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It was time for a much needed break - a weekend beach escape all by myself. I got Monday off. I looked at flights and found there was good availability to St. Martin. That sounded good but a little too far perhaps for just 2 nights and the room rates were high. I'd never been to South Beach so that was my next idea. I'm recently single again and had found hostelling to be pretty fun the few times I had tried it back in my former single days. I found a few online in South Beach and read some reviews on TripAdvisor. The Tropics was my first choice but they had no availability. The Clay Hotel and Hostel had really mixed reviews but the good ones were so positive that I thought the bad ones might be from those that really didn't understand hostelling and bare bones accommodations. The idea is to just have a bed. I'm going to be out exploring and not spend much time in my room any way. In a hostel you just get a bed like in a dorm and share the room and bathroom with others. Another thing I really liked is meeting others. Hostels usually have a bunch of Europeans and Australians who take off for months at a time. They're fascinating to talk to.
So off I went on Saturday morning. No first class but plenty of seats in coach. I got an aisle. I even tried out my new "neck nest" but still couldn't go to sleep. I had figured out instructions to get to the hostel using Miami public transit but I also had instructions on getting the "Super Shuttle" right to the hotel for $20. I struggled with the decision but opted for the shuttle at the last minute - no need to get too ambitious with this whole bare-bones travel thing all at once. Besides, I was anxious to get to the beach. It ended up that the wait on the shuttle was pretty long and had me wondering if I'd of been just as well off with the bus. I got checked in pretty quick. They gave me a set of linens and a rather thin towel for a $10 deposit and gave me a room key. After several scans the key-card let me in. The older hotel/hostel was pretty well worn but seemed adequate. When I got in the room there was no one there but some clothing and bedding told me I already had some room mates. I chose one of the 4 bunks with a plastic cover since I had read a pretty scary story on TripAdvisor about bed bugs. Ok. This kind of travel is not for everyone.
I was anxious to get to the beach so got right into my trunks but realized this little towel wasn't going to cut it as a beach towel. So I unpacked some of my belongings and stacked them on my bed (there were no lockers - usually standard in hostels), kept my valuables and the things I needed in my backpack and headed out. I walked around and found a $14 South Beach beach towel and a $10 South Beach cap at "Surf and Style". I got a big bottle of water at CVS and made it to the beach after just enough walking to make me wish I had kept on the tennis shoes rather than putting on the flip flops.
Ah, on the beach at last and that was my whole agenda - relax and lay on the beach, oh, and eat occasionally as necessary. I laid on the beach for a few hours and then headed back to my room.
I'm not into the party scene at all. I'm sure you can spend a lot on that if you're into it. I did do quite a bit of walking in the evenings just to people watch. It's a diverse crowd for sure and I loved the atmosphere. There was only a brief time or two that I felt slightly unsafe. I had heard it was quite expensive but was glad to find that there are so many places that there are bargains to be found. There are plenty of little dives to eat at. My favorite was a clean little place called Chihuahua Mexican Food at 710 Washington Ave. I had fresh grilled fish, refried beans, rice, and some salad for about $9 and it was delicious. You’d pay $15-20 at a nicer place. One night I had little 7 oz. beers for $1 at a place called Felt (they had pool tables) and the next night I found $3 Coronas but keeping an eye out for specials while walking down the street.
On my full day I refilled my water bottle in the room, grabbed breakfast at McDonalds, and threw a Sub Sandwich in my back pack and headed to the beach. For $18 I got a beach chair and umbrella for the day. The weather was awesome. The sun was hot, the water was cool and calm, and there was a gentle breeze all day. I would take a swim, dry in the sun, and lounge and read under the umbrella and that was my routine for the whole day. I was well rewarded with the rejuvenation that I set out to find.
The Clay Hotel and Hostel was a big dissapointment - at least the Hostel where I stayed was. There were no lockers, the key scan on my door (room 12) took multiple attempts each time. It was old and not the cleanest. I was with no hot water one morning. The biggest dissapointment was there was not a decent common area to meet and visit with other hostelers. There was just a small kitchen with only a couple of microwaves and a TV. There was not even a refrigerator and there was hardly ever anyone in there.
Now I’m wondering if I could do Atlanta to Miami in a day trip and make it to the beach and back using the transit system. I’d be glad to hear any thoughts on that, especially if any Miami natives have some good hints for me.
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Chris sounds like you had quite the adventure, and I'm just talking about the hostel. http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif
You know I have heard of the Clay Hostel in Miami, an article in USA Today, described it as one of the new "luxury hostels" Hostels welcome you in High Style; so much for that review.
Question, do hostels have rating like hotels, or it is just word of mouth.
BTW how did you like Miami?
Keep'em flying
Edited because "descripted" is not strictly speaking a word. http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emotic...on_biggrin.gif
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Interesting article, though the Clay Hotel and Hostel certainly should not be associated in any way with the word "luxury".
Can't really comment further on Miami since about all I did was the beach.
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Nice report! We haven't hosteled too much but have stayed in our fair share over the years. The camaraderie has always made up for any shortcomings the facility had. Even now that we're in our 40's and can usually afford a little extra we find hostels to be just fine for certain destinations.
On another note, I love TripAdvisor too! I always research our destination on their site and have even made a couple of contributions of my own. But you always have to take everything that's written, both good and bad, with a grain of salt. The site doesn't usually verify the accuracy of posts. Often times I've found people are usually mad because they didn't do their homework before setting out on their journey and they're trying to lay blame on someone other than themselves.
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That's pretty cool Chris. I've been to Miami Beach, all around that area, Dania, Hollywood Beach, all very nice. I noticed alot of French Canadians/Europeans down that way. Hostelling is good for someone on a budget that wants to roam around, not worry so much about luxuries. I tell you, since my wife has been connected with the hotels, I've gotten quite spoiled. I can't begin to tell you all the free stays we have had in various parts of the country and the world. Hostelling it like the backpackers do everywhere is an interesting thing but I've become selfish in that I don't wish to share the bathrooms and facilities with strangers. Maybe I had enough of that while in the military BUNK LIFE I had in the Marines back in the day. I feel I have gained some rank now where I don't have to put up with this kinda stuff anymore. Just not used to it anymore. Besides, I snore so bad I would probably get soficated with pillows from other bunkies. I would settle for lower rate rooms but I gotta have the privacy and bathrooms.
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LOL... Yeah, you might not be safe if you kept everyone awake. Sounds like you have the ultimate travel arrangement. Maybe I should look for a hotel industry wife. http://www.nonrev.net/infopop/emotic...on_biggrin.gif
