We (myself and 2 friends), booked Freehand after much research into hostels in Miami. As our adventures were over the Xmas break, we wanted the location to be pretty special and also to make sure we were completely satisfied with our choice. Freehand Miami lived up to exactly what we had envisaged for our trip, and some.

A beautiful and respectful refurb of what we believe to be the old Indian Creek Hotel. You walk into an atmosphere of a true totally relaxed holiday spirit..the entrance hall/reception/sitting area is the hub of the hostel, beautifully and tastefully decorated to compliment the original features of this 1930's building.

Our room was a Private Quad, and the beds were AMAZING....brand new mattresses and pillows that give you the sort of night's sleep you can only wish for on a holiday. The rooms have character you can feel and the bathrooms still also have some original features to boot. Lockers to keep your bits safe if you need to. Fluffy white towels and views either to the road, or the pool/courtyard if you're lucky.

The pool and outside area is dreamy, with fairy lights and lanterns hanging gracefully from every tree. Ping pong tables and boule to keep you entertained. Outdoor showers, very cool cruiser bikes to rent. and not forgetting the one and only Broken Shaker cocktail bar. This was the real winning element for us. A vintage inspired cocktail bar, perfectly in keeping with the theme of the rest of the Freehand persona. Too cool for school bar staff who were very lovely and we befriended the wonderful Ricky from Ecuador who we wished we'd met a few days earlier to show us the sights of Miami. The cocktails were insanely good, inventive and inspired, with the cocktail menu changing within our stay there. They had ice-cubes in shapes I had never seen, used fresh herbs from the garden and created drinks that subliminally encouraged you to want to try all of them.

The breakfast was a homemade dream of all kinds of flavours of mini-muffins, croissants, fruit salad, yoghurt topped with granola, orange juice, coffee etc. Just what the doctor ordered and a real treat to eat outside in the morning sunshine next to the still waters of the pool.

This place is a haven...and although there isn't too much in close quarters to the location in terms of shops/bars/restaurants, these are only a walk away. The white sands are a 2 minute walk....and we highly recommend The Tropical Beach cafe on Collins, which although doesn't look like anything particularly special, we can assure you the food is delicious and the portions are close to what one might see on Man vs Food for a small fraction of the price you will pay anywhere else in Miami.

My only real gripe was that the customer service on reception could've been more enthusiastic. The welcome was slightly disappointing from a place that is so special, it was just too laid back and not entirely personal for us, I would encourage management to work on this to perfect the experience. Aside from this....nothing more than a wonderful stay for us, we would definitely recommend and love to return one day. I know this place is very new, having only been open for 1 month, and I think they have done a top knotch job with it...look out for the new onsite restaurant opening in the next few months, which I can only imagine will be out-of-this-world.

This hostel is a wonderful place to stay in. It is designed in a beach house style with a wonderful garden, pool and public area. The beds are very comfortable and due to its design it feels like a private room/bed. The service is excellent, everyone is friendly and open (daily housekeeping).
The beach is 2 minutes away in walking distance. Miami South Beach is quite a walk. Busses drive frequently for less than 3 dollars to South Beach AND the airport. I liked best the evening's atmosphere: candles and flowers everywhere. It is great to relax either in the hammock or a comfortable chair outside under the lighted up palm trees.

This is truly a heaven of people of hipsters!
The newly renovated building has a cool atmosphere, great rooms, very clean and with great amenities. The hostel can be compared to 4 star hotels and would beat most of them. It has a great atmosphere especially in the evenings, you should chill out at the bar in the garden.
Some issues to be considered:
During our two day stay the elevator was out of order. I guess this has been for a while and hope they will fix it. people with disabilities should double check.
The hotel has no parking lot. It is pay park zones and mostly full all around the place. However, you can get a parking voucher with a discount from the front desk.
People at the front desk didn't seem that they are doing their best through our visit.
In the end, It is a very good hostel and definitely recommended.

Truly an amazing hostel. I've stayed in Hostels all over the world, and this one really takes the cake. Not only does it have a pool (and a CLEan one), it is housed in a renovated 1930's Art-Deco Hotel that is absolutely charming. The free breakfast is actually delicious and filling (unlike the sad piece of toast and jam offered to me at my previous hostel), the rooms are clean, aesthetically pleasing (somewhat nautically themed), the bar serves some of the best drinks I've ever had, and even the lobby music was totally to my taste.
The staff was totally helpful, they even let me use the office computer to book a flight (since my phone had been stolen). Oh -- and the most unbelievable part-- rooms started at $21 a night!

The only draw back was that there booking system seems to be a bit rough still-- having just opened. They accidentally put me in the luggage room at first, but compensated me with free drinks for the mistake, so, guess it turned out for the best. The location perhaps isn't the most interesting part of South Beach, but its easy enough to get around, and you might end up hanging out here at night any ways.
The crowd seems to veer a bit to the hipster, NYC and European. Not quite the clubby hook-up scene you might get at other hostels but to me that's a good thing.
I'm not sure how this place came into existance. But I'm glad it did. Having worked at a Hostel, I'm all the more amazed by how many things they've got right. Do yourself a favor and stay here.