We Stayed in South Beach (Avalon Hotel) Before Our Cruise – Worth It?
Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.
Creator's Key Takeaways
We swapped our usual downtown hotel for Soie this time to see if it's really worth it before a cruise.
The room is not big or flashy and you can tell this is an older hotel, but it's clean and it's wellkept and everything works for a couple of nights before a cruise.
Is it the cheapest place to stay before a cruise? No. Is it the quietest? Definitely not. But if you want atmosphere, walkability, and that classic Miami Beach feel, this does take a lot of boxes.
This has been a great way to start the trip, but I think you need at least two days here to really make the most of it.
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Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.
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Is South Beach actually a good place to stay before a Miami cruise… or are you better off downtown near the port? In this video, we swap our usual downtown Miami pre-cruise hotel for a stay right on Ocean Drive in South Beach. We check into the Avalon Hotel, explore the Art Deco district, watch cruise ships sail out from South Pointe, and see what a day as a tourist in South Beach is really like. From colourful lifeguard towers to Cuban food at a local institution and the reality of Ocean Drive at night, we put South Beach to the test as a pre-cruise base. Is it convenient? Is it too noisy? Is it worth the extra cost? If you're cruising from Miami and trying to decide between South Beach or a downtown hotel near the port, this video will help you choose. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:10 Avalon Hotel 03:26 Sailaway at South Pointe 05:03 Dinner at Puerto Sagua 08:44 Morning Drone 11:22 Breakfast at Alma Cubana 12:00 Art Deco Miami 15:27 South Beach 16:17 Final Verdict: Should You Stay Here? If you prefer staying at a downtown hotel before your cruise, check out these videos where I reviewed: Intercontinental Miami: https://youtu.be/REavhXTNvBQ Hilton Miami Downtown: https://youtu.be/WHQGiX8OlME