If you are considering taking a cruise out of Miami and want to find an affordable “no frills” hotel, you may want to consider the 243-room Continental Bayside Hotel, located in Miami’s Bayside.
I booked my hotel on GetARoom.com for $109 per night. Usually I would use Priceline or Hotwire for Miami hotels but with it being spring break I couldn’t find a decently priced hotel in the area.
At the time of publication the hotel is going through a major renovation while includes a new lobby and remodeled staterooms. The renovation is expected to be completed in Spring 2013.
The Location. Right off Biscayne Blvd and 2nd Street and it couldn’t be in a more perfect location in Miami’s Bayside area. The hotel itself is located caddy corner from the Bayside Marketplace and PortMiami.  If you don’t know what you’re looking for it could be tricky (see photo). From the Miami International Airport the hotel is a $30 cab ride. You can also do public transportation from the airport but it looked like it could be a little bit of a hassle.
Parking. There isn’t a parking lot on site but you do have the option to park in the garage right next to the hotel for $24 per day, and they valet your car. You get unlimited in and out privileges for the valet. You can also pay hourly but you will not have in and out privileges and have to pay as you come in go. Hourly is $1 per hour.
First Impression. The first impression of the hotel wasn’t the best but given that it was under renovation I cut it some slack. The front desk seemed disorganized but once someone finally helped me, the process was flawless. They took my credit card and ID, checked me in and issued my room keys. The lobby was getting new tile and was filled with brand new mattresses, a temp eye sore but good because the rooms are getting new beds.
Rooms. My first impression of the room was amazing. All the reviews I read about this place online were bad and the reviews on Trip Advisor were less than stellar to say the least. My room was on the 14th floor, had two brand new comfortable double beds, new carpet, fresh paint and the bathroom was brand new. There was free wifi and a flatscreen TV with on-demand programming. We had a partial bay-front view.
Final thoughts: This hotel is for you if you’re looking for a place close to the cruise port, South Beach and conveniently located to downtown and the American Airlines arena. You can’t find a decently priced hotel so close to the pier so it’s definitely worth your money. The hotel also runs a shuttle to PortMiami for $5 per person.
For more information on the property you can check out their website:Â Hotel Continental.
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