My husband and I booked this hotel for a short getaway to Miami without the kids. We chose this hotel because of it's proximity to the airport and the fact that we stayed at another La Quinta in July last year in Orlando and were pretty happy with the value.
We specifically requested a non-smoking room. When we arrived at the hotel at around 9pm, we were checked into a room on the top floor. When we got there, as we entered the STENCH of stale smoke hit us as we entered the door. The room was not clean, not even the bathroom and the carpet was stained with what appeared to be a leak from the bathroom... Utterly disgusting. We went in, opened the windows and debated staying and requesting a different room the next day as we did not plan to stay at the hotel much, we decided to go out and get a bottle of febreeze to freshen the room. Having forgotton our keys when we got to the lobby, we went back up... only to see a woman who looked pregnant and high and another woman running out of a door towards her... At that point, I was scared, I did not feel safe, nor did I see any presence of security. We went into the room, locked the door and began calling around to find another hotel.
We checked out and went on our way only to learn later on that the day after we checked out, they placed a hold on my credit card for the cost of our initial booking when we were assured that there would be no charge...
The one good thing though was that when we returned two days later Marcelle,the Manager on duty, was more than willing and helpful in having the hold on my credit card released.

This was my third stay at this location. We used to pay about $79 and that was a great price. We stayed there this week for a Disney Cruise and the price has gone up to $118 and then add tax that pushes it up to $133. Add the $26 dollar taxi ride back and it's cheaper to park at the cruise terminal.

The Hotel is still nice, they have a free shuttle to the airport and the cruise terminal. They now do the shuttle through Miami Tours and they offer a $10 per person shuttle back to the hotel.

The breakfast was not as good as our previous stays. The staff is friendly and you can leave you car at the hotel while you are on the cruise.

We stayed at the La Quinta the night before our cruise. We found the rooms to be very clean (and we inspected every single inch!). The beds were comfy. We had no issues with noise (our room was on the 3rd floor backside facing the Embassy Suites). It had everything we needed! The shuttle from the airport was good - just go to the 2nd floor and look for the white van - no need to schedule it. The staff were super friendly and helpful and handled the check-in crowds in a pleasant manner! We took a cab to South Beach which cost us about $40 each way (we had 4 in our group), but it was worth it to walk down 16th St. and put our toes in the sand. We did have a late meal at the Bennigan's next door - the service and food there was ok (and is for another review). The breakfast area was very crowded the next morning -They had the basic continental fare, but hardboiled eggs and yogurt was available for those of us that need some protein. They also mean it when they say it closes at 9 am! The earlier you can get down there, the better it will be! The shuttle to the port the next day was great (and free to boot)! We left a camera in the room and when we called, they said they'd keep it until we got back from our cruise. Since we had already scheduled a transfer from the ship to the airport, once we checked in for our flight, we took the shuttle from the airport back to the hotel and they had the camera there for us. It was super easy to take the shuttle right back to the airport. All in all, the La Quinta was a great place to stay before your cruise and they make the beginning of your vacation a pleasant and smooth experience!!!