Hotel Redland

We stopped for one night on our way from Key West to Miami to catch an early flight, but the noise kept us from sleeping. I'm not sure if it's true of every room, but ours was essentially inside a restaurant, without proper separation, and we could hear noise throughout the night. Finding our room was a bit tricky. Housekeeper Christine was friendly and helped us locate it, which we appreciated, but the stay wasn't worth the price. I wouldn't recommend this hotel.

The main drawback for us was the noise. Our first-floor room shared a wall with the kitchen, and at the end of the evening we could hear workers banging pots and pans, shouting, talking loudly, and laughing. It quieted down around 11 or 11:30 PM. There was street noise too, and the AC was loud enough that we turned it off. The blinds didn't keep the sun out, so bring an eye mask if you want a dark room. Earplugs are a must. We chose this place for its location and price, just one night during a mid-February vacation, on the way to the Keys. It seemed like a good deal and a quirky place to stay, which can make lower-quality accommodations more fun. I'd say it's not too bad, as we've stayed in much worse, but I wouldn't stay more than a night. At first we couldn't find the entrance and walked all around the building, turned back, and then a nice young man came out of the restaurant door and asked if we were looking for the hotel. I bet that happens a lot, since there's no sign by the restaurant door saying it's the hotel entrance. Inside, a friendly woman showed us to our first-floor room at the back and asked if it was satisfactory. It looked clean, so we said yes. It had standard hotel amenities, including a hair dryer and a dehumidifier. The room was a little musty. I didn't notice the smell, but my boyfriend picked it up after we'd been there a while and said we might have left if he'd noticed it immediately. The young man and woman in charge were very nice and did what they could to make the stay pleasant. Parking was uncertain. We asked whether we'd find a spot if we went out for dinner and came back, and they said the lot can fill up at night. They suggested parking across the street, waiting for people to leave, then moving back to the lot. Another suggestion was to squeeze into a space by the building that wasn't really a parking spot. Luckily, when we returned, three or four spaces were open. Before dinner I used the bathroom, and when we got back the toilet was running. There was no Kleenex box, but toilet paper was fine.

This place has been getting better year after year since Lynda Bell, former Homestead Mayor and County Commissioner, restored it. It's a sushi restaurant now, and it's top of the line. They even serve a reasonable amount of hot Saki, not those little jars. Wonderful.

My room has been 57 degrees F for two days, with no heat or hot shower water. The sink did have hot water, even after I tried to shower. The thermostat and wall unit were both there but wouldn't heat the room. My face, hands, and feet felt cold, and I couldn't warm up all night. It took over 24 hours for my body temperature to feel regulated, after I spent a lot of the next day in my car. They endanger guests by being too cheap to fix the hot water and wall units. I tent camp in Canada every fall, and this place is colder than that. The hotel connects to a sushi restaurant with zero separation, not even a closed door. Anyone on the street could access my room, which is a security concern. The restaurant played club music until closing at midnight, and there seemed to be a child living in the restaurant who screamed past midnight with no parental discouragement. The Wi-Fi was down for over an hour, and the hotel couldn't even restart it. I had to find it and unplug it myself. The only reason I'm giving two stars is the housekeeper, Christine. She's lovely and attentive and deserves five stars. I never would have booked this hotel if I'd known anyone could get into my room from the street.