We stayed here from the 18th for a few days prior to christmas. After a long flight from the uk we were collected by their courtesy bus from the airport.


I was quite surprised at check in. I have never stayed at a hotel that took so many security precautions with photocopies of all kinds and deposits for breakages as well as charging for the full cost for the room. The guy at check in was slightly off putting and was not friendly, I even commented that this was usually all done when we check out.

We had 2 rooms and they were in the Maxine part of the building. The lift was off putting and the corridor but the rooms were a pleasant surprise. Very comfortable and clean with modern decor.

Both pools were good but the roof top pool was best with great double loungers and a bar.

The hotel is very close to the beach and you have complimentary loungers but umbrellas are extra. They will even run you there and they also offer free bikes for you to hire.

We ate at Maxine's for breakfast and lunch and the food and service were excellent. Staff could not do enough for us. We ate on ocean drive too but I think Maxine's was much better quality. They had different entertainment each evening. The happy hour was great and we really enjoyed it.

I went to check out around 9 am and what a different experience, the 2 ladies could not have been more polite and helpful. Wish they had been on when we arrived

Bordello Chic? Nope, just cheap bordello style that's ridiculously over-priced. Comments in other reviews are right:
--VERY unhelpful front desk staff: they promised to call when our room was ready for check-in but never did.
-- We paid for an "executive suite" but got a tacky "accessible" room that smelled of the same disinfectant used in night club VIP rooms. Basically room was dark and smelly.
-- Wifi didn't work in room.
-- Nice rooftop pool area with palapas but ground level pool felt dark and moldy.
-- This place might be fun for lifestyle events, but it's not suitable for tourist/business visits of more than one night. And it's not good for families.
-- Sneaky resort fee added to bill upon check out. RIPOFF!

Although the initial room rate was reasonable, a $15 resort fee and a $32 parking fee jacked the price considerably. Don't plan on arriving early because they charge an "early registration" fee if you check-in before 3 pm. When we checked in later, the rooms were clean but quite cramped. We had some difficulty getting to sleep because of the loud music playing in the lobby that echoed throughout the building. Sometime after midnight the fire alarm went off. Most of the guests wandered into the halls but since there was no smell of smoke, most wandered back into their rooms. The fire alarm went on and off intermittently for the next half hour. Interestingly, the building's fire alarm does not seemed to be tied into the fire department because there was no response from the police or fire department. I certainly won't stay in this fire trap again!

My husband and I decided to take a little get-away without the kids. I am six months pregnant, so rest was somewhat important to me. We also wanted a location within walking distance to all the main attractions.

Catalina had an amazing deal that week and we booked it. The location is perfect - within walking distance to Lincoln, California and Espaniola Way - good pedestrian streets. The hotel offers a free shuttle service to several sister-hotel locations on the South Beach strip. Additionally, they offer a shuttle service to the airport, which came in handy.

We got lucky and ended up in the Dorset building of the hotel. Our room was D105 - the last one to the right of the bar. It was away from all the noise. If you are traveling with children and need to be away from the noise, ask for the room around that area.

The decor is minimal and functional. The rooms are furnished with a contemporary IKEA feel; nothing too fancy. Don't expect any expensive furniture or an executive look - these rooms are very basic. We couldn't really open the window curtains because our window faced another hotel room. Our room had a separate bathroom and a walk-in shower. Although the renovations were done, the bathroom felt really old. Shower was very spacious. Counter space for the sink was not huge.

The hotel has 2 pools: we laid out on the roof of the Dorset building one day, which had nice pool-side beds. There is also beach access. You can get beach cards and towels at the downstairs bamboo pool. Beware, you can get longe chairs on the beach, but umbrellas and tents will cost you extra.

There is a happy hour 7-8 at the hotel (all bars). They only include vodka and rum with all the mixers. You can't get anything fancy, but can sit down for a drink before dinner. The restaurants to the hotel also have some happy hour snacks. All three hotel restaurants had very poor reviews on Yelp so we didn't eat at any of them.

Staff is extremely courteous and friendly. We always got good service. The concierge was very helpful as well.

There are a few nice eateries around the hotel - there is a french cafe 2 blocks north on Collins with the most amazing baked goods. There is also a small coffee shop in the loby, but we never ordered from there.