Amidst the glitz and glamour of Miami and Miami Beach is a hideaway whose secret is just now getting out. It's the Hotel Indigo Miami-Dadeland (www.miamidadelandhotel.com) in the growing downtown Dadeland business center on Miami's's growing south side. Open less than one year, the 122-room property is proving to be an ideal option for budget-minded families and business travelers alike as it's only a 10-minute drive from Florida's Turnpike, a 20-minute drive to Miami International Airport, a 30-minute drive to the beautiful people of South Beach and a one-hour drive to the diving and snorkeling mecca Key Largo.
Golf courses, such as Killian Greens Golf Club, are each within a few minutes drive as are such attractions as the Miami Seaquarium, Miami Metro Zoo, Miami Museum of Science and Everglades National Park. The University of Miami in Coral Gables also is within close proximity as is Coral Gables' famed "Miracle Mile'' shopping and dining mecca.
How's that for location, location, location? But there's more. How about price, price, price? You don't have to pay big bucks to be in the middle of all Miami and Miami Beach have to offer. For example, the Hotel Indigo Miami-Dadeland currently is offering a "Beat The Heat'' rate of $79 per night for Florida residents that includes a complimentary cocktail (maximum two people) at its Phi Bar. Parking is always free at the Hotel Indigo Miami-Dadeland (as opposed to $30 per night at some Miami Beach hotels) and small pets also are welcome free of charge.
The hotel has a nice outdoor pool along with the Phi Bar and Restaurant and the Green Bean Cafe that offers a have a very good breakfast menu that includes a terrific serving of French toast.
The Hotel Indigo MIami-Dadeland is within walking distance of the popular Dadeland Mall (the hotel offers a free shuttle) and about a 15-minute drive the Shops at Sunset Place, an outdoor shopping center that offers a variety of eating and shopping options.
"It's a boutique-style hotel,'' said Ruth Moloon, senior sales manager for the Hotel Indigo Dadeland. "We're close to the Dadeland Mall and we have a lot of restaurants in the area.''
The hotel's rather plain exterior belies the beauty inside where the Hotel Indigo Miami-Dadeland is every bit as sophisticated as any boutique hotel in Miami Beach's Art Deco district. Once you walk through the front door it's clear you're not in a routine neighborhood hotel. The Hotel Indigo Miami-Dadeland hotel features natural organic patterns and textures throughout as well as shades of avocado green, tangerine and ocean blue. The hardwood floors in each guest room add to the ambiance as do murals around the hotel that depict Miami ocean life.
The spa-style showers in the bathrooms are a nice, touch, too, and add to the hotel's "boutique'' feel, as do the signature Phitness Center and the 216-square-foot Palm Board meeting room that accomodates up to people.
The Hotel Indigo brand is the newest member of the Intercontinental Hotel Group's portfolio that includes 19 properties throughout North America. The Hotel Indigo Miami-Dadeland is the first of three properties in the Miami area. The other two are the conversion of the 86-room Don Shula Golf Club in Miami Lakes and the new-build 135-room property in Miami Beach. Each is scheduled to open this fall.