How to visit Miami Beach on a budget (Travel Itinerary)
Miami can be an expensive city to visit but there are so many ways you can save money to make a trip much more affordable. Find ways to save money in Miami on food, experiences, and hotel stays through this budget travel itinerary guaranteed to create the ultimate weekend trip!
Related: Five Travel Tips to Save Money on Your Next Adventure
Hotels for your budget
There are two options for where to stay in Miami: Miami and Miami Beach. Oftentimes when travelers think of Miami they think of Miami Beach, which is far more expensive than Miami and actually, its own town. You can save hundreds of dollars on a trip to Miami just by staying in Miami instead of Miami Beach but here are some options for Miami Beach.
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Hotel Options
Miami Confidante with Hyatt Points
On my recent trip to Miami Beach, I stayed at the Miami Confidante. The Miami Confidante is an expensive hotel (going for $300 a night in the off-season) but it’s a great hotel to use World of Hyatt points. This hotel is a Category 5, making a standard redemption of 20,000 points a night.
You can earn World of Hyatt points pretty easily by just booking directly with Hyatt hotels and adding your World of Hyatt rewards account number.
Miami Generator Hostel
There are some really cool hostels in Miami Beach that can save you over $200 a night compared to the hotel rates in the same areas. The Miami Generator is a great option at around $70 a night for a private room (Basically a hotel, right?). The hostel has a pool, bar, and is in a great location to explore Miami Beach. And if you’re really on a budget, you can choose a ten-person dorm for just $19 per bed.
Goodtime Hotel
Finally, Goodtime Hotel is a great hotel for a cash budget, youthful hotel. The Goodtime Hotel has a super fun aesthetic full of playful colors and fun accents. But what truly sets this hotel apart is its low rates for a hotel. At just $155 a night, this place is a well-decorated steal on Miami Beach.
Save money on food
Food and especially drinks are expensive in Miami Beach but there are a couple of tricks that I’m certain will save you hundreds on your trip.
Eat the happy hours
Happy hours last a long time in Miami Beach (at least 7 pm, if not 8 or 9!). Though you might think of a happy hour as a great time to get a drink it’s also a good time to get some food, too. Sweet Liberty is a great place to take advantage of well-priced drinks and $1 oysters during their long-running happy hour. As a bonus, get the cauliflower nachos. They are a huge portion and perfect to share for a meal.
To find happy hours in a new city do a quick Google search of “best happy hours [city]” and you’ll find great lists compiled by locals.
Find the local bakeries
Local bakeries in Miami Beach are a great place to grab lunch. Most of them include Latin influences and have a long list of amazing meat-filled pastries. You can snag a $7 empanada at Charlotte Bakery and take it to the beach for an empanada with a view.
Take a food tour of Little Havana
Little Havana is a great place to spend the day on a trip to Miami Beach. It’s cheaper and (though touristy) a local experience. One of the best ways to experience Little Havana is through a food tour. I opted for this one that took us to many local shops and had huge portions. You can easily skip a meal (or two) and get something to do and your lunch for one low price.
Things to do on a budget
See Art Deco yourself but visit the museum
There are many paid art deco walking tours throughout Miami Beach but you can just as easily do a GPS MyCity tour for free. One thing worth a small fee, however, is the Art Deco Welcome Center which includes a small museum for just $5 a person.
Join a Free Tour Miami experience
Probably the silliest free tour option I’ve ever seen, Free Tour Miami offers a tip-based party bus experience around Miami. It’s fun, it’s so Miami and it can be very inexpensive.
Take the bus to Everglades National Park
Did you know you can easily get to Everglades National Park from Miami on a bus? A roundtrip ticket can run you as little as $5.
Head to Little Havana
Is this place touristy? Absolutely. But is it still local? Absolutely. You can head out on a food tour of Little Havana for around $70 but you can also opt to create your own tour for as little as $20 or so a person.
Travel Tip: Book your Viator experience through a travel shopping portal to earn points and miles towards furture flights and hotel nights!
Hope you found these travel tips to save money in Miami Beach helpful. I truly think Miami Beach can be affordable – you just need to know how to do it!
Explore on. -K
