Miami and Key West
 

I managed to rebook flights with BA following a cancellation: so we now plan to go to MIA in March 22.

As experts in the travel world could you recommend accom in MIA and in Key West ?

I don't really trust TripAdvisor hence my request from experienced travellers.

Hi,

This is probably not best suited for the Coronavirus & travel thread ( probably more suited in the USA- south thread)

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south-454/

Any particular chains--there is certainly a few threads in the Hilton forum ( and probably Marriott etc)
March 2022 maybe spring break in Florida with high prices.

Enjoy!

Regards

TBS

I’ve stayed in some very expensive and ultimately crap hotels in Miami a number of times , but finally found one last year that I thought was very good value and in a great location if you want to be on south beach definitely check out room mate Waldorf tower’s hotel.

For the keys I’d recommend parrot key resort, fantastic resort but still a walk from downtown, if you are on a budget or just tight like me, stay at Marathon holiday inn, Express and suites, mid way down the keys but a really nice clean hotel with a great tiki bar at an affordable price, at least for the keys but still a good drive to key west which is really overpriced.

Hi, we just returned from 5 nights in Key West and I've been about 60 times during my lifetime. I also go to Miami for work a good bit, and I try to stay somewhere nice if possible. I am pretty partial to Marriott and Hilton, which is fine in Miami. In Key West, the bigger "chain" properties are there, but they are mostly on the other side of the island from Old Town.
Miami: I much prefer to stay on Miami Beach if possible. It's got a very "Miami South Beach" culture and the beach is fantastic. Plus you can find lots of great restaurants like CVI.CHE 105 on 1245 Lincoln Rd, with Lincoln rd being a nice place to walk in the evening itself. For accommodations, my first choice is the Marriott Courtyard Cadillac hotel and beach club. It's right on the water, and the front tower has some great rooms with fantastic views and balconies. I also like to stay at the Winter Haven hotel, though the rooms can be a bit small and it's a block from the ocean. I am usually on business, so I have a corporate code that makes these very attractive price wise, regular pricing may be a bit high. I've also stayed at the Hampton Inn South Beach, which was nice, but fairly basic and a couple blocks from the ocean.
If you don't want to stay in Miami beach, I would recommend the Brickell area or Coral Gables (Miracle Mile) area. Both Marriott and Hilton have some great properties there and it's a nice area to walk around with lots of local restaurants and shops.

For Key West, the location of where you stay really depends on what you want to do and if you have transportation. Parking for cars can sometimes be difficult, and most of the areas in KW will charge for street parking. Scooters and Mopeds are great, and there are lots of designated parking spots that are free. There is also a shuttle bus in Old Town that goes in a big loop with several stops and most hotels will have a shuttle to Old Town as well. Old Town Key West is dominated by Duval Street and this is where a lot of the tourists stay on the island. You'll find iconic bars, great restaurants, Zachary Taylor park/fort and Mallory Square in this area. For Hotels, I really like the Saint and La Concha. Both are in extremely close walking distance to everything in the area. For BnB's that aren't part of a chain, I've been staying at Marrero's Guest Mansion on Fleming st. It's walking distance to everything in Old Town, has a nice pool in the courtyard out back, and if you choose a room with a balcony, you can relax and watch Key West walk by below you. It's allegedly haunted too, but so far we haven't seen or heard anything. I have staid at tons of other BnB/short term rentals in this area, and this is one of my favorites. Another BnB that I really like is the Heron House on Simonton St. It has smaller rooms, but it feels very quant and old school Key West. It's also within walking distance to everything in and around Duval st. Hilton has two large hotels in the Old Town area: Casa Marina and The Reach. They are located on the opposite end of Duval street and while very nice, I've often found them to become overly expensive with the amount of additional fees that get tacked on to the hotel bill (resort fee, parking, etc).
If you stay on the other side of the island, you'll find newer chain hotels from Marriott and Hilton along Roosevelt blvd. They are all pretty standard and most will have a shuttle to Old Town and Duval Street. The Doubletree has nice rooms with a great pool area and the Marriott is a larger resort with it's own beach and a nice pool. The Marriott did seem to charge a lot of resort and parking fees when I was there last, so double check if this is an issue. The HGI and Fairfield are pretty standard hotels with free parking and pools.
I hope this helps!
You're also welcome to check out my travel report on Key West on my blog listed below:
https://www.thetravelinglocals.com/p...-west-paradise

As others have pointed out, this will be spring break time, so expect lots of kids (college and school age), lots of crowds, and pricey lodging.

Great suggestions on places to stay. B&Bs in Key West are preferred over traditional hotels, unless you plan on using points. There is a parking garage where you can put your car downtown Key West for long periods of time.
There are some great stops along the way down the keys on the way to Key West. Do a search here and you will find them.

We're going in a few weeks. Any preferred restaurants need reservations? Particular directed to @Irbenko Thanks for your great post & link!

Sorry for my delay in response, and hopefully this reply is timely enough to help. One of my favorite restaurants in KW is Blue Heaven. It's great for both dinner and breakfast, but it's best to make a reservation. As a bonus, it's where Hemingway refereed some bare knuckle fights while he lived in KW. For some of the fancier spots like Alonzos or A&B, you'll want a reservation in advance as well. I was just back down in KW last month and most places were extremely busy, but I was able to get into most places to eat without much, if any of a wait. A couple other favorites with more of a local flavor and atmosphere are on Stock island, a short drive over the bridge from Key West. Hurricane Hole (smoked fish dip), Hogfish (hogfish and grouper cheeks)and El Siboney (cuban) are fantastic.
Hope this helps!

Great, thanks!

In Key West we loved staying in the Best Western Hibiscus and in Miami we used Air BnB, there are really nice options right in the heart of South Beach.