Miami (ad)vice
Apr 3, 2010, 5:45 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 2,368
Miami (ad)vice
Forgive the awful pun but with much of the heavy discussion on the forum at the moment, I thought it might be of some light relief.
I ask for some advice from Sunrisegirl and the other Miami experts on here.
Mrs BiH and I are flying into Miami on the 209 (in First) in July which arrives at 17.50. We are off again the following morning at 9.50am to SJO, Costa Rica on AA
With that in mind:
i) What are the queues at immigration like at 6pm? Realistically, what time should I expect to be through the various CBP checks?
ii) How long will it take to get into downtown Miami at that time of night? We are going to Costa Rica (for a wedding) with some friends who are going to Miami for a few days beforehand so we could meet up with them?
iii) If we decide to stay near the airport, any recommendations? The Miami airport hotel looks tempting due to its convenience the following morning. Is there anywhere semi-decent in the airport or nearby to get some dinner? (The hotel restaurant looks quite good, but I'd like some options)
iv) The flight to Costa Rica the following morning: 9.50am departure. We will have hand baggage only. None of us have status on OW. What time do you recommend arriving at the airport? For the people who will definitely be in downtown Miami, how long will it take them to get to the airport?
Many thanks in advance.
I ask for some advice from Sunrisegirl and the other Miami experts on here.
Mrs BiH and I are flying into Miami on the 209 (in First) in July which arrives at 17.50. We are off again the following morning at 9.50am to SJO, Costa Rica on AA
With that in mind:
i) What are the queues at immigration like at 6pm? Realistically, what time should I expect to be through the various CBP checks?
ii) How long will it take to get into downtown Miami at that time of night? We are going to Costa Rica (for a wedding) with some friends who are going to Miami for a few days beforehand so we could meet up with them?
iii) If we decide to stay near the airport, any recommendations? The Miami airport hotel looks tempting due to its convenience the following morning. Is there anywhere semi-decent in the airport or nearby to get some dinner? (The hotel restaurant looks quite good, but I'd like some options)
iv) The flight to Costa Rica the following morning: 9.50am departure. We will have hand baggage only. None of us have status on OW. What time do you recommend arriving at the airport? For the people who will definitely be in downtown Miami, how long will it take them to get to the airport?
Many thanks in advance.
Apr 3, 2010, 7:07 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine, & London, UK
Programs: BA Gold; HH Gold; M&M; PS Classic; VV Silver (deceased); BD Silver (deceased).
Posts: 3,604
Apr 3, 2010, 7:14 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Lausanne Switzerland
Programs: BA Gold; Swiss Blue
Posts: 1,244
Hi I have stayed at the MIA airport hotel, It is very very convenient - restaurants I can not vouch for really... however with a bit of planning there are a number of good eateries in Coral Gables rather than going to downtown Miami, it will only be about a 5 - 10 min taxi ride there rather than the whole way across to downtown Miami.
Other than the MIA hotel I can recomend the Wyndham Hotel too, it is just the other side of Le Jeune road from the airport.
Have a great trip to SJO it is a fab place...
Other than the MIA hotel I can recomend the Wyndham Hotel too, it is just the other side of Le Jeune road from the airport.
Have a great trip to SJO it is a fab place...
Apr 3, 2010, 8:08 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 862
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7E18 Safari/528.16)
What's so funny about it? It's entirely relevant; in First the OP may be the first off the plane and may not need to worry about any queues, there may be special fast track immigration options for First pax and so on. At some airports there is a world of difference between ground handling arrangements for the different classes.
Originally Posted by gaz68
hahaha funny how you managed to drop in the "in first" in to the post.
Apr 3, 2010, 8:45 am
#6
Join Date: May 2005
Location: YOW
Programs: AC-SE100K MM, BA-S HH-D, MB-G LT Sil, IHG-Plt, Nexus, Global Entry
Posts: 3,803
Dear baggageinhall,
I travel through MIA at least twice per month, ofter arriving late afternoon or early evening for one night in transit to or from BZE, KIN or POS. I find the queues for immigration to be highly variable, probably because flights can be early or late, so you never really know. Busiest days in my experience are Fridays and Sundays. Arriving in F is an advantage. The visitor lines are to the left in the immigration hall. Unfortunately, there is no serpentine/random queue. You pick a lane and take your chances. There will be a second shorter queue when you exit the baggage hall.
I've avoided the airport hotel for no reason other than I'm addicted to Hilton points. An office mate stayed once and found it dissappointing and noisy.
I've stayed in downtown MIA once only (Doubletree) and will not go back. My usualy haunts are the MIA Airport Hilton (free shuttle, reasonable restaurant, quick cab ride to Coral Gables) or the Hyatt in Coral Gables. There is also a Crowne Plaza near the airport, but it's not great.
For evening dining, try to be near to Coral Gables or Coconut Grove (just a bit further south). Both are quite pleasant for an evening stroll and have a wide range of restaurants. Jaguar Ceviche in Coconut Grove has great food and excellent service.
From MIA to downtown should take less than 20 mins after 6pm. In the morning, it could be much longer. Check-in for non-status PAX, with no luggage... why not use OLCI and print your boarding pass at the hotel, or use a kiosk. Otherwise, depending on the day of the week, it could be 1hr + at the airport.
From the MIA Hilton, it is a 5 min free shuttle ride to the airport. From Coral Gables, maybe 15 mins in a cab. From Coconut Grove, perhaps 20 mins, maybe 30 mins if the traffic is heavy.
Enjoy your trip.
--
13F
I travel through MIA at least twice per month, ofter arriving late afternoon or early evening for one night in transit to or from BZE, KIN or POS. I find the queues for immigration to be highly variable, probably because flights can be early or late, so you never really know. Busiest days in my experience are Fridays and Sundays. Arriving in F is an advantage. The visitor lines are to the left in the immigration hall. Unfortunately, there is no serpentine/random queue. You pick a lane and take your chances. There will be a second shorter queue when you exit the baggage hall.
I've avoided the airport hotel for no reason other than I'm addicted to Hilton points. An office mate stayed once and found it dissappointing and noisy.
I've stayed in downtown MIA once only (Doubletree) and will not go back. My usualy haunts are the MIA Airport Hilton (free shuttle, reasonable restaurant, quick cab ride to Coral Gables) or the Hyatt in Coral Gables. There is also a Crowne Plaza near the airport, but it's not great.
For evening dining, try to be near to Coral Gables or Coconut Grove (just a bit further south). Both are quite pleasant for an evening stroll and have a wide range of restaurants. Jaguar Ceviche in Coconut Grove has great food and excellent service.
From MIA to downtown should take less than 20 mins after 6pm. In the morning, it could be much longer. Check-in for non-status PAX, with no luggage... why not use OLCI and print your boarding pass at the hotel, or use a kiosk. Otherwise, depending on the day of the week, it could be 1hr + at the airport.
From the MIA Hilton, it is a 5 min free shuttle ride to the airport. From Coral Gables, maybe 15 mins in a cab. From Coconut Grove, perhaps 20 mins, maybe 30 mins if the traffic is heavy.
Enjoy your trip.
--
13F
Apr 3, 2010, 8:55 am
#7
Join Date: May 2006
Programs: AMEX PP;BAEC Bronze;Tesco CC Preferred;
Posts: 219
Just been through MIA 6 times in last month (to/from Zurich (LX) Bahamas (AA) and New Orleans (AA) and FRA (LH)).
At 1800 arrival from Zurich we were through immigration from business class within 15 minutes : 5 min walk and 10 min wait/processing. Fifteen minutes more from the Bahamas
Outbound security for Concourses D and E was about the same : we needed 30 mins. We arrived at 0900 for 2 x 1100 departures and it was plenty at that time and we had checked baggage (note that AA are very keen on the 18 kg /23kg weight restictions! The curb-side check-ins for us were excellent with a small tip)
The walk from security to Gates 30 upwards in Concourse D, and all gates in Concourse E will take you at least 10-15 minutes - its a long, long trek.
We stayed twice at Hyatt Summerfields Suites, Blue Lagoon Dr : excellent value and service but no restaurant, tho' full kitchen and small in-hotel shop for pizzas etc Seven mins / $14 by cab on arrival and used free shuttlle, every 1/2 hour, on departure. All worked well.
On our return via FRA (with an evening dep) we stayed at South Beach (Anglers Retreat Resort- excellent loft duplex). Cab was $34 and 25 mins both there and back. South Beach was fun with great cafes for people watching, great choice of restaurants (much better two streets back in Washington Ave) and depressingly good shopping on Collins Ave.
In the past, with timings much like yours, I have also used the Intercontinental at Chopin Plaza (15 mins), and in the evening walked across the Bayfront Park to the shops and restaurants at the large Bayside complex, trying to keep awake....
Hope that helps in part.
At 1800 arrival from Zurich we were through immigration from business class within 15 minutes : 5 min walk and 10 min wait/processing. Fifteen minutes more from the Bahamas
Outbound security for Concourses D and E was about the same : we needed 30 mins. We arrived at 0900 for 2 x 1100 departures and it was plenty at that time and we had checked baggage (note that AA are very keen on the 18 kg /23kg weight restictions! The curb-side check-ins for us were excellent with a small tip)
The walk from security to Gates 30 upwards in Concourse D, and all gates in Concourse E will take you at least 10-15 minutes - its a long, long trek.
We stayed twice at Hyatt Summerfields Suites, Blue Lagoon Dr : excellent value and service but no restaurant, tho' full kitchen and small in-hotel shop for pizzas etc Seven mins / $14 by cab on arrival and used free shuttlle, every 1/2 hour, on departure. All worked well.
On our return via FRA (with an evening dep) we stayed at South Beach (Anglers Retreat Resort- excellent loft duplex). Cab was $34 and 25 mins both there and back. South Beach was fun with great cafes for people watching, great choice of restaurants (much better two streets back in Washington Ave) and depressingly good shopping on Collins Ave.
In the past, with timings much like yours, I have also used the Intercontinental at Chopin Plaza (15 mins), and in the evening walked across the Bayfront Park to the shops and restaurants at the large Bayside complex, trying to keep awake....
Hope that helps in part.
Apr 3, 2010, 11:21 am
#8
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: East Berlin
Posts: 1,533
Agree - the queues at MIA are variable but no bad experiences of late. Did BA 209 last November in J and through in no longer than 30 minutes (a Thursday).
I recommend the Epic Hotel in downtown Miami. About 20 - 25 minutes from the airport along the Dolphin Expressway - $30 in a cab. Very good restaurant, in fact, the OH enjoyed it more than Casa Tua in South Beach.
Palmer
I recommend the Epic Hotel in downtown Miami. About 20 - 25 minutes from the airport along the Dolphin Expressway - $30 in a cab. Very good restaurant, in fact, the OH enjoyed it more than Casa Tua in South Beach.
Palmer
Apr 3, 2010, 11:33 am
#9
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: AA GLD .25MM, CO, UA, US, DL, HH, SPG (all cardboard)
Posts: 1,951
Originally Posted by aa.com
Can I Use Flight Check-In?
You can use Flight Check-In if all of the following apply:
You have an AAdvantage number and AA.com password, OR you know the name and record locator of the passenger.
You are checking in for American Airlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection® operated-flights or a carrier with which we have an electronic ticketing agreement. However, the first flight for which you are checking in must be operated by American Airlines, American Eagle or AmericanConnection.
You are using a domestic electronic ticket (including electronic tickets issued by travel agencies or other online sources).
Your flight is less than 24 hours but more than one hour before departure.
You are booked on a reservation that only contains flights within the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii), Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Seats have been assigned. Seats must be selected to use the Flight Check-In function.
You can use Flight Check-In if all of the following apply:
You have an AAdvantage number and AA.com password, OR you know the name and record locator of the passenger.
You are checking in for American Airlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection® operated-flights or a carrier with which we have an electronic ticketing agreement. However, the first flight for which you are checking in must be operated by American Airlines, American Eagle or AmericanConnection.
You are using a domestic electronic ticket (including electronic tickets issued by travel agencies or other online sources).
Your flight is less than 24 hours but more than one hour before departure.
You are booked on a reservation that only contains flights within the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii), Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Seats have been assigned. Seats must be selected to use the Flight Check-In function.
Originally Posted by aa.com
Traveling internationally? Customers with e-tickets traveling to international destinations can use Self-Service Check-In machines at most airports. All you need is your passport or credit card. Passengers who are residents of the U.S. but not U.S. citizens will be asked to swipe their U.S. Alien Resident card. For more information, see the international flight check-in page.
Apr 4, 2010, 1:45 am
#11
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Belfast and London UK
Programs: BA Gold, BMI Gold, Virgin Gold
Posts: 42
BiH, Last time I went to SJO, in September I went out of MIA on the BA/AA 6071 which departs 1940hrs and means I didn't need a night in MIA (I do the LHR-MIA-CCS route fairly regularly also). Having said that, as a smoker I always go landside for some "fresh air" between sectors and find both immigration and PPC in both directions to be quite reasonable (about 20mins leaving and about 15mins returning).
Apr 4, 2010, 3:18 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 2,368
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. The reason for the overnight stop is that the wedding we are going to is not in San Jose but further south in Quepos. There are flights from SJO to XQP but the last one is at 2.30pm, hence the need either to get the first flight from MIA to SJO or overnight in SJO.
I am going to have a look at the recommended hotels near the airport.
It seems that allowing 90mins for SSCI, security and getting to the gate is sensible.
Thanks again.
I am going to have a look at the recommended hotels near the airport.
It seems that allowing 90mins for SSCI, security and getting to the gate is sensible.
Thanks again.
Apr 4, 2010, 4:29 am
#13
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: BA Executive Club
Posts: 1,175
Forgive the awful pun but with much of the heavy discussion on the forum at the moment, I thought it might be of some light relief.
I ask for some advice from Sunrisegirl and the other Miami experts on here.
Mrs BiH and I are flying into Miami on the 209 (in First) in July which arrives at 17.50. We are off again the following morning at 9.50am to SJO, Costa Rica on AA
With that in mind:
i) What are the queues at immigration like at 6pm? Realistically, what time should I expect to be through the various CBP checks?
ii) How long will it take to get into downtown Miami at that time of night? We are going to Costa Rica (for a wedding) with some friends who are going to Miami for a few days beforehand so we could meet up with them?
I ask for some advice from Sunrisegirl and the other Miami experts on here.
Mrs BiH and I are flying into Miami on the 209 (in First) in July which arrives at 17.50. We are off again the following morning at 9.50am to SJO, Costa Rica on AA
With that in mind:
i) What are the queues at immigration like at 6pm? Realistically, what time should I expect to be through the various CBP checks?
ii) How long will it take to get into downtown Miami at that time of night? We are going to Costa Rica (for a wedding) with some friends who are going to Miami for a few days beforehand so we could meet up with them?
We're going in July again this year and hoping to have a smilar experience (excepting the check-in).
If I were staying downtown, the Four Seasons looks well located.
Last edited by dmahon; Apr 4, 2010 at 4:40 am
Apr 4, 2010, 8:48 am
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: FLL -> Where The Boyars Are
Programs: AA EXP 1.7 M, Hilton Gold, Hertz 5*, AARP Sophomore, 14-time Croix de Candlestick
Posts: 18,669
Wirelessly posted (Nokia E71-2: Opera/9.80 (S60; SymbOS; Opera Mobi/448; U; en-US) Presto/2.4.18 Version/10.00)
Much good advice has already been given - I'll just add some notes:
The in-terminal hotel is VERY convenient, as it is located directly overhead of Concourse E, one of the AA concourses. I have stayed in thr past, and found the rooms utilitarian but clean. when you stay here, you are paying for convenience, not for sumptuous accomodations. I'm a heavy sleeper who is not bothered by ambient noise, so I can't comment on noise levels.
Adjacent to the airport property, my two favorites, the Hyatt Summerfield and the Airport Hilton, have been mentioned (I often use these hotels before early-morning departures, and in fact I will be at the Hyatt next week). There is also a Sofitel, located next to the Hyatt. All of these hotels offer frequent shuttles from and to the airport terminals, and their close proximity means that the shuttle ride is not encumbered by often-nightmarish morning commute traffic.
I also join in recommending Coral Gables as a close-by dining destination. I'd recommend considering 'Ortanique on the Mile' for Caribbean cuisine or 'Cafe Abbracci' for Italian. Dinner reservations recommended, especially at the latter.
Much good advice has already been given - I'll just add some notes:
The in-terminal hotel is VERY convenient, as it is located directly overhead of Concourse E, one of the AA concourses. I have stayed in thr past, and found the rooms utilitarian but clean. when you stay here, you are paying for convenience, not for sumptuous accomodations. I'm a heavy sleeper who is not bothered by ambient noise, so I can't comment on noise levels.
Adjacent to the airport property, my two favorites, the Hyatt Summerfield and the Airport Hilton, have been mentioned (I often use these hotels before early-morning departures, and in fact I will be at the Hyatt next week). There is also a Sofitel, located next to the Hyatt. All of these hotels offer frequent shuttles from and to the airport terminals, and their close proximity means that the shuttle ride is not encumbered by often-nightmarish morning commute traffic.
I also join in recommending Coral Gables as a close-by dining destination. I'd recommend considering 'Ortanique on the Mile' for Caribbean cuisine or 'Cafe Abbracci' for Italian. Dinner reservations recommended, especially at the latter.
Last edited by Non-NonRev; Apr 4, 2010 at 8:59 am