OK I realize I posted about this way back in March or so but here I am a week before my trip and I have reservations left at these 2 hotels and really can't decide! I have called both, and from what I understand both are relatively small but have a nice staff and have their share of quiet and noisy rooms.

The Blue Moon said I was reserved in a Suite (or was it a Les Suites?)and the Winterhaven said I have a room on a high floor.

Considering they both charge $18 for parking, are one block from garages, and offer club passes and the like, which would you choose? The main differences are that Winterhaven offers breakfast and is on Ocean Drive and Blue Moon is on Collins and has a small pool and a CD player. I know this may sound silly, but would really like some last minute input!! Thanks!!!

I am not quite sure what is the significance of having a CD player in your room, so I would not make it a decising factor. I think Winterhaven is fine, I have walked by it a few times. I like its location but can say nothing about its rooms. We stayed at Crowne Plaza which had a pool, access to the beach and clean rooms.

I stayed at the Blue Moon in Oct. 2002. Was very quiet. Our room was not a suite and was fairly smallish but comfortable. I liked that it was on Collins and was quiet. It was a quick and painless walk to Ocean Ave. and the "News Cafe" for people watching.

The elevator dates back to when the hotel first ever opened I guess. Pretty funny old "cage" like thing.

The restaurant at the hotel wasn't open (due to lack of business??) so that was kind of weird. This hotel used to be owned by Merv Griffen and the restaurant was apparently quite good ... it was called the "____ Monkey". Oh well ...

As an aside ... we (4 of us) had an excellent Italian meal at "Osteria de Teatro". A family run restaurant on Washington?? Can't hardly remember anything anymore. But I do remember the food was really good. Had a good cob salad at The Delano for lunch one day. That hotel is pretty "weird" looking inside in my estimation.

Have fun.

My husband and I stayed at the Winterhaven for one night before we got up the next morning to drive to Key West. We were getting in late, so we didn't want to spend a lot of $$ and I got a deal on the Internet. The location is great, the lobby is neat in a retro kind of way and the rooms were clean and comfortable, althought very small. And the bathroom was tiny tiny! My husband and I could not be in it at the same time.

All of this was fine since we basically just slept there ... it was also nice to be able to walk to a couple places along Ocean for a drink after we arrived, but I'm not sure I would want to stay there for multiple days.

Upon returning from Key West, we then stayed at the Crowne Plaza which I thought was great ... large room ... great pools, very reasonably priced.

I have friends who stay exclusively at the Blue Moon several times a year.Being in Les Suites refers to one of 2 original hotels that were joined to form the Blue Moon.One was Les Suites and the other the Lafayette Hotel.

I've stayed at both places, Winterhaven once and Blue Moon a few times. Winterhaven just wasn't anything special, and there are too many nteresting places to check out in that area. I like Blue Moon because it is typically a few bucks less than some of the other places, and I think that their rooms, while small like so many of the accomodations in South Beach, make great use of the space and are bright and cheerful.
(The restaurant at the Blue Moon was the Cheeky Monkey and it has been said that they closed it after the tourism business slowed down after 9-11).

The only Blue Moon I know of is run by Mother Mucca in Winnemucca, NV