Nothing could have been better

We stayed At The Tides in late october 04. We called the hotel to see if we could check in at 11am instead of the 3pm check in time. They said that should be ok. We got there around 11am and the room was not quite ready. They gave us a free drink from the bar and we talk to the concierge for a while and our room was ready. The Room was very large and beautiful (flat screen tv) also had a ocean view(all do). The hotel employees were very nice. The hotel restaurant was great, but a little expensive($150. for 2 people). Once the doorman did not see us coming and walked away without opening the door for us( it was no big deal), but an employee saw it and bought us free drinks from the bar. The beach stuff was first class and free. there was a nice young girl who put a cover on the loungers for us. The Tides is not cheap, but if it is within your budget it is worth the extra you pay. Also, then location is great. We ask the maid to leave ice in our room every day and she did. She also left a lot of the bath stuff. (we gave her a few #/day) I can not think of even a small detail that was not perfect about this hotel. I don't think I we will ever stay anywhere else in SoBe.

Use it for business

Just stayed four nights at The Tides Hotel. I liked it. Nice room, nice view, friendly staff and ok service. But it's not the best ever hotel I've stayed in, and I'm glad I paid nowhere near their standard rate for the room.

I will recommend the hotel for business and a short vacation - but it's not a totally pampering place. I had breakfast on their sun terrace on morning.

I don't like having to pay $8 for water. That's what I asked for and they wipped out a liter of expensive bottled water. Why not just ask?

Tides was very nice and quite for south beach.

I just got back from 5 nights June 30 - July 5th at the Tides.

Quick Summary:

It was really lovely. The rooms were both spacious and gracious. The service was very helpful and attentive. The concierge was great. The hotel quiet (both in the good and bad ways) for South Beach. It is a good place to go if you want a quieter, more grown up (stylish but not trendy) hotel, that is close to, but not on top of, the action.

Details:

The rooms are large and have a nice view of the ocean and beach (but no balcony). All the rooms have a telescope for people watching on the beach (this can be addictive) and nice details like real orchids and a bose wave radio. Free Wall Street Journal and NY Times delivered to the room.

The pool is small but pleasant. Some had reported that it overlooked an alley. The have put up a wall, so you don't see the street, but you sometimes hear it.

The pool area was NOT a scene. There was a couple or 2 and a family both times I went. Nobody else. The pool was reported to be topless, but there was nobody topless there and my wife did not feel comfortable being the only one. They do provide complimentary bottled watter by the pool which was very nice and the woman working there was very attentive.

The beach across the street (free chairs, umbrella and towel covers with a pass from the front desk) was nice and had people but was not overly croweded. Less hip scene than 2nd-3rd street, but enjoyable and convinient.

Thay have free WiFi and free internet connected work station by the pool on the mezzanine.

The resturant, 1220, has a good breakfast and a great sunday brunch, but it is extremely pricey. Brunch is $45 pp.

We had dinner there one night. It was pleasant and had good service but the food was disappointing. Zagat's had rated it highly, so we were surprised. We were virtually the only people there, so maybe the A Team was not working the kitchen.

I booked a summer package of 295 per night but it included a 75 per day food credit. FYI the food credit is per day, use it or lose it. I did not understand that but at check out we were able to come to a very reasonable compromise.

That credit will not go far. Room service breakfast for 2... $45. Dinner for 2 with a bottle of wine, 1 shared app and no dessert or coffee $140. Three Pina colada's by the pool and a plate of calamari... $50.

As with every place we went in South Beach gratuity was included in the bill.

If it is what you are looking for, they do it well.

Not worth the $$$$.....

My fiance and I stayed here for a weekend get-away at the beginning of June 2004. We got there on an early flight and asked the front desk if they could accomodate us by trying to get us a room before the "4:00 pm check-in". The hotel seemed practically empty. We arrived at the hotel around 11 am and ended up checking in around 5pm! (thank goodness for the drinks at the Cardozo next door...) We just thought that since we paid $400+/night, the hotel might be just a little more accomodating.

The rooms are very nice and you have an ocean view.

I think what you're really paying for are the free beach chairs and umbrellas and the fact that you're not in the middle of the whole crazy crowd of the "Wet Willy's" area.

All in all, the hotel was ok, but absolutely not worth the money. The high level of service and attention was just not there....

Definitely watch out for tipping

We enjoyed a lovely dinner on New Year's Day at the Terrace Restaurant.

The service was good (not excellent). In spite of this I provided a 20% tip (there was no indication that a gratuity was included). When I returned home and happened to peruse my bank statement I noticed that the amount the the restaurant submitted and the amount that I signed for were vasty different. This is unacceptable in any hotel, certainly not in the "Diva of South Beach".

Romantic Weekend

My wife and I had a great romantic getaway at The Tides. The hotel has one of the few topless pools at South Beach (although the beach is always topless, of course). My wife enjoyed tanning topless there with a constant supply of wonderful mudslides to drink provided by the wonderful pool side bar tender.

The only problem with this hotel is that you have to cross the street to get to the beach, and they do not serve drinks on the beach.

Great - with a baby!

we had a great time last winter with our then 8 month old baby. the staff was so freindly and kind to her (and us) and the space is just gorgeous. Room service was terrific, and the concierge helped us find a sitter so we culd go out one night. We can't wait to go back.

This is living

The Tides is the place to be, when you walk into your room music is playing, BREATHTAKING views of the ocean, telescope next to window, fluffy slippers and the most comfortable bed in hotel history.

All-around wonderful!

I just returned from a 3-night stay at The Tides with my 15-year old son. I have nothing but great impressions of the Tides: everything about this hotel is first rate. I would particularly comment on the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. They were all eager to please without being intrusive. I did not detect one ounce of "attitude." While the rooms are relatively expensive for South Beach, they are enormous and they all have direct ocean views. Both public rooms and guest rooms have simple, elegant decor--not in the strange end of the design spectrum like some other celebrated hotels in the area.I travel almost continuously in my job. The Tides has become one of my favorite hotels in the world.

Watch out for the tipping

when we were at the tides on the weekend we were not informed that the 15% gratuity was already included in the cost of our meal. so, we tipped our server an extra $60.00. so he walked away with $85.00 on a $167.00 bill. we gave him such a hefty tip because service was fantastic, and we believe in tipping ( even though we are from canada and everyone thinks canadians don't tip). i think it should have been pointed out. the server knew we were unfamiliar with miami and the "law of the land". needless to say i won't return. so watch out in south beach...tips are already included!!!