Miami - why so much dislike?

stoneman

Said it before. Miami Beach is a dump from 15Th street down. South Beach has the surliest waiting staff I have ever come across, and the Art Deco hotels have tiny run down rooms.
I will recount a story that I have told before. We had an awful meal at the Colony on Ocean Drive, wine was undrinkable, food was poorly presented and just about edible. Anyway the bill comes, (background, in Miami they add 18% discretionary tip to your bill, which you do not have to pay, and if the bill comes to say $41.06 and you give them $42 they do not come back with the change, they just, well, keep it.) So the bill is about $51.35 and I do not have the coins, so I leave $51.00 (bearing in mind that he has still been left almost 18% tip) and left. 2 blocks up the road the waiter runs up to me and says I owe him 35 cents!! I of course sent him on his way with British aplomb. There are Cuban Hispanics eyeing up every white girl that has a pair of legs and blonde hair. HRH was whistled at and had comments made to her the whole time we were there. So much that she refused to wear a shirt or dress out at night.
Even at an airport hotel I bought a beer that cost $6.20, gave her $7.00 and she didn't come back with the change. Took my beer and walked off and she shouts at me "what about my tip!" I said "you just pocketed 80 cents so that should do"

drewlucas

We're planning a multi stop holiday in April which starts and ends in Miami. The comments about the airport are a little worrying buy as we've booked the flights that's a given. We plan to drive up to Orlando for 2 weeks and then back down to Miami for 4 nights. We plan to use it as a base for exploring the keys & glades and hopefully a baseball game.
With this in mind were would people suggest we go and explore and is shopping better in Orlando than Miami? I think we had planned to go into Miami one eve to see the beach and seafront at night etc etc. Should we avoid! We're looking at a hotel in the Kendall district to use as a base.
Cheers,
Drew.

miss_edith

I went to Miami a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. We stayed in Coral Gables which is lovely, visited South Beach which we all enjoyed and drove around some of the islands/causeways. I had a great time, not as idillyc as the Gulf Coast but you can't expect that in a major city. Would much rather go there again than faceless, manufactured Orlando.

bleepandbooster

Yes we have been to Miami twice and both times had a realy good time ! It you hire a car you could drive up to the space centre ? We did the Art Deco walking tour, the very tacky boat trip around all the posh houses !!! and went out to Sawgrass Mills shopping mall. If you enjoy photography the Art Deco buildigs are a must at sunset.

We have also been to Tampa and Clearwater and as other people have said the beaches are lovely, maybe a trip to St Petes aswell on that coast.

Choice is endless
Cofion
David

BackOnTrack

If it is the weather and relaxation you are after more than anything else then I would suggest heading to Jamaica rather than staying in the US.

bugbog

we stayed at Fort Lauderdale for 5 nights over Christmas, thats not far away, has its own airport and is nice - also close to sawgrass mills (huge shopping mall) and there are also everglades trips from there. I saw negative reports about Miami so we decided to stay FLL instead, good luck making your mind up!

Esoog

stoneman wrote: »

Said it before. Miami Beach is a dump from 15Th street down. South Beach has the surliest waiting staff I have ever come across, and the Art Deco hotels have tiny run down rooms.
I will recount a story that I have told before. We had an awful meal at the Colony on Ocean Drive, wine was undrinkable, food was poorly presented and just about edible. Anyway the bill comes, (background, in Miami they add 18% discretionary tip to your bill, which you do not have to pay, and if the bill comes to say $41.06 and you give them $42 they do not come back with the change, they just, well, keep it.) So the bill is about $51.35 and I do not have the coins, so I leave $51.00 (bearing in mind that he has still been left almost 18% tip) and left. 2 blocks up the road the waiter runs up to me and says I owe him 35 cents!! I of course sent him on his way with British aplomb. There are Cuban Hispanics eyeing up every white girl that has a pair of legs and blonde hair. HRH was whistled at and had comments made to her the whole time we were there. So much that she refused to wear a shirt or dress out at night.
Even at an airport hotel I bought a beer that cost $6.20, gave her $7.00 and she didn't come back with the change. Took my beer and walked off and she shouts at me "what about my tip!" I said "you just pocketed 80 cents so that should do"

With regards to the beer, it is pretty much standard to tip $1 in the USA for anything, surely you know that if you've been more than once? I don't like it/agree with it but its how they live

Re: the airport; no problems here - except prices :>

kev_hewitt

Just got back from Miami a week ago, I was there for a week to watch Ice Hockey (yes strange but far cheaper than going to Vancouver and there's winter sun!)
Stayed in Sunrise nr Sawgrass Mills for the first 2 nights as a base, then drove to Tampa, then back to South Beach art deco area as my base for the last 5 days.
Felt very safe even though I was on my own, enjoyed it a lot and made the most of the surroundings. A drive down the Keys is a must and if you have time book an overnight stay in Key West as there is more than enough to do along Highway 1 to keep you occupied for 2 days. A day in the Everglades is also a must and do your research on Airboat tours as there are lots of them.
Miami Airport has been undergoing work on the roasd in the area but I found no problems. The rental car centre is well served by the newly opened MIA Mover straight to and from the airport.
With regards tipping, whether we like it or not 15 to 20% is almost the norm now in the US, if you go there it's just part of the etiquette now and the more you go there you just get used to it!
With regards 15th St and South being a dump I have to disagree - it simply comes down to your experiences in the US and Canada - try visting the East Side in most cities over there and see what is a dump and how safe you feel!
I would also agree with the posters that a rental car is a must if you are in the area for a couple of days - as is an up-to-date sat nav as the roads have changed. If you are going to be there for a while then also get a Sunpass to pay for the toll roads rather than the expensive Plate Pass system as most of the tolls now are cashless.

Good luck