South Beach, With Kids, It Can Be Done!
Having lived in Miami I can say with certainty that South Beach is all about expectations. Think of Miami as New York City but with palm trees and velvety ocean breezes. It’s a fast place. It’s not known for great service. It’s expensive if you want to stay in a great hotel during the season. Restaurants can be crowded and noisy. So where do kids fit in? Everywhere: As long as you don’t have a high need to get them to bed by 7PM!
Where to stay? The Loews. Don’t look further than the Loews and here’s why.
It’s clean. It’s quiet. It has a good pool and excellent beach. It’s perfectly poised between Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road. You can walk easily from the Loews and take in the vibe, the sites and enjoy South Beach to its fullest.
There was a time in my life, let’s call that time B.K. – as in – Before Kids when I would have loved staying out all night and staying in the hottest hotels. But now A.K. – as in, you guessed it – After Kids – we need quiet when we finally get to bed, we want a clean, good pool, a nice beach to roll out onto and a good location to use as a base of operations. The Loews has delivered this and more to us again and again.
6 Tips for Making the Most of The Loews Hotel on South Beach
- Join the Loews Points Club – you can then get an empty mini fridge at no charge in your room during your stay and other benefits that will make your stay very pleasant.
- Before arrival ask for a room with a balcony- it really gives a sense of place to stand outside and take in the ocean or city view as both are really good from The Loews.
- Skip the Valet and park across the street in the Miami Beach Parking Garage– You’ll pay far less for overnight parking and save tons of time as the Valet parks your car there anyway and just marks up the cost. The parking lot I am talking about is literally across the street from the entrance to the hotel.
- Use the local shops to fill your room with easy snacks you can carry to the pool or beach- There’s a Walgreen’s on the corner of Lincoln and Collins which has more groceries for sale than some grocery stores! There are also a couple Publix groceries which have tremendous deli sections catering to visitors who want to picnic.
- Walk everywhere on South Beach- The Loews is perfectly poised between Ocean Drive (so touristy but so fun to see) and Lincoln Road (is there a better walking street in America?)
- Don’t overschedule just enjoy your resort time- And when it is time for bed rest assured your very quiet, clean room will prove to be perfect respite from the insanity transpiring in every other hotel and on the streets.
Many hotels on Miami Beach are older buildings and rooms are on the smaller side and many don’t have balconies. Worse yet, many of the hot hotels have poolsides and courtyards that boast live music or dj’s into the night. You need this level of nightlife like you need a hole in your head when you are traveling with kids but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the fun and crowds.
We love a good relaxing family stay at the Loews and that’s why we return year after year. My kids, Benny and Abby can’t wait to be back on the beach in front of the Loews again soon.
All photography credit: www.loewshotels.com/miami-beach
Growing up, Rebecca was a well-travelled kid having visited all the United States save for Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, all the countries in Europe, nearly all the countries in Asia and nearly every province in Canada by her mid-20’s. And now as a mom of two kids ages 5 and 8 she is attempting to travel as much, if not more, with them and her husband, Dan to show them the world. Born and raised in Chicago and having lived for many years in Miami, she now calls Glencoe, IL home. When she is not traveling, Rebecca is a hard-working communications and branding expert in a private consulting practice, Good Egg Concepts.
