Only as a Last Resort

I'm glad my wife and I only had to stay here for one night, only because another hotel was booked the last night of our stay in town.

This was the only hotel that requires a copy of your driver license - very strange. A trip up to our third-floor room was through a rickety old elevator that was so slow you could probably run up the stairs faster. After the elevator doors opened, there was an obvious stench of sweat and urine.

The room was smaller than that of a Motel 6, and the water pressure in the shower was ridiculously low. Despite our asking for a room with one bed, we were given 2 doubles, although I saw plenty of other rooms available with one queen bed.

When all this was mentioned to the front desk clerk, he displayed an "I don't care" attitude and offered no excuse.

The "continental breakfast" is nothing more that a few pastries, and there is nothing to drink except coffee.

The bottom line is, the only thing going for this hotel is its location across the street from the beach. Other than that, this hotel is a worn-out dump that lures customers through travel websites. It was clearly a mistake to have booked a room here. Otherwise, I would have left before even entering the room.

There are better choices for the same $$...don't make the mistake by staying here.

Not what I expected from a 3-star hotel

I stayed in this hotel for two nights. The location is okey but the price(rate) is more than what the hotel can offer. The hotel needs to update & improve it's facilities. The continental breakfast is poor,there is no variety and the food is not fresh(one day old).

A nice stay

Recently stayed here for two nights. Had a standard room which was very basic but acceptable for the price. What we liked best was the beach, which was just a short distance out the front of the hotel and appeared to be maintained quite well. When we had had enough sun we got a drink, relaxed in the shade of the spacious front porch of the hotel, and took in the scenery for awhile. Some suggestions for the continental breakfast: add in a few more choices for drinks, maybe also cereal or fruit. All in all though, a good choice for anyone looking for a relatively quiet area with a nice beach at a reasonable price.

So So

The Ocean Surf was just okay. I wasn't expecting much, since it was so cheap. Not very close to the action of South Beach, but the bus system is inexpensive and easy to use. The hotel is directly across from the beach -- which is not crowded at all. The "continental breakfast" is a joke, and the hotel is pretty old and kind of dirty. Oh, and when I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, there was a cockroach hanging out on the toilet paper roll. Gross. All in all, a good value -- if you're there for the beach and surroundings and not to hang out in your room.

Shabby but Serviceable

I did not have high expectations so I wasn't disappointed, but I had hoped the rooms wouldn't be quite so shabby-looking. We also stayed in the penthouse which is overpriced. I don't know how other hotels in the area compare (the Days Inn next door looked fine), but it seems hard to find decent accommodation for under $200, so if you want something on the beach, book a room through an internet special (I saw a $73 price), skip the "breakfast" and take the bus down to South Beach.

Great room

This is a friendly small hotel with approx 40 rooms. We had the Penthouse Suite which is probably the biggest hotel room I have ever stayed in. It was enormous, taking up most of the 4th Floor with a wall to wall mural covering the end wall. It was good value for money and I could have paid 4 times as much on South Beach for a quarter the room size. It is situated right on the beach and there are 6/7 Resturants within walking distance at reasonable(by Miami standards) prices. I would recommend it to anyone but go for the Penthouse, I promise you it is huge. The only downside is it is a long walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night! Bill Colchester England

Nice hotel

This is a nice clean hotel. We had the delux balcony room and it was great. Yes, you had to share the balcony with another room, but in the 4 days that we were there, we never crossed paths once. The beach across the street was great - you avoid the massive crowds you get further down south. There are also some fantastic restaurants in the area. For the low price you pay for this hotel it's more than sufficient. Don't listen to bad reviewers - you can't pay such low rates in Miami Beach and expect the Hilton...

Not so great

With paint flaking off the entire back of the bathroom door, a toilet that wouldn't flush, and walls you could hear voices through, I didn't exactly feel safe and secure in this place. There was absolutely no security at the front desk--anyone could walk right in, and there were some really scuzzy looking characters across the street by the beach front. I didn't feel safe, but the location is just feet away from beach access which was nice. The hotel needs to be cleaner for me to go back! ick!

Will Go Back!

Just returned from a 5-day stay at the Ocean Surf on 05/04/03. We liked the charm of this old hotel as it reminded us of the south of France and not the usual american monster chain hotels. There was a nice mix of europeans, "snowbirds" and latin-americans in the area. The hotel is 10 steps from the beach, which is well cared for and has professional lifeguards on duty. We liked the fact that this was an "urban beach", just one block off Collins Ave and close to wonderful ethnic take-out eateries, small grocery stores and other services. You are not trapped by the inflated prices of tourist retailers here. There are renovation projects in the blocks surrounding the hotel but you would never know it while enjoying the hotel. I spent many an hour on the large front porch and our own balcony, just ocean and people-watching. The staff was exceptionally nice. If you are not looking for the same old sterile resort and appreciate a city with diversity then I recommend that you stay here.

A bit disappointing

Rooms were marginally clean but TINY (as in walk sideways around the bed tiny!)And don't pay extra for the "Deluxe Balcony" room unless you like company. They neglect to mention that it's shared with another room, which also raises some security/privacy questions as the blinds on the glass door to the balcony were definitely from the 97 renovation. Ocean is beautiful but public beach was very poorly maintained. Could probably get better deals with better beach a bit further north.