Florida in 8 days ?

[tony duggy]

Can anyone please suggest an itinery for me for 8 days.

I have booked car hire through carhire3000 from Miami Airport.

I intend to go from 'Motel' to motel with a budget of around �40 per night.

I am travelling with my mother.

Tony (London)

[xebo]

It's almost impossible to answer your question without knowing your interests. I am presuming that you do not wish to visit the theme parks.

The first thing to do is to put Miami behind you as quickly as possible!!

You might consider the Florida Keys although you will struggle to survive on $40 a night. Otherwise you can head across to the Gulf coast at Naples and work your way northwards from there. Take tihe US 41 between Miami and Naples as it's quite an interesting road. You can visit the Everglades National Park before crossing to the coast - take plenty of insect repellent!!

Going northwards from Naples, you can stop wherever takes your fancy, but Sanibel and Captiva islands are very popular and the Ding Darling natuire reserve is one of the best for wild life. You will struggle here to find motels at $40 a night - you might have better luck at Fort Myers Beach.

[HW iaintwoeyes]

Hi Tony

I flew into Miami a couple of years ago on a fly-drive. Like the previous poster says head out of Miami as there's not really much there exept Miami Beach (more on that later)

I firstly went south to Key West, which is about 2 hours south and a very slow road! Prices of hotels on Key West are way above your budget so I would suggest doing what we did and stay on one of the Keys north of Key West. I wish I'd spent longer in Key West, it is brilliant. So much to do and we had so little time to do it in.

After a few days in the Keys we headed back up to Miami and turned right onto the Old Tamiami Trail otherwise known as Highway 41. Half way along is a fantastic cycle ride called Shark Valley Loop Road. The wildlife you will see will blow you away!! You can also do the 7-mile trip in a tour bus. There are also airboat rides into the Everglades available just up the road from here.

Continue along H41 to Marco Island for a bit of Gulf luxury....go on stretch the budget slightly, it's well worth it.

We then continued on to Orlando and then back down to Miami, staying on one of the hotels on Ocean Drive, South Beach, Miami. It brilliant! We sat in one of the cafes on Ocean Drive people watching! What an experience.

Have a look at my photos at www.pbase.co.uk/iaintwoeyes

HW Iain

[HW tenpin]

While I agree with some of what is written in the above posts, Miami does offer lots to do and see, certainly enough for a week without too much driving.

First and foremost make sure the insurance offered on your car covers you, most offer only CDW which is certainly not enough should you have anything more than just the slightest bump. God forbid you have a major crash then you will be paying out for years. Full cover will cost you more than the hire of the car, so read the small print, they will offer you all sorts of cover & upgrades before letting you go. Make sure it covers tyres & exhausts. Get the best you can afford. Driving & parking in Downtown Miami is chaotic & not for the fainthearted.
Motels under $40? Yeah about twenty years ago, and still available but not where I would stay, closest I can think of is the Sunnyside Motel in West Miami (close to MIA) $50 last time I past it, or Airways Airport Inn in Miami Springs again close to MIA.
Seeing the best of Miami is easy, drive to Tropical Park or Coral Gables (441) park your car at one of the strip Malls, & pick up Red trolley bus $12 gets you on & off all day this will take you to all sites of interest within Miami Dade County.

You want the best beaches, take I-195 out to Miami Beach and Collins Ave, again park in Mall opposite the Thunderbird Hotel (Virgin) and walk through lobby of any hotel onto great wide beaches.
A trip to the keys is a must, however you will find very few, if any motels in that price range, try Days Inn or Best Western, for their best prices.

Top tips, do pick up books of vouchers & discounts on show everywhere, these list most motel & hotels and give various discounts off prices, as well as eating places & other attractions. These can be found in gas stations, eateries, hotel lobbies & even shops, they are used by most Americans. Maps are also found in these places.

Try Bayside for great free night out, or an evening Cruise out of Ft Lauderdale, great place to visit as well, how about The Riverboat Queen $25 for an evening trip looking at all the Stars houses, and great meal of Ribs, steak, and general BBQ stuff with drinks included.

Miami is a wonderful vibrant city with plenty to do, if mostly by night, but like any other city just take care.

Just one more point, if you are bumped by another car, DON'T get out to look, but indicate you will pull over further up the road, then drive to nearest gas station or large open store, where there are people about.

[tripper]

There are so many things to do in Florida! I just went on vacation with my family and used Tripcart.com and everyone loved it! I really recommend the site! You can check out the Southeren Florida section and see if you like it