TACA International Airlines Flights from San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) to Miami (MIA)
As part of booking roundtrip flights which depart from US airports,
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on TACA International Airlines, which operates a daily non-stop flight from San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) to Miami (MIA) regularly scheduled to depart at 6:05pm and arrive at 9:50pm. Usually an Airbus A320 is flown for this route. The average travel time from San Jose, Costa Rica to Miami, FL is 2 hours and 45 minutes.*
* Some flights must connect with international service on any airline.
During your Miami vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Fast Cats Ferry Service
Finally, a ferry that goes from Miami to Key West. It's about time. The PurrSeavearance may be a cheesy name for a luxury $7.5 million catamaran, but the trip is hardly so. The 102-foot boat can hold up to 149 passengers and will make the 4-hour cruise (driving only takes 3 hr., but with traffic it can take up to 5) four times a week starting at $69 each way. VIP tickets cost $98 and include preferential seating. Food and alcoholic beverages are available but not included in the price.
Diaspora Vibe Art Gallery
This culturally charged art complex is a funky artist hangout and is the home to some of the greatest artworks of Miami's diverse Caribbean, Latin American, and African-American cultures. The gallery has two seasons of shows, often focusing on emerging artists. During the winter, three artists are selected by the gallery to travel to and exhibit their works in Paris. On the last Friday of every month, from May through October, the gallery holds its fabulous cocktail-infused "Final Fridays." A new artist's work is spotlighted inside, while outside in the courtyard are live music performances and readings of poetry and folk tales. Delicious Caribbean cuisine is also served while the who's who of Miami's cognoscenti gather here to recharge their cultural batteries.
Miami Metrozoo
This 290-acre, sparsely landscaped complex (it was devastated by Hurricane Andrew) is quite a distance from Miami proper and the beaches -- about 45 minutes -- but worth the trip. Isolated and never really crowded, it's also completely cageless -- animals are kept at bay by cleverly designed moats. This is a fantastic spot to take younger kids (the older ones seem bored and unstimulated here); there's a wonderful petting zoo and play area, and the zoo offers several daily programs designed to educate and entertain. Mufasa and Simba (of Disney fame) were modeled on a couple of Metrozoo's lions. Other residents include two rare white Bengal tigers, a Komodo dragon, rare koala bears, a number of kangaroos, and an African meerkat. The air-conditioned Zoofari Monorail tour offers visitors a nice overview of the park. An Andean Condor exhibit opened in 2000, and the zoo is always upgrading its facilities, including the impressive aviary. Note: The distance between animal habitats can be great, so you'll be doing a lot of walking here. For this reason, there are benches and shaded gazebos strategically positioned throughout the zoo so you can rest when you need to. Also, because the zoo can be miserably hot during summer months, plan these visits in the early morning or late afternoon. Expect to spend about 3 hours here.
Riviera Court Motel
Besides the Holiday Inn down the road, this family-owned motel is the best discount option in the area. The comfortable and clean two-story property, dating from 1954, has a small pool and is set back from the road, so the rooms are all relatively quiet. Vending machines are the only choice for refreshments, but guests are near many great dining spots. You can also choose to stay in one of the efficiencies, which have fully stocked kitchens. For gossip mavens, this is the place where the prerehabilitated tennis star Jennifer Capriati was busted for drug possession many years ago.
Hotel Place St. Michel
This European-style hotel, in the heart of Coral Gables, is one of the city's most romantic options. The accommodations and hospitality are straight out of Old World Europe, complete with dark wood-paneled walls, cozy beds, beautiful antiques, and a quiet elegance that seems startlingly out of place in trendy Miami. Everything here is charming -- from the brass elevator and parquet floors to the paddle fans. One-of-a-kind furnishings make each room special. Bathrooms are on the smaller side but are hardly cramped. All have shower/tub combos except for two, which have either or. If you're picky, request your preference. Guests are treated to fresh fruit upon arrival and enjoy perfect service throughout their stay. The exceptional Restaurant St. Michel is a very romantic dining choice.
Doral Golf Resort and Spa
This recently renovated (to the tune of $40 million) 650-acre golf and tennis resort is in the middle of nowhere, and even though it still looks stuck in the '70s, it deserves a star just for its legendary golf course. If it weren't for the golf course, I'd never recommend anyone stay here. It's dull and the area in which it's located is not one anyone needs to see while in Miami. While the pamperings in the spa are nothing to sneer at, the next-door golf resort hosts world-class tournaments and boasts the Blue Monster course as well as the Great White Course -- the Southeast's first desert-scape course, designed by The Shark himself, Greg Norman. Note: Repeat guests usually book the season well in advance. Rooms here, like the hotel itself, are spacious, all with private balconies, many overlooking a golf course or garden. Much-needed renovations to the rooms reveal a plantation-style decor with lots of wicker and wood. Spacious bathrooms are done up in marble. Enhancements to the golf courses, spa suites, and driving range have also brought the resort up to speed with its competition. The spa's restaurant serves tasty, healthy fare -- so good you won't realize it's health food, actually. And, for kids, there's The Blue Lagoon water park featuring two 80,000-gallon pools with cascading waterfalls, a rock facade, and a 125-foot water slide. For a spa or golf vacation, the Doral is an ideal choice. Otherwise, consider investing your money in a hotel that's better located.Facilities: 5 restaurants; 6 pools and a 125-ft. water slide; 5 golf courses and driving range; 10 tennis courts; health club and world-class spa; bike rental; concierge; business center; room service; babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning.
