Hotel recommendations for Miami, FL?

[kiwiokie]

Heading to Miami, FL for a conference and taking the wife for the weekend before. Spent 3 hours online last night looking for a place that was not outrageously expensive or did not look like a dump. No joy. Amazing that for almost every place I looked at, regardless of price, 1 out of every 10 reviewers claimed it was the worst hotel experience of their life. Even with hotels costing $500/night there were stories of stained sheets, dirty bathrooms, rude desk staff etc. Hard to believe. Giving up on travel sites and relying on the sage advice of the Pelican OT Shared Consciousness.

Looking for a place to relax around the pool side, not interested in proximity to the hottest, loudest night club in town, quiet place off the main drag would be preferred, walking distance to some good places to eat, must have clean rooms, not the size of a closet, friendly staff and less than $400/night. Does it exist? Thanks in advance.

[Nickshu]

Stayed at the Lowes Miami Beach a little over a year ago. Nice place. Only a few blocks from the convention center.

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[silverc4s]

Google Art Deco hotels on South Beach.. Cool experience. Chelsea is one

[motion]

I'm in Miami Beach right now. Miami is a very large and diverse area. Can you be more specific about which areas you're interested in? We're in a very nice 3.5 start boutique hotel in Bal Harbour for $200ish a night. I've always had luck here scoring 4-5 star hotels on Priceline in the $100-$200 range. You need to do some legwork to gain an edge here

[kiwiokie]

Am prepared to stay anywhere within walking distance to a beach and reasonable taxi ride to Key Biscayne (where I will be staying for the conference after the weekend). I have been looking at places in Miami Beach but will take a look at Bal Harbour. I really dont know the Miami area at all.

[bell]

I stayed at a small place on Collins in South Beach, was 160/nght, not parking, that was 25 down the street in a big garage......2 block from the beach. ..... there are allot of smaller modernized hotels there.....I'll try to remember the name of the place. ....

[Steve Carlton]

I like the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

[LeeH]

Have you looked at VRBO.com ? Last time we were looking for a place to stay we rented a house for less than a hotel was going to cost.

[weseeeee]

I agree with Steve, The Fontainebleau is a really cool place to stay. It
is on the water and has great pools. It is also easy to get to and close to most places. Good Luck.

[kiwiokie]

Originally Posted by motion

I'm in Miami Beach right now. Miami is a very large and diverse area. Can you be more specific about which areas you're interested in? We're in a very nice 3.5 start boutique hotel in Bal Harbour for $200ish a night. I've always had luck here scoring 4-5 star hotels on Priceline in the $100-$200 range. You need to do some legwork to gain an edge here

Sounds great. What is the name of the place? Only place I can find in that price/area is Sun Harbour Boutique Hotel. Maybe it is the days I am looking for? Fontainebleau is almost $500/night for the weekend I need. $200/night is an expensive hotel for me so these prices are unreal. Guess thats why I live in Tulsa

[Steve Carlton]

You could pick up some cash playing gin rummy out by the pool...

[motion]

Originally Posted by kiwiokie

Sounds great. What is the name of the place? Only place I can find in that price/area is Sun Harbour Boutique Hotel. Maybe it is the days I am looking for? Fontainebleau is almost $500/night for the weekend I need. $200/night is an expensive hotel for me so these prices are unreal. Guess thats why I live in Tulsa

We're at the Daddy O. Its a solid 3 star boutique hotel with an excellent location. I believe its normally around $200 on Expedia, but you can score it cheaper on booking.com or some of the other booking sites if you do your homework.

Sun Harbour Boutique Hotel is in an awful, busy location on a busy street. Avoid at all costs.

But, your real problem is a "reasonable taxi ride to Key Biscayne". That's a long, long ways from Bal Harbour, and could take 2 hours by taxi, believe it or not. The traffic along Collins is just aweful. I would suggest downtown, Brickell or Coconut Grove if you need quick access to KB.

[kiwiokie]

Ended up with the Sonesta at Coconut Grove. Excellent reviews, nice views, pool, palm trees and some restaurants nearby. Hopefully it will not disappoint. Thanks folks.

[dennis in se pa]

Manta Ray Inn in Hollywood, just a little north of Miami. Clean Old Florida motel right on the beach in a quiet location. I was just there for a week in December. Family owned and operated and it shows.

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by kiwiokie

Ended up with the Sonesta at Coconut Grove. Excellent reviews, nice views, pool, palm trees and some restaurants nearby. Hopefully it will not disappoint. Thanks folks.

Hopefully they have better security than at the Fontainebleau.