American Airlines Flights from Guatemala City, Guatemala (GUA) to Miami (MIA)
As part of booking roundtrip flights which depart from US airports,
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on American Airlines, which operates 2 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Guatemala City, Guatemala (GUA) to Miami (MIA), departing between 8:00am and 3:25pm. Usually a Boeing 737-800 or Airbus A300-600 is flown for this route, with in-seat power sources available. Generally, audio programming is offered on this route. The average travel time from Guatemala City, Guatemala to Miami, FL is 2 hours and 27 minutes.
During your Miami vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Miami Seaquarium
If you've been to Orlando's SeaWorld, you may be disappointed with Miami's version, which is considerably smaller and not as well maintained. It's hardly a sprawling seaquarium, but you will want to arrive early to enjoy the effects of its mild splash. You'll need at least 3 hours to tour the 35-acre oceanarium and see all four daily shows starring a number of showy ocean mammals. You can cut your visit to 2 hours if you limit your shows to the better, albeit corny, Flipper Show and Killer Whale Show. The highly regarded Water and Dolphin Exploration Program (WADE) allows visitors to touch and swim with dolphins in the Flipper Lagoon. The program costs $140 per person participating, $32 per observer, and is offered twice daily, at noon and 3:30pm, 7 days a week. Children must be at least 52 inches tall to participate. Reservations are necessary for this program. Call tel. 305/365-2501 in advance for reservations.
Parrot Jungle and Gardens
This Miami institution took flight from its lush, natural South Miami environment and headed north in the winter of 2003 to a new, overly fabricated, disappointing $46 million home on Watson Island, along the MacArthur Causeway near Miami Beach. While the island doubles as a protected bird sanctuary, the jungle's former digs (in a coral rock structure built around 1900 in the heart of South Miami) had a lot more charm and kitsch. The new, overpriced 19-acre park features an Everglades exhibit, a petting zoo, and several theaters, jungle trails, and aviaries. Watch your heads because flying above are hundreds of parrots, macaws, peacocks, cockatoos, and flamingos. But it's not all a loss. Be sure to check out the Crocosaurus, a 20-foot long saltwater crocodile who hangs out in the park's Serpentarium, which also houses the park's reptile and amphibian collection. Also a pleasant surprise here is the Ichimura Miami Japan Garden (see the "A Japanese Garden" box, below). Continuous shows star roller-skating cockatoos, card-playing macaws, and numerous stunt-happy parrots. There are also tortoises, iguanas, and a rare albino alligator on exhibit. The park's website sometimes offers downloadable discount coupons, so if you have Internet access, take a look before you visit, because you definitely won't want to pay full price for this park. If you do get your money's worth and see all the shows and exhibits, expect to spend upwards of 4 hours here. Note: The former South Miami site of Parrot Jungle is now known as Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 Red Rd. (tel. 305/669-6942), which features a petting zoo, mini water park, lake, natural hammocks, and Banyan caves. Open daily from 9am until sunset, admission is $5 adults, $3 kids, and $4 seniors.
Eco-Adventure Tours
For the eco-conscious traveler, the Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation Department offers guided nature, adventure, and historic tours involving biking, canoeing, snorkeling, hiking, and bird-watching all over the city. Contact them for more information.
Bay Harbor Inn and Suites
This thoroughly renovated inn is just moments from the beach, fine restaurants, and the Bal Harbour Shops. The inn comes in two parts: The more modern section overlooks a swampy river and a heated outdoor pool. On the other side of the street, "townside," is the cozier, antiques-filled portion, where glass-covered bookshelves hold good beach reading. The rooms have a hodgepodge of wood furnishings (mostly Victorian replicas), while suites boast an extra half-bathroom. You can often smell the aroma of cooking from the restaurant below, which is operated by students at Johnson & Wales Culinary Institute.
Brigham Gardens
In a prime location, this funky place, consisting of two buildings (Art Deco and Mediterranean) is a homey and affordable oasis run by a mother-daughter team that will make sure you feel like a member of the family. Because most rooms have full kitchens -- you can also barbecue in the garden -- you'll find many people staying for longer than a weekend. Room 12, in particular, is extremely charming and quiet, with cathedral ceilings, Art Deco decor, and views of the garden. When you enter the tropically landscaped garden, you'll hear macaws and parrots and see cats and lizards running through the bougainvillea. The tiny but lush grounds are framed by quaint Mediterranean buildings, which are pleasant, though in need of some improvements. A rooftop sun deck, with a view of the ocean, is the hotel's newest attraction, though the rooms are constantly being spruced up with funky artwork, furniture, and a colorful array of fresh paint.
National Hotel
With its towering ceilings, sultry furnishings, and massive gilded mirrors, the elegant 1940s-style National ought to be the backdrop for a gangster flick. At 11 stories, the main building stands taller than most of its neighbors and offers grand views of the beach and ocean below. The hotel completed a $3 million renovation project in late 2003, revealing a much needed, brilliant, luxurious refurbishment of the tower rooms and hallways. For those who want to go all out, there's also a new three-story penthouse suite. And while all the rooms in the main hotel are comfortable and plush, the best rooms are the 32 poolside cabana rooms that are ultra modern, with flatscreen TVs, European linens, and feather pillows. What the hotel really needs to invest in next is its lackluster lobby, which is somewhat reminiscent of an old age home at nap time.The National's pool, however, is the hotel's crown jewel. It's Miami's longest pool (205 ft.) and can be considered the supermodel of hotel pools, lithe and graceful and almost too sleek (rivaling even the Delano's pool) for splashing. The hotel's Tamara is an elegant and formal dining room offering French fusion fare, and the Deco Bar (or D'Bar) looks like a 1940s movie set. Live entertainment on weekends, a wine connoisseur club, and happy hours during the week add to the ambience.
