Before departing for a cruise out of the Port of Miami, we decided to spend a night on South Beach. My wife and I booked a Saturday night at the Pelican for $290 -- par for the course if you want to stay on South Beach.

Almost all of the hotels on Ocean Drive, the main drag in South Beach and right across the street from the beach, are in the Art Deco style and are small, boutique properties. You will not see any massive Hiltons or Westins here, although they are elsewhere in South Beach.

The Pelican is a funky little hotel, with individually designed rooms, each expressing an individual personality. Our room was on the small side, but was comfortable, and nothing like the shoebox rooms we have stayed in Manhattan. The front desk was courteous and efficient. The Pelican is right in the heart of South Beach, which means that, when you leave the hotel, you have restaurants, bars, and night clubs all within a five block radius. The sidewalk in front of the Pelican is jammed with people in the evenings checking out the scene. However, because we were there during low season, it was not excessively noisy.

When you stay in the hotel, you also have access to the beach across the street, with complimentary chairs and towels. That also includes a complimentary umbrella, although the sleazeball working the beach stand that day said it would cost us an extra $12. Mind you, he was NOT a Pelican Hotel employee, but rather an independent contractor servicing several hotels. I reported this probem to the Pelican staff the next morning and they apologized for it.

I would recommend the Pelican if you are staying on South Beach for a couple of nights and want to get a feel for the place.

This was a terrible hotel. I was concerned ahead of booking that we would not get the room we had asked for (or one of the 2 alternatives) so I called ahead of time and was assured by the girl in bookings that even though they could not guarantee our first choice (although god knows why) we would definitely end up staying in our 2nd or 3rd choice - so I then went ahead and booked online for 3 nights.

We arrived late in the evening after a long haul flight from the UK and were taken to a small, dark and all together unpleasant room. It was dirty, smelt of wet towels and the view was a brick wall just a few feet away. When I complained about this and also that this was none of the rooms we had chosen - a very aggressive manager came out to discuss the matter with us. He was incredibly rude and as this was the only room they had available he said take it or leave it. We decided to leave and look for another place and he charged my credit card for the first night anyway.

Welcome to Miami!

This is right in the heart of Ocean Ave. Directly across from the beach.

Parking is hard to come by. Paying extra for valet is worth it.

Rooms are spacious, clean, nicely appointed with good amenities, and housekeeping services are good. Staff is friendly and readily accomodating. Prices are steep, but that's how the majority of the hotels located in this area are. You're paying to be able to walk (or stumble) to all the hot spots.

Of course, this is Miami - a place to party. The noise will not die down until about 4:00AM, so plan on either partying with everyone else out on the streets or sleep elsewhere.

Beautiful hotel. My partner & I honeymooned here and got the 6Os room. Actual room exceeded what the website photos could capture. Their attention to design detail was wonderful, inventive, and a refreshing departure than the standard fare one usually encounters at beachfront hotels. The staff were very nice, laid back, and helpful. We never wanted for service. The rooms were cleaned twice a day, and the location was ideal. Be mindful, however, that beachfront rooms will be noisier, as such is life on the South Beach Ocean Drive. The food at their restaurant was also amazing--so many options, great drinks too. We dined in our room and in the place many times and enjoyed everything. The only complaint is that the shower water temperature was bipolar--ranging from super hot to super cold multiple times during a 15 minute shower. It was just never consistent. However, overall this place was definitely worth the price. In addition, my partner and I are a queer, boi/femme, tattooed couple and our experience will be referred to all in our community.