On a visit to South Miami Beach, we stayed at Pestana South Beach Art Deco Hotel.

Pestana South Beach Art Deco Hotel
1817 James Ave, Miami Beach,FL,33139

I used Hotwire (as usual) and chose a 3.5 star in South Beach. The resulting accommodation was Pestana South Beach Art Deco Hotel. This is a boutique hotel that is decorated in art deco style. From their website, they have locations globally and their Miami location is the only one in the US. While I like Hilton and Marriott chain hotels, it is nice to stay at an upscale, boutique hotel for something different.

Location: Plus for location! It is walking distance from plenty of stores for shopping, the beautiful Miami beach, and a wide variety of restaurants.

Room décor: The rooms are small. The bathroom did not have a tub, only a shower. There was not much empty floor space with the king sized bed, pullout full size sofa bed, and dresser. There were 3 of us in the room which I think added to the tight space. Despite the size of the room, I did not feel cramped because everything was white. It seemed to create the illusion of open space. As long as we were lounging in our respective beds, we were comfortable.

Parking: In a parking garage with valet. Parking was $25 per night. The only downside is that the parking garage is a block and a half away from the hotel. And I think the garage is shared by many of the local hotels. This means it can be a lenghty wait when you try to retrieve your car.

Amenties: Free wi-fi is always a plus. The connection was good in the room. The speed was fast enough to check email and Facebook. However, there are not a lot of outlets in the room (my one pet peeve). As mentioned in other posts, we need a lot of outlets to charge everything. I probably need to pack a power strip. I thought it was a plus that they had a docking station for iPods. That freed up one outlet.

Pool: The pool was wonderful. It was decorated in blue tile (my favorite color). There were cabanas for people to lounge around the pool. The pictures on their website do not do it any justice. So relaxing!

Overall, I like Pestana South Beach Art Deco Hotel for their art deco style and comfy beds. It was also in a nice location. The staff was very attentive. The bar foods was yummy and their Happy Hour prices were even better.