Like many Bostonians, I took advantage of the February break to defrost in warm, sunny Miami, Florida. I decided to go last minute and booked my first time in Miami a week in advance. When last-minute trips happen, I’m so grateful for the city guides of other travelers. It saves so much time. I started planning using Lee Tumbe’s 24 Hours in Miami as a guide, then tweaked to personalize. This extended weekend getaway in Miami on a budget guide accompanies Lee’s. I usually budget about $1K for a trip. I went a bit over due to last-minute planning this time. You can take my plans and tweak to your liking. Here’s my Miami weekend getaway budget breakdown.

Transportation (Flight + On-ground) = $673.91

Flight booked 5 days in advance $388.60 + optional Mileage booster ($40.31) + In-flight Wi-fi both ways ($20) + In-flight Dinner + Starbucks ($16) = $ 464.91.

I could have saved almost $80 by skipping the extras and packing my own meal to eat on the flight. I probably could have saved on the flight by booking well in advance. Roundtrips to Miami from Boston are often for under $200. Of course, these tickets are usually in the summer and summer isn’t exactly a preferred time to travel to Miami. I used Lyft from home pick up to airport, around Miami, and back home $212 (with change rounded up as a charity donation to the USO). It could have been made cheaper by not traveling back and forth from Miami Beach to Miami on several occasions (would have kept $45). If I had a friend to drop off and pick up at the airport, I could have reallocated $72. Or if I had traveled with a friend to split the costs. Oh well, so much for social currency. However, using Lyft as opposed to driving and parking at Logan International Airport ($95), renting a vehicle from Enterprise Rent-a-Car ($123 + fuel) and paying for hotel parking ($45 a night x 3 nights +tip & tax = $140) saved at least $146. I did, however, end up getting chauffeured around for free (my social currency has a better exchange rate in Miami than it does in Boston).

Hotels $638.66

For the purpose of travel blogging, I stayed at three different types of hotels at various price points. I also booked my hotels 17 hours before I got on the plane, on a major event (PRIDE) weekend, so I limited my options. None of the locations I chose had availability for the whole weekend, so la carte lodging was required. Had I stayed at the Generator Hostel the entire weekend I would have only spent $207. If I stayed at the Trade Winds Apartments the whole time, I could have tucked away $132.20. Had I booked The Confidante in advance, I could have stayed all weekend for the price that I paid moving from hotel to hotel. I also reserved my room through booking.com because the third-party site offered better rates than the hotel site. However, in hindsight, I might have been able to snag a better deal using my Hyatt membership, military discount, and collected the points I forfeited by using the third-party booking site. It’s also important to note, that all hotels and hostels have a resort tax that isn’t included in the advertised online price.

Generator $69 (includes $10 resort fee) trendy place for solo travelers to mix and mingle. My number one pick for a weekend getaway in Miami on a budget
Trade Winds Apartment Hotel $172 (includes $22.80 resort fee) Great for families who’d rather cook than eat out or people who want more space to feel more at home.
The Confidante $397.66 (includes $34 resort fee) Perfect for a beacation, group trip, or party weekend location. It’s a splurge if you’re staying alone but worth it if you’re splitting the cost.

Food $219.37

Friday
Arrived in time for a late dinner. Dinner was at no cost to me (using the social currency here).

Saturday
Generator breakfast $23.05
I Could have gotten a 20% discount using a special offer code from the Generator Ap but I got distracted by tattooed biceps and a sweet smile.

Voodoo Lounge Lunch (ceviche & margarita) $37.41
Sangria at Cubacho Art and Performing Arts Center $13
Paul Bakery Miami (two bottles of water) $6.50
Dinner at Giordano in South Beach Strip $50.19
Azucar Icecream $4.82

Sunday
Confidante Brunch $50 I was so tired I fell asleep through dinner and ate snacks when I woke up middle of the night.

Monday
Brunch at Dreamer Matcha Café $34.40 before catching a flight back home.
*In-flight dinner included in flight transportation expenses. **

I could have skipped Dreamer Café. Not only was it out of the way, costing me a lyft fee just to travel to it, but the food was also overpriced café food. And I knew it was going to be expensive before I went and I did it anyway for the Instagramable flamingo picture. Was $34.40 plus my lyft ride worth it? Nah.

I also didn’t take advantage of my hotel’s happy hour with free drinks when I stayed at Trade Winds. I did have meals, snacks, shots, and drinks paid for by gracious vacationers (male & female) that I met on the way. Restaurants in Miami Beach automatically collect a built-in gratuity. Of course, eating on the main strip of SoBe (South Beach as the locals call it) is going to have jacked-up prices, and that’s where I consumed three meals. There’s a couple of approaches that I think I could have cut this price down by 25%. Utilizing Restaurant.com, miamionthecheap.com, travelzoo.com, groupon.com, livingsocial.com and researching Miami’s best happy hours, food trucks, grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and cheapest restaurants, I think I could have eaten on $40 a day instead of $40 a meal.

Entertainment $10

Pictures with parrots in Little Havana $10
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens (Free for military members)*
Frost Science Museum (Free for military members)*
Pérez Art Museum Miami (Free for military members)*
Domino Park (Free for all)
Clubbing at Voodoo Lounge (Free for all, free drinks for me)**
Wynwood Walls (Free for all)
Miami Botanical Garden (Free for all)
The Beach (Free for all)
Hookah (Free for me)**
*Military ID cards come in handy
**Military camaraderie even when you don’t know each other comes in handy

The entertainment for a weekend getaway in Miami on a budget could be as simple as beach lounging and people-watching. Pride weekend also brought tons of entertainment to the beach. I just opted to go to museums and explore. And frankly, I probably would have been disappointed had I paid normal price for some of these locations.

Extraneous travel-related Expenses $240.39

These expenses included: Dog Lodging for my pup back at home $189, Mani/Pedi in little Havana $30, I lost my beach hat, got a new one $21.39, Snacks & water from Walgreen’s $20

So, in total, a 4-day weekend to Miami ended up costing me $1,781.94 which could be a little steep for a long weekend. However, with more advanced planning, I could have reduced at least $100 in flight costs. Staying at The Generator all three nights would have saved me $451.66. Plotting a more efficient ground transportation root (including avoiding inadvertently going to a museum after it closed) would have reduced my transportation expenses $25 bringing that total down to $1082.56 which is more manageable. I’m sure I could have found other ways to shave even more dollars off. Finding cheaper restaurants off the tourist path and using the kindness of friends could have reduced costs. In all, for me, a grand for a weekend in Miami was well worth the change of scenery.

Be sure to check back for the next post that tells the stories of my adventures of culture, history, friends, and flirting in Miami Beach.

Let me know if you’ve found other ways to save on trips to Miami!