We scored a great deal on a trip to northern Miami the end of February this year. My husband and I stayed on Miami Beach a few years ago and loved it, but it was so expensive! The food alone cost of tons of money each day. So when we decided to do a family vacation this year, we knew we needed to find something for less.
It’s always hard being guaranteed beach weather somewhere in the US in February. You can get nice weather in San Diego in February, but its average temperature is usually not quite warm enough to enjoy the pool or the beach. So when my husband said he’d like to stay in the US for our family trip this year, I started searching southern Florida. I knew we didn’t want to be right on Miami Beach because of it’s food costs. I decided to look at the map and find another spot that could offer us a similar experience for a little less. That’s when I found Sunny Isles, FL.
Sunny Isles is a beach community just north of the city and about 15 minutes south of Fort Lauderdale. It’s still got the same gorgeous beaches and perfect weather, but the hotels are a little more affordable. I also found it to be a more kid-friendly area than Miami Beach.
I always turn to Expedia.com first for bundle packages when traveling. I’ve always found them to be the most competitive price-wise. By doing a bundle package, they put your flight and hotel together saving you tons of money. After searching Sunny Isles, FL area I found the Newport Beachside Resort.
I watched their package pricing (along with others nearby) and they continued to come up for around $600/person for the 5 nights stay. That was my round trip, non-stop flight and hotel which is truly a DEAL! I did read some reviews saying that this hotel was somewhat dated and that they needed to update their rooms. So we went into the experience ready to enjoy the beach and the restaurants nearby!
View from the Newport Pier
When we arrived, we were told by our Uber Driver that our resort was the first one on Sunny Isles Beach and at one time was the tallest. Now it stands as the shortest on the strip of hotels and condos! The hotel’s lobby, pool and restaurants were all nicely maintained and in very good condition. Our room was definitely dated, but wasn’t an issue! We chose a 2 bedroom suite, giving our family of 5 two king bedrooms and a pull out sofa. We definitely had plenty of room to spread out AND a surprise ocean view, too.
The biggest excitement for my kids was having the Newport Pier right at our hotel. This pier was such a fun area to look for shells and find sea life! We also got to enjoy the restaurant right on the pier for lunch, too. At the end of the pier you could watch fisherman and see pelicans fish, too!
Our location also made it very easy to find restaurants and shopping in the evening. We were able to walk across Collins Avenue to three different shopping plazas with boutiques, restaurants and a CVS. We actually stocked up on breakfast foods the first night there since our room also had a refrigerator.
If you are looking for a great getaway for less, I would definitely recommend Sunny Isles, FL! You could even choose to fly into Fort Lauderdale if you find flights less than Miami since they are about the same distance away.
Enjoy…
Jamie
I was not paid to write this post, these are just my honest opinions from our travels.
Jamie Delight 