ImNew

Well, we've been on our vacation and we're back. A beautiful hotel and only 20 minutes from all of the "hot spots". We were close to South Beach, Miami Beach, Downtown, and Fort Lauderdale even. We rented a car so we were able to get around much easier. One thing that dissapointed me about this hotel was the experience during our check-in. We got to our hotel at 3:00 p.m. Shortly after we had won our bid on priceline, we called the hotel to confirm our reservations and gave them the particulars of our room (i.e. king size bed, non-smoking, early check-in etc.). When we got to the hotel, they did not have any records of this information, nor did they have a room ready for us. We were asked to wait in the lobby for about 20 minutes while they had housekeeping clean one of their rooms. I was furious. Our day began with a delayed flight, which resulted in an even longer day. I was not impressed with THE HYATT's service. I understand that it was a long weekend for them (July 4th long weekend) but a hotel of their calibre should have prepared for this. Heck, any hotel would prepare for long weekend bookings. Their defence was that due to the long weekend, they were understaffed, which I believe was not our fault. They should have been prepared. The rest of our stay was enjoyable. Housekeeping was great, especially my momma Rosette. She was wonderful and extremely caring. The bellhops really added to our stay. They were very informative about the events in the area and tourist attractions in general. Even thought the hotel was beautiful, I beleive we would opt out of choosing Hyatt Regency Coral Gables in future visits to Miami. Now...keep in mind, this was OUR experience. Things could be compeletly different for someone else.

Yes, so I do wonder if I could have gotten something lower in Coral Gables, but I think I'm happy with the way things turned out. Can't be too greedy. :)

No actually we began with the following locations with no luck: Miami Airport Miami Beach South Beach Coconut Grove We bid an amount of $49 and were rejected. We tried again at $51 and were rejected again. At this point, we eliminated the Miami Airport area and added in Coral Gables and bid at $55. To our surprise, we were accepted. We did the same for a car rental out there too, and ended up with a mid-size vehicle for $23. Overall, we've saved a lot of money thanks to Priceline. We've stayed within our budget so that now we can SPEND SPEND SPEND in MIAMI!! The countdown begins!!

I just wanted you all to know that I bid on the Hyatt Rengency Coral Gables and was accepted with a bid of $55/night for the entire week. Remember, this is the July 4th long weekend, so I think we did pretty well since the prices for hotels almost doubled as a result.

Well thank you. That really helps. I will have to consult with my other half, but the beach sounds good. I don't mind the families part, and we are looking for better value. The downtown area sounds good also, but I didn't know about the parking part, so I thank you for that. We will defintely keep that in mind.

Well, to be honest, I didn't know they were that different. We are just looking for something near the airport. We will be renting a car. So we will be able to get around without difficulty. We are going to be renting the car from or around the airport, but plan to visit South Beach during our trip. It just seemed like a logical location to choose. Initially we were thinking of going with the 2* hotels (Days Inn etc.) but then a friend introduced me to Priceline. She's gotten some amazing deals, and I was hoping for the same. I think we'd like to stay in the $50-60 range.

Ok..so it's no secret I'm new to this, since that's my name. :) I would like to be able to book a 4* hotel for a decent price for my week long visit to Miami. I'm interested in the South Beach area and/or the airport area. We would like to be close to the airport. Any help would be appreciated.