Miami in 24 hours

June 27, 2020 Cruise Monkeys

Back in January, before the Covid-19 pandemic brought travel, and well the world to a standstill we were in Miami for a pre-cruise stay.

With just 2 nights, so little over 24 hours in this amazing city, we had to make the most of our time here.

If you are doing a pre or post-cruise stay in Miami, we hope this post gives you some ideas on what to do with your time in port.

If you want to see our Miami vlog, you can check it out below or on our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/holidaysatsea

Miami in 24 hours

Our Hotel

Our two nights were spent at the art deco Chelsea Hotel on Washington Ave, Miami Beach. Ideally situated to restaurants, bars, and the beach, this was a great hotel – we can’t take credit for this as it was picked for us by our travel agent.

The hotel has a small bar that has a happy hour, with a selection of free drinks available. The room was huge, with some fierce air conditioning which kept us very cool.

Check out the hotel’s website at https://www.thehotelchelsea.com/

Getting around Miami

Our airport and port transfers were arranged by our travel agent, and to be honest, the airport transfers were complete rubbish. Difficult to find and contact on arrival and on return from the ship, non-existent – we ended up getting a shared taxi. So, the lesson here is researching your transfers, and to be honest, we’d say use Lyft or Uber!

We used both Lyft and Uber to get around and they were really cheap, quick, and convenient. Make sure you download both apps and then compare prices for your journeys. Most of ours were relatively short costing around $5 a time.

If you are new to Uber, join here (affiliate link): https://www.uber.com/invite/gavinp3105ue

Food

The first night, we ate at Havana 1957. During our transfer from the airport, the driver recommended we visit here as we drove by Espanola way. The restaurant was just a short walk from our hotel and specialises in authentic Cuban cuisine

Another place worth visiting is the Time Out Market Miami, inside you will find 18 eateries – this is where we came to get a taste of some alligator!

Hop on – Hop off bus

We used BigBus tours and on our full day in Miami, too the hop on – hop off bus. This is a great way to see the city and sights. We have the one day ticket which was $45 per person pre-purchased online – we just had to show our phone at the pick-up point for it to be exchanged for a ticket.

For up to date information on pricing, check out https://www.bigbustours.com/en/miami/miami-bus-tours/

Bayside Market Place

The Bayside market place can be found in Downtown Miami on the banks of Biscayne Bay. Here you will find a wide range of stalls, shops, bars, and restaurants, as well as a beautiful Mariana.

In the distance, you can also see cruise ships, which is very exciting if you are about to go on one but maybe a little saddening if you have just got off one.

Wynwood Walls

If you love street art, you will be in heaven here! Since Wynwood walls started, it has seen over 50 artists, representing 16 countries, covering over 80,000 square feet of walled area in various forms of art, the artwork here looks absolutely fantastic.

Little Havana

The Cuban heart of Miami, Little Havana has a number of cafes and restaurants as well as the Maximo Gomez Park, dubbed Domino Park by locals.

When we visited, time was getting the better of us so we didn’t have much time to explore here, so next time we are back in Miami, we will definitely be returning here, even if to just have the smoking Mojitos again!

Miami Beach South Pointe Park and Pier.

A visit to Miami wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the beach – top up the tan, go for a swim, or talk a walk over the sand. Running along the beach you will find the famous Ocean Drive, known for its Art Deco hotels, restaurants, and bars. You may recognise some of them as many of them have featured in numerous movies and media over time.

Finally, a walk down to South Pointe Park and Pier is worth doing if you want to watch the cruise ships sail by as they depart Miami, it’s a long walk but worth it!

We hope this whistle-stop post has given you something to think about if you are planning on staying in Miami before your next cruise. When we’re next there we’ll be sure to spend more time exploring!