My wife and I had a friend visiting from our of town that really wanted to visit Miami. We live in the FL panhandle and had yet to make the trip ourselves. After consulting Tripadvisor and a co-worker that is from Miami, we settled on the Mantell. We were on a budget and it met are needs for price and location.

The room was above average. The building is a bit older. But what it was lacking in newness was more than made up for by amenities and the outstanding service we got from the manager, Mr Ray Breslin. We ended up arriving later in the evening than expected. But that didn't prevent Ray from greeting us upon arrival and giving us a quick tour of the hotel. His tips for navigating the area by car and taxi were extremely helpful.

Our room was small, but we got what we paid for...a room to comfortably accommodate three adults. Ray definitely knows how to take care of his guests as demonstrated by the wide variety of complimentary fruit, snacks, coffee, and snacks he put in the room for us.

If you are looking for a cost conscious way to visit South Beach, I would highly recommend you consider The Mantell.

Tourist note: if you are looking for a budget eating and watering hole in South Beach, and the SoFi area ( South of Fifth), check out Monty's. first of all there is free garage parking next to it. Second, their happy hour is amazing. 30% off beer and cocktails, 70 cent shrimp and discounts on oysters and crab claws. We feasted like kings as we sat on the deck watching the sunset and the boats cruising by.

I have had the good fortune to travel throughout the United States and Europe. I am reasonable in my expectations and believe you get what you pay for. I feel it is my responsibility to warn anyone who is thinking of staying here of the experience I had. I hope to avoid anyone else from having the same experiences.

I traveled to Miami Beach for a conference and to check out local colleges with my son. I stumbled across this accommodation on trip advisor and based on reviews decided to give it a try.

Pros: Ray is very nice when making the reservation and free continental breakfasts are provided upon arrival.

Cons: 1. When making the reservation you don't know what room you are getting. I asked several times and the response was always "all rooms are equal quality." Ray told me later that he placed us in his premium room and didn't charge us for it. There was no mention of different fees for different room on the website.
2. Have to pay in cash or check, no credit cards.
3. The building is very old and smells it! Has that musky-moldy smell that a good cleaning would take care of!
4. BEWARE: you will be hit for fees once you get to the room. For example, Ray left a pink laminated paper saying I would have to pay him $100 deposit for the parking permit. He also said that I owed him $10 a day for the futon as it was considered a separate sleeping space. None of that information was every communicated to me prior to the trip, on the website or on our invoice.
5, Ray's reaction to my questions were unprofessional and rude. For example, when questioned about a reduced rate for the day the water was being shut off he became EXTREMELY hostile and belligerent. He didn't care that we could not use the toilet!
6. The room and furnishings are very outdated and in need of a cleaning. The room itself was dirty and needed a deep cleaning too. The carpet was worn and dirty and the bathroom had a great deal of grime.
7. The parking is ridiculous. Although provided a permit to park, we were not told that the parking was only for the street. As a matter of fact, Ray said that they would call him first before towing any car, but that was not the case! Our car was towed at the tune of $300. When I questioned Ray he again, became defensive and belligerent! He was so out of hand I had to tell him to leave our room!

Overall, the lack of professionalism of Ray bordered on harassment. I felt mislead regarding the parking not to mention all the other fees he sprung on us when we arrived. There are way too many hotels to choose from in Miami Beach (for the same price) to stay here. It was a terrible experience and I would not recommend it at all.

We stayed at the Bresaro Suites at the Mantell Plaza. The building was a lovely art-deco building. The room / suite was a kitchen/diner/living space and bedroom in one and quite tight on space when the fold-down bed was down. It was clean but a little dated (although probably in character with the building). There was a great pool and the location was very convenient for the beach and bars and restaurants of Miami Beach with public bikes and buses a block away. Ray was an ideal host and put himself out for us and made us feel very welcome. I would stay here again.

Good service, excellent location, clean, without gym, library, pool, 2 blocks from beach. 1 block to Main road with good public transit system ( route 150 express to International airport). Very quiet enviroment And near to ocean drive atracttions. In summary EXCELLENT !

Wiston from Colombia