Travel to Miami, USA.

Country/Town visited: Miami, USA
Date of stay: Sep 2011
Where you stayed:  Motel Bianco
Travelled with: Wife
Tour or pre planned: Pre-planned

I’d been to Miami before way back in 2007, but only spent several hours near the beach so didn’t get a chance to fully immerse myself into the city. This time, I got to spend a couple of days there so the feel and vibe of the city really started to sink its teeth into me. One thing I do have to warn though, this was not a very touristy stay.

Sure, there are plenty of touristy things to do in Miami (such as the safari & water park, boat & bus cruises and day trips out to the Keys)  but unfortunately this blog won’t really contain that sort of stuff. I can however tell you about some good places to walk, chill out, go shopping, and give you a few recommendations on how to get around, where to eat etc.

We stayed at a place called Motel Bianco which was super cheap at only 60 bucks a night (accommodation is generally expensive in Miami, so this was a bargain). The room was clean, spacious, had air con and free Wi-Fi and included a breakfast of champions which consisted of bagels and donuts. The staff weren’t all that knowledgeable about how to get around, so it’s not really catered for tourists as such. It is a motel after all, so it’s just a place to lay your head and explore on your own. All in all, a recommended place to stay if you’re on a budget.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that Miami is a huge city, so it can take a long time to get around, especially if your hotel isn’t on South Beach and you plan to spend a lot of your time there (as we did). Any map you have in your hand won’t really be of much help, as the scale is too small and distances can be deceiving. Unless along the beach, don’t try and walk to get to where you want to go, or you’ll be walking for miles on end.

Unfortunately Miami doesn’t have good metro system, so you’ll probably have to rely on buses which are not that frequent, or taxis if you have deeper pockets. We were in a location that seemed quite central, but it sometimes took over an hour and a half to get to South Beach. Buses will cost you $2 each trip, but there are no tickets to speak of; you just slide your $1 notes into a machine. However, no change is given so make sure you have a decent wad of $1 notes with you.

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