After 11 wonderful nights with my family at the Sea View I can only say the very best about this hotel. Beautiful large room, very clean, grandiose service from all staff members, perfect for children (mine is 15 months old). What makes the service special is the surprisingly wonderful cuisine of the hotel restaurant and the fact that you will never hear anything like "sorry, can't do". Everything seems to be possible, and I loved to hear the sentence: "Anything you want, M'am!"

Get a room with a balcony if you like the fresh air as the windows cannot be opened for safety reasons. And then: enjoy and let them spoil you!

The hotel has kind of an old school look and feel. Overall it's a nice hotel, with a quiet oceanfont...one of the reasons why I selected the hotel. The drinks are the poolside bar are a little weak, and incidental charges for towels and the use of lounge chairs is a bit much for the caliber that the hotel fashions itself to be. Location is perfect...about a 15 minute drive to ocean drive. In my opinion, the hotel is a best kept secret for those who want to get away to the beach with oceanfront view without all the noise and traffic of being in the center of things.

Exactly what it says on the tin............
Helpful staff.
Nice pool - but you have to pay extra for sunbeds min $10 per day each
Car park - at a charge
Business Centre - $5+ per 15 mins internet connection
Great shopping centre opposite - take credit card!
Easy access to south beach Miami - $1.50 bus trip
Beds uncomfortable.
No tea bags in the room, just coffee
Good restaurant & bar
Good breakfast

Just returned from 4 nights at the Sea View in Bal Harbour. It's a wonderful, old school hotel. There are guests who have been coming back there for 50 years, and for good reason. It's a good quality, family type hotel where the staff greets you by name.

Our room was an oceanview with a balcony. The room was large and clean, and the beds were very comfortable. The bathroom, small by today's standards, was also clean and well-fitted. There was a huge walk-in closet that was big enough to use as a dressing room.
There was also a small refrigerator that we used to keep sodas and bottles of water.

Room service was quick and efficient, and without the ridiculous service charges that other hotels impose. There's no $12 piece of toast here.

There's a great snack bar/coffee shop as well as a terrace dining area for lunch. Jose at the snack bar makes the best milkshakes!

We spent most of our time at the beach, which is beautiful. The attendants at the beach were the nicest people on the staff. The pool is huge and well maintained, and kept at a warm 85 degrees.

The location is great - just across from the Shops at Bal Harbour, where there are several good restaurants. It's about 20 minutes from Aventura, which is great for a rainy day. It's about 20 minutes from South Beach, 25 minutes if you're looking for Joe's Stone Crabs (go for the take-out -- no wait and the same great food).

If you're looking for all-out indulgence, the Sea View is not for you. This is a good quality beach hotel - a rare find in the Miami area. It's not flashy. It's a good value for the money, especially in the middle the high season.