Essex House By Clevelander

“Good value for money (with the right expectations)”

I stayed here several times in the mid-2010s and the vibe, decor and guest profile have definitely changed a lot since those days. The property feels much more like an overflow for the Clevelander and its rowdy crowds than the separate, quieter, and more classy property it used to be. Location is … more

I stayed here several times in the mid-2010s and the vibe, decor and guest profile have definitely changed a lot since those days. The property feels much more like an overflow for the Clevelander and its rowdy crowds than the separate, quieter, and more classy property it used to be. Location is (obviously) still fantastic if you want to be in South Beach, and we got great value for money on our stay compared with nearby properties (about $200 a night for a superior room over a weekend). The bathroom was a bit dated and the lighting bizarrely harsh, but the room was otherwise fine for the price we paid: spacious, reasonably modern, and in decent condition. Soundproofing was surprisingly good given the room was practically right above the unspeakably noisy “Bacon Bitch” which has replaced the previous hotel bar (and seems to attract a very trashy clientele). Staff were friendly. Mandatory “resort fee” was annoying but is par for the course in America these days. I would stay again but it definitely helps to go in with the right expectations!

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“Ok hotel, but they take money from you and then ignore you.”

Hotel is ok, very basic rooms. Great location, but the walls are thin, and it's noisy. First night, had inconsiderate staff banging buckets around outside our room at 2:30am - made no sense. Breakfast offering was good. Had a lovely chap checking us in, told us we had paid all taxes and fees up fr… more

Hotel is ok, very basic rooms. Great location, but the walls are thin, and it's noisy. First night, had inconsiderate staff banging buckets around outside our room at 2:30am - made no sense. Breakfast offering was good. Had a lovely chap checking us in, told us we had paid all taxes and fees up front. No other fee info given. Nothing mentioned on check out, apparently all fine. Then got a charge to the credit card after we'd left, with no explanation. I have tried several times to query it, but no response at all. Feel like we have been robbed.

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“Do your research before you book”

Very very noisy during Spring Break, check and you will see the eating place that is joined on to the hotel is full of extremely noisy teenagers virtually in the nude, it's very off putting. The hotel staff are really lovely. Particularly Godfrey who was so sweet and kind. The hotel is very specia… more

Very very noisy during Spring Break, check and you will see the eating place that is joined on to the hotel is full of extremely noisy teenagers virtually in the nude, it's very off putting. The hotel staff are really lovely. Particularly Godfrey who was so sweet and kind. The hotel is very special in that the aesthetic is original Art Deco and has been looked after. The rooms...we'll, ours at least was an okay size and everything worked, but it looked out at a passage and was so noisy. This particular noise came from above. We were on the 3rd floor so we assumed it was for the pool motor as it stopped at 10pm and resumed at 7am promptly. A dreadful droning noise that is hard to sleep through, even with earplugs. The hotel was at capacity so there was no point asking to be moved so we put up with it. The lift is slow but functions. We paid an extra fee to get WiFi and access to a few things like water in the room, beach club and pool access and a free frozen drink. This drink was a slush drink and as far as we could tell there was no alcohol in it. So we went to the bar and asked for a shot of rum and a shot of vodka as we fancied a little drink, we planned to put them into our included drinks. I was asked for $42 for these two shots. Wow. I could not believe this. We declined and we left the bar. Miami beach is nearby, just one block away, it makes it a perfect spot if you want to be on the beach with easy access back to the room. Miami is very very expensive in this South Beach area. Out and about we paid $120 for a main salad, chicken and rice plus two drinks. The night before was $100 for a bowl of plain pasta, a chicken and rice plus two bottles of beer. A lunch consisting of a sandwich and two smoothies (which tasted of nothing) was $30. 4 bananas were $5 If you want to experience Miami then do your research. We won't be going back and are disappointed with our travel agent who booked us into the hotel. The hotel is 3star at best but the aesthetic and the staff are the ones who make it worth a look. Also, a shout out to the cleaning staff who work really hard too ♥️

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