One of the things we don’t talk about too much is the effort and experiences we encounter going from place to place. While travel itself isn’t quite as glamorous as it used to be, we thought you might enjoy a peek into our personal repositioning journey. In this case, after our time in Mexico, we scheduled three nights in Miami before boarding our repositioning cruise to Europe. This article describes the logistics of moving between one destination and another. We always try to have some fun along the way, too.
Drive from San Miguel de Allende to QRO
As we mentioned in Flying High in the Colonial town of San Miguel de Allende, it is a long and fairly expensive trip from San Miguel de Allende (SMA) to Queretaro, where our departure airport was. A member of a Facebook group I follow recommended using the Bajiogo shuttle service to get to/from SMA. We hadn’t done much legwork prior to arrival, so we wound up taking a private sedan for $1350p ($75 USD).
Given a little time and more familiarity with the area, I chose to arrange a shared shuttle to take us back to the airport. Bajiogo provided a good service for $58 for the two of us. There was only one brief stop for an additional passenger along the way. We recommend them if you are going, but a private sedan would be cheaper if you had more than 2 people in your party.
No Need for Immigration on Our Way Out of Mexico
Getting checked in was quick and the security line was small. We had been told since we were temporary residents, we would have to register with the Mexican Immigration Service prior to going through security.
It took us a little time to find the office. Once we got there, they said there was no need to see them before leaving the country. Uh, ok. It’s not like we were in a position to demand a stamp or something from the agents. I hope we won’t be in trouble for this when we return to Mexico in the fall.
Of Airports And Lounges
Given that I’d never heard of Queretaro before I began researching how to get to SMA, it came as no surprise that the airport was small. There was one waiting area serving four gates. The Priority Pass lounge there is, shall we say, modest. It offered a small space and a small selection of drinks and snacks. Happily, we didn’t need to spend a lot of time there.
Our connection through DFW was a different story. The Priority Pass lounge in Terminal D was only slightly bigger than the lounge in Queretaro. The offerings in Dallas were only slightly better. Worse yet, it took some time waiting for space to open up to allow us in. I definitely would not plan to use this lounge for a long layover.
Very Late Arrival in Miami
Even worse than the lounge in Dallas, our flight to Miami was delayed about an hour, causing us to get in at 11:30 pm on a Friday night. A long walk to baggage claim was followed by a long wait for the bags followed in turn by a long walk to the Miami Mover train to take us to the car rental center. Given that it was nearly 12:30 am, few trains were running. We didn’t manage to collect our rental and exit the airport until 1 am.
At this point, we were both hungry from the sparse offerings on our flights and in the lounges along the way. The only place we could find open at 1:30 am was a Wawa Gas station, which was fairly packed with people seeking out some late-night munchies. I gotta say, even though it took a while to figure out how to order and pay, Wawa was great. They had a good selection of food despite the hour and it was made to order.
Staying at the Intercontinental Doral
We chose to pass our three nights in Miami at the Intercontinental Doral. We were able to use a couple of free night certificates so we only wound up paying for 1 night. I would stay there again only under similar circumstances. The hotel was nice but plain, not really living up to what I think an Intercontinental should be.
Some of the staff were unaware of hotel features and services. I learned there was a happy hour 5-7 pm daily, but I had to pry a menu out of the waitstaff and even that was incomplete. Another surprise was the Mother’s Day Brunch they put on. For $68/pp, I would expect more than a single mimosa to be included. Inflation sucks.
Possibly the best deal was the Cruise Package I signed up for. It included access to the lounge for our last night and last breakfast, free parking, and a $25 Uber gift card to get us to our cruise. That was a nice way to finish our stay in Miami.
A Weekend Of Shopping and Baseball
Our Miami pitstop was wedged between 6 weeks in Mexico and 7+ weeks on a cruise and in Europe, so Diana had a long list of shopping and personal services to dispatch with on Saturday. Later, we caught up with Diana’s roommate from her time in Paris 30 years ago. She suggested a Tiki Bar/boat storage facility for food and drinks. Welcome to Florida.
Sunday was Mother’s Day. So, Diana scored a Florida Marlins T-shirt as we entered loanDepot stadium to catch the Miami Marlins take on the Cincinnati Reds. While I cheered on the Redlegs on account of family ties, Diana’s choice to root, root, root for the home team, paid off in the end.
The Marlins took the game 5-2, but I’d say we both won. loanDepot Park is quite a nice venue, with ample parking, a retractable roof, comfy seats, inexpensive concession options (a $3 hotdog?!), and great views of downtown. I look forward to catching another game there in the future.
Grabbing Some Cuban Food
After the game, I figured to head to early dinner at Versailles, a popular tourist spot off the main drag in Little Havana. I changed my mind after checking the reviews on Google Maps. Too many reviews talked about it being an overpriced tourist trap and the food quality didn’t justify its fame.
Instead, I found Kuba, a nice but modest joint popular with the abuela (grandma) crowd. Since it was Mother’s Day, we grabbed one of the last available tables at 4:30 pm. Another couple was turned away not long after we arrived.
We were not disappointed. The cocktails were good and strong. The appetizer sampler was huge and the roast pork with rice was perfectly done. I’m glad we got to sneak in a little local flavor before leaving town.
Where Uber Meets Car Rental
Our cruise boarding time was 2:30-3:00 pm. Armed with my $25 hotel cruise package credit, we arrived at the rental car center after one last shopping stop for Diana en route. Happily, the Uber we ordered arrived quickly and let out the riders coming to the transit center.
The fare to the cruise terminal came to $24.92, allowing me to pass on my 2 cents about the whole process and still have a (very) little change. This went smoothly enough that I would do this again, too.
What baseball parks have you enjoyed visiting?
1 comment
In Barcelona for another week, thank you all your advice. It been smooth so far on this trip. Barcelona is an over-the-top foodie town and for walking most everywhere.