Winter Haven Hotel Rating: 2.5 Pearls

South Beach, Miami, Florida

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The lobby

The six-story hotel's exterior has a coral, seafoam green, and cream color scheme -- classic South Beach. The private front porch on the ground floor leads to the soaring two-story lobby, which has Art Deco furniture and two-toned coral floor tiles, as well as a second-story mezzanine to take it all in.

The lobby is most bustling in the morning, when guests gather for the continental breakfast buffet (and scramble to grab seats on the front porch), and at happy hour, when guests and non-guests alike flock to the lobby bar for drink specials.

A rare complaint among guests is that the hotel has only one elevator. Most guests praise the hotel for balancing a convenient location that's close to the beach and action of Ocean Drive with a peaceful, stylish ambience in the mornings and at night.

The lobby bar

The staff is small, but they're prompt and attentive. And they actually seem to care -- which is hard to find anywhere in South Beach, let alone at a hotel this cheap. As I wheeled in my own bags, the lone front desk attendant managed to both check me in and help other guests with questions without breaking a sweat or dropping his smile.

George, the bartender, not only makes what one guest called "the best margarita on South Beach," but he took drunk happy hour patrons (and their off-color comments) in stride.

These are just the staff I happened to interact with, but TripAdvisor is filled with shout-outs to staff who went the extra mile, from express-shipping items left behind to recommending the best local sights to finding peanut butter for a guest at the breakfast buffet, even though it's not part of the usual spread.

View on a Larger Map

The WinterHaven is within walking distance to all the late-night happenings along Ocean Drive, but also just far enough away to offer peace and quiet at night and in the mornings. Being on the northern stretch of Ocean Drive, the WinterHaven is also much closer to the high-end hangouts along Collins Avenue than other Ocean Drive hotels, as well as to some of South Beach's best restaurants and bars on Lincoln Road.

The only drawback, which just a few guests complain about, is the public restroom (and known homeless hangout) directly across the street from the hotel. Most guests say they feel completely safe in the area, though, and gladly welcome the proximity to the public beach right across the street.

Because the 14th Street public restroom is directly across from the hotel, that particular area of the park can sometimes be a magnet for homeless people. This is not a frequent complaint among hotel guests, though, and in fact many rave about the hotel's fantastic access to the beach.

The Superior Queen Room

Rooms are a bit small (there's not much space to stash your luggage), but they're about the same size as in any Art Deco hotel on Ocean Drive. I stayed in the Superior Queen Room, which is decorated in a "green, ginger, and cream" color scheme. A rattan headboard and wood Venetian blinds add to the tropical feel. My room had a bit of a funky smell -- a product of the old beige carpeting -- which is something many other reviewers complain about on TripAdvisor. Making matters worse, you can't open the windows! Management tries to spin this as a charming limitation of a historic boutique hotel, yet somehow the cheaper Colony down the street has managed to bring its rooms into the 21st century.

The bed linens are ivory-colored, not white, and while I kept trying to convince myself this was intentional, the faded sheets easily matched the obvious age of the rooms, evidenced by the tube TV with limited cable. (Some rooms, however, have flat-screen TVs.)

The bathroom offers great toiletries by Bath & Body Works and even has disposable his-and-her razors, but the buck stopped there on washroom pleasantries. While clean, the tiny sink and showerhead (and weak water pressure) had me feeling like I was in a dollhouse -- one in need of a renovation, at that.

Rooms also come with free Wi-Fi and safes, and those on the top three floors (4-6) have great ocean views. But if you book an ocean view and get stuck on the third floor, you'll end up with views of palm trees.

Standard Rooms are located on the first and second floor and have either two twin beds or a queen. Superior Rooms offer a king bed and either "city" or ocean views for as little as $20 more per night. Oceanfront Rooms (those on the third floor and up that face the water) are more expensive but get a lot more light. A few one- and two-bedroom suites include living rooms with queen-size Murphy beds (but no kitchens); price is dependent upon the configuration and number of guests in the group.

The beach

I love nepotism, especially if it means you can pay less than $100 a night and use the pool at the WinterHaven's pricier sister property, the Blue Moon. It's not huge, and you can't exactly swim laps, but it's a perk unavailable to most other neighborhood boutiques. The hotel also offers free beach chairs (not to be confused with chaises) and towels for use at the beach across the street.

Among guests' favorite features are the front porch and roof deck, both of which offer great views of the beach and South Beach scene. A number of guests rave about eating breakfast on the private porch and watching the sun rise over the Atlantic.

The hotel doesn't have a gym on the premises but does offer discounted passes to a nearby Crunch gym for $11 per day (as opposed to the gym's normal $35 daily rate).

Valet parking is available for $25 per day. Most guests strongly recommend this feature since parking along Ocean Drive can be a nightmare. The hotel also offers same-day laundry service.

The easy access to the beach and the pool just down the street are definite kid-friendly features. The party scene isn't as huge here as at other hotels further south on Ocean Drive, though the lobby bar can get pretty happening. The resort is also within easy walking distance of the neighborhood's many restaurants and attractions. But for families to sleep together, you'll have to book one of the suites (rollaways won't fit in the Standard Rooms) or spring for a second room.

Dirty, musty carpets are guests' No. 1 complaint. The rooms are definitely worn, but my room was generally clean.

On the plus side, the lobby and other common areas were spotless and well maintained. (However, nonsmokers should be aware that smoking is allowed on the front porch and roof deck.)

Each morning till 10 a.m., the continental breakfast buffet includes yogurt, cereal, bagels, toast, fruit, and even a waffle iron. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the hotel sets up a table filled with packaged snacks -- usually crackers with peanut butter or cheese -- as well as fresh fruit and lemonade. Guests pay for these features in the mandatory, daily $7.91 resort fee, but they're well worth the price.

The hotel is also within walking distance of many South Beach restaurants (of varying price levels).

The hotel’s Martini Bar is open daily from 4:30 to 11 p.m. A popular happy hour offers top-shelf drinks at half price, and the daily resort fee comes with $5 drink coupons (limit one coupon per room per day).