South Beach - Bay or Ocean side
 

I'm trying a new shorter title to see if I can get any thoughts on this. My end of February Miami Beach stay will be either at the Royal Palm on the ocean or the Flamingo condo complex which is on the bay, 1 mile away. Royal Palm - regular 2 dbl bed room, ocean beach, daily housekeeping, right in the center of the SoBe vibe. Flamingo - bay beach, not in the center of it all, 1 bedroom condo with full kitchen (makes breakfast easy and inexpensive), no housekeeping, looks like pretty grounds (but who knows, since web photos can be so misleading). Both have pools. Both are same in price.

I am active 57, traveling with 21yo DD, joined by 26yo DS for 3 of our 5 nights. He votes for the hotel. He is concerned that the bay property will be out of the way. I am on the fence. My daughter is freezing in college in Montreal and is just happy to go somewhere warmer. I'd appreciate some thoughts from those of you who know Miami Beach. Thanks.

No question, stay on the ocean. You'll be within walking distance to everything.

I have stayed at Royal Palm several times and love it... for a cheaper alternative also check the Doubletree Surfcomber... same neighborhood, a bit cheaper with the same vibe... good luck

The Flamingo complex isn't too far away but I agree with your kids, stay on the beach.

If I'm not mistaken, The Royal Palm has condos. I'd call and ask.

I'd go with the beach. Same price, views are better from the room, and convenience is key.

Breakfast is the most inexpensive meal of the day anyway, and it doesn't have to be eaten as a hot meal either, so I wouldn't necessary count that as a decision-making factor. Plus housekeeping is a HUGE factor at the other hotel. By at least the 3rd night you'll want to have the room cleaned. And you'll have two bedrooms for the three adults at the hotel, versus only one bedroom at the other.

And the biggest decision making factor for me would be the DS's opinion. If you choose the condo, and then you get down there and it's anything less than wonderful, the whole time he's there you're going to be second guessing the decision to just stay in the hotel.

Please forgive me. I should have said: "IF your family dynamic is anything like mine, if you get down there and the hotel is anything less than wonderful..." Sorry!

I realize that my wording left an incorrect impression. We will all be sharing one room at the hotel - a room with 2 double beds. My son was not part of the original plans, and I cannot stretch to cover 2 rooms. We don't really care. We get along well, and we will manage.

At this point I am leaning toward the hotel, but I am concerned about the many bad reviews about the lack of cleanliness. The condo rep did not send the pictures. Plus, I believe our payment to the condo is made in advance, and if weather limits our travel, we have no options - it's gone. At the hotel, we can cancel some of the nights if necessary.

butnotrmpt, this is the deal with hotel rooms in South Beach, they are very tiny and a double/double is an upgrade and not a standard room.

Saying that, I would maybe opt for the condo and tell the kids they can walk.

Doubles are small beds and I've never stayed in a South Beach hotel room that had queens because they simply don't fit in the rooms.

Did you think about trying for two rooms on priceline?

If you don't mind me asking, how much are you paying?

We have a rate under $200 per night. I doubt I am going to find that anywhere on the beach. Sharing a double bed doesn't bother me. And after spending 2 weeks in Italy last spring, small rooms don't faze me either. it is the cleanliness - or lack thereof, that gives me pause about the Royal Palm. It is definitely not a place I would have chosen myself, since I read tripadvisor reviews. But this is the place that is used by my son's Florida business connection. I guess maybe most of the clients take the suites (but that price is higher of course) or the kings, which are in the renovated part of the hotel. None of the doubles have been renovated.

To garyt22 and go travel - the reviews on the Royal Palm are very unsettling. Have you actually stayed there recently, or are your recommendations based more on its location. If you have been there in recent years, did you stay in the renovated or unrenovated area?

Yes, I've stayed in the Royal Palm when it was a Crown Plaza as a good friend was the Director of Sales and Marketing there.

That said, I think your fears are unfounded as it is a nice hotel in an excellent location.

Personally, I think Trip Advisor hotel reviews are garbage for the most part.

Look up your favorite hotel on trip advisor and see how many bad reviews it has.

A lot of disgruntled hotel employees place bogus reveiws on hotwire and a lot of hotel employees place false good reviews also.

Royal Palm started as a Holiday Inn and was renovated into a Crowne Plaza about 10 years ago...six years ago it was purchased and converted into owner vacation timeshares... prices skyrocketed due to the SoBe boom and its location next to the Loews... thats when we switched to the DoubleTree Surfcomber a few properties down the Beach(next to Delano Hotel)... Royal Palm may have fallen, but it was pretty nice at our last stay... Both of these properties are standard hotel room properties, not converted Deco hotels with the tiny rooms and no parking... I cant help you with rates, but with this economy, there should be specials...

I also thought that the prices would have come down, but they are still high, at least at the beachfront properties. But this hotel has had so many bad reviews that they have to be given some credence. The number of people complaining about the dirt and the awful housekeeping service is too large to ignore. And then there is the background of the squabbling former business partners, the changing ownership several times in the past few years, and the recent bankruptcy filing...

Anyway, I have just booked my little group into the Park Central. This is an Art Deco hotel, just over 100 rooms, on Collins at 6th. It has a little pool, a nice looking roof top terrace, a room under $200 per night, free beach chairs and wifi, and nightly turn down service. The reviews are better anyway. Any familiarity with this hotel? Area? And it has a decent cancellation policy, so I will continue looking for a condo rental.

I stayed at the Park Central last year with my nieces. It is a great little boutique hotel, in a fab location. You'll really like the terrace area on the roof of the hotel. The pool is small, but the beach is literally right across the street! I found our room clean and the beds were heavenly comfortable!

flapenny - what kind of room did you have? And do you remember what floor you were on? I have requested not to be on the 4th floor, since that is where the icemaker is and I read that it gets a lot of hall traffic. Right now I am booked in the entry level room with 2 double beds - no view. I am considering whether it is worth the extra $ to upgrade to the next level, which has a partial ocean view. Did you find hallway noise to be an issue? - I also read that the room doors are louvred and thus let in lots of noise.