My husband and I live about 1.5 hours from Miami Beach and wanted to get away to celebrate his 30th B-Day. Being that we are from NYC originally, we like South Beach because we knew we could relax during the day and get the "scene" that we like at night. The Loews was running a special for $199 a night and it turned out to be a great experience. We booked a city view room and were upgraded to a partial ocean view...which was a full ocean view for us. The view was amazing! The hotel is large and does attract families (we do not have any kids yet) but it was not overwhelming. The staff is attentive and the rooms are clean. I am typically a hotel-room phobic and the rooms were very clean and nice. There are thick, plush robes in the closet to use.....they come in handy since the the balconies all open up to each other and you may not want to have your own "peep"show. The pool is clean and the pool staff are very attentive. You do need to reserve your chair early though...by 10am they are almost all accounted for. The pool serves drinks and food and there is an outdoor bar as well. The beach is right behind the hotel and it is nice to take turns going to the beach and them coming back to lay by the pool. There is a restaurant, Preston's, in the hotel that we dined at for lunch two days in a row.....the Potstickers and Mahi Salad are amazing! The drinks in the hotel and by the pool are pricy....I would suggest walking a block north to Walgreens/CVS and purchase some wine/beer to drink by the pool in the insulated cups that you can get in the hotel room. Also, drinks in South Beach are very expensive when you go out...a glass of Pinot Noir at Nobu was $12 (a small pour too) and a Grey Goose on the rocks at Skybar was $15. There is a liquor store about two blocks north of the hotel....it is best to buy a bottle and pre-party before heading out. As far as dining out goes, we went to Nobu and were not impressed. Yes, there is a small Miami scene but the food was overpriced and was just okay. If you like sushi, Bond Street is next to Nobu in the Townhouse Hotel and was much better in terms of food and price...it is small so you may want to make a reservation (we did not have one and ate at the bar which was fine) and has a "scene" as well. If you like a morning walk or run, the boardwalk behind the hotel is awesome in the morning. So, overall I would rate the Loews a great place to stay in South Beach. If you are looking for more of a scene, the Delano, Sagemore, or ShoreClub may be better for you but expect to pay a much higher price for a smaller room and pool. We went to Loews to get away for a couple of nights and it filled our needs of relaxing by the pool during the day and getting out at night. FYI....if you are driving to Loews it is best to park your car at the parking garage across the street. It is much cheaper and the valet service is going to park your car in that garage anyways and charge you twice the price!

Booked a last minute vacation package & tried out this hotel in South Beach; we visit there often and had not tried this hotel.

Excellent service at this very large hotel; it seemed like almost every employee from the pool assistants to the concierge to the bellman went out of their way to make sure all our needs were met.

Stayed in the "new" tower. Rooms were clean and large. No sign of smoke smell reported by other reviewers. They don't have rooms ready until 4 pm and they are serious about the 11 am check-out time.

This would be a good place for families with children or for conventions. I do not recommend it for couples seeking a romantic escape. Pool area packed; good service; abounds with children. Beach area nice and hotel provides food & beverage service there, but plan on spending another $37 + tax for an umbrella and two lounge chairs, per day.

We just returned from a sensational trip that included a 3 night stay at Loews Miami Beach. I read every TripAdvisor post and anything else I could Google up on the hotel. I use the negative reports to see what I could do to avoid their problems. Most posts state how expensive the hotel is and had rates listed from $250 to nearly $1000. We took advantage of Loews Signature Summer rates and paid $199/night. We are Loews First Platinum members from our many stays at the Universal Studios resorts. When I made reservations they told me I would be upgraded to a St. Moritz Suite or a Jr. Suite in the Tower. Since my party included myself (Dad) and my daughter (12) and her best friend I had several questions about the sleeping arrangements so the reservationist gave me the toll free number to the Miami hotel. I talked at length with the hotel and they suggested the St. Moritz Suite since 2 free rollaways would easily fit in the living room area. So that is what I reserved. I grew increasingly anxious after reading that the legendary 100 room 1939 building was musty, small rooms and bathrooms, spa construction noise and bad view. A friend had recently stayed in the Tower's Jr. Suite and suggested I switch to the Tower. I sent a letter to the VIP Manager stating some of my concerns and received a very warm email back recommending that I keep the St. Moritz Suite. The Suite has a rack rate of $550 from 6/1 - 10/31 and $700 the rest of the year. For a while I thought they were just trying to unload the nasty rooms and keep good ones for rack rate customers. I re-read the TA posts and sent another email with my construction noise concerns. The VIP Manager assured me that he has read every review left by guests and the construction noise has not been a problem. I sent one more email before we left requesting that they keep an eye out for an upper floor suite and we would be arriving in 3 days.
We arrived on South Beach at about one o'clock and I tried to park in the parking garage on 13th to save $20 a night but it was full. I decided to just pay the $30 a night for valet. The valet attendants were very cordial and another guy approached and said he was the vehicle damage assessment guy and he went over our van for any dings and made me sign his form. Since check in is at 4pm I asked them to store the luggage. The hotel was bustling and the marble floors gleamed. The check in process was very pleasant and the girl said that the VIP Manager was looking forward to our visit but he couldn't meet us because he was the MOD that day. I tried to figure out what MOD was and got stuck on the thought of the MOD Squad. Later I learned that it was Manager on Duty. While we were checking in another 2 girls approached welcoming us and said they were the VIP Coordinators and gave us their card in case there was anything they could do for us. They took our cell number and said they would call when our room was ready. They gave each of us a key so the Security would let us walk around the pool and out to the beach.
We decided to indulge in a gourmet treat at 240 seat 8,000 square foot Emeril's for the Jazz Brunch. I had read the menu on-line and was ready for some huevos rancheros. The place was less than half full so we got seated right away. I was liking the music but the 12 year olds weren't too impressed. When we got the menu I found that it was different than that on their website and was kind of disappointed. One of the girls ordered fried chicken and the other ordered smoked mushrooms and I opted for the $24 hamburger. We have dined at two other Emeril restaurants and this was not on the same level as the others. One of the servers appeared offended that the girls hadn't done much more than push their food around their plates. They need to kick it up a couple of notches.
We decided to walk to the shops on Lincoln Road as we waited for our room to be ready. South Beach has to be one of the most dynamic and diverse locations in the World. The number of panhandlers was down but still saw a homeless Santa Claus in a wheelchair. It is fun to simply people watch on SoBe. Since the girls didn't eat we got ice cream and received a call that our room was ready. When we got back to Loew's our assigned Bellman was not the best. Most of what he told us we had already discovered and other things were uninteresting or irrelevant. When we got to the top floor room we experienced the Wow factor of our luxurious suite. The Bellman showed us the minibar and asked if we wanted ice. He didn't return for quite some time so I asked where the ice machine was. He said it was on the bottom floor but failed to tell us that we just needed to call a number on a card we found later and they would deliver ice. I tipped him and when he left we walked around looking at the room's atypical details. The bath off of the king bedroom was different with both a tub and a large shower that had a window on one side and a glass block wall between the bedroom that let the daylight through. There was a framed mirror mounted on a mirrored wall. Besides the ultra comfortable king bed the room had a wide screen plasma TV and a lounge chair. There was plenty closet and drawer space. The living room already had the two roll away beds made up and a couch, an easy chair and two foot stools that opened for storage and the lid flipped over was a tray. On top of a long blond desk/chest of drawers was another plasma TV that the girls tuned to the Disney channel and never turned it off. In addition was a huge plate of sinfully delicious cookies and milk which were complimentary Loews First amenities. There was an additional half bath by the minibar. The bedroom and living room were separated by a tiled foyer with a large mirror. I rearranged the living room furniture so the beds would be side by side like a typical double and when I moved the couch the carpet was immaculate in fact it looked brand new. The furniture looked new as well. When we opened the foot stools they smelled new. We were unpacked and in the room quite awhile before we opened the curtains to find we had a huge balcony. By huge I mean it had two tables with four chairs each and four lounge chairs. One of the tables had an umbrella. When we looked up we were under the St. Moritz sign. We had views of the pool, partial beach, Collins Ave., the bay and the Miami skyline.
We needed to explore the grounds so a promenade down Palm Court with the cascading fountains to the swirled brick paver deck and the free-form pool and the 900 foot wide and nearly as deep beach was awesome. The girls were a little offended by the topless bathers and the surf was a little too rough for me. There was also an unsightly ten foot wide row of seaweed at the high water mark. I heard one guy say that the undertow was a problem that day. I still prefer the Gulf beaches. We walked south to the old familiar Ocean Drive district where if you stay in a hotel you have to cross the road to get to the beach. We walked back along Ocean Drive trying our best to be hip and trendy.
That night we went to the pool at about 7:30 to stake out a location to watch the "Dive-in" movies. The warm ocean breeze combined with the full moon made the whole experience very relaxing. When we went up to turn in we found that turn down service had been there, emptied the trash, replaced towels and soap/shampoo and left a different little card with a saying or quote on a big green leaf, a little orchid with a little tin of candies. I made it a point to listen for elevator or neighboring room noise and it was dead quiet. The bed was so comfortable that I was asleep before I knew it.
The alarm went off early for us to get up and ready for the swim with the dolphins at Miami Seaquarium. We had a cheap breakfast at Burger King on Lincoln and Collins. The girls loved the dolphin swim and realized that is was an experience of a lifetime. We spent most of the day at the different aquatic shows. When we returned to the room at a little after 2pm I was a little disappointed that housekeeping had not been there. The next day I simply called Star Services and requested housekeeping before noon and it was no problem. There was a message on our phone from the VIP Manager saying that he was off but if we needed anything he gave us his cell number. No one has ever done that for us. We met our neighbors coming out of the elevator with what looked like a 10 week old puppy. I was amazed that they allowed dogs on the 12th floor. Petting the puppy made us miss the elevator which was quite a wait.
Our pool day was wonderful and uncrowded. That's one of the reasons that I chose weekday stays. An afternoon rain sent us scurrying to the room. We showered, put on our PJ's, ordered room service and bought a pay per view scary movie. The girls ordered chicken fingers and I had a hamburger that was surprisingly good. Before the movie ended I noticed that someone had slid a paper under our door. It said that the hotel was sorry for the rain and that they would pay half of the cost if we ordered a movie.
The VIP Manager called me yet again the next day and told me about the improvement that they had recently done to our room and offered a late checkout for the next day. I was feeling really pampered by this impeccable service!
Other trip highlights were Jerry's Famous Deli located a block and a half from the hotel. The huge menu takes a few minutes to read and the food takes quite a bit longer. It looked like they served the working people a little quicker though. The food was OK. It actually cost the same as lunch at Emeril's.
We had lunch at Pizza Rustica on Lincoln Road that was very good and cheap. The Walgreen's on the same block and north of Loew's is where to buy snacks and sodas.
This hotel stay was definitely a memorable one and we shall return.

Just got back from another fabulous stay at The Loew's, our best yet. We go to MIami a couple of times a year, and have stayed at this property seven or eight times. The lobby and pool area are beautiful and the rooms are comfortably-sized, especially when compared to most SoBe hotels. The beds are very comfortable, the decor serene and I love the balconies overlooking the ocean and pool grounds. The views are definitely better on higher floors. Flat screen TVs would be a sexy upgrade, but it's my only quibble. It's within walking distance to the shops/restaurants on Lincoln Road and many other clubs.

Where this hotel really stands out now is the service, which SO wasn't the case 4-5 years ago. The valets give you a bottle of Fiji water when you arrive and leave and the bellman whisks your luggage up to your room - he actually got there before we did! Twice daily maid service is very thorough and the nightly turn down service with the floral touches and lovely printed note cards is a joy. The pool service is phenomenal, from setting each guest up individually with cushion covers and as many towels as you need to the swift attention from all the servers. And did I mention Pool Treats? Each half hour or so brings a different delight: frozen grapes, smoothies, icees, Evian mists, Aloe mists, chilled aromatherapy towels, etc. etc. If you don't feel pampered by all of this, you must be living a decadent life indeed! We had a fantastic meal at Emerils, and always love to nosh on a late afternoon sushi snack at the lobby bar. Yes, the Loew's is expensive, but so is everything in SoBe. I paid $10.00 at the pool for a luscious, creamy Key Lime Colada, but it was garnished with a fresh pineapple wedge and a beautiful orchid. Compare that to the well-made, yet plainly presented, Mojito and Grey Goose/soda we had at The Setai, for which we paid $36.00 for the round! Gratuity was added every single place we ate or drank, so the Loew's is just following the standard practice in the area.

SoBe is not the place to go unless you plan to spend at least $200.00 a day above and beyond the room price. Honestly, if you're a on a budget, Fort Lauderdale's beaches are very similar, less than an hour away, and immensely more affordable. Beers at the venerable Elbo Room are only $3.00!!

The Loew's is a beautiful property with top notch service and a prime location, so the expense is worth every penny to me!