Flying into Miami a day or two before sailing is a popular cruise option any time of the year.  Tapping any hotel booking source we find rather quickly that there are a lot of choices for pre- or post-cruise hotel stays in the Magic City.  Cruise travelers often choose hotel brands they are familiar with or loyal to as a safe bet which makes sense to a point.  Why take chances when the hotel, like the flight,  is simply a line item on a travel plan that come up along the way to sailing?  Actually, there are a number of reasons to spend more time planning what happens before and after sailing. A trio of eclectic Miami hotels you probably never heard of before compliments this discussion quite nicely.

Coming from the North for a winter cruise getaway, weather-related flight delays are a wild card that is difficult to predict.  Shouldn’t that be enough variable for any travel equation? Perhaps, but unknown as in “the weather could turn bad and mess up my schedule” is an entirely different animal than “I’m trying a new hotel that should be interesting”.  The former we can’t really deal with until it happens.  The later we can research, plan and set up for a successful travel experience in advance.

Mondrian South Beach – The gorgeous and whimsical Marcel Wanders designed boutique hotel recently came under management of Menin Hospitality and is the perfect pre-or post-cruise destination with Guy&Girl, a full service spa; Mondrian Caffé, under the direction of award-winning chef Dustin Atoigue; and the iconic bayside pool with some of the greatest sunset views minutes from the port.

As I write this from our home in Orlando,  nearly every state to our north is being affected by a harsh winter storm.  We think of those areas hardest hit as where travel disruptions will occur.  In reality, a storm in New York can easily affect flights in Kansas City as those disruptions cascade throughout airline flight schedules.  When the feeder flight scheduled to be at your home airport is delayed or canceled, you’re not going anywhere.

Shelborne South Beach – This oceanfront hotel features exclusive beach access and full views of Miami’s turquoise shore. The Art Deco hotel also recently came under management of Menin Hospitality and is the perfect pre-or post-cruise destination with Guy&Girl full Spa, complete poolside service and more.

We commonly advise readers to book far in advance for the best selection of staterooms.  That’s important for groups, families and friends who want their staterooms to be close to each other.  Those with special location preferences, for whatever reason, satisfy that requirement booking far in advance as well. Booking far in advance also insures as large a window of pricing opportunity as possible which can add up to great savings.

Bentley South Beach – The best option for family travel, Bentley includes free breakfast for kids under the age 12 in the heart of South Beach’s Art Deco district. Located just 5 miles from the Port of Miami, and steps from the beach – Bentley is the best family friendly location.

All of the above assume logical reasons to justify pre-cruise hotel stays.  As noted, when flying north to south for Florida embarkation during winter months it just makes sense to come early.  After sailing, if potential flights home are not convenient, staying a day opens sailing up a whole new set of scheduling choices.  The 7AM flight not possible to make the day of disembarkation is easily doable the next day.  We often find that flying the day after sailing brings better pricing as well, often enough to pay for a post-cruise hotel stay.

On the other hand, there are those who simply use this logical discussion as reason to extend travel and that’s ok too.

You’re welcome.