Congress Hotel South Beach

The service was top notch, and my family and I were treated really nicely during our birthday weekend. The rooms were clean and nice, and I loved the bathtub. The rooftop pool was a little dirty, and the water gets hot in the sun, but it still helped cool us off a bit. The drinks weren’t that great.

The hotel has a real party feel, so don’t expect a quiet resort kind of stay. But if you want to be right by the water in the heart of South Beach, the location is hard to beat. The rooms were large, more like suites, and I enjoyed my time there. A few things kept me from giving five stars. The room could’ve been cleaner, the mattress was old and needed replacing, the fridge didn’t work, and housekeeping was basically nonexistent. I asked for extra towels twice and never got them. Even so, my overall experience was still great.

The rooms badly need an upgrade. We found mold around the tubs, dirty sheets, and a leaking refrigerator. The shower curtains were dirty too, and the couch smelled like it belonged in a dumpster. The bathroom door from the bedroom neither closed all the way nor locked. We also overheard another couple say random people with luggage were opening their room with a key. I’d advise staying off the strip and walking to Ocean Drive instead. We booked three rooms and paid for ocean views for two of them, with proof of that booking, but only one ocean-view room was given. The front desk guy also told us check-in was at 3:00, when it was actually 4:00.

The rooftop was gorgeous, and the heated pool was a treat even on a windy day. Housekeeping did a great job making my room look nice. They left a dirty sponge when I checked in, then replaced it with another dirty one during service. A clean sponge each time would’ve been better. The bathroom was also dim because only one light worked, and the ceiling AC leaked, though a small towel handled that. The location is hard to beat, right by the “palace” and the sugar factory, with lots of good restaurants and cars along ocean drive. Noise from the connected Palace bar may be the biggest issue for some people. Turning on the TV helped. It’s noisy anywhere on ocean drive, so it wasn’t a deal breaker for me, even with an infant. I’d stay again.