Places to stay in miramar that are safe near Le Cordon Bleu (Miami: apartment complexes)

[Kalindi Mangeshikar]

hey
im starting a course at Le Cordon Bleu pretty soon and im trying to figure out what miramar is like... which areas should i look at for housing and approximately how much do 1 br cost ??
I want to know which areas are safe and would i need a car to get around ?
any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks

[compelled to reply]

That is Broward County...not Miami-Dade County. There isn't really much around the culinary school, as it is located in the middle of a business park. I would say the rest of Miramar is nice to the west of the school and a little more consistent to the east. The west side was mostly built within the past 10 years, has a very suburban feel, and has mostly residential areas with a few shopping centers and office parks. The east side was mostly built between the 1960s to 1980s and has seen better days, but generally isn't unsafe except for in a few areas. There are nice apartment complexes in Miramar west of Red Road (basically down the block from the school) as well as really crappy ones, but expect for pay at least 1100 for a nice one. For a better price (around 900), you could look into private landlord options in the Pembroke Pines area, about 5-25 minutes from Le Coredon Bleu depending on what part of Pines, and like Miramar is nicest to the west. These are both very suburban cities were a car is an absolute must.

[Kalindi Mangeshikar]

thanks for the suggestions. can u tell me a bit more about the area - any good nightlife?
im going to be living by myself so i guess the safest area is where id want to stay at.
these landlords - how would i get in touch with them and pleases for the love of god dont sy craigslist please!!!!!!

[compelled to reply]

Miramar has zero nightlife except for a couple of seedy Jamaican Dancehall-style bars and clubs (and oddly enough, seedy redneck bars) in the extreme east side. Pembroke Pines is basically the same way, although there is a quasi-nightlife in the Pembroke Gardens outdoor shopping mall from the bars at the restaurants. On the bright side, this area is about halfway between downtown Ft. Lauderdale and the nightlife in South Beach and downtown Miami, there are bars and clubs at the Hard Rock in Hollywood (10-20 minutes away), and there is also some nightlife around downtown Hollywood and in Hallandale at the new Village of Gulfstream which is pretty close by (15-20 minutes away). During the daytime, there is plenty of shopping in Pembroke Pines, and Aventura is another major shopping destination that is about 20-30 minutes away. My distances are by car as mass transit is non existent during the night hours. So while there isn't much in the neighborhood itself, you won't be bored. For rentals, I have used Rent Free Realty with success and they are willing to show you private properties.

[doggiebus]

Moving this to the Broward County section for you.