Priceline Hotel: Advice needed for bidding on hotel in South beach Miami next week.

Hi,

I'm looking for a clean hotel room for two in South beach Miami, Collins avenue area, between the 22nd and the 30th of May.

3 stars or even 2 stars should be sufficient, as long as the place is clean and nice to stay at.

Which area should I choose on the priceline NYOP. How much do you suggest I bid ?

I'd appreciate some advice.

Thanks

3 stars or even 2 stars should be sufficient, as long as the place is clean and nice to stay at.

This is an area where i'd highly recommend sticking with the higher end of the star rating that your budget will allow. Do you feel that all 2* hotels you've encountered are 'clean'?

What is your maximum bid for this stay?

???

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2x

Thanks. I've clicked the link.

My budget is about $75 per night ( including tax ) for a double room, preferably less :)

Which star rating do you suggest I choose and which areas should i bid on ?

My budget is about $75 per night ( including tax ) for a double room, preferably less :)

Your budget is not realistic for this area and dates... have you done any price research for this area for these dates??

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Your budget is not realistic for this area and dates... have you done any price research for this area for these dates??

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Actually I have.

You're not going to find a 2 star hotel in south beach for under 100+/night... you may be able to get something near the airport or kendall... but even then you're right at your budget for a 2 star.. some 3 star hotels (and 2 1/2 stars) go for over 400/nt on south beach...

If you want the south beach area, you'll need to almost double your budget... I live in Fort Lauderdale, and you'd have better luck up here for that amount

Actually I have.

Any what is the best deal you're able to find at an acceptable hotel thru conventional booking channels?

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Yea there is no way you are going to find any hotel on South Beach under $100 on memorial weekend. It is just not going to happen.

Nix the advice on Fort Lauderdale though, with the price of gas and parking you would pay by not staying on South Beach just raise your limit for the room. Traffic is going to be a nightmare, especially with the Miami Heat in the playoffs and potentially playing a home game on Saturday night. Plus they jack the parking up to $30 for many of the lots. Expect to pay $200 for something decent.

The biggest problem is, for the days during the week, you can find hotels under $100, but for that weekend, many hotels require a 3 day reservation and the rooms jump from $100 to over $300 in many cases. That is why $75 a night isn't possible for all those days, though you may find $75 a night from the 22nd to the 26th.

Thanks for the info. Which other areas do you suggest which aren't too far from the beach and can be booked for a reasonable price ?

Thanks for the info. Which other areas do you suggest which aren't too far from the beach and can be booked for a reasonable price ?

I mean it really depends on you. If you don't have a car and you are trying to be on South Beach, you need to stay on South Beach. It is worth the money to do that. If you have a car, you can do like I always do every year and drive down from Fort Lauderdale. That is an easier option for me because I live in Fort Lauderdale, but even with that option, I have gotten rooms in South Beach for this weekend because of the convenience, so I suggest you do the same. That weekend is a serious crackdown on seatbelts, loud music and DUI . . . you don't want to be driving long distances and cab fare is real expensive.

I looked at those dates on Priceline and they have a 2.5 Star on the Collins Beach Front as the Best Value, with prices averaging around $207. I think that is your target area if you ask me. Maybe you can land something cheap, and though you won't be directly on South Beach (I consider South Beach anything below Lincoln), the traffic and parties star well past your hotel so you will be in the middle of it all. With your budget, you just need a place to lay your head, the room/hotel won't even matter as long as you can shower and sleep . . . everything is popping outside. I have stayed at the Dorchester, which is a 2.5 in the Collins area, and it more than did the job.

I am assuming you are going down for the Urban Beach Week on the weekend, if not, and being on South Beach that weekend isn't important, you could always book a room from the 22nd to the 26th on South Beach for much cheaper, and stay in Fort Lauderdale the 27th to the 30th . . . nicer hotels and cheaper prices that way, though you would be away from the party zone that weekend. Depends on you. They will be partying on Las Olas and at Beach Place that weekend as well, just not as crazy and most females actually get turned off by the "grabbing" that goes on in South Beach . . . Fort Lauderdale is actually much smoother if you ask me but South Beach is South Beach and is well known for the Memorial Weekend parties and celebrities.

Wow somebody reported they have the Westin Beach Resort for $80 that weekend, right next to Beach Place on Fort Lauderdale Beach . . . would have been a real nice spot if South beach isn't your thing for the weekend.

stav,

Before continuing this thread, please follow-up your Priceline Miami Airport hotel thread with whatever you ended up doing for that stay.

Thanks.

Eventually decided to stay in a different area, not south beach.

Thanks for your replies.

Thanks for closing this thread with your decision.

If you ultimately purchased something on PRICELINE or HOTWIRE for this stay (even if not for the South Beach area) please share your win with the board so that others may benefit from the information.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Thanks.