Two more things - the airport hotel *is* very 70's. But last time a friend stayed there - it was - like I said - decent and clean - and quiet (good soundproofing). I'm sure there are better places to stay - but if you have an early morning flight out of MIA - it's nice not having to glue your ear to traffic reports at 6 am.

Also for BamaVol - the rail line only goes to downtown Miami - not Miami Beach. The only public transportation to Miami Beach is the bus - and you don't even want to try doing that during the day - much less at night. So your options are renting a car - or taking a cab. I don't recommend a car rental if you'll be clubbing all night (renting a car and parking it on South Beach isn't cheap - and you don't want to worry about dealing with DUI enforcement - which can be quite strict). Robyn

Just to flesh out robyng's excellent responses - the TRI-RAIL is a rail line that travels between Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties (hence the "Tri" in the name). It is primarily intended for commuters, but is also used by some leisure travellers. Although Tri-Rail goes nowhere near Downtown Miami (let alone the southern portion of Miami Beach, where the nightlife is), it comes into play because a traveller at MIA would take Tri-Rail a couple of stops to the "inter-modal" transfer station where Tri-Rail junctions with the METRORAIL.

Metrorail, a more traditional urban rail (all-elevated, no underground) system, essentially runs between Hialeah, Downtown Miami, the University of Miami area of Coral Gables and its terminus at the Dadeland shopping/commerce district. At a couple of the Downtown stations, Metrorail connects to the People Mover, which is handy for getting around the various subsections of the greater Downtown area. There is only one Metrorail line, and service is spotty at the best of times. In the section between Hialeah and DT, it slao travels through some fairly dicey neighborhoods (it is not called the "Metrofail" for nothing).

As robyng stated, there is a Miami Beach-bound bus that picks up at one of the downtown Metrorail stations, but this service is very limited and geared toward daytime service (serving people going to and from work).

Thanks for adding all this Non-NonRev. It is probably a lot more than I ever knew about public transportation in Miami (even though I lived there for more than 20 years!). Bottom line is perhaps 99% of the people who use public transportation in Miami are people who commute to work during the day. And there aren't many of them compared to people to use cars (which is why the traffic is awful). The other 1% are people who use it to go to special events when the departure and arrival points are close to where they live - and where they want to go. I cannot recommend public transportation for tourists or business travelers. Robyn

Thanks for adding all this Non-NonRev. It is probably a lot more than I ever knew about public transportation in Miami (even though I lived there for more than 20 years!). Bottom line is perhaps 99% of the people who use public transportation in Miami are people who commute to work during the day. And there aren't many of them compared to people who use cars (which is why the traffic is awful). The other 1% are people who use it to go to special events when the departure and arrival points are close to where they live - and where they want to go. I cannot recommend public transportation for tourists or business travelers.

Also- when it comes to things like cabs - more than a few cab drivers do not speak English. And more than a few have no idea where they're going (after a lot of cab rides over the course of many years - I concluded that most cabbies who take you out of your way aren't trying to cheat you - they honestly have no idea where they're going). It is always a good idea when you take a cab to know the general route between your point of departure and the place you want to go. It is good to have it in the form of a mapquest or similar map - because of the language difficulties. Quite a few cabbies speak Spanish - but our last trip to Miami - most spoke languages other than English or Spanish (and when it comes to Creole - I'm lost). If you take a map - and show it to the cabbie ahead of time - you won't take an unwanted expensive tour of Miami. Also note that there is supposed to be a "customer's bill of rights" when its comes to cabs in Miami. So when the cabbie has the AC turned off in August (to save on fuel) - it is your right to tell him to turn it on - and close the windows.

Miami isn't unique. Last time I was in New York - a cabbie who spoke perhaps 5 words of English didn't have the slightest idea where our upper west side destination was (from midtown). He wanted to "play it by ear" - on our nickel. We got out of the cab before we got started.

I now live in the Jacksonville Florida area. It costs a few bucks more to take something like Carey transportation (a town car or more exotic form of transportation) compared to a cab here - but it is worth it. I suspect the same is true in most cities in Florida. Robyn

Hello FT's

Thanks for all the great info. Seems that public transport might really be out of question. Anyway, from my own research the past few days for accomodations, I came across a rather not too bad rate at the Day's Inn North Miami Airport hotel. It was for around $67. Seems that the hotel provides shuttle to the airport and also the the Port of Miami. However, I read some review from Trip Advisor and saw that it was a rather mixed review hotel especially with regards to the night manager and the shuttle.. thus, any thoughts on this would be welcome.

If I do take this place (even though it is not that good, was thinking for that few hours, it should be still tolerable I guess). What I plan to achieve from this lightning visit is to try some Cuban food (dinner) and also have a short stroll around South Beach for a feeling of it before heading back to the hotel (most probably by cab) for the night. Don't think I will go clubbing as I still have the next day in NY to meet up with friends. Thus, any good place for cuban food would be appreaciated and other tips. Anyway, I think a Thursday night is not really such a good night for any clubbing

Any other tips will be great.

Thanks again for all the info!

Don't know anything about the Day's Inn.

The airport and the Day's Inn are actually pretty close to the area where you'd find "down home" Cuban food. But not walking distance. And the restaurants aren't in places that are great to walk around. To minimize cab fares - I'd suggest just taking a cab to south Beach - strolling around - finding a restaurant - and eating there.

Cuban food is not in general a "distinguished" cuisine - so it's not like you'd get terrible food at one place - and a really great meal at another. Chances are you'll wind up with a middle-of-the-road meal no matter where you eat if you have Cuban food.

If you only have one meal in the Miami area - and are up for a splurge - I'd definitely suggest going to Joe's Stone Crabs on south Beach. The specialty is - of course - stone crabs. And if you like crabs - you will love these. Also - they are a very regional item. You can find them in restaurants outside south Florida - but they don't travel well. I live in north Florida - and won't touch a stone crab north of Palm Beach. Joe's is *the* stone crab restaurant in south Florida. It is probably over-hyped - over-priced and over-crowded (although if you hit it late - but not too late because it closes at 10 - you can probably avoid a very long wait). But - because of the huge volume it does - you will always get the best crabs available. It is reasonably close to the action in south Beach. So you could take a cab to Joe's - eat - and then spend a couple of hours walking around. Robyn

I don't know this Days Inn, but my experience with the chain is that they are ok in rural situations and risky in cities. My corporate travel tool shows it was remodeled in 2003. It is by far the cheapest and dodgiest option offered in the area, although I couldn't touch your rate. I not sure if I should recommend it to you - or be concerned that my company would let me stay there.

Wow! In my ~9 years in NYC, I have never had a cab experience like that. I guess visitors at times have more unique experiences than residents.

On topic, this thread is really very informative so far. I wanted to add that I am planning a visit to the Miami area with the family which includes a two-year-old. I was wondering if there are hotels/ resorts around the beach that children my daughter's age can enjoy certain activities at. She is a bit of a water baby so will love splashing around in the beach and the pool.

The Loews Miami Beach is a possibility - very nice (not luxury, but not bad either). It's right on the beach, has a great pool, and has a kids program (Camp Sobe - I'm not sure what the age range is for the program, so check this if you're interested). Other possibilities further north on the coat might include the Sheraton Bal Harbour or the two Sunny Isles hotels, the Trump, and Le Meridien (the latter is all-suites).

That reminds me of when I had a meeting in Miami Beach at a time when my son (now 16) was 2 years old. We managed to have a good time, but I will say that Miami in general is not a kids' town. If you find a non-trendy hotel with a decent pool, that would be your best bet!

Well - if you're used to cab drivers always knowing where they're going - you will be in for a rude shock in Miami!

I don't know what your price point is - but the beach at Key Biscayne (Ritz Carlton and some lesser properties) is quite gentle - and agreeable for children. Key Biscayne is probably more oriented for family travel than South Beach (on the other hand - it is dead at night - so you'll have to decide what you're interested in).

And if the beach isn't necessary - I'd try the Four Seasons (a couple of terrific pools). I assume you'll be traveling during the next 5 months or so - low season - check out the low-season specials (like stay 2 nights - get 1 free). Robyn

Unfortunately some business has put a dampner on the plans. The family is heading out to DFW to see relatives while I shall toil here.

Thanks so much for all your input. And if we do end up going to MIA in the next few months, I shall be thanking you all very very much (and be carrying a map ).

The trip that didn't happen last year, looks like will be happening next month over July 4th. Mandarin Oriental has a great rate. Any opnions on the property?

The Four Seasons - which is around the corner from the MO - has rates as low as about $220/night. I can recommend the property as long as you don't care about being on the beach - or on South Beach. Have never stayed at the MO. Robyn

We stayed at the MO Miami the fall of 2005 after returning from our cruise. It was a very nice hotel but it didn't blow me away. Their artificial beach was kind of interesting but I think I would have enjoyed staying somewhere near SOBE like we did before the cruise. I found the pool area to be fairly small as it was packed during the day. We wanted to check out the area just across the bridge into the surrounding area but because it's located in a business district, the neighbourhood wasn't as lively as we were hoping. We ended up cabbing it to Coconut Grove (if I remember correctly).

Miscellaneous: Staff were great. Found a stain on the couch. Had some great sushi for lunch at Caf� Sambal but it was overpriced.

In short, I found it to be a nice place to stay if you're in town for business or are just going to hang out at the hotel but I think there would better options to stay (location-wise) as a tourist.