Pretty good hotel

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Essex House a couple of weekends ago and were pretty happy with it. It is a very cute boutique hotel located in South Beach. The location is very good- only a few blocks to the beach, and in walking distance to the clubs and bars.

We had no problem checking in, and the lobby, veranda, and room decor all were very cute. The Essex House is included on the Art Deco tour, so occasionally big groups of people come through the lobby.

Our room was a good size, and very comfortable. There were several comfortable chairs as well as a desk and walk in closet. Although the bathroom was small, it was completely tiled in white marble, which gave it an elegant look. Don't be tempted by the snacks and drinks in the room as they are extremely overpriced. One plus was that the TV got pretty much every cable channel immaginable- more than at any hotel we have ever visited!

We did not visit the pool, but had a view of it from our room, and could tell that it was pretty small. We had no problems with noise from the outside; the only noise came from the elevator, since our room was right next to it.

The only negative comments about the hotel were that sometimes, especially during peak usage times, the shower did not get especially hot (lukewarm at best). Also, their free "continental' breakfast was pretty sparce. Don't expect much- coffee, tea, juice, cold cereal, mini-muffins, and cinnamon rolls was all that was available.

Otherwise, we had a very pleasant stay at the Essex House and would definitely visit again.

Disappointed

We stayed at the Essex for one night in November 2003. I was really looking forward to staying at this hotel having read all the tripadvisor reviews. I have to say that it was a disappointing experience. The reception staff when we checked in weren't friendly or helpful - they didn't tell us about breakfast or the swimming pool.

We were given a ground room floor which wasn't a problem but the bed linen in the room had a least ten cigarette burns in it. The breakfast was okay.

The only saving grace was the reception staff during the day who were really helpful and polite when we checked out suggesting things to do etc. All in all it wasn't anything special.

Great price and location

We have just returned from a six night stay at the Essex house. We chose it based on the reveiws on Tripadvisor, it and it fitted the bill exactly. Close enough to the hotspots for a good night out but quiet enough so that you could get a good night sleep when you burned out too quick.

Good choice in South Beach

Stayed at the Essex House for 2 nights post a cruise. Good location.

Clean. Responsive, helpful staff. Nice grand piano on the entrance hall! Room was quiet. Continental breakfast (included) excellent.

Booked it at their website which was cheaper than going via a 3rd party, avoids additional fee and potential cancellation hassles. Good value for money ($80/night for a twin room). Elevator tiny but functional. Nice swimming pool.

Fantastic Place!!

My date and I were in South Beach for a wedding in mid October and stayed at the Essex on a Friday and Saturday night. Our room was on the second floor overlooking the Collins Ave and 10th intersection and was very clean, comfortable and tasteful. The reason I give the location is to emphasize that we could not hear a thing from the traffic and people outside the room....the windows truly are soundproofed (and we needed it after staying up all night both nights ;-). The staff was very helpful and polite and the prices were unreal for being in the middle of S. Beach ($89/night). All in all, I highly recommend this place.

Great Hotel

My wife and I just got home from three great days at the Essex House.

This is a great art deco hotel of about 50 to 60 rooms, nice regular size with queen bed and marble tile bathroom and clean. We looked at the suites and they were very nice with a king size bed large room and a two person jacuzzi that was set is a large marble tile bath room. The location is every thing. Your 100 feet to Ocean Dr., with out the Ocean Dr price. Three days at $99/nite, suite $159 (off season) middle October. Party all day and nite and not haveing to drive is worth it.

The Clevelander is right next to the Essex on 10th st. That place is the best sports bar on the beach and it gets noisy at nite. We were in room 110 thats located in the middle of the building and its was quiet.

Great breakfast spread of coffee, friut, cold ceral,danish and juice.

Free news papers and breakfast on the patio in the morning was great.

The staff was very polite and eagar to assist. I would highly recommend this spot along with the points mention by other recent guests.

Loved the hotel, room, but could hear everything

The hotel was GREAT!! My boyfreind and I enjoyed our experience, loved the fact that we could walk to happy hour, the beach and clubs. If you are looking for a reasonably priced hotel in the heart of SB stay here, except for one minor problem: WE COULD HEAR OUR NEIGHBORS COMING IN LATE EACH NIGHT!! Keep your noise to a minimum and you'll have a fantastice time.The hotel even let us chaeck out late for free. Service was with a smile and very very clean.

Good experience in south beach

Stayed at Hotel four days in may. The Hotel staff was very friendly and accommodating. The hotel was also in a good central location. The rooms were nicely decorated, but the housekeeping could be improved.

Essex House and Suites-Miami-Florida

This is a lovely Art Deco hotel and has a nice lobby which is kept in style. You also can sit outside on the nice wicker chairs on the terrace. Professional front desk staff. This hotel has double (insulated) glass windows which does a very good job of keeping the noise outside. Unfortunately the Art Deco hotels have quite thin walls and ceilings and the noise comes more from within the hotel. It depends who your neighbours are really, but the walls and ceilings are definitely thinner than in the other hotels we have been. The rooms are nice, nicely decorated, albeit a bit small, but the beds are good and the bedding is of a good quality, nice sheets. The bathroom is nicely tiled with marble and the shower is excellent. Not many mirrors in the room though, the only mirror is in the bathroom. This hotel is very near South Beach and Ocean drive where most of the nightlife action is. The location is excellent! Also this hotel does not have its own parking but has a deal with the nearby parking garage which charges $15 per 24 hours in the weekend and $10 per 24 hours during weekdays. We did enjoy the hotel but the biggest drawback was the cleaners maffia. It seemed that they started their own private party at 07.30 in the morning i.e. shouting, loud laughing and constantly loud talking for at least 1-2 hours. No respect for the hotel guest who would like to have a bit of a sleep in after a night out on the buzzing Ocean Drive. Nightlife is very good here and there are quite a few live acts laid on, some are free, and for some who are inside, you have to pay entrance.

Beauty and the Beach

The Essex House Hotel is a Classic among Classics. It is one of the original South Beach Hotels that boasts true art deco architecture. It has been lovingly restored a few years ago yet still reclaims all the charm from yesteryear.

The lobby is small yet plush with couches and seating areas, included is a small bar area off to the side where they serve a complimentary breakfast in the morning and where the resident bartender Justin serves amazing cocktails. I must also add that Justin knows everything there is to know about SoBe including restaurants and local clubs, his Rolodex is filled with names of door men and women that will get you into all the hottest clubs. If you want his knowledge you have to be a guest of the hotel or sit at his bar for an hour and tip heavy.

The rooms at the Essex can be small because they are they original yet they are full of the amenities that a vacationer could want. Clean and Chic to say the very least. If this is a problem then the Essex does have a separate and very private building of suites adjacent to the Lobby and I would suggest that the stay there is more than worth the extra cost. These rooms have seating areas, luxury beds including a hugh bathroom with Spa tubs.

The Essex does have a pool, it is very small so in return the hotel put in Jacuzzi jets in the pool. In return the pool turns into a twenty person Jacuzzi which I have to admit is perfect for a lazy afternoon when sand in your swimsuit is not an option.

The hotel is located just 100 feet to the beach and just around the corner from all the hottest spots in town including Mango's, The News cafe and Collins Ave, shopping.

I highly recommend this hotel for anyone who wants to be close to the beach but away from the noise. My favorite thing about this hotel is the verandah which I suggest you take full advantage of because memories are made there. On it, eat breakfast in the morning or fall asleep in the afternoon and watch the club goers come home from a night out around four in the morning.

The staff is a delight and both straight and gay friendly. Housekeeping is wonderful but as always I would suggest you put any valuables into the safe the front desk offers for free.

My knowledge for this hotel is deep because I vacation there every year and would never think about staying any place else. I hope this information is helpful.