South Florida Master Thread

[AROCKS1]

Hey anybody have any ideas as to which hotel to stay in near the 41st and collins area with UR points? I'm going in aug and looking to spend no more than 12K per night (so the centric is out, and no I don't want to use 150$ cash with points) and want it to be a relatively nice place. The regency is a good option but I heard that parking is 40$ a night and a huge mess, so that's not so good..

Thanks in advance for help!

[joe999]

Miami Trip Review:
Day 1: First time in Miami. The itinerary called for relaxation+ eating and not much else. We got in late at night using Avios to fly American Airlines. It was nice having Priority Access boarding because the overhead compartments filled up quickly. I used Silvercar for a rental car, and they were great. (Dan, you've got a $25 referral award coming your way). I was confused as to where to go after getting off the plane, because the instructions say to take the Miami Mover, but I didn't know where that was. I called them and they said to just wait by baggage claim and they'll come pick us up, which was nice. The car drove well and was comfortable. We got in to the Aloft South Beach, which just opened less than a month ago (and they should have waited longer. But more on that later). The lobby is nice and very modern, and check-in was easy. The rooms are small, but nice. We had a view of a dirty condo building across the canal (which was also dirty), so not very picturesque, but ok. We couldn't connect to the WiFi and didn't have cell service, but I was too tired to deal with it at night.

Day 2: We went to Tasti Cafe, which was only 5 minutes from the hotel, along with a bunch of other restaurants. HIGHLY recommend. They aren't cholov yisroel, so maybe that's why I didn't hear much of it on the forums, but it was really great. We ordered the blueberry pancakes and an avocado omelette that was delicious. It came with a multi-grain croissant. Frappes were good as well. Rating:5/5

I asked to switch rooms when we got back to the hotel, and they were polite and switched us to the first floor. But the room stank of fumes, whether from paint or cleaning solution. There was also a rag left in the sink. I asked to switch rooms again. This time, we moved to the fourth floor, which smelled fine, and WiFi and cell service worked. Great.

Lunch was 17 sushi and cafe. I used the groupon thankfully, because this place was super overpriced. The food was decent, we got quesadillas, sushi, and a milkshake, which was nothing special at all, even though it cost $8.  Food: 3/5 (but the price drops it to 2.5/5 for me).

Dinner was Fuego by Mana: A bit of a drive, but well worth it. Best place we went to in Miami. Pulled brisket empanadas were nice, and I had the best ribs I've ever had (better than Milt's in Chicago), topped with a really good chocolate mousse. 5/5 in every aspect.

Day 3: We loved Tasti cafe so much we decided to go there again instead of shlepping to Holy Bagels like the plan called for. Got the avocado omelette again and french toast. Still great though the pancakes were better than the french toast.

Lunch was at Zak the Baker. The neighborhood seemed a little rough to me, but it could just be the street art that is on the surrounding walls which I know is a tourist attraction. Either way, the bakery itself was anything but rough. The bread here is incredible and the portabella cheese melt I got was perfect. Very unique place and a must-go if you are visiting Miami with its ever-changing menu. They earned their rave reviews that I heard about. 5/5

Dinner was Kosh. I had the korean beef app and peppercorn filet mignon per Dan's recommendation. The former was great. The latter was just meh to me. My wife had the steak risotto which she said was good but not great. 3/5

We arrived back at the hotel at about 10pm, and the air conditioning in our room wasn't working. We spoke to the front desk and they told us to pack our stuff and they'd call us when a new room was ready. 15 minutes later, they call and say the engineer is trying to fix the problem, don't pack your stuff up yet (but we did). We wait longer. It's pretty unbearable with the heat and the humidity. 15 minutes later, I ask to just switch rooms. The new staff member I spoke to barely spoke English and had a thick accent. She tells me it's a problem with the central system. So I try to clarify, is it a hotel-wide problem? She says no and says something about the fourth floor. So I ask to switch to a different floor. And we go in circles. Meanwhile, all our stuff is in suitcases, because we don't know if we are going to move again. After this happens a couple more times, I call SPG. They call the hotel and clarify that it IS a hotel-wide problem. I ask to switch to the W, which is just across the street, and she says she can only do that if I use the point difference on the night. The hotel finally tells us we are not going to be switched, and just have to stay in our rooms. We are going to be "compensated" but she can't tell us how much.

At this point it's well past midnight, and we are hot, but exhausted and manage to fall asleep after some time.

Day 4 The air conditioning turned back on around 2am. I call down for the valet to bring my car around. About the valet: Every time I came in my car, I found the music turned to some rap station. Unprofessional, but I didn't care that much. They also said they need 15 minutes notice to bring the car in front. It's a $37 a day fee, and I feel like 15 minutes is a lot of time for such a large fee. However, again I didn't care that much. I arrive at the valet 15 minutes after I called, and he tells me it will be another 10 minutes. It ends up being over a half hour after I call. I'm going to miss the minyan I was planning on going to. I complain to the same woman, who doesn't know english very well, and she says in her broken English: "I know Jews, My ex-Husband was a Jew. I understand." I don't think it was meant maliciously, but I decided I was done speaking with her.

After coming back, I ask to speak to the manager. I go through everything that happened, and she was really nice. She refunded me the third night stay, the recreation fee ($20 each day for beach chairs and towels), and the valet fee plus a late check-out.

We then went to Montefiore, which was pretty decent. Great pancakes, but only an okay omelette. 3/5.

Lunch was pasta from Shemtov's 3.5/5 and a slice of Lenny's Pizza which was good thin crust and gigantic slices for a great price. 4/5

Overall a really nice trip. Thank you to everyone here for their recommendations!

[morgs]

Thanks for the tr! Staying in new hotels have their upsides and downsides-on the one hand it's new, clean and has that fresh feeling, on the other-the service and kinks still need ironing out!

[AVI D]

Miami Trip Review:
Day 1: First time in Miami. The itinerary called for relaxation+ eating and not much else. We got in late at night using Avios to fly American Airlines. It was nice having Priority Access boarding because the overhead compartments filled up quickly. I used Silvercar for a rental car, and they were great. (Dan, you've got a $25 referral award coming your way). I was confused as to where to go after getting off the plane, because the instructions say to take the Miami Mover, but I didn't know where that was. I called them and they said to just wait by baggage claim and they'll come pick us up, which was nice. The car drove well and was comfortable. We got in to the Aloft South Beach, which just opened less than a month ago (and they should have waited longer. But more on that later). The lobby is nice and very modern, and check-in was easy. The rooms are small, but nice. We had a view of a dirty condo building across the canal (which was also dirty), so not very picturesque, but ok. We couldn't connect to the WiFi and didn't have cell service, but I was too tired to deal with it at night.

Day 2: We went to Tasti Cafe, which was only 5 minutes from the hotel, along with a bunch of other restaurants. HIGHLY recommend. They aren't cholov yisroel, so maybe that's why I didn't hear much of it on the forums, but it was really great. We ordered the blueberry pancakes and an avocado omelette that was delicious. It came with a multi-grain croissant. Frappes were good as well. Rating:5/5

I asked to switch rooms when we got back to the hotel, and they were polite and switched us to the first floor. But the room stank of fumes, whether from paint or cleaning solution. There was also a rag left in the sink. I asked to switch rooms again. This time, we moved to the fourth floor, which smelled fine, and WiFi and cell service worked. Great.

Lunch was 17 sushi and cafe. I used the groupon thankfully, because this place was super overpriced. The food was decent, we got quesadillas, sushi, and a milkshake, which was nothing special at all, even though it cost $8.  Food: 3/5 (but the price drops it to 2.5/5 for me).

Dinner was Fuego by Mana: A bit of a drive, but well worth it. Best place we went to in Miami. Pulled brisket empanadas were nice, and I had the best ribs I've ever had (better than Milt's in Chicago), topped with a really good chocolate mousse. 5/5 in every aspect.

Day 3: We loved Tasti cafe so much we decided to go there again instead of shlepping to Holy Bagels like the plan called for. Got the avocado omelette again and french toast. Still great though the pancakes were better than the french toast.

Lunch was at Zak the Baker. The neighborhood seemed a little rough to me, but it could just be the street art that is on the surrounding walls which I know is a tourist attraction. Either way, the bakery itself was anything but rough. The bread here is incredible and the portabella cheese melt I got was perfect. Very unique place and a must-go if you are visiting Miami with its ever-changing menu. They earned their rave reviews that I heard about. 5/5

Dinner was Kosh. I had the korean beef app and peppercorn filet mignon per Dan's recommendation. The former was great. The latter was just meh to me. My wife had the steak risotto which she said was good but not great. 3/5

We arrived back at the hotel at about 10pm, and the air conditioning in our room wasn't working. We spoke to the front desk and they told us to pack our stuff and they'd call us when a new room was ready. 15 minutes later, they call and say the engineer is trying to fix the problem, don't pack your stuff up yet (but we did). We wait longer. It's pretty unbearable with the heat and the humidity. 15 minutes later, I ask to just switch rooms. The new staff member I spoke to barely spoke English and had a thick accent. She tells me it's a problem with the central system. So I try to clarify, is it a hotel-wide problem? She says no and says something about the fourth floor. So I ask to switch to a different floor. And we go in circles. Meanwhile, all our stuff is in suitcases, because we don't know if we are going to move again. After this happens a couple more times, I call SPG. They call the hotel and clarify that it IS a hotel-wide problem. I ask to switch to the W, which is just across the street, and she says she can only do that if I use the point difference on the night. The hotel finally tells us we are not going to be switched, and just have to stay in our rooms. We are going to be "compensated" but she can't tell us how much.

At this point it's well past midnight, and we are hot, but exhausted and manage to fall asleep after some time.

Day 4 The air conditioning turned back on around 2am. I call down for the valet to bring my car around. About the valet: Every time I came in my car, I found the music turned to some rap station. Unprofessional, but I didn't care that much. They also said they need 15 minutes notice to bring the car in front. It's a $37 a day fee, and I feel like 15 minutes is a lot of time for such a large fee. However, again I didn't care that much. I arrive at the valet 15 minutes after I called, and he tells me it will be another 10 minutes. It ends up being over a half hour after I call. I'm going to miss the minyan I was planning on going to. I complain to the same woman, who doesn't know english very well, and she says in her broken English: "I know Jews, My ex-Husband was a Jew. I understand." I don't think it was meant maliciously, but I decided I was done speaking with her.

After coming back, I ask to speak to the manager. I go through everything that happened, and she was really nice. She refunded me the third night stay, the recreation fee ($20 each day for beach chairs and towels), and the valet fee plus a late check-out.

We then went to Montefiore, which was pretty decent. Great pancakes, but only an okay omelette. 3/5.

Lunch was pasta from Shemtov's 3.5/5 and a slice of Lenny's Pizza which was good thin crust and gigantic slices for a great price. 4/5

Overall a really nice trip. Thank you to everyone here for their recommendations!

+1 on Fuego's ribs. Ridiculously good.

[Yaalili]

No more Uber in FLL . As of July 30th.

Ouch, uber is less than half the price of a taxi from FLL.

[sky121]

Can someone add Foozo to the wiki? Not sure what area it would go under. That place is excellent. 

[Dan]

Can someone add Foozo to the wiki? Not sure what area it would go under. That place is excellent. 

Review/pics?

[sky121]

No pictures unfortunately. And the food was brought to my hotel room by friends so I wasn't actually in the store though I heard good things about their service. I'd never heard of the place before otherwise I would have gone.

The Margherita pizza, white hot pizza,  foozo salad, and caprese sandwich were all excellent!!
Can't wait to get back to Miami to try out the rest of the menu.

[happyyyr]

I have just about given up. Can anyone please help me. Have tickets for family of 6 next week 4th-11thto Florida but have not found a house to rent yet. (Would rather be in Boca Raton but anywhere at this point would work)  Looking for one with a pool and walking distance to a shul. Yes tried all options in the Wiki and nothing is available. Basically hoping that someone here either knows of a house that's not advertised or knows of a house on Vbro type of site that is walking distance to a shul.
 
Thanks in advance for any advice.

[joe999]

I have just about given up. Can anyone please help me. Have tickets for family of 6 next week 4th-11thto Florida but have not found a house to rent yet. (Would rather be in Boca Raton but anywhere at this point would work)  Looking for one with a pool and walking distance to a shul. Yes tried all options in the Wiki and nothing is available. Basically hoping that someone here either knows of a house that's not advertised or knows of a house on Vbro type of site that is walking distance to a shul.
 
Thanks in advance for any advice.

Just did a search on Airbnb https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6356017?checkin=08%2F04%2F2015&checkout=08%2F11%2F2015&guests=6&s=we5Y

Not sure if this is what you're looking for though.

[Dave A]

No pictures unfortunately. And the food was brought to my hotel room by friends so I wasn't actually in the store though I heard good things about their service. I'd never heard of the place before otherwise I would have gone.

The Margherita pizza, white hot pizza,  foozo salad, and caprese sandwich were all excellent!!
Can't wait to get back to Miami to try out the rest of the menu.

Here's a pic of the "Foozo pizza", the "Foozo salad", and a not-so-great-picture (but delicious) "Vegeez Foozoli."  Salad presentation could have used work (but this pic was taken the first week they opened -- I imagine they've improved on that front). 

[cholent]

Here's a pic of the "Foozo pizza", the "Foozo salad", and a not-so-great-picture (but delicious) "Vegeez Foozoli."  Salad presentation could have used work (but this pic was taken the first week they opened -- I imagine they've improved on that front). 

What is the veggie foozoli exactly?

[Dave A]

What is the veggie foozoli exactly?

It's basically a calzone.  But more delicious.

[cholent]

It's basically a calzone.  But more delicious.

Interesting. I'll have to try next time I'm in fl

[my08701]

I have just about given up. Can anyone please help me. Have tickets for family of 6 next week 4th-11th to Florida but have not found a house to rent yet. (Would rather be in Boca Raton but anywhere at this point would work)  Looking for one with a pool and walking distance to a shul. Yes tried all options in the Wiki and nothing is available. Basically hoping that someone here either knows of a house that's not advertised or knows of a house on Vbro type of site that is walking distance to a shul.
 
Thanks in advance for any advice.

I just booked with Mendy Rosenberg in North Miami Beach.. if that is an option for you, it sounded like there were options for that week.. would you consider going in two houses during your stay.. I know the house I am in someone is there through the 12th, the day I am coming, he is going to another house because it was booked by me first...

[Ergel]

That's a great find. Fast location and the pricing isn't insane, albeit expensive

[yudel]

recommendation for really nice hotel in Miami?
Looking to be close to food -walking distance would be great as I hated having to deal with the traffic every time we went for lunch or dinner- would be nice if there's access to a beach which is somewhat quiet, even if only at sunset.
I have 140k x 2 from the Ritz card, some spg and some hilton points.
Thanks!

[Dave A]

recommendation for really nice hotel in Miami?
Looking to be close to food -walking distance would be great as I hated having to deal with the traffic every time we went for lunch or dinner- would be nice if there's access to a beach which is somewhat quiet, even if only at sunset.
I have 140k x 2 from the Ritz card, some spg and some hilton points.
Thanks!

You can use your Ritz points at Turnberry Isle in Aventura (the old Fairmont).  Walking distance to restaurants (and Uber for everything else).  Not on the beach but they have their own private beach and a free shuttle to/from.  We had an awesome stay there and will definitely be back. 

[Toronto]

What's the best grill in Boca (Grill Time, Century, or Pita n go)?

[CS1]

What's the best grill in Boca (Grill Time, Century, or Pita n go)?

We liked Grill Time (had great Korean steak) and their chocolate volcano cake, however never century and pita, so not sure if better.