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AirTran Airways Flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Miami (MIA)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on AirTran Airways, which operates 3 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Miami (MIA), departing between 8:00am and 9:30pm, and 2 additional non-stop flights, departing between 12:23pm and 3:10pm on select days of the week. Usually a Boeing 717 or Boeing 737-700 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Atlanta, GA to Miami, FL is 1 hour and 44 minutes.
During your Miami vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
United in Elián House
It was only a matter of time. After Elián González was rescued from a raft off the coast of Fort Lauderdale in November 1999, he lived in this modest, now famous, Little Havana house with relatives for 5 months before being reunited with his father and returned to Cuba in a storm of controversy. For Cuban nationals, the house became a shrine and the boy became a symbol for their struggle. There are collages of Elián all over the house; there's also trash in the yard as if someone still actually lives there. Apparently there was no time to clean up before the throngs of curiosity seekers came and the place was turned into a museum. Visitors receive a sticker with "the picture" of when the boy was seized by Federal marshals and returned to his father -- a day of infamy in Cuban-American history. See where Elián lived, played, breathed, and ate. See Elián's toys. See where the international media camped out for 5 months. See where relatives cried for the cameras. You get the picture.
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.
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
MOCA boasts an impressive collection of internationally acclaimed art with a local flavor. It is also known for its forward thinking and ability to discover and highlight new artists. A high-tech screening facility allows for film presentations to complement the exhibitions. You can see works by Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Larry Rivers, Duane Michaels, and Claes Oldenberg, plus there are special exhibitions by such artists as Yoko Ono, Sigmar Polke, John Baldessari, and Goya. Guided tours are offered in English, Spanish, French, Creole, Portuguese, German, and Italian.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Miami area, including:
Fontainebleau Hilton
In many ways, this is the quintessential Miami Beach hotel. Also designed by the late and legendary Morris Lapidus, who oversaw an expansion in 2000, this grand monolith symbolizes Miami decadence. Since its opening in 1954, the Fontainebleau has hosted presidents, pageants, and movie productions, including the James Bond thriller Goldfinger. This is where all the greats, including Sinatra and his pals, performed in their prime, and to pay homage to the Rat Pack, the hotel has redone its lobby bar to reflect the era of swagger, attitude, raffish cool, and panache, featuring large, bordering on tacky but still swell silhouettes of Frank, Sammy, Dino, Joey, and Peter, and the live music of The Pack, a really good Rat Pack cover band. Drinks are named after all the greats, but the best one is Dino's Martini -- a classic, unfettered stiff one. Club Tropigala is reminiscent of Ricky Ricardo's Tropicana and features a Las Vegas-style floor show with dozens of performers and two orchestras. Rooms are luxurious and decorated in various styles from 1950s to ultramodern; bathrooms are done up in Italian marble a la Caesar's Palace. In 2001, the hotel underwent a $10 million food and beverage renovation, introducing the massive, cruise-ship-esque 150-seat Bleu View Mediterranean restaurant and cocktail lounge. Adding to the Fontainebleau's opulence is the 7,000-square-foot Cookie's World water park; the water slide and river-raft ride bring a bit of Disney to Deco-land, which, along with supervised children's activities, is catered toward (though not reserved for) the little ones.Facilities: 4 restaurants; 3 cocktail lounges; 2 large outdoor pools; 7 lighted tennis courts (after next year's renovations); state-of-the-art health club; 3 whirlpool baths; watersports rentals; children's programs; game rooms; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; business center; shopping arcade; salon; room service; in-room massage; babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning.
Eden Roc Renaissance Resort and Spa
Just next door to the mammoth Fontainebleau Hilton, this large Morris Lapidus-designed flamboyant hotel, opened in 1956, seems almost intimate by comparison. The hotel completed a top-to-bottom $24 million renovation in late 1999 and an $11 million renovation of the beachfront in 2001. The nautical Deco decor is a bit gaudy, but nonetheless reminiscent of Miami Beach's Rat-Packed glory days of the '50s. The 55,000-square-foot modern Spa of Eden has excellent facilities and exercise classes, including yoga. The big, open, and airy lobby is often full of name-tagged conventioneers and tourists looking for a taste of Miami Beach kitsch. The rooms, uniformly outfitted with purple and aquatic-colored interiors and retouched 1930s furnishings, are unusually spacious, and the bathrooms boast Italian marble bathtubs. Because of the hotel's size, you should be able to negotiate a good rate unless there's a big event going on. Harry's Grille specializes in seafood and steaks. From Aquatica, the poolside bar and restaurant, bikini-clad patrons can enjoy casual meals and priceless ocean views.Facilities: 2 restaurants; lounge; bar; 2 outdoor pools; health club and spa; watersports equipment; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; business center; salon; limited room service; in-room massage; babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning; squash courts; racquetball courts; basketball courts; rock-climbing arena.
Whitelaw Hotel
With a slogan that reads "clean sheets, hot water, and stiff drinks," the Whitelaw Hotel stands apart from the other boutique hotels with a fierce sense of humor, but never compromises on its fabulous amenities. Only half a block from Ocean Drive, this hotel, like its clientele, is full of distinct personalities, pairing such disparate elements as luxurious Belgian sheets with shag carpeting to create a completely innovative setting. All-white rooms manage to be homey and plush and not at all antiseptic. Bathrooms are large and well stocked with just about everything you may have forgotten at home. Complimentary cocktails in the lobby every night from 7 to 8pm contribute to a very social atmosphere.
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