The Betsy - South Beach

The Betsy hotell had some downsides when it came to minor details but when you compare that to the decency of the staff, how they never let me down of the 3 night I was staying there. If you're staying in Miami, the Betsy hotell is where to stay.

difficult one really i love the betsy and the arts and music it offers , slight issue the first room we were given was noisy near a back alleway where loading takes place but after i complained they moved me to a beautiful room 141 suite . the bar and hotel is a great place to stay , we were invited to a classical music evening loved all the music in the bars and the rooftop pool is a must great location to chill out and swim , overall the hotel is a fab place , one downside for me maybe it was our room was it was not getting cleaned till 4.30 to 5pm, we were coming back to change at 4 with the room stiil not made up and being disturbed by the cleaner , but overall the hotel is quirky and a must stay at south beach location to die for ,

Stop number 3 on our East Coast Road trip. South Beach Miami, Crockett and Tubbs, La Cage aux Folles, Scarface and Gloria Estefan. It was all very exciting. I'm a bit of an architect (swapped the pencil for spreadsheets these days), so we simply had to stay on Ocean Drive, in the midst of the palm trees, neon and pastels. Much research was done and the place that was the likliest contender for our wee family was The Betsy. We like boutique, quirky, character and stylish and we expect good service and accommodation. Driving from the airport to South Beach is surprisingly lovely. After a week in Manhattan we'd forgotten what sky looks like. Drive over the Venetian Islands, passing blue sea and swanky boats and you start to feel rather lucky. Arrive outside the beautifully appointed Betsy and you feel special and lucky. Get to reception and find that your room isn't ready and its 4.30pm and you feel rather less special. Get a complimentary cocktail and the pain is slightly eased - even though it wasn't all that great and it took 15 minutes to arrive. How many chances do you get at first impressions? Oops.... We were billeted in the Deco wing. Happy to mix architectural timelines - the main building is the Colonial Wing - built in the 1940s and the Deco wing is very contemporary built in the 2000s - not the 1930s. The physical link between the two is as long and incoherent as a Trump press conference. Through doors into a courtyard, up a lift, along one corridor, turn left, down another lift, along another corridor - I kid you not. Thankfully the room itself was very good. Two rooms, nice bed, quality en-suite. By day 3 we had realised that we could walk down the fire escape stair along the back lane and round to the front door as a 'shortcut'. On check in were kindly asked what time we wanted our teenage son's bed made - 8.30pm seemed a good time when we would be out at dinner. We returned at 11.00pm to an unmade bed. The problem was quickly fixed but the bed remained made for the rest of the stay, rather than being put away - not a big problem but....you know. We had a 'continental breakfast' included. Let me digress slightly. Americans make some of the world's greatest breakfasts. The american 'continental breakfast' is not one of them. Being a 'european' I get my fair share of breakfasts on the 'continent; and it isn't a cup of coffee a Danish and a small bowl of fruit. Anyway, back to the Betsy. We were there on 4th July - a day that us Brits choose not to celebrate... and the concept of a cup of coffee, some jam and a croissant seemed beyond the wit of our waitress. Note that thick cut marmalade is nice but not on a croissant. When we asked for strawberry 'preserve' or jam, we were told there was none despite the fact I could see it on other tables! Minor gripes, but slightly frustrating in the context of a hotel that clearly has an opinion of itself. Thankfully it seems normal service resumed the following morning and the charming waitress could not be better - strawberry jam was found in abundance. High points were the roof top pool - which is a real treat, but it would be nice if it was a non smoking area, the use of parasols, recliners and towels on the beach and the wonderful concierge, Margot who helped us plan trips, booked restaurants and showed my wife how to use Uber. We didn't eat dinner at The Betsy, although it looked good. There are some superb restaurants within walking distance of the hotel - none of which are on Ocean Drive and its really worth getting a taxi to Wyndyard and Little Havana for some excellent Cuban and Southern food. The Betsy is a good hotel. Great location, very pretty with some reals USPs. The staff and service is a bit hit and miss, the rooms in the Deco wing are very nice but quite corporate. The schlep from the main building to the Deco wing isn't great. And finally, maybe its an American thing, but what is it with the plethora of additional charges and taxes? Resort fee, Island tax etc. etc. or adding in a service charge of 20% then suggesting a tip in addition to that? I'm used to paying the quoted price. Its not all bad being British!

Service is wonderful, building is elegant, and location is fantastic! The rooftop pool is relaxing and has a beautiful view of downtown Miami. The other rooftop areas include views of the ocean. We enjoyed watching the storm clouds roll past us. The location across from the beach and just a couple of blocks from Espagnola St. is ideal. The resort fee includes an umbrella, lounge chairs with cushions and towels at the beach. It was hot, so we appreciated the refreshing air conditioning in our room.

We stayed here for our honeymoon for a weekend. Great location towards the end of Ocean Dr so it's away from the hustle and bustle of the south beach. It's a short walk to the actual beach where the Betsy has a dedicated area so you'll get an umbrella, chairs, towels, etc. The lounge is open and spacious, lots of natural light, very welcoming. The rooms (ocean view) felt a bit euro as they are on the smaller side but they also feel unique and not cookie cutter big chain hotel style rooms, which we liked. The pool was awesome, very clean, excellent service, great views. My only knock for our stay was that we waited over 30 minutes to get our bags to our room when we arrived. We called twice and never got them, so we finally went down to get them ourselves. The hotel staff noticed and tried to help but we were already pissed off and did it ourselves. It started our stay off on a bad note, but we didn't let that ruin the stay and it turned out to be great after that initial incident.