Kent Hotel Rating: 2.5 Pearls

South Beach, Miami, Florida

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Surrounded by shops and eateries -- including the Eleventh Street Diner, a late-night staple -- the Kent is in the midst of South Beach's colorful Art Deco District. In addition, just two blocks south along Collins Avenue begins one of Miami's major shopping drags, with stores ranging from Ralph Lauren to Urban Outfitters.

Quaint, neon-lit South Beach (or "SoBe") might be the sexiest beach town in America. Just imagine: modeling agencies beside a broad topless beach. Outdoor bars and cafes line Ocean Drive's historic Art Deco District, where people-watching is the draw -- flashy cars, rollerbladers, rainbow flags, and plenty of fake-boob bikini bodies. Chic clubs with especially discerning bouncers draw the fashion-industry elite, the occasional celebrity, and plenty of twentysomethings ready to party. Every local seems to be a model, DJ, publicist, broker, or homeless eccentric. It's not all glitz -- cheap Cuban sandwich joints, fishbowl-size discount margaritas, and Bud-Light-slinging dive bars peacefully coexist with the posh hotel lounges and famed fusion restaurants.

• Five-minute walk from the bustling beach at Lummus Park
• Valet parking is $25 per night.
• 10-minute drive to Parrot Jungle Island and the Miami Children's Museum
• 10-miute walk to Lincoln Road pedestrian mall
• 15-miute walk to the Miami Beach Convention Center
• 20-minute drive or $35 taxi to Miami International Airport
• 35-minute drive or $65 taxi to Fort Lauderdale International Airport
• 20-minute drive to the Port of Miami

The Palm Suite

• Double (with two double-size beds) and King -- the standard room types -- are a comfortable size (about average, for South Beach).
• Common balcony -- nothing too pretty -- in some rooms
• Flat-screen TV with cable and a DVD player in all rooms; though the quality and size of the TV varies from room to room
• Down comforters in some rooms; less-plush purple bedding in others
• Electronic safe, big enough for a laptop, in all rooms
• Mini-fridge, but no minibar, in all room types
• Free Wi-Fi
• CD players in standard rooms; no iPod docks
• No coffeemakers
• No smoking rooms
• Renovated in 2009, the Palm Suites are a bit larger (390 square feet) and offer some higher-end electronics (like a 42-inch flat-screen) and a Jacuzzi tub and a rainfall showerhead in the bathroom.