Ruthless Bunny's Excellent Summary

A big thanks to RuthlessBunny from Cruise Critic for her excellent summary of some of the more popular areas of Miami.

Here's my take on the Miami area hotels:

MIADowntown: I can't recommend downtown Miami for anything. While Miami Beach is vibrant and exciting, downtown rolls up the sidewalks at 5:00 PM. The only thing left are cruise tourists and zombies. The Intercontinental is a huge hotel, full of cruisers. Bayside Marketplace is a short walk away. Personally, I think Bayside is a tourist-captive kind of place. Full of goofy boutiques and crappy restaurants. Some cruisers LOVE it though, so check it out. SAS will pick you up at FLL and bring you here. Short cab ride to POM. There's also Holiday Inn-Port of Miami. Some people think it's nice. Mostly Europeans who are used to old, dingy places with small rooms. (No judgement intended.) If this isn't your bag, then skip HI-POM

Blue Lagoon: An office park spanning about 5 miles, rather its own little city. Lots of moderately priced hotels, restaurants and strip malls. Loaded with cruisers who just want a clean place to lay their heads. Most have shuttles to POM.

Miami Beach: The place they show you on TV. Ocean Drive, Collins Blvd, South Beach and Lincoln Rd respectively. The hotels on South Beach are typically VERY expensive and the rooms are VERY small. Party 24/7, with lots of young people walking around, seeing and being seen. Mid-Beach on Collins is the Fountainebleau. The punchline to many jokes in the fifties and sixties. Elegant older hotel, recently stripped to the studs and renovated. A Hilton property. Not particularly close to either South Beach or Lincoln Rd, but if you want to wear your Jackie O sunglasses, check in and just relax, this is a wonderful choice. When I stayed there, the rooms were huge and I loved the old fixtures. That may have changed. But the location is awesome. Up by Lincoln Rd, there's the Sagamore, a boutique hotel with unique rooms and very good pricing. If money is no object, then the Ritz-Carlton at Collins and Lincoln would be my first choice.

Coconut Grove: An intersting shopping district, anchored by a Bayside Marketplace type structure called Coco Walk. Miracle Mile (the name of the street) includes funky shops, restaurants and venues for the arts. I saw an evening of ballet here once. This is an option if you plan on renting a car, or have lots of money for taxis.

Coral Gables: The real Miami. Not the glamour and excitement of Miami Beach, not the commerce and tacky tourist traps of downtown, but a real, elegant neighborhood filled with older homes. There's sort of a main drag down there with a few high-end restaurants as well as the sort of places where one can lean into a window and get a cafe con leche and toasted Cuban bread for breakfast. Hard to get to, congested and more of a place to stay if you're exploring Miami and you don't want to be in a touristy area.

Airport: There are a few hotels out at the Miami Airport, the only one I can recommend is the Embassy Suites-Airport. They have a shuttle to POM in the morning, usually $10 per person. Better choice if you're flying into MIA and cruising POM.

Doral: The other side of the Airport. Very far west, with lots of moderately priced hotels, restaurants and strip malls. This is where you stay if all the other places are full due to boat shows or holidays. Safe, clean and convenient.

If you stay out by the airport, there's a bus from MIA called the Airport Flyer:http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/airport_flyer_brochure.pdf$2.35 gets you express service to and from Miami Beach.

South Beach is goofy and I wouldn't hang out there. I don't even think it's fun to walk down there anymore.

I like Lincoln Road. A pedestrian mall with shops, cafes, roller skaters, dogs, and street artists/performers. Brunch at the Van Dyke Cafe always makes me feel very cosmopolitan. My big sunglasses, my white outfit and my friends...yes, it's a good time.

For authentic Cuban food, Calle Ocho (Eighth Street) is a fun place to explore. As for clubbing and all that. So not my demographic. Also, very spendy. Good idea if you like $20 martinis.

An interesting idea for hanging out prior to departure on your day of disembarkation would be Bill Bragg State Park. It's in Key Biscayne and there are beaches, cold water showers, snack bars, etc. http://www.floridastateparks.org/capeflorida/