Need advice on Miami & Orlando (shopping and transport)

Orlando is a kip and unless you have kids would not recommned too much time there. 2 or 3 days of theme parks and crappy food is enough Id spens most of my time in Miami and even down to the Keys if time permits.

Miami is set on 3 main streets parallel to the beach.

Load of shopping on them and some good out of town (ish) malls, Aventura is very good...huge !Washington has all the labels all on one road Armani to quicksilver etc...

Great night life and how many other city centres are on the beach !!

As a frequent visitor to both places - for shopping I would definitely prefer Orlando to Miami - very easily accessible malls with all your designer brands at knockdown prices.

I Drive has a lot of the "cheap and cheerful" variety of stores but well worth a tramp around for bits and pieces.

Regarding transport, there is a trolley service which provides transportation within the International Drive Resort Area; the Main Line route travels north and south, beginning at Prime Outlets Orlando and traveling southbound on a circular route to Orlando Premium Outlets. In addition to the many dining and accommodation stops along the route, it also stops at SeaWorld Adventure Park Orlando, the Orange County Convention Center and Pointe Orlando. The Green Line begins service in the Major Blvd. area and encompasses Kirkman Road and Universal Blvd., then shadows the Main Line route as it continues service down to Orlando Premium Outlets. Stops include Wet ‘n Wild.

The cost of the trolley is only a dollar a trip or you can buy a 5 day ticket for around 7 dollars, unlimited travel.

If you intend to buy a lot, you will probably need a car to be honest as you will be packing your stuff into the "trunk" as you go and there is quite a distance between stores in the Premium Outlets. For example you have Adidas, Armani Exchange, Banana Republic Factory Store, Barneys New York Outlet, BCBG Max Azria, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Ann Taylor Factory Store, Dior, Lucky Brand Blue Jeans, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Kenneth Cole, MaxMara, Mikasa, Nike Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Puma, Reebok, Salvatore Ferragamo, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger and many more.

At Belz Factory Outlet World is the area's largest collection of outlet stores -- more than 170 -- in two malls and four nearby annexes. The malls include such stores as Maidenform, Danskin, Jonathan Logan, Calvin Klein, Van Heusen, Burlington Brands, Bugle Boy, Gap, OshKosh, Bally Shoes, Bass Shoes, Etienne Aigner, Tommy Hilfiger, and Banister. Especially popular are the outlets for athletic shoes: Converse, Reebok, Foot Locker, and Nike.

Oh and don't forget to pack lightly as you will most certainly be coming home with more than you left with - you can buy great lightweight luggage there for transporting your "treasures" back home.

Taxis, in my experience, are as rare as hens' teeth in Orlando, but you can book in advance through your hotel. I have always used Hertz with the "Neverlost" navigation system which suits me.

Other things to do on I Drive -

Pirates Cove for crazy golf (open till 11 pm),

Eat at Crazy Grill (all you can eat Brazilian meat restaurant) - really good food. If you are a veggie and partner a meat-eater they will only charge you very little for the great selection of salads and veg. Waiters are really good humoured, particularly when they know you are Irish. Another great place to eat at the bottom of I Drive is Bahama Breeze. Places I would not revisit are Tony Roma and TGI Friday's (in my experience the food was inedible and service terrible, but others may have a different report).

Be sure to visit the famous Peabody Hotel on I Drive to watch the daily "duck march" in lovely surroundings. Helicopter and Balloon rides are fun things to do.


Off the Beaten Track


You may like to take a trip to Fantasy of Flight to see a great collection of aircraft in Polk City www.fantasyofflight.com and take a flight in a 1920s open top 2-seater, complete with "Biggles" goggles and helmet - that's an brillliant experience you won't forget and don't worry about safety, they are extremely well organised.

If you hire a car make your way out to some of the less touristy places like Winter Park, which is really beautiful - you can take a boat ride on the lake (I think they go about every 45 mins or so) hear the history of the area and see the houses of the rich and famous, in a setting of giant oaks and exotic tropical plants. You could also visit the nearby Altamonte Mall on your way back, which has JC Penney, Sears, Burdines in the mall plus stand alone stores like Marshalls on the site. Across the road at 130 E Altamonte Drive (on the way there)is TJ Maxx, Burlington Coat Factory (great for menswear, including jackets and designer label suits - they do same day alterations too) and Ross. Mount Dora is another really beautiful place, laid back living, antique shops, lake walks, very atmospheric. You've got to visit the pet accessory shops if you go there. If you have a day free for a 100 mile drive you could visit St Augustine, which is the oldest city in Florida and where life is lived at a much more relaxed pace.

If you crave a quiet day on the beach, you can't do better than visit Cocoa beach, with its wonderful white sand, really unspoiled, just an hour or so away. And of course there's always Cape Canaveral.




Enjoy

Orlando is just that, Orlando! Its set up is pretty much for tourists... International drive is a handy location for staying and you can normally walk from your hotel to close buy restaurants... mostly chains like TGI / Ponderosa / Aussie steakhouse... but they are exactly what they say on the tin.
Shopping in Orlando area is pretty decent, you will find the main US brands in the outlets around international drive, Belz and Premium Outlet, both are easlily reached by the I trolly, which goes from one end of I Drive to the other.
Miami is not one of my favourite cities in the US, personally I feel that there is a very 'transient' feel to the entire place, like people are only there until they get on their feet and can move onto somewhere else!
Personally I much prefer Fort Lauderdale just up the coast from Miami, it has a more settled feel to it, and feels a lot safer to be out and about in.
Whether you go to Miami or Fort Lauderdale, I would recommend a trip to the Sawgrass Mills outlet, it has some great stuff and I would recommend checking out the clothing in Target, there are some good designers working for them. At Sawgrass you can do the movies, as they have a nice complex, but if you decided to go and see a movie make sure your car is close to that exit ;-)
the only other recommendation I'd give is don't bring much with you except for space! Bring a couple of days worht of tshirts/shorts, and buy the rest!