Four Points By Sheraton Miami Beach Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Miami Beach, Miami, Florida

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The beach

As the website says, "At Four Points, you get what you need, when you need it, at a price that's right. And no extra charges for the basics." Whether the price is right is always a tricky question when the cost varies so much throughout the year. But at least the Four Points isn't lying about the "no extra charges" thing. The use of beach towels and the computer in the lobby is free, and this is one of the only hotels in the area not to charge a mandatory resort fee.

With 216 rooms, most of them renovated in 2007, the Four Points looks and feels like many midsize chain hotels. The furniture and artwork in the lobby is similar to the furniture and artwork in the rooms, which is similar to the furniture and artwork in the hundreds of other Sheraton properties around the world.

The complimentary business center

A porter was there to hold my bags while I waited to check in, and the Bloo Lounge bartender and breakfast servers were especially attentive. Some staff members seemed to have more energy and good cheer than all the patrons combined -- but service isn't perfect.

The only slip, servicewise, that I found was that someone forgot to deliver my USA Today in the morning, as promised. However, a lot of people seemed to have more problems than I did. When I had a cocktail at the bar, guests kept coming up to cash in their free-drink coupons (good for a glass of wine or beer, or a dessert). It turns out they had received them as recompense for one instance of poor service or another, like if their room wasn't ready on time.

View on a Larger Map

At 43rd Street and Collins Avenue, the Four Points sits just south of the posh restaurants and bars at the Fontainebleau resort, north of which Miami Beach becomes a dull stretch of high-rises.

The beach

Most important of all, of course, is that the beach is located right behind the property. Just walk past the pool, across the boardwalk, down the steps, and there you are: sun and sand, with no fuss. Beach towels are complimentary. Chair and umbrella rentals are $10; cabanas are $15.

Also, the boardwalk is a great place to take a walk or jog or just watch other beautiful people do it for you.

The Standard Room

I had a standard room with two full-size beds. It was well laid out, if not terribly big; I could walk around, use the computer, and so forth with room to spare. There are also larger, more expensive rooms available -- suites, mostly.

When I arrived in the room, the alarm clock wasn't plugged in, the bathtub faucet was dripping, and the lampshades were crooked. Other guests have also complained of chipped furniture, scuffed walls, and I experienced all of those things as well. I could even hear the dance music all the way from the Fontainebleau, two (large) buildings away.

Overall, though, the rooms are clean and comfortable, and the "little things" -- the complimentary bottle of water; free Wi-Fi; 40 channels on the TV, including HBO; whimsical signage -- add some charm.

The gym

The pool might be the hotel's best feature. It's large, clean, and popular -- basically a nice place to hang out, which is what a hotel's pool should be.

The gym -- with a treadmill, a bike, an elliptical, one weight machine, and a rusty set of free weights -- didn't stack up to the gyms at the other midrange hotels in the area. When I worked out, in the late afternoon, the water jug was full, but there were no towels left.

During my stay, the business center was encountering technical difficulties, rendering it basically useless. There was a computer in the lobby, however, which never had much of a line when I was around.

The pool

The hotel doesn't do anything in particular to cater to children -- no activities, no game room, no video-game consoles in the room.

Rollaway beds ($15 per night) and cribs (free) are available, but if you do take the kids, you'll need a suite -- the standard rooms aren't big enough to accommodate them.

The rooms come with their share of nicks, dings, stains, scuffs, and rusty window frames, but cleanliness, strictly speaking, isn't an issue.

Key lime pie in the Bloo Lounge

The Four Points website might make it seem like there are two restaurants: the indoor cafe and its outdoor counterpart. (Or even three if you count the bar in the lobby, the Bloo Lounge, which also serves food.) But in reality they are all one and the same, foodwise, since they all serve out of the same kitchen. The food is typical of a mid-tier chain hotel: mediocre American/bistro-style fare. My mango and pineapple salad, for instance, was light on both mango and pineapple.

The highlights are probably the beer tasting available at the Bloo Lounge -- four varieties for $6 -- and the pies available at the Sungrass Café (also four varieties -- four is the motif, unsurprisingly, at Four Points).

All told, you'll probably be happier off campus, either at the restaurants over on 41st Street or by hopping a cab to South Beach, which has some of the best restaurants in the country, for no more than $10.