For our 2013 Winter break, we booked a 7-day Caribbean cruise departing from Miami. The vacation began in Miami a few days before we boarded the ship. Sue booked us into the Epic Hotel located in the downtown business district.

The hotel is quite new and the building also contained some residential apartments. It is epic !

The front of the hotel was always busy and crowded with some of the residents’ or visitors’ exotic cars.

The hotel is located right next to the Miami River and apparently, one can rent a boat on the bank of the river just steps from the front entrance of the hotel.

The Epic belongs to the Kimpton chain of hotels. We are not familiar with the chain except that R & B’s wedding was held in an Epic Hotel in Manhattan in May 2013.

We had a room on the 20-something floor. All rooms have a terrace.

After the cruise, we stayed a couple more days at the same hotel except that Sue booked a room with ocean view.

The views from our terraces were unobstructed. The hotel has several swimming pools on the 16th floor.

The ocean view is a misnomer really because our room faces a channel that leads to the ocean but not the ocean itself. Geographically speaking it is almost impossible to see the ocean unless the hotel is located in Miami beach.

Condos on Brickell key, a small island (same view as above at night).

Views down Brickell Avenue. Normally a busy commercial thoroughfare. There was hardly any traffic on the weekend before the New Year. It was weird to see no cars on a street with so many buildings.

Brickell Avenue at night.

The hotel is recommendable.

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