Monday, December 26, 2016

Where to stay in Miami?

Miami is the largest city in Florida, United States. The city, which lies between Atlantic Ocean and large Everglades swamps is 100 kilometers long but just 20 kilometers wide and is famous with its beaches. If you ever visit Miami, going to Miami Beach is a must. Thanks to the almost tropical climate in Miami, it is possible to enjoy the sea and the beach year around.

Before going into the answer for the title of this blog post, where to stay in Miami, we would like to give some general information on Miami hotels. Miami is famous for its boutique hotels. Especially the Miami Boutique hotels of South Beach are very famous. Thanks to hotel designers such as Ian Schrager (the Delano, Shore Club), André Balazs (Raleigh, Standard on Belle Isle) and Todd Oldham (the Hotel), the area is full of interesting and creative hotels. But there is something you should know about Miami boutique hotels in general : hotel rooms are generally small and if the hotel is constructed during Art Deco time, they are extra small. If you are looking for larger rooms to stay in, you should book a room in a large, multi storey hotel instead of a boutique hotel. You can find such large hotels to the north and south of South Beach and Downtown Miami. But these large hotels are usually luxury and expensive. If you are looking for something in between, cheaper but relatively larger rooms, try to find a smaller chain hotel.

The peak season for Miami hotels is the period between November and April. While rest of USA is deep in cold winter, the weather is relatively warm in Miami so Americans flow to warmth and create the peak season. And during the peak season there are organizations like Winter Music Conference and Spring Break, during which hotels are extra full and expensive. If you are planning to stay in South Beach and a boutique hotel, you need to book your hotel room months in advance.

And a last but important warning : Miami hotels will charge 12.5% room tax and some Miami hotels will charge 15% service charge which will not necessarily be reflected in online or agency room prices.

Now let's look at some of the most popular places to stay in Miami.

Miami Beach and South Beach

For almost a century, Miami beach is the undisputed king of beach holiday in USA. In addition to the beach, the colorful night life, cultural and art activities in Miami makes the area a tourist magnet. The Miami Beach area is on the opposite shores of Biscayne Bay compared to Downtown Miami. South Beach and Collins Avenue, which runs parallel to Atlantic Ocean is full of art deco hotels. After 21th Street, MiMo (Miami Modern) architecture dominates and Miami Beach starts. The 6 mile long jogging street here is very famous and you will easily recognize it from many movies.

In Miami Beach you can stay in a hotel or a rental condo near the beach. For a comprehensive list of hotels in this area with price compared room rates and guest reviews, you can check Miami Beach Hotels or Miami South Beach hotels pages.


Miami South Beach
Miami South Beach
Coconut Grove and Coral Gables

Coral Gables and Coconut Grove are wealthy neighborhoods to the south of Downtown Miami. Once a bohemian village, Coconut Grove is famous for its alfresco Cocowalk shopping and restaurant complex, night life and high class shopping opportunities as well as beautiful hotels. Coconut Grove Playhouse is famous with its Broadway shows. Coral Gables is famous with its Mediterranean style houses and high class shops and Venetian Pool from 1920s here is a must see.

Miami Map - Where to stay in Miami?
Miami Map. As you can see in the map, famous Miami Beach is on the opposite side of Downtown Miami.

Downtown (Central Business District, Park West, Omni, Brickell)

Miami is not only a tourism center. It is the cultural, business and economy center of Florida. Downtown Florida is full of museum, business centers, parks, shopping malss and historic buildings. If you are in Miami for business hotels like InterContinental Miami, Hotel Urbano, Marriott Biscayne Bay ve Trump National Doral Miami are some of the best Miami hotels to stay. But Downtown Miami becomes almost deserted in the night (although it is lively in daytime).

For hotels in Downtown Miami, check Miami Downtown hotels page.

South Miami

The most important tourist attraction in South Miami is Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens (once known as Miami MetroZoo). This is the only tropical zoo in United States and is a must see tourist attraction in Miami. Monkey Jungle to the south is a very fun place to visit in Miami with its 400 monkeys.

No comments:

Post a Comment