Catalina Hotel — User Comments Rating: 3.5 Pearls

South Beach, Miami, Florida

I booked the Catalina Hotel for the weekend of 8/27/2010 to 8/29/2010. It was the most horrible get away ever. I payed in advance through priceline.com for the airfare and hotel and was displeased with everything. I arrived at the Catalina and was told that my room was flooded and that I would be put up at another hotel. I was sent to the Metropole hotel and had a terrible experience there. I paid for the Catalina becasue of the amenities, roof top pool, complimentary breakfast etc, all of which I did not get at Metropole. After much complaining I was put up at the Riviera Hotel. I HAD TO PAY AN EXTRA $100 DOLLARS ON TOP OF WHAT I ALREADY PAID. I was not compensated in the least. I do not recommend this hotel.

I stayed at the Catalina for about 5 days in May of this year. To me, it seemed like one of those hotels that was really nice when it initally opened. It is definitely a party hotel. It's one of those places where you drop off your things, go out, come back to change, go out again, come back, sleep, and do it all over again the next day. The FIRST room we checked into was at the Maxine. The room was extremely small. The closet and "drawer" space was enough for one person. No refrigerator. There were scuff marks not only on the base boards, but on the walls as well (this was a recurring feature throughout the hotel). The sockets in the bathroom - along with the hair dryer - didn't work. Four girls, one working socket, not cutting it. But we made it work, until we returned to our room from the beach. Room service must have come in to clean and just left the door wide open. We went to the front desk to complain, receiving nothing but rudeness from the desk clerks. Eventually - after they had to "check the tapes," we were upgraded to a room at the Dorset. Again we were faced with minimal storage space, a dark lit room, and what looked like maggots (or some kind of worms) in the shower. To avoid further rudeness, we asked one of the cleaning personnel to clean it for us. The free cocktail hour is a plus. Although you are limited to certain liquors, and they do sometimes run out. Of all the bartenders, there was only one that didn't have an attitude. If you plan on eating at the hotel, expect to pay at least $20 per meal, $10 per drink, and prepare yourself for the instant gratuity added to your checks (you can expect the instant gratuity add at most Miami restaurants). The pools were kind of small, but who needs a pool when you have the beautiful beach, right? The cabanas though seemed like they hadn't been wiped down in a while. Luckily, the Catalina is in a convenient location, being in walking distance to the beach, several shops and boutiques, clubs, and different places to eat. Ocean Drive isn't that far of a walk either. There is also a CVS close by for those things you may end of needing or have forgotten. I have to say, the most helpful person at the Catalina during our time there was the concierge, Charlie. She was always very upbeat, and if for some reason you cannot find something to do, she has an almost unlimited list of options. Overall, the Catalina was OK. Just don't book there with too many expectations.