Headed to Miami? Want to know where to stay in South Beach?
When researching where to stay in South Beach look no further than the Catalina Hotel and Beach Club! There are plenty of reputable places to chose from but when I was planning my surprise vacation with A I wanted to make sure that I was stretching my dollar as far as possible without sacrificing the quality of our getaway. I won’t say that it was a flawless stay but I will say that I was happy and satisfied with my hotel choice and I’m more than comfortable with recommending it to all of you! The Catalina is a set of three adjacent buildings that each feature their own restaurant and bar. This post isn’t sponsored and when I start to rave about a particular element of my stay at the Catalina just know that I had a great time and would certainly return again. If you’re interested in traveling to Miami and want to know where to stay in South Beach check out my take on the Catalina Hotel below!
Rooms: A and I ended up spending half of our stay in a double room and the other half in a king. There was a slight mixup with the rooms but I honestly wasn’t bothered since no one goes to Miami for the hotel room. Both our original room and our upgraded one featured Tempur-pedic mattresses, funky decor and eco-friendly bath products. The hotel aims to be environmentally responsible and reminds their guests to do their part with a friendly little note detailing their mission statement.
Staff: Now I’m going to be honest here – 95% of the time the service was fantastic. However there were 3 times where the service was subpar. I don’t blame the hotel for this mostly because I know in the service industry from time to time you’re going to run into a bad apple. If I had bad experiences all in the same day I would have a different opinion but since it was spread out I can forgive the incidents. One was a grumpy waitress who seemed annoyed by trying to understand A’s accent, another was a difficult beach attendant and the last was a misleading bar tender that I’ll get into later.
Amenities: The Catalina features a bamboo pool and garden, a rooftop terrace and pool, and it’s own section of the beach. Having a minute walk to the beach across the street was a major plus! To add to that perk guests are guaranteed a towel and beach chair per day. Not having to pack a beach towel saves on so much space and you know I’m big on strategically managing my suitcase. In addition to this discounted passes to a nearby Crunch gym are also available. I’m not a big gym person so not having one on site wasn’t an issue for me.
Food: When I was thinking of where to stay in South Beach I wanted to make sure that we would have easy access to restaurants. Thankfully the Catalina has plenty to offer in that regard. Their two standout establishments are Maxine’s Bistro & Bar, which was conveniently located downstairs from our room, and Fung Ku which was next door. I ordered the Chicken Quesadilla twice from Maxine’s – sooooo yummy. We didn’t make it to Fung Ku but we sampled sushi, thai and other delicious eateries in the area.
Free Stuff: The free stuff on offer is what truly sold me when I was researching where to stay in South Beach. This includes, free happy hour, complimentary Wi-Fi, airport shuttle, expert concierge and complimentary yoga class. We had an excellent experience with the concierge and the free happy hour can’t be beat. It’s the quickest way to save money! The only drawback is that on the first night one rude bartender led us to believe it was only one drink per guest when every other super friendly bartender afterward assured us that was not the case at all.
Location: Can’t be beat! The hotel is on Collins Ave. which is central to all of the restaurants, bars and nightlife you could want. It was also across the street from the beach which is a must when considering where to stay in South Beach.
Been to South Beach? Have any tips on where to stay in South Beach? Share your stories below!
BONUS: Stop by Therandomp and check out my latest guest post!