Just back from a two week stay at the Sea View. We had originally booked the Regent in Bal Harbour, which was due to open on Jan 1, 2008, but got delayed (it had not yet opened as of February 10!) and so unfortunately we had to settle for the Sea View since we wanted to be in Bal Harbour and the Sea View is the only place in town after the closure of the Sheraton.
Our room was the best available: oceanfront with balcony, at $430 plus tax per night, a steep price we think. The hotel dates from the late 40's but has been quite well maintained.
Here are the positives:
- Clean hotel and rooms, certainly in view of the age.
- Quiet place, across the street from the Bal Harbour Shops, with direct access to the beach, and without the day and night noise and crowds of South Beach (some may think this is a negative, but we like peaceful hotels).
- Large self-parking area adjacent to the hotel (valet is also available).
- Very large pool and pool area, with plenty of space for everyone.

However, there are many negatives:
- Tiny bathroom, impossible to use by more than one person, without a real bath, just a well functioning shower.
- Depressing breakfast restaurant, which is also the ballroom, half filled with tables close to the window. No possibility to have breakfast outside although there is a terrace with tables (usually people travel to S. Florida to enjoy the sun and have meals outside, but many hotels seem not to have understood this).
- No buffet breakfast, and everything is to be paid for (one extra glass of orange juice = $4,5); service can at times be very slow.
- Almost nobody has dinner in the hotel, so one must go outside, which we did every day even when we didn't feel like.
- No pool service for food or drinks. Collect at the pool bar.
- Be prepared to pay $18 per day for parking, even if you park yourself, use of pool lounge chairs $10 per person (at the former Sheraton next door this was free) plus tax.

All in all, at a daily cost for two of $495 incl tax, plus breakfast at about $40 per day and $21.40 for a few hours at the pool one expects more than what the Sea View has to offer.

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?