1

I would go straight to the chosen hotel. There is no reason to believe that your flight into MIA is going to BE delayed; you can easily get a taxi to your hotel. I would consider other areas besides South Beach unless that is absolutely THE area you feel the need to stay in.

MarcJ55

I've only been to Miami once, but I really found traffic to be HORRIBLE. When I go back, I will definitely be taking a hop-on hop-off bus tour. No worrying about traffic, directions, etc. You're going to see the best of the best hassle free.

From what I did get to see, my fave aspects of Miami: South Beach, Little Havana (great food).