In the past, there has been a direct correlation between cold weather in the rest of country and the influx of visitors in Miami. A cold front in the middle of this week affected most of the northern part of the country. Still, hoteliers in Miami are not celebrating just yet. Apparently, the economic crisis is affecting bookings.
Typically, the colder it gets in other places, the more last-minute bookings seen in Miami. The Miami tourism season started weakly with several big discounts for Miami hotel rooms resulting more advantageous for vacationers and a less for the actual industry. In October and November, Miami hotels records showed weak numbers and declining revenues for the first time since 2002. The cities of Miami and Miami Beach are focusing efforts on their marketing campaign to lure vacationers back to the magical city. Most of the city’s marketing efforts were implemented in the summer during the low season. Officials don’t want to take risks and act preemptively. Tourists are jumping at all Miami package deals and looking into Miami holiday rentals in order to vacation within a tighter budget.
The internet is a very convenient invention but it also comes with nuisances such as fraud. A large number of fraud attempts take place on the internet and have made their way into travel news.
Vacationers, beware! It should be easy to identify and avoid fraud if you carefully abide by travel tips.
Miami Beach vacation rentals ads are posted on free classified vacation rental websites such as craigslist, backpage or kijiji. Travel news has taught us that owners post ads on a daily basis to rent their vacation rentals or sometimes their alleged vacation rental.
The drawback to these free sites is that the ads are not checked or verified by anybody. This does not mean that renters should not browse those websites but that they should just be extra careful and follow travel tips when booking. Caution should be exercised and following are a few travel tips to help you do that.
Renters should:
• Look at the quality of the ad.
• Research and search travel news to find out whether the vacation rental is offered by an individual or a company. A company is less risky because it can easily be checked.
• Make sure that a local phone number is posted on the ad
• Call the owner or agent and ask a ton of questions. Try to assess how accurately he/she responds.
• Send emails
• Be cautious if you cannot speak with the owner because he “lost” his voice
• Make sure that you sign a real contract indicating what is it that you have reserved
• You may request proof of ownership
• Do not send cash! You may transfer money by wire transfer to a company if it can be checked out and if it has a track record of a reputable Miami Beach vacation rental agency.
• Always check with the Better Business Bureau and travel news.
The Better Business Bureau is a service that was created to help consumers get to know the companies they are doing business with.
Most American companies are part of this huge database. Consumers may file complaints against companies and the BBB compiles a report that gives the business a grade as good as A+ or below.
The better the grade, the more trust and confidence you can feel in the company. The website is very easy to use. Simply enter the name of the company and its location and a report will be run.
One of the strongly recommended travel tips that all vacationers should do is search for relevant travel information before selecting a vacation rental company. The current economic crisis may introduce more vacation rental scammers to the market and more negligent owners hoping to rent their property for incremental revenues.
Miami Beach vacationers come to the magic city to relax and unwind in a friendly environment and take advantage of the variety of things to do in Miami. Most vacationers can do just that by making sure they following commonly stated travel tips.
The last thing vacationers are looking for is a fight with an unscrupulous manager or homeowners. Do your research and get travel information beforehand. It is better than ruining your vacation and posting a complaint afterwards.
Miami is taking steps to become a bike-friendly city.
City leaders recently approved a plan that strives to achieve that by 2012. Get ready to get those dusty bikes out of your garage or rent a bike in Miami and start practicing.
You may not forget how to ride a bike but you definitely get rusty.
Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez wants bike routes to be included in all street plans for here-on-out. A bike coordinator will join the transportation department.
Meanwhile, the city is working with Miami Parking Authority to create 24 bike parking areas.
The bike-friendly Miami action plan is made up of four points:
Construct a set of bike paths
Improve bike safety through education and outreach plans
Develop a bike master plan
Implement a practice of assessing and advancing bicycle proposals
Strict observant Jewish vacationers face several constraints when traveling. Often, hotels are not a good lodging option for several reasons:
Observant Jews follow a strict kosher diet that only allows them to eat in Kosher restaurants or at home if cooking with kosher pans and kosher ingredients.
Observant Jewish vacationers often have strict clothing restrictions that forbid them to have their body exposed to other people. Vacation rental homes in Miami Beach may be the best solution to take advantage of the beautiful weather in the privacy of their villa.
Respecting the rules of Shabbat in not easy. It prohibits the use of electricity for about 24 hours from Friday night to Saturday night. During the vacation, observant Jews would be unable to open their room door if they are electrically controlled. They cannot use elevators or an electricity-operated door to enter or exit the premises of a hotel.
The hotel needs to be within walking distance of a synagogue.
For all those reasons, renting a Miami Beach vacation rental villa is often the best solution as it allows vacationers to respect all strict rules.
Kashrus are the rules that observant Jews follow regarding eating. They buy their food from kosher grocery stores and eat at kosher restaurants (there are plenty Miami kosher restaurantsdue to its big Jewish community.) Therefore, proximity to kosher retail stores and restaurants is a must for strict observant Jews.
Kosher restaurants and grocery stores can be found all over Miami but are mostly concentrated in North Miami and the Mid-Miami Beach area. Observant Jewish vacationers prefer areas of Miami where their will have easy access to synagogues, kosher grocery stores and kosher restaurants. There are a plethora of Miami vacation rentals around this areas.
The internet welcomes new websites everyday. Vacationers looking for travel information or a vacation rental website should make sure that they ultimately rent from a legitimate and professional agency. There is travel information you can look into for indicators of a good company. First, find out how many years the vacation rental agency has been in business. The longer, the better. Potential renters should also check travel news to see if the agency has some credentials. Serious companies are usually active in their community. They are normally members of the Chamber of Commerce of vacation rental associations and of the Better Business Bureau. http://www.seflorida.bbb.org/Home.aspx
The Miami Better Business Bureau allows you to access reports and travel information on a company that you intend to do business with. The presence of a BBB logo on a vacation rental agency website indicates that it is genuine and professional. Check Tripadvisor.com for travel news or any comments left regarding the Miami Beach vacation rental agency in question. Tripadvisor.com is one of the largest travel news and traveler review websites and it will give you a good sense of what to expect from a lodging option or vacation rental. Another way to check up on travel information on a particular company is to type the name of the Miami Beach vacation rental company and “fraud” in the browser.
A large number of art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art enthusiasts from around the world participate in Art Basel Miami Beach every year.
This event in Miami is also a vital source for art lovers, allowing them to both discover new developments in contemporary art and experience rare museum artworks.
Art Basel Miami Beach merges an international selection of top galleries with an exciting program of special exhibitions, parties and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design.
An exclusive selection of more than 220 leading art galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa will exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by over 2,000 artists.
The participating galleries are amongst the most respected art dealers, providing exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers.
Special exhibitions in the museums of South Florida and special programs for art collectors and curators also help make the event a special time for encountering art.
Do not miss the satellite events in Miami that take place during the Art Basel Miami Beach, including special exhibitions for local Miami art galleries, Art Miami 2008, Design Miami, art photography exhibitions and more!
Enjoy the Miami video of the week! We share the free videos of Miami that we feel are representative of what the city is all about. Miami Vice was instrumental in bringing Miami back as a top tourist destination; therefore, here it is a flash back…
Miami Florida was ranked the city with most beautiful people according to an online survey of “America’s Favorite Cities” by Travel + Leisure magazine. The city of Miami is considered one of the US cities with most beautiful people, so if you live in Miami Florida you can think of yourself as one of the most attractive people in the country.
This is not the first time that our fabulous city is top ranked among the cities with most beautiful people. However, many Miami residents don’t realize this until they travel around and when they come back, they just notice what they have, according with Bill Talbert, president of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Walking around Miami Beach and South Beach, you can easily realize that we are packed with beautiful people. South Beach girls are world-known for their beauty and great bodies. All this can be due to our fantastic weather and beaches, which motive most of us to keep on track with our diets and worry a little bit more about how we look. When in Miami, it is not rare to see South Beach girls and models look alike walking through our popular beach sidewalks and, of course, Lincoln Road. For those interested in discovering the best of our beautiful residents and visitors, there are many Miami hotels and South Beach vacation rentals around Lincoln Road and the most popular beaches.
Miami is taking steps to become a bike-friendly city.
le. 
