Very interesting, thanks for that. We were thinking of going this year but by the time it came to booking the only accommodation left was terrible and overpriced. However, we have promised everyone we are definitely going in 2020. Where did you stay in Miami when you went this year? Have you always stayed in the same location?
When we go we are hoping to arrive on maybe the Tuesday, do some tourist things and some other events and pool parties before Ultra. It seems that Ultra don't do single day tickets which would make it difficult to mix that with some other events from the Friday.
The Resistance Island lineup is where I would be more focused on as well I think. Was there a good atmosphere in the crowd with people friendly?
It probably worked out for the best for you then, as I expect Ultra will have a lot of the rough parts of their new location better sorted out by next year.
I've always stayed in downtown Miami since I liked being walking distance to the old festival location, and usually at a Marriott since I stay with that brand often enough to get some extra perks like late checkout (very handy!). This year we were at the JW Marriott Miami Marquis, but only because I had enough points to stay for free; it's shockingly expensive otherwise. Most years we've stayed at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, which usually has had more reasonable rates if I book early.
Of course, a lot of people stay somewhere in Miami Beach so they can enjoy the beach and the ocean views when not at Ultra. However, it can be a fairly expensive Uber trip back and forth, and the traffic between South Beach and downtown can be brutal at some times of day.
Whatever you do, avoid Airbnb's around Ultra and MMW. I've heard many, many stories of hosts cancelling at the last minute for some "excuse" (the reality is likely that they found someone willing to pay more), leaving the first people scrambling for another option and paying a lot more too.
You're right, they don't sell one day tickets -- the festival always seems to sell out with just three-day tickets for sale. You often can find scalpers re-selling partially used tickets if you just wanted Saturday and Sunday, but that's a dicey option especially if you've made a long trip to be there.
The Resistance Island side did have a good crowd this year, perhaps even more so because it was so far from the other stages that tend to attract fans with a different attitude. And the Megastructure where they have their biggest Resistance events is technically pretty amazing -- you'll feel like you're in a super club like Privilege.
BTW, a resource for Ultra info is this Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/881843261952713 It's only "official" in that Ultra allows the group to use their brand name so long as they behave; otherwise it's run by a handful of fans (including me) who just wanted a place to help others have a good time and avoid problems.