Stopover in Miami - where to stay, what to do

[ceebee]

Hi

New member here.

My partner and I are travelling on separate dates to Quito with a stopover of one night in Miami, so each will be alone in the city. We will have part of a day to fill in after a good night's sleep and depart to Quito at 6pm.

Any suggestions on where to stay and what to do?

Also when would we be expected to checkout and what to do with our luggage?

Haven't travelled os in many years and need some advice from experts.

Thanks very much

Cathy

 

[Nick85]

Hi Cathy,

It depends on what you want to do.
If it were me, I would head straight to South Beach or Miami Beach - both of which aren’t too far from downtown Miami or the airport.

If you want to chill out at the beach etc, head to South Beach/Miami Beach.
If you want to go shopping, stay in Miami.

Personally, I thought Downtown Miami was a bit boring. Its just another large, commercial city.

However, South Beach was AWESOME! A very unique place with a huge Hispanic influence.

Check-out at US Hotels is generally 10 or 11am. Most will store luggage for you until you are ready to pick it up. Don’t forget to tip the concierge!

 

[drron]

Cathy it really does depend on your preferences.South beach is probably the place to stay and if you were QF009 it would have to be the W South Beach.
If either of you are into shopping then Sawgrass Mills is the go with outlets including all major brands but also Dept store outlets such as Nieman Marcus,Nordstrom's down to J C Penney.Several restaurants there.The hotel right next door is a Crowne Plaza.
Into nature(are you off to the Galapagos or Amazon from Quito?)then the Everglades are close.
If you like a flutter then there is a Hard rock Casino(on Indian land naturally).
May be reasonable to consider hiring a car for 24 hours-usually cheap in Florida-gives you much more options.
Most US hotels are a 1200 checkout but most will store your luggage.
Enjoy.

 

[BensAdventures]

I was in Miami in December last year and I can't wait to get back. I stayed in South Beach and after driving through Downtown, there is no comparison. I got a good deal at 'The Strand on Ocean Drive' and it was great. So close to bars, cafe's and right across the road from the beach. My vote is definitely South Beach, enjoy the break or go out all night!

 

[HardieBoys]

Another vote for South Beach, and I'd strongly consider getting a hire car at the airport, to drive there and back, as taxi fares are about $30 each way. You should check valet parking charges at your hotel, though.

South Beach has clearly seen better days, but is still fun. There are some nice shops around Collins and further north, on Lincoln. There's a small design museum, the Wolfsonian, on Washington, which has rotating exhibitions, and a really nice bookshop.

Essentially, you'll be heading out after lunch on the day you fly out, as you'll need to be at the airport in plenty of time. I was there in October 2009, and it's actually not a bad airport.

Be sure to watch the TV in Miami: it's filled with plastic surgery ads, and ads from lawyers promising to get drunk driving charges dropped. And more lawyers' ads about maximising insurance claims. They are hilarious. It's as though the city is filled with cosmetically-altered insurance-scamming drunk drivers.