Trip suggestions – Miami & Orlando 2025

[harrysjones21]

Hi All,

We have a trip upcoming in May 2025 going to USA. Our first trip there exploring!

We are flying from LHR with BA Club World A380 (we have chosen upper deck seats, one window and one aisle) and will be staying in Miami, Florida first at the Hotel Eden Roc for one week (we booked this suing FHR to obtain the benefits).

We will then be hiring a SUV and driving up to Orlando, Florida and will be staying there for just over another week (17 days in total in Florida) before returning the hire car and leaving Florida at MIA.

For Orlando we have a few things planned notably the Universal Parks, we will be staying at the Hilton DoubleTree across the road mainly for the convenience and the hotel itself has the car hire return station next door (convenient, I know!).

As far as Miami goes we do not at the moment have any concrete plans but are hiring the car for a day there, so we are looking for some suggestions of places to go in Miami.

We are open to all suggestions but we need help for places to eat as well as tourist sites etc.

Thank you in advance!

[Man of Kent]

The drive between Miami and Orlando is not great, very boring and can be very busy around Miami. Have you considered getting the Brightline train between Miami and Orlando and then just hiring the car at Orlando?

[Andrew.]

Brightline it then Uber it.

Unless you’ve negotiated a parking inclusive rate you’re going to end up spending $400 just parking your car at the hotel for the ten nights.

[Michael C]

As others say, no need for Miami car.
Easy to arrange Everglades day trip if you fancy.
A free trolleybus goes up and down Miami Beach for easy transport.
In our case, Lyft often proved cheaper Uber.
Baseball matches are great fun.
Nice Cuban food around.

[harrysjones21]

Thanks all for the suggestions so far.

@ManofKent We have just checked out the Brighline train.

We are not sure it will be worth it for us primarily as it will take the same amount of time to drive and the cost of the ticket for two people to travel costs more than our care hire, which is currently around £75.00 for the one way journey from Miami to Orlando.

@Andrew When we leave Miami and arrive at Orlando we are returning our car to the car hire center.

We then have the car again for our two remaining days, so will only need to pay for one nights parking at $33 before driving back to Miami and returning our car at the airport.

[NorthernLass]

There’s not masses to do in Miami. A couple of years ago we did a road trip at Xmas from Key West to Orlando and managed to see a decent chunk of the Everglades in one day, including a guided tour of the former Nike missile silo which was absolutely fascinating and absolutely not what you expect in such a place!

Otherwise if you just fancy a day of shopping there are a couple of good malls – the Dolphin Mall is near MIA, or the Aventura Mall is a bit further north and (used to be a least) quite classy with a cinema and good food options. I know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but pre child and when we were both working very long hours the only chance we got to do stuff like that was on holiday! You may well be exhausted after 2 weeks in Orlando as well 😂

[Man of Kent]

Ah I see. I’d recommend giving yourself plenty of time to get back to Miami airport as I95 can get quite sticky if you are aiming to make an evening flight.

We stayed just north of Miami at Sunny Isles Beach. We took the hop-on hop-off bus around the City and also did a walking tour of the Art Deco district.

[harrysjones21]

@NorthernLass we will certainly be tired out from Orlando. Our first time visiting the parks who we are looking forward to that but are aware we may be lagging. All part of the fun I suppose!

Another fact we learnt a few weeks ago is that our hotel by the pool is where they filmed the famous card game scene in James Bond Goldfinger (Yes, I am a Bond fan!)

@Man of Kent Thank you for your suggestions we are going to consider getting the hop-on and hop-off bus as we feel we would benefit from this mainly for the sightseeing and have a structured route around the city.

Our return flight is at 17:00pm, we are planning on travelling back down to Miami for 1:00pm.

From your experience do you think this is reasonable or should more time be allowed?

Given your comments about traffic, I am now considering changing our hotel reservation so we have one less night in Orlando and are in Miami a day before our return flight, just to avoid any traffic delays.

P.S I may even do a trip report just to share our experiences.

[elguiri]

Done similar trip 3 times before Covid. Tampa to Miami, Miami to Tampa, and Miami to Orlando. Although the drive isn’t particularly interesting, it is relatively easy as long as you avoid rush hour traffic (which is more than an hour long around Miami).

I didn’t see you mention if you are with kids. If so there is also the Crayola Museum/Centre just outside Orlando, actually part of a mall. We enjoyed that a lot.
Also, there is the Miami Children’s museum which kept the little one entertained on two of our visits.

Check the route for tolls as that’s normally the case for any roads avoiding the worst traffic on the intersections between Interstate roads.

[harrysjones21]

@elguiri Nope, no kids here.

What is the general driving culture like in Miami & Orlando?

We are not driving in the city but between both destinations. I have driven overseas before, however not in the USA.

Some people recommend getting an International Drivers Permit, is this actually required?

[NorthernLass]

You don’t need an international permit, but check the requirements for your rental company – usually you only need to show your plastic U.K. licence these days.

Driving in the US is pretty good compared with other countries (we are currently in Mexico, for example 🙈😂). Speed limits are often lower than in Europe and are regularly enforced which keeps drivers in check. Make yourself aware of different road conventions, like turning on a red light or you’ll find yourself being honked by fellow (annoyed) motorists!

Definitely give yourself a day’s wriggle room with the return flight, even if it’s just for peace of mind. I like to stay at an airport hotel the night before we fly home so we’re nearby with our luggage and can use the hotel shuttle.

We are also collectors of Bond locations! So far done Macao, Nassau, Paris, Chantilly, Glen Etive, Key West, Berlin, Monte Carlo, San Francisco, Mexico City and a few others, lol 🎥 🤵🏻

[The Savage Squirrel]

If you are adults, have a car, and are interested in space flight even in the slightest, then the absolute best thing to see (sort of) near Orlando is Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Centre.

[gordog01]

harrysjones21 wrote:

Hi All,

We have a trip upcoming in May 2025 going to USA. Our first trip there exploring!

We are flying from LHR with BA Club World A380 (we have chosen upper deck seats, one window and one aisle) and will be staying in Miami, Florida first at the Hotel Eden Roc for one week (we booked this suing FHR to obtain the benefits).

We will then be hiring a SUV and driving up to Orlando, Florida and will be staying there for just over another week (17 days in total in Florida) before returning the hire car and leaving Florida at MIA.

For Orlando we have a few things planned notably the Universal Parks, we will be staying at the Hilton DoubleTree across the road mainly for the convenience and the hotel itself has the car hire return station next door (convenient, I know!).

As far as Miami goes we do not at the moment have any concrete plans but are hiring the car for a day there, so we are looking for some suggestions of places to go in Miami.

We are open to all suggestions but we need help for places to eat as well as tourist sites etc.

Thank you in advance!

Driving between Miami and Orlando is easy but boring going up the Turnpike. Get yourself a sunpass transponder as the Tolls are everywhere. Probably cost you about $20 in tolls but its not much more than $20 in fuel one way. It takes around 3 1/2 hrs driving from Miami to Orlando. I have done the journey loads of times and going from Orlando to Miami is not so easy when you hit the outskirts of Miami, that’s the nightmare part as its always congested. I did it a few weeks ago, our flight was at 10pm and we left Orlando at 3pm on a Sunday. We made it no bother for the lounge but i would have given myself another hour to be comfortable. The car rental depot is not at the airport so you have to get the tram that connects with the airport.

[gordog01]

gordog01 wrote:

harrysjones21 wrote:

Hi All,

We have a trip upcoming in May 2025 going to USA. Our first trip there exploring!

We are flying from LHR with BA Club World A380 (we have chosen upper deck seats, one window and one aisle) and will be staying in Miami, Florida first at the Hotel Eden Roc for one week (we booked this suing FHR to obtain the benefits).

We will then be hiring a SUV and driving up to Orlando, Florida and will be staying there for just over another week (17 days in total in Florida) before returning the hire car and leaving Florida at MIA.

For Orlando we have a few things planned notably the Universal Parks, we will be staying at the Hilton DoubleTree across the road mainly for the convenience and the hotel itself has the car hire return station next door (convenient, I know!).

As far as Miami goes we do not at the moment have any concrete plans but are hiring the car for a day there, so we are looking for some suggestions of places to go in Miami.

We are open to all suggestions but we need help for places to eat as well as tourist sites etc.

Thank you in advance!

Driving between Miami and Orlando is easy but boring going up the Turnpike. Get yourself a sunpass transponder as the Tolls are everywhere. Probably cost you about $20 in tolls but its not much more than $20 in fuel one way. It takes around 3 1/2 hrs driving from Miami to Orlando. I have done the journey loads of times and going from Orlando to Miami is not so easy when you hit the outskirts of Miami, that’s the nightmare part as its always congested. I did it a few weeks ago, our flight was at 10pm and we left Orlando at 3pm on a Sunday. We made it no bother for the lounge but i would have given myself another hour to be comfortable. The car rental depot is not at the airport so you have to get the tram that connects with the airport.

Make sure you ram the car full of fuel at the service stop around 50 miles from the airport and then your safe to just drop it off without refuelling again. The fuel price outside the car rental drop off is crazy prices and its not easy to access it when dropping the car off.

[harrysjones21]

@NorthernLass thank you for the heads up about the IDP, there is a lot of confusing information posted online so glad you can clarify that for us.

A fair few Bond locations visited there. We hope to accomplish more over the next few years!

We are seriously thinking now about heading back to Miami a day earlier from Orlando just to be on the safe side. Currently checking out MIA hotels as we speak.

Can you recommend any that you have used in the area?

@gordog01 Where do we get a sunpass from? Are they in the arrival terminal or located at the car hire desks. We are using Avis as we have status with them.

[Man of Kent]

I never used to have an IDP as I’d managed to drive in the US many times but I just wasn’t aware of it. I get one now as I don’t think it’s correct to say you don’t need one. It’s likely more needed in the event of an accident as I’ve never been asked for one by the car rental company – same goes for the addendum to your UK license which you can download before you go.

https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit

[elguiri]

We’ve used the Homewood Suites by Hilton at Miami airport pre-Covid, and found it perfectly fine.

[The real Swiss Tony]

Having driven from Tampa to Orlando then on to Miami in the summer, I’m going to pitch in here. The quality of the driving in the US is absolutely atrocious. I think to qualify for a license you must need to get some kind of high score on Grand Theft Auto – and that’s about it. You certainly don’t need to understand that in the p1$4ing rain, you should have the headlights turned on… The number of wrecks we saw was ridiculous. Perhaps I was just unlucky, but it’s what you’re up against.

Will also reiterate the point about driving back to Miami – we left Vero Beach around 1.30pm and headed south. Torrential rain around the Fort Lauderdale area then we were into rush hour traffic, so it was stop/start from there to MIA. So Vero Beach to Miami took about 3.5 hrs. Am sure 20 years back I did Disney all the way to MIA in a similar length of time.

For your own sanity, drive back to Miami the night before (or just take the train – you need to think about tolls and fuel as well).

On the subject of tolls you’ll have to decide what option to take. We rented with Avis and just used the pay as you go option, but were only on toll roads for two days. This is however a whole other subject. And we had to pay $15 to park at the hotel near the airport as well, which seemed punitive but what can you do? I also took the full to empty fuel option which seemed like a fair price. Range was 8 miles when I handed the keys back. Paid £75 for 28 gallons worth of fuel.

I also found security queues at Miami airport were terrible – we went well out of our way to find a quieter checkpoint with “only” a 15 minute wait. It was 45 minutes for the priority line by the American Airlines desks.

In summary the driving wasn’t great – the roads are incredibly busy in that part of the world – and i’d pay a premium not to do it again!

@elguiri that’s where we stayed (the Blue Lagoon one) and it did the job for us too. but the only issue seemed to be a lack of dining options. Breakfast is included but I’m not sure what else there is around. If driving down the night before and the flight isn’t until the afternoon/evening I’d personally stay somewhere more resort-like

[The Savage Squirrel]

The real Swiss Tony wrote:

Having driven from Tampa to Orlando then on to Miami in the summer, I’m going to pitch in here. The quality of the driving in the US is absolutely atrocious. I think to qualify for a license you must need to get some kind of high score on Grand Theft Auto – and that’s about it. You certainly don’t need to understand that in the p1$4ing rain, you should have the headlights turned on… The number of wrecks we saw was ridiculous. Perhaps I was just unlucky, but it’s what you’re up against.

I’ve always wondered if the number of crashes you see is partly because Americans are also terrible at building cars (their idea of “more luxurious” or “better” is simply “bigger”). There’s a reason the rest of the world does not buy or use them… Most American cars have the road-handling characteristics of an anvil on rollerskates.

[NorthernLass]

Homewood Suites is always a good option. I’ve got one of the HIEXes booked for next March (whichever has the free shuttle!) Actually prefer Hilton brands in the US but I’m struggling to hit IHG targets next year.

We’ve driven in numerous states (plus into Washington DC) and always found driving standards better than (e.g.) Spain, Italy, Greece and now Mexico (where we haven’t driven but if you do, apparently it’s obligatory to be simultaneously surfing your mobile). Possibly the trick is to make sure you’re also in a huge vehicle 😂

*Agree that American drivers always seem nonplussed by the weather though!

[davefl]

Man of Kent wrote:

I never used to have an IDP as I’d managed to drive in the US many times but I just wasn’t aware of it. I get one now as I don’t think it’s correct to say you don’t need one. It’s likely more needed in the event of an accident as I’ve never been asked for one by the car rental company – same goes for the addendum to your UK license which you can download before you go.

https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit

Avis rental Ts&Cs explicitly state you don’t need the printout from the DVLA. Never been asked for one in any country I’ve visited.

I’ve rented in excess of 40 times in the US and never been asked for an IDP. I can guarantee that 99.999% of americans behind the desk wouldn’t know what one was even if you rammed one up their ass. IDPs are generally used for non-roman alphabet countries.

[NorthernLass]

The only time I’ve needed the print out in recent years was ironically at GLA a couple of months ago!

If your rental agreement doesn’t refer to an IDP, you won’t need one for the insurance that comes with that. If for some reason you were driving your own vehicle in the US, there might be a requirement to have one, but again that would depend on who was covering you.

[harrysjones21]

@NorthernLass We have hired some big Ford suv looking car. Mainly because of the luggage, we are fully utilizing our BA Club allowance so need the car to fir it all in! Not just that, I would also feel more comfortable in a bigger car over there.

We have checked out Homewood Suites which both you and a few others here have mentioned (too many to tag). It seems like a really good option for a quick airport pit stop before our departure flight the following day so we are going to enquire about booking that. Hopefully can use some points too if its a reasonable enough redemption.

@davefl We are using AVIS to, so I presume the same would apply to our vehicle rental. I cannot seem to find anything on their website to state otherwise that it is a requirement.

We also want to say thank you to everyone who has contributed their suggestions so far. We have taken everyone’s advice on board to assist with our holiday planning. Keep the suggestions coming, we appreciate your input!

[The real Swiss Tony]

Re the Homewood suites, I saved a lot by repeatedly rebooking the room as the rate fell as check in date approached. But I would stress you might get a bit bored if you’re there all day before a late afternoon flight. There’s nothing in the vicinity other than a couple more Hilton group hotels and some office blocks.

[harrysjones21]

@The real Swiss Tony Thank you for the insight. We are going to have a look at some other reasonable hotels in the area, as out departure flight back to LHR is not until 17:00pm the following day.

We’ve got some Hilton points to use up so will look to cash them in. With regards tore booking for a lower rate. Does that happen with points redemptions? I cannot say we’ve ever tried that so am slightly unsure. We have done it for cash paying stays.