Loved our stay at the Beacon. We wanted somewhere that was amongst the atmosphere of South Beach and that is what we got. Very busy area and could be noisy but I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to experience Miami. Hotel was very good in every way and we would stay there again.

The Beacon Hotel is behind a busy sidewalk restaurant which you need to pass through to get access into the hotel. Ocean Drive is a fun, loud, super busy street with hotel after hotel; all with distinctive sidewalk restaurants that have 'drink and food barkers' trying to pull in every passerby. There are some stores and clubs so it is the tourist scene of the South Beach area. The lovely Miami South Beach is across the busy boulevard and the Beacon does offer a beach towel and beach chair to use for free. I was booked for three days after a cruise. They couldn't get me in early so I had to blow a few hours waiting. The service employees from the front desk were professional and friendly. I was upgraded to their biggest suite on the 3rd floor, with an ocean view, in their south-side wing; which had a lower floor living room, mini bar and closet and a few steps up to the large bedroom, passed another closet, with a large comfortable bed with a glass door to the small, cute, dimly lit bathroom. My ocean view was mostly blocked by the palm trees but I could still see some ocean. Unfortunately the booming music from the restaurant and street was blowing me out of the bedroom. The very loud air-conditioner vent didn't even block out the noise so I couldn't really hear the t.v., which seemed to have few stations available. There is also a lot of door slamming from the hallway. I became very disturbed by the overall noise and got very irritable trying to get in a nap; I went to the front desk to ask how long that level of noise kept going, until 11:00pm. When I couldn't get in the needed nap I went walking up and down Ocean Drive and at night; it is amazing! All the different sidewalk cafes, each with their own booming music, all the lights and heaters glowing was really fun and exciting. But not to stay close by. I begged them to let me leave the next day and they refunded me my pre-paid money. So I have no complaints. I went to Collins Ave, one block over, where it is quiet! The Beacon does give a limited breakfast voucher the restaurant in front begrudgingly fills. The O.J. is good! The bar inside is just a service bar and still charges a lot for a drink. Not easy to find a quiet place for a sophisticated drink, most drinks served are gargantuan - big enough for a few goldfish! Overall; cute surroundings, art deco influences, busy fun tourist area, great beach and professional friendly crew makes this place best for all-night partygoers!

We stayed at the Beacon hotel in Jan.20-24th . This is really an awesome place. The staff were extremely nice and very helpful. The Beacon is right across the street from the beach and the hotel provides chairs for you to take over. We were there the last night of the Art Deco festival and there were vendors all up and down Ocean Drive which they had closed to traffic.
It is within walking distance of everything. No need for a car. A couple of blocks over there is a local bus that takes you around the island for .25 cents. We ate at Joes Stone Crab which was awesome as well as Smith and Wolensky and it was wonderful as well. Well worth the money for all.

Just returned from a four night stay at the Beacon Hotel in South Beach and we had a great time.

Location:
The hotel is right on Ocean Drive in the heart of the Art Deco district. Lummus Park and the beach are directly across the street. The Art Deco Information Centre is at 10th Ave, which is a max 5-minute walk from the hotel. Mango’s, The Clevelander and Palace Bar – three major bar/hangouts are within a 7 – 10 minute walk. The Beacon hotel is about a 25-minute walk to the shops on Lincoln Ave, a scenic walk if you stay on Ocean. There is also a local 25-cent bus you can take but because we enjoyed walking we never ventured on the bus. The hotel staff can call/arrange taxi for you. Parking – I cannot provide details as we did not have a car but we did notice valet parking at curbside. Paid street parking (metered) is available (just watch the sprinkling cycle in the morning).

Rooms:
We had Room 321. This is a room on the outside wing. We asked for two double beds. The room was tidy, clean, not too spacious (about a foot and a half distance between the beds and a foot on either side). The bathroom was clean, updated but nothing fancy. Lots of towels, toiletries replenished daily. The room also had a minibar and in-room safe, a mirror in the bathroom and in the room, a clock radio where you can recharge your iTouch. The closet was enough for a couple of days stay. It also has two beach chairs; beach towels provided daily and ironing board with iron. Lots of light during the day and the bathroom lighting (pot lights) was also good. The room has a ‘humid climate’ smell when you first enter but nothing obscene and once the air conditioning (which is a bit noisy) is on, the smell dissipates. The beds are comfortable with plenty of soft pillows. There is no coffee maker in the room but there really isn’t any need. On the mezzanine there is coffee, tea and hot chocolate provided in the morning and lemonade in the afternoon.

Staff:
We were promptly greeted and served even when we came in late (well past midnight). We were told about all the amenities and provided with a key. They did want a $100 deposit on a credit card for any incidentals. This was refunded on our departure (as we did not have any incidentals). Breakfast is included each morning between 9 and 11. We had to go to the front counter and get our ‘card’ with our room number printed on it and then were seated by the staff out front. There are seven choices for the free breakfast and it was adequate for me (someone who is not a huge eatert). Also, you are served a beverage with breakfast. Service is good and quick. There is free wifi in the room and lobby and it was good (reliable and fast). On our last day we asked for a late checkout and this was no problem (probably because they weren’t booked solid). They even provided us with complimentary water bottle upon departure. The staff was friendly and willing to answer questions.

Final Thoughts:
We got a Hotwire deal for this hotel and were satisfied with the price we paid. I would’ve been disappointed if we had paid the list price. I certainly think the location and staff are the main assets for this hotel. We enjoyed our stay and I would have no hesitation staying here again if I were to return and get the same rate.