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Just lately on my private Fb web page, I requested my buddies, “You probably have a 12-hour in a single day (9pm-9am) layover with children at MIA, which airport lodge do you suggest? Have you ever stayed on the Miami Worldwide Airport Resort?” FYI: A lot of my buddies are world vacationers, many are journey writers or work in public relations or are locals I’ve met throughout my very own travels so I worth all of their opinions.
I obtained a number of feedback that warned, “Do NOT do the terminal lodge. It’s simply so terrible.” My good friend Brian mentioned: “I’ve colleagues who stayed there not too long ago and knowledgeable me it’s terrible.”
I replied to the latter remark saying, “I used to be afraid of that. It’s so handy which makes it a disgrace.” Brian responded, “We have been saying the identical factor … it’s so handy and so many people have handed it numerous occasions, so we have been all curious. However a dependable journo good friend instructed us it’s dated and unhealthy in different methods as properly.”
I knew proper there that I needed to keep on the Miami Worldwide Airport Resort as a result of, like Brian, I’ve handed the lodge numerous occasions and I too was curious. I suppose this makes me an ‘askhole’, a humorous phrase I realized from one other good friend’s Fb put up. The definition? “An individual that continually asks in your recommendation, but all the time does the exact opposite of what you instructed them to do.”
For just a little background, we reside in Los Angeles and I’ve been to Florida over 50 occasions. Even earlier than my sister moved there 20 years in the past, I’d nonetheless go commonly however as soon as she moved there after which my dad did, too, I visited, on common, each three weeks. Usually, I’d drive an hour north to see them in Delray Seashore however I’ve additionally stayed in dozens of accommodations within the Miami space for work, together with on the grand opening of the Miami Marriott Airport Resort Advanced with Mr. Marriott again in 2009.
This time, I needed to belief my intestine as a result of if we received on the flight I needed (it’s a protracted story), we wouldn’t arrive in Miami till 9pm and would want to go away the lodge by 8:30am to catch a ten:35am flight. I knew I didn’t wish to take care of ready for airport shuttles or overpriced and agitated rideshare drivers for a two- or three-mile drive with two drained little children.
Since I wasn’t positive if I used to be going to have the ability to get on the flight I needed, I simply stored monitoring the lodge value every day. It was shockingly low-cost at $109 till the morning of my journey, when it went as much as $260. What fearful me is that different airport accommodations have been exhibiting bought out and once I regarded on the climate forecast, my jaw dropped: A significant storm was lashing southeast Florida in a single day with heavy to excessive rainfall, as forecasters warned the extremely urbanized I-95 hall was underneath menace from important, life-threatening flash flooding.
I knew I needed to bounce on it earlier than we have been sleeping on the airport ground (like a dozen or so passengers I later noticed). BTW: I booked the lodge utilizing Resorts.com since I had a credit score and I’m a OneKey member (it’s free to affix), which gave me a ten% low cost. A normal room with 2 queen beds value me $227.67.
As soon as we received on the aircraft, I referred to as the lodge on to allow them to know we might be checking in late, round 9:30pm, and to not give our room away. They confirmed with me they wouldn’t.
To provide you an thought how laborious the rain was coming down, after we lastly landed (we needed to circle a number of occasions), the airport had leaks and two hours previous to touchdown, South Florida-based passengers’ emergency alerts stored going off round me, which made everybody bounce.
We landed in MIA’s D Terminal, which is superbly designed however by that point, most eating places had stopped serving meals. Thankfully, the one place I needed to eat at was open so we stopped at La Caretta for some Cuban meals. I used to be one of many final folks to undergo their cafeteria-like line earlier than they closed at 10pm. They did hold their takeout café open for an additional hour however you may’t get sizzling meals.
I knew the lodge was within the E Terminal so we adopted the signal in direction of the E Gates. There aren’t any lodge indicators till you’re actually shut however the two folks I requested all knew the place it was and guaranteed us we have been strolling in the appropriate route.
The Miami Worldwide Airport Resort check-in is on the identical degree (2) as ticketing.
It’s straightforward to search out and there was a line to check-in however they’d three brokers working so we didn’t have to attend greater than two minutes, which was a pleasant shock.
The youngsters have been, understandably, getting cranky so I used to be in a rush and forgot to ask for a room and not using a connecting door. Thankfully, our neighbor wasn’t loud however I did hear his iPhone alarm go off at 6am (I used to be up working). RELATED: The 5 Questions You Ought to At all times Ask Resort Entrance Desk Brokers
The elevators are redesigned and have been pretty fast. We have been on the fifth ground, room 504, which was in direction of the tip of the hallway which is essential when staying at an airport lodge as friends are often coming and going all evening lengthy.
The lodge room hallways don’t provide you with an excellent first impression. Honestly, they’re like a scene from a horror film with unhealthy lighting, stained partitions, splotchy doorways and an overwhelming musty scent.
As soon as I opened up the door to our room, the very first thing I seen (apart from the neon inexperienced wall) was the wall-to-wall shutters, making it seem like there are a number of home windows.
Sadly, there’s only one small window. It’s double-paned so it does do job protecting the sound out nevertheless it was filthy on either side.
Right here’s what the view really is; I took this picture within the morning from the lodge restaurant two flooring above.
The lavatory sink and tub have been dated however clear. The water strain within the bathe was strong however fluctuated in strain and temperature when somebody close by makes use of theirs.
By far the very best a part of the room was the beds, which have been very snug and for us, that was an important factor. They’d three pillows every, two flat (which I like) and one cumbersome, which is nice to work in mattress with.
There was a working desk however I didn’t have time to make use of it. There was additionally a wall-mounted iron and ironing board, which my spouse appreciated although she additionally didn’t use it.
The TV was small and customary, not a Sensible TV however then I wouldn’t have anticipated one.
I might hear some hallway noise however not lots so both our neighbors have been thoughtful or the door and partitions do job blocking out noise.
There’s a espresso maker within the room.
They’ve their very own monogrammed pens so make sure to seize one to fill out any customs type like we wanted to for our connecting flight within the morning.
Use the Do Not Disturb signal as a result of housekeeping knocks on the door at 8am to wash.
I believed I had learn they provide free breakfast however once I referred to as right down to the entrance desk within the morning, they mentioned they don’t. They’ve a restaurant on the seventh ground nevertheless it doesn’t open till 12pm. I needed to go test it out and it’s a surprisingly handsome restaurant with clear home windows and implausible views of the airport.
FYI: There’s no pool or health club however there’s a merchandising machine on every ground close to the ice machines and elevators. Bottled water and soda go for $3.50.
Total, the lodge was precisely what we wanted. A cushty, if unattractive, place to sleep with out having to take care of shuttles or automobiles. Safety for the E & D gates was lower than 100 yards away and it had a CLEAR station so we went from the lodge to post-security in underneath 5 minutes.
Backside line: The hallways and rooms are ugly and dated however I’d positively ebook it once more underneath the identical circumstances. After we received off our cross-country flight late at evening, all we needed was essentially the most handy place to place our sleepy youngsters to mattress in order that they have been well-rested for our connecting flight within the morning. Even my spouse, who’s massive into design, agreed that it served that objective. We have been capable of get the children straight to the lodge with out having to go exterior within the torrential rain and even additional delay bedtime.
Once I went to inform my buddies on Fb about our expertise, I seen I had two new feedback. One was from a journey author who mentioned, “I stayed on the MIA lodge. Nice runway views, very quiet and handy. Plus I received room 747!!!” The opposite remark, from an airline government, mentioned: “I’ve stayed on the Miami Airport lodge as not too long ago as per week in the past. It’s It’s the one lodge inside the airport . It’s overpriced however location clever it will probably’t be beat. Service is truthful.”
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