Florida - How to get from FLL to Miami South Beach

First timers needing some help please!

We have planned a three day weekend, beginning of May, travelling to Miami.
Since SWA only goes to FLL, that's where our trip begins.

We don't want a rental car since we are booked into the Kimpton Surfcomber (formerly the Doubletree) in Miami South Beach area. Valet parking is way too expensive and we really just want to kick back on the beach and walk around.

Questions:

I see there is a South Florida Tri-Rail system. If we take the train from FLL, what is our stop? It seems like it only goes to MIA.
Then, what's the best way to actually get to the Kimpton if we do take Tri Rail?

Second question: We love Kimptons and chose the Surfcomber for that reason. Is the Surfcomber walking distance to restaurants, shops?
We are middle aged, so not at all interested in clubs/bars.

Final question: What should we expect in terms of crowds during the first May weekend? We're just hoping it's not the "spring breakers" type, as we really just want to relax on the beach for a couple days.

A few thoughts....

A cab or shared ride shuttle may be best/easiest option.... you will find more information here:
http://www.broward.org/Airport/Transportation/Pages/ToMIA.aspx

The Kimpton is in a good spot for walking around and is close to Lincoln Road:
http://www.lincolnroad.org/

May, in general, is a good time to visit....after Spring Break, before Hurricane Season, and usually not as rainy/hot as the Summer months....

South Beach has lost that Spring Break crowd for the most part. Yes, some of it is still there but with strict drinking laws the college set is heading to Mexico.

One thing to be aware of is that Memorial Day Weekend is Hip Hop weekend and it tends to be very much a loud party scene. Otherwise, its usually a mix of young professionals, Europeans, Latin, and more and more Brasilians (that have money to travel and shop.)

The public transportation trip should be time-consuming and difficult, especially if you have any luggage.

IMO, the best alternative is to rent a car one-way since there are drop-off offices within short walks of the Kimpton (I stayed there last year when it was a Doubletree).

Remember, that after the snowbird season ends down here at about Easter time, rental cars are quite abundant and cheap and you should be able to get one for $30-35 including taxes with another $4 for gas.

Thanks everyone for the help.

We're considering the one way car rental and then doing a shared ride in the reverse direction.

Feeling very positive that we picked a reasonably good time to travel, in early May!

monitor: when the Surfcomber was a Doubletree, did you like the property? I see that the rooms are quite small, but I suppose we'll be out mostly all day.
Any idea if the rooms are newly renovated, and is the pool decent?

Well, we were at the Surfcomber and our friends were stayng for a week next door at the Delano. The Surfcomber suffered mightily by that comparison but it was fine for the one night that we were there.

We were treated very well by Hilton and were given an ocean view room which I do not remember being too small. For the very modest price that we paid (it was August), we considered it a reasonable value.

South Beach has lost that Spring Break crowd for the most part. Yes, some of it is still there but with strict drinking laws the college set is heading to Mexico.

One thing to be aware of is that Memorial Day Weekend is Hip Hop weekend and it tends to be very much a loud party scene. Otherwise, its usually a mix of young professionals, Europeans, Latin, and more and more Brasilians (that have money to travel and shop.)

Good summary. [Brazilian tourists to the US are the biggest spenders per person of all foreign tourists to the US (with the average Brazilian tourist to the US spending more money than the average European or Japanese tourist in the US).]

For FLL to South Beach transport, the cheapest paid options are the least convenient (and involve taking a bus and then a train and then even more public transport). A shared van is amongst one of the better value options if one person, but otherwise a car rental might make excellent sense, especially if you can get a rate that doesn't include a drop-off fee for return to a different location than the pick-up location.

...a car rental might make excellent sense, especially if you can get a rate that doesn't include a drop-off fee for return to a different location than the pick-up location.Almost all rental companies down here offer free dropoff within the State at all times for anything other than specialty vehicles..

Broward Transit has a bus from the FLL airport that goes to the Avantura Mall where you change to Dade bus that goes down Collins Avenue right through South Beach. Make take a few hours but is is the cheapest way.

Broward Transit has a bus from the FLL airport that goes to the Avantura Mall where you change to Dade bus that goes down Collins Avenue right through South Beach. Make take a few hours but is is the cheapest way.To flesh this out a bit:

The first half of the journey would be on Broward County Transit Route 1 southbound - this line stops on FLL's lower level - for WN passengers the stop would be on the western end of the Terminal 1 building (turn right as you exit the baggage claim area, look for the sign).

BCT Route 1 terminates at the Aventura Mall, at the back of Macy*s. There are several benches, but the stop is outdoors and not protected by the elements. One mitigating factor is that, if you want a break in the journey , the door leading to the mall's large food court is right there.

The second half of the journey is on Miami-Dade transit's Route 119 (also called Route S) - this route goes right down Collins/Indian Creek to Lincoln Road Mall.

Only you can determine if the time and hassle factor are worth considering this routing.

Tri-Rail is not a good option for this trip, as the CSX freight tracks (the privately-owned rail tracks that Tri-Rail runs on) turn away from the coast as the route proceeds to the south - the current terminus is at a Tri-Rail station in Hialeah (since the Miami Airport Intermodal station is under construction until mid-2013).

Excellent suggestions all around, thanks!

Initially, we considered Tri-Rail because another thread in this forum suggested that it was a good option between FLL and MIA, so we thought it might also work for going to South Beach.

However, we are on holiday, and only for three days, and thus the train/bus option seems too much like work.

Since our original goal was to avoid the high valet parking fees at the Surfcomber, only to have the car sit unused for three days, it appears that one way car rentals are the solution.

Another question: since we've never been in FLL, how much time should we allow from South Beach to FLL and the WN gates, including rental car return. We have a 3:15 p.m. departure on WN back to MCI. Leave the hotel at ???

...Leave the hotel at ???Leave MB at about 1 to 1:15 and you will have no trouble. the drive should take no more than a half hour and the car rental facility is a 5-8 minute walk over a bridge to the WN gates in T1. However, you need to get there earlier than for some others since WN check-in and baggage check can frequently get chaotic.

I do not know about security on that side of T1, but it is not all that passenger friendly on the CO side although the lines do not seem to ever be too long there in the middle of the day.

1:15 or so is fantastic, it gives us another morning on the beach!

No checked bags for us, so no worries about getting BP and luggage.