Please, help in finding hotel on the beach near miami port

HI!

In April, I am going on a cruise leaving from the Port of Miami. I am looking for an inexpensive hotel to stay one or 2 nights before the cruise and I am hoping to find somewhere decent on the beach with a pool and near some of the nightlife in South Beach. Anybody have any ideas? Oh, and if you%26#39;ve done this before, about how much does it cost to get a cab from the airport to the hotel, and the hotel to the port?? Thanks for your help!

Please, help in finding hotel on the beach near miami port

Hello Melanie,

Several things to ponder and some answers to your questions....

1) Rates of hotels start dropping around April. Even after you make your decision and book rooms, keep checking the web site for the dates as hotels sometimes lower their prices if rooms don%26#39;t fill up as fast as they%26#39;d like to see.

2) Any hotel in South Beach (the southern two miles or so of Miami Beach) is near the beach - but not all hotels have a pool. This is roughly hotels between 5th Street and say 20th or maybe 21st Street. There are a few nice hotels south of 5th Street but it starts becoming a pretty good walk to areas like Lincoln Road Mall. However a cab to say Lincoln Road would only be a few dollars if indeed you do end up on the southern end.

3) We typically stay at the DoubleTree Surfcomber on Collins at 17th Street. It%26#39;s clean, nice art deco decor, great pool and courtyard (with semi-private curtained areas on the roof buildings that are on the sides of the pool area) and great beach access out the back fence gate. For something usually less money, check out South Seas which is just a door or two south of the DoubleTree Surfcomber. We have never stayed there but have had friends that have and they reported it was fine. I don%26#39;t know of anything less money that is directly on the beach and someplace I%26#39;d stay at. There are many more nicer hotels but the rates start going up quickly. For reference, hotels along that area that are directly on the beach and have a pool include Shore Club, Raleigh, Delano, Sagamore, Royal Palms, Ritz-Carlton and National - to name a few.

4) A cab from MIA to anywhere in SoBe is fixed at $32 plus tip. I%26#39;m guessing a cab from SoBe to Port of Miami (which is very close) is between $20 and $30 - regardless of number of passengers and luggage. If you have lots of either (true for both cabs from MIA or your hotel), ask the taxi man to hail a minivan for you. It may take a few minutes longer, but the price is the same and you can comfortably fit four and lots of luggage.

5) All of the hotels I%26#39;ve mentioned are directly on the beach out their back door and walking distance out their front door to tons of great restaurants, clubs, bars, shops, liquor stores, drug stores, etc.

Oh.... last thing: Check the ';Miami Beach'; forum on this web site for more info. Miami and Miami Beach are two separate cities, close to each other on the map but worlds apart!

Hope that helps!

Cheers!

Please, help in finding hotel on the beach near miami port

Ask this on the cruisecritic.com message board for the cruise line you are going on and/or in the miami forum.

Inexpensive near the port is the Holiday Inn on Biscayne Blvd, right by the port and bayside marketplace.

More expensive in the same area is the Hotel Intercontinental. People on cruisecritic say you can get a cheap room at the Intercontinental via Priceline.com.

You can stay there and take a cab over to the beach and back and save $ cause the Holiday Inn will be cheaper than a sobe hotel.

Cab to the beach is a fixed rate of about $30.00. To Biscayne Blvd or the port 1/2 that.

I think you will have more fun if you stay on South Beach, if at all possible. I would not stay downtown unless you are flying in the evening before your cruise and don%26#39;t have much time. You might consider renting a car, although it is expensive to park at South Beach hotels.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn South Beach a couple of years ago and they had free parking, at that time. It%26#39;s not a great hotel, but it%26#39;s right on the beach and it was okay. I would stay there again, but it is a littel ways form the main South Beach nightlife section.

Hey So BE Fan, We are staying at the Doubletree Surfcomber next month before our cruise. Glad to hear you like it. Some of the TA reviews are pretty rough. I am using Hilton Honor points for a free room, so I am sure it will be good for 1 night pre cruise.

Thanks so much for your help!