Priceline Hotel: First time Miami (and Florida), what area to go to?

[elles]

Dear better bidders,

Two 30 plussers, couple, going mid november to Miami for a couple of days. We are from Europe, never been to Florida. What is a nice area to look for accomodation in Miami? Is it the art deco district or rather Miami beach..or something else? We want to spent not more then 70/80$ a night. Maybe not enough for Miami? We like a vived atmosphere, small restaurants/bars in the area, but we are not the real night crawlers till the early morning. We have passed that age :) . Fortunately we still consider ourselves being hip and very flexible....

I am happy with any respons.

I also like to use this opportunity to ask for more tips about Florida. We like to spend some time near a beach. We read about Florida a lot and we figured out that the most beautiful beaches are at the east side (around Bradenton/Anna Maria Island..etc). Is this true and will two 30 plussers who are hip but not real night crawlers anymore, enjoy relaxing there? And of course recommandations about hotels via Priceline in that specific area, -or others if beaches are better there-, are very much appreciated.

If you, in return want to get information about The Netherlands (Amsterdam), let me know!

Elles

[bellisq]

Do you have hostel membership? There is a nice hostel hotel that is less than $50 in Miami Beach (a French friend found it) called the Clay Hotel. It is nice and on a great street, Washington, a 10 minute walk from the beach. Other than that, nothing is that low in Miami beach.

The whole state has great beaches. I would suggest you look at the State park system, which has much wildlife and no construction. Macarthur in Singer Island (80 miles N of Miami ) and John Pennycamp in Key Largo (50 miles S of Miami) Both have excellent snorkeling and both are beautiful. Both are day trips from Miami and you could use the Clay as your base.

November is the time rates start going up. You should check out tripadvisor.com and other hotel/travel review sites before you book unseen places. roomsaver.com has some good discounts in out of the way areas, but you take your chances on location and quality. Good luck and keep planning and researching.