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South Beach Miami Location question

jsb15

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Yay! I finally booked my first reservation saving so much with open season rates to justify most of my annual MF. Apparently the Ocean Plaza building rooftop is under construction. Any pointers on whether this building or McAlpin is more desirable or anything about location I might request at check-in?
 

GTLINZ

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Yay! I finally booked my first reservation saving so much with open season rates to justify most of my annual MF. Apparently the Ocean Plaza building rooftop is under construction. Any pointers on whether this building or McAlpin is more desirable or anything about location I might request at check-in?

I stayed there twice since November and asked questions about the layout. We stayed in both a 2br and a 1br.

The buildings are basically the same layout with 4 floors - they are narrow and deep. The "rooftop" is essentially the front of the 4th floor, the lobby is essentially the front of the 1st floor. A 2br spans the entire front of the 2nd and 3rd floors, and I think there may be a few more 2brs. Most units are 1br with essentially a view of the alleys. The buildings were originally apartments from the 30s and everything in the area is built and maintained art deco. The "rooftop" of Ocean Plaza has a workout center with a hot tub and sitting area on either side, and I think McAlpin just has a larger sitting area. There is a business center in each building and I think laundy facilities in the basement. There is a sitting are outside the front of each which blends in with all of the curbside outdoor restaurants in the area.

You can see the ocean from each rooftop and there is a park between you and ocean. There are walking trails in the park and all along the ocean going either way. There is a lot of other stuff going on in the parks too just like any large suburban area. The ocean is an amazing deep blue and one of the prettiest in the us. There is a starbuck almost across the street.

It is a really cool and unique location. Being suburban and crowded you will be charged $35 a night for parking. You can get it a little cheaper if you want to walk but the staff is very helpfull and friendly (especially Alex and Michael). Take you walking shoes as you will want to go out and about.

Have a great time. This is the life !
 
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chriskre

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Wyndham Las Cascadas
HGVC Tuscany Village
Bluegreen CMV UDI
RCI pts at VVParkway
Enchanted Isle resort.
The beach has a free trolley that goes thru most of South Beach.
Having a car is a pain in the butt as it's mostly street parking and you need residential decals or money for meters and they dooooooooo ticket all the time. The public lots can be quite a hike.

If you want to get off South beach you will really need a car as Miami is not the most friendly transit city. The buses take forever and don't seem to be very regular nor convenient.

You're gonna love South beach if you have never been. Such a vibrant area and a very nice beach.

Okay, so I'm a little biased being an almost Native Floridian.
 

dvc_john

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When we were there a few years ago, there was a public ramp about 2 or 3 blocks away, and if I recall correctly, it was only $8 per day.
Now, however, it looks like the public ramps range from $16 to $20 per day.
 

PigsDad

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We were there in March two years ago, and did not get a car. We just took a cab to/from the airport, and we found plenty of activities to keep us busy for the week. The public "tourist" bus loop was great, and made it easy to get anywhere we needed in SoBe, including grocery shopping.

You didn't mention what size of unit you have, but if it is a 1BR, I highly reccomend you request one of the units in the very back of the building. Those 1BRs have and extra window in the bedroom (out the back of the building), and it makes the whole place much brighter. The units are a bit small and can feel a bit cramped, but the extra window helps. Since I have been there, they have refurbished the units so they should be in pretty good shape.

Kurt
 

JamminJoe

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Grandview at Las Vegas, Week 11
I was there 2-years ago and don't think the buildings make any difference, they are both within 2-steps of each other. I also took a taxi from Miami Intl. Airport for around $50, no car needed. The location is amazing, the units are great as I only used mine to sleep in - with so much to do there. Both buildings have a great front porch to people watch and just relax. I will be back there at the end of April and am very excited about my return. I am certain you will leave South Beach and HGVC with a smile. Have fun!!
 

PigsDad

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Is south Beach kid friendly?:banana:
I'm sure you will get a mix of opinions, but our experience was positive. Two years ago we took our 7 yo daughter to the HGVC SoBe during spring break! We were a bit apprehensive at first, but it turned out to be a great vacation.

SoBe wasn't flooded w/ rowdy college kids -- in fact, it was kind of quiet there. Our days usually consisted of heading for the beach around 10-11 in the morning, and later in the afternoon go out exploring or some other activity in the area (bowling at "Lucky Strike" in the shopping district was a huge hit!). The college kids did start showing up on the beach around 2pm, but were very mellow. There was the occasional girl that was getting a little extra "exposure" while sun bathing :rolleyes:, but that wasn't a big issue for us. The beaches were definitely not crowded, but we were usually off of them by 3:00 or so. We usually had dinner around 6:30 and were back in our room by 8:00, so we didn't do any late-night activities. The street in front of the resort was mellow as well -- no problems with excessive noise.

Overall, it was one of the best trips we had taken, and are looking forward to returning.

Kurt
 
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bdj604

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Do these hotels have the outdoor restaurants in front of them? If so, does anyone remember the restaurant names? We were there early January for the Orange Bowl and ate down there a couple of nights. I didn't have the HGVC SoBe info in front of me and wonder if I was by the HGVC hotels or even ate there!
 

GTLINZ

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Do these hotels have the outdoor restaurants in front of them? If so, does anyone remember the restaurant names? We were there early January for the Orange Bowl and ate down there a couple of nights. I didn't have the HGVC SoBe info in front of me and wonder if I was by the HGVC hotels or even ate there!

There is not an outdoor restaurant in front of either building - it is a sitting area with molded outdoor vinyl couches. There are outdoor restaurants on either side of the buildings. They are across from the north end of the park and near the end of ocean blvd (maybe 5 buildings?).
 

pt181

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Congratulations on your trip to South Beach. We stayed in the Ocean Plaza bldg in April 2009. We were lucky enough to get a top floor 1BR in back of the building; the corner window in the back was nice, not much of a view - just other buildings, but did make it nice and bright.

I don't know if there is much difference in one bldg over the other. They looked comparable in the lobby and "rooftop" patios. We spent almost one entire afternoon sitting up there; I was out there most mornings to catch the sunrise, too. We didn't try the hot tubs but they seemed nice. I did miss having a pool but we wouldn't have used it much anyway.

We used the laundry area downstairs in the Ocean Plaza bldg once. Sitting on the "front porch" of either building is great for people watching. As others have said, there are MANY restaurants near by. It is a fantastic location! Look online for prices of hotels in the area; the HGVC becomes a great deal.

I wouldn't want a car there; we did a LOT of walking. We took taxi to/from the airport and a couple of other times. The "South Beach Local" bus was handy to get around the area as well. Go up to Lincoln Road Mall for great restaurants. Then walk or bus down to the southern tip of the island of SoBe to watch the cruise ships go in and out. You can look online to see when each of the cruise lines leave or arrive in port of Miami.

It didn't seem like there were many children on vacation there. Either couples of all ages, or groups of 20-somethings. There were families with children at the beach on the weekend.

One thing to note about this facility - the people working there, from the bellman, desk staff to cleaning folks were the best we have ever encountered in our travels - genuinely kind and thoughtful. Have a great time.
 
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