Miami, FL
Review: Hyatt Regency Miami – Live and Let's Fly
Faced with a 12-hour layover in Miami, I booked a room at the Hyatt Regency Miami, which served as a very suitable crashpad for our long day in town.
Hyatt Regency Miami Review
I used an expiring category 1-4 free night certificate from the World of Hyatt program for my stay since the prevailing rate was $270 (this was in high season…the rate can be half that during the heat of summer). It’s a Category 4 property and while not luxurious, it certainly did the job for our long day in Miami.
I reserved the room for the night before our arrival so that we could gain access to our room as early as 7:00 am when our cruise ship arrived at the Port of Miami. So that I was not marked as a no-show, I checked in on the World of Hyatt app and messaged the hotel the night before that I would not be arriving till morning.
We arrived closer to 10:00 am (via taxi Uber) and the hotel was quite accommodating, proactively granting us a late checkout. That’s not something you can count on, but I was given until 7:00 pm (instead of the standard 4:00 pm checkout for a Globalist member) and we did take advantage of that.
Guest Room
We were assigned room 1030. The rooms are refurbished with new carpeting and furniture, which is a pretty noticeable upgrade from a few years back when the hotel really felt dated. There’s a partition separating the sleeping area from a sink area, which is outside the bathroom.
The balconies are non-functional (they are sealed shut). Decent view from the room, though:
Breakfast @ Riverwalk Café
Augustine was hungry (seven-year-olds are always hungry), so we went down to the Riverwalk Café for breakfast.
Globalist members can order off the menu or take the buffet.
I ordered an omelet and bowl of berries from the a la carte menu while Augustine took the buffet (and polished off quite a bit of food). The buffet included mostly Western breakfast items.
The restaurant service was terrible… I just don’t know how else to say it. The hostess was very nice, but the waiter did do anything at all. We finally had to flag him down and he took our orders, but did not bring over drinks or flatware. Finally, I went up to the bar and helped myself.
Thankfully, he must have gone on break or something because Ingrid came on duty and was excellent. The omelet also wasn’t bad.
18% gratuity was automatically added (though note at the bottom it says “suggested and voluntary”). I left it because Ingrid was lovely and gratuity is included for Globalist members. Had it just been the other guy, I would have removed the gratuity even if it was included…
Market
Next door to the restaurant is a market offering lighter fare, coffee, and snacks.
Pool
A big reason for getting a room here was so that Augustine could swim once more (we have an olympic-size pool at our gym, but it’s not the same as an outdoor hotel pool).
While he swam, I sat under a cabana and worked…and eventually joined him too. He begged me.
Fitness Center
We also worked out in the hotel gym, which was a small gym in the hotel basement next to the pool. The machines were old and had seen better days, but I managed to squeeze in a good workout and Augustine worked out too…he wasn’t allowed to do that on the boat and can’t do that in our own gym in LA (due to his young age), so this was a treat for him.
The Accident
As we were walking out to catch an Uber to Little Havana, a van picking up an American Airlines crew ran into a car right in front of us. The woman driving the van and the man began arguing in Spanish and tempers flared. but it was the woman’s fault…she ran right into him. He was parked!
CONCLUSION
I quite appreciated my stay here and found great value in having use of this hotel for the day. The breakfast was fine, the room was clean, the fitness center was functional, and my son loved the pool. No, this hotel is hardly the lap of luxury, but I was grateful for it.
Miami, FL
Hundreds of Caribbean flights canceled, leaving travelers stranded at Miami International Airport
Travel disruptions continued Sunday at Miami International Airport after hundreds of flights to and from the Caribbean were canceled, leaving passengers stranded, separated from their luggage, and scrambling to salvage vacation plans.
The Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace in and around Venezuela following the reported capture of Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, triggering a ripple effect across Caribbean travel routes.
By Sunday, long lines had formed inside MIA as travelers waited hours to track down luggage that had been sent ahead — even though their flights never took off.
“As you can see, there’s a lot of people, and apparently thousands and thousands of bags,” said Jennifer Heimann, who was traveling from Tampa.
Heimann and her family were scheduled to sail on a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands. Their flight to St. Thomas was canceled, but their luggage still made the trip.
“They said, ‘Your bags are in St. Thomas,’ and I said, ‘Wait — our bags are there and we’re not?’” Heimann said. “We can’t even get a flight until Thursday, and they just sent the bags ahead.”
The family is now renting a car to drive back to Tampa and hoping their luggage eventually finds its way home.
Similar frustrations were echoed by other travelers across the terminal.
The Cookson family, traveling from Tyler, Texas, had their flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico canceled just before they were set to board a cruise.
“They’re shipping our bags out to the Caribbean and not allowing us to retrieve them,” said Pamela Cookson. “We don’t know when we’re going to get our luggage.”
American Airlines says it added six additional flights out of Miami, bringing the total to roughly two dozen extra flights and nearly 5,000 additional seats to help impacted customers. Even so, many passengers told CBS News Miami the earliest rebooking available wasn’t until Thursday.
Susan Daniel, traveling from Little Rock, Arkansas to St. Croix, said the delays forced her family to make last-minute arrangements.
“We had to Uber, leave our bags, get an Airbnb, then come back today, take another Uber, and stand in this long line just to hopefully get our bags and our computers — everything we need,” Daniel said.
Some travelers reported waiting hours in one line, only to be directed into another long wait for their luggage. Others tried to make the best of the situation.
“Guess we’re vacationing in Miami now for three days or something like that,” said Jake Boylin, who was traveling from St. Louis. “Then going back home and rescheduling the trip.”
The next unanswered question for many travelers: whether they’ll be reimbursed for canceled trips, hotels, and cruises.
Travel experts advise passengers to keep all receipts and documentation in case refunds or reimbursements become available.
Miami, FL
Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputy opens fire on vehicle after altercation during traffic stop, officials say
An investigation is underway in Northwest Miami-Dade after the sheriff’s office said a deputy opened fire after an altercation occurred during a traffic stop on Sunday night.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, a deputy received an alert about a stolen vehicle Sunday evening and eventually located the vehicle in the area of NW 17th Avenue and NW 95th Street in West Little River and conducted a traffic stop.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said that as the deputy approached the vehicle, an altercation began, and the deputy opened fire, striking the vehicle.
That vehicle then fled the scene and was located nearby.
The sheriff’s office said a gun was located inside the vehicle, and the driver fled the scene.
That person is still at large as of early Monday morning, officials said.
The deputy was not injured in the incident, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477).
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