My sister and I visited during a weekend in January; the room was booked by a 3rd party (I won a trip to Miami with hotel, etc.) so we didn't comparison shop.

The entrance and lobby were elegant and quaint in a vintage way. The concierge was very helpful and pleasant and offered suggestions for attractions, dining and offered to call cabs for us and hold our luggage for a few hours after checkout so we could visit the Bal Harbour Shops right across the street.

The room was very large, but not as pristine as I would have liked - the wallpaper was peeling a bit near the floor, the sliding glass doors to the balcony were rickety and old and the balcony's metal railing was in need of a powerwashing and paint job, the bathroom tile on the walls had water spots/stains as did the fixtures in the tub. The room had a weird odor when we arrived - it felt as though no one had used or cleaned the room in months since the last vacationer. However room service arrived twice daily - around 11am and then surprised us at 8:30 PM (put the Do Not Disturb on your door if you plan to retire early or be in your room at that hour) and did a good job at cleaning and replenishing towels and toiletries.

The bathroom was standard and small (this hotel was built in 1948) but they did a decent job of upgrading it with a pedestal sink and large wall mirror and there was fantastic water pressure and plenty of fluffy white towels.

The room had a TV but the remote wasn't working. The concierge asked us to bring the remote to the lobby; new batteries didn't remedy the situation so they snagged a remote from an empty room. Very pleasant through the process. No coffee/tea in the room nor a minibar, but there was a pretty large refrigerator. Walk-in closet held the chest of drawers, iron, safe and a full-length mirror.

We were pleased to have a room overlooking the pool and then ocean; from our beds we could see the Atlantic.

Room Service was the same menu and prices as the restaurant downstairs and was reasonably priced. It took less than 20 minutes to receive our breakfast and it was hot, average-sized portions and quite tasty. They were happy to customize our order over the phone and were quite friendly.

We did not use the pool, but visited the area and it was quite clean and well-maintained. The pool bar staff was friendly and helpful. The beach is just a few steps past the pool deck and had staff there to offer chairs.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Sea View in Bal Harbour, Florida. Every one of the staff with whom we had contact was exceptionally polite and helpful.

Our trip was booked as a package deal through Expedia. Our only disappointment was the additional charge from the hotel for an upgrade to an ocean view/balcony room. Although we accepted, we thought it was high.

I went to the Sea View Hotel after not being in Miami for over a decade. After going through many of the other hotel web sites, I finally decided on this hotel for value and quality. On sites I visited this hotel was dubbed a three star which is what I was contented to settle with.

Upon entrance into the hotel lobby and into my room (I got one with a balcony), I was most impressed. It was very clean and upscale.

I was treated VERY VERY well by the staff at the front desk.

The rooms were very very roomy, the walk-in closet was a dream and the balcony gave me even more square footage. The hotel was quite enjoyable and definitely made me want to spend some time in the room.

I think the only drawback is the location in respect to South Beach and restaurants. It's quite a distance from a lil diner where I got breakfast.

I would definitely stay again if I wanted to be away from the hubub of South Beach. I mean you can always drive if when you want the action, right?

My fiance and I stayed at the Sea View for a quick getaway
May 26th-28th. Overall we were satisfied, but departed feeling that the property doesn't live up to potential. Better communication between staff and greater attention to detail would go far to bridge the gap between a good experience and a great one.

The positives:

Room was ready for 9am check-in. A welcome surprise fresh off the plane.

Olympic size pool with cabanas, lounges and restaurant/bar. The staff was friendly, accessible and helpful.

Lunch/drinks at the pool bar. Bartenders were outgoing and drinks had quite a kick. Food was very good/excellent and arrived promptly.

Twice daily housekeeping that kept eerything very clean and tidy.

The negatives:

The breakfast staff of 6 could barely handle 10 tables, and was heard grumbling excuses to frustrated fellow diners. Things improved considerably with the arrival of a manager, but service was bad, food was bad and overpriced all considered.

Hotel adds 18% tip on all food and drink purchases. It's presented as a guest convience but serves only as a dis-incentive to staff who don't have to work for tips.

$3 for a diet coke is outrageous unless it's being consumed under a palm tree at the Ritz or Four Seasons.

The gift shop, coffee shop and salon was closed 2 of the 3 days of our stay. Low season perhaps, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to staff the amenitites year round (or holiday wknd)

Bellhop was overzealous in taking our bag on arrival, and concierge was MIA when we wanted to leave bag in storage prior to departure.

Finally, we arrived back from dinner one night to find 3 police cars at the hotel. Next day pool was closed due to a "sanitation issue" from previous evening, resulting in pool needing to be fully drained and refilled. Front desk would not confirm nor deny the two were related but we surmise it was a drunken disorderly/vomit in the pool situation or similar.

Bottom line: It was a fair value at the $165 Expedia rate, and we'd probably stay again armed with the knowledge of how to work around/avoid the irritations. Just not sure what the Sea View aspires to be or what type of clientel it wants to attract. There are elements of luxury in the marble floors and crystal chandeliers, and great potential to be more than it is. For us, to date, the customer service and general feel misses the mark.