Kaskades Hotel South Beach

I was charged $39 USD per night for amenities I could barely use. The pool apparently closes at night, there’s no bar, and my room often wasn’t cleaned, so I wasn’t getting fresh towels or body wash. There was hair everywhere, and the balcony was filthy with dirt and frap. Paying a resort fee for amenities I wasn’t receiving, or that weren’t available, makes no sense. There was also a mess over the deposit. The payment came out of my account and the EFTPOS machine said it was approved, but they told us the deposit hadn’t gone through. Then they claimed I had to pay the fee because I’d booked through Expedia, even though I used a travel agent. The charges weren’t disclosed up front. This place felt very dodgy. Stay away.

The staff really made the stay. Everyone we dealt with, from the front desk and housekeeping to maintenance, was consistently pleasant. I’d stay again. The bed was comfortable, and having a microwave, refrigerator, and balcony was handy. There are plenty of shops and restaurants nearby, with the beach two blocks away and the heart of South Beach about seven blocks away. A few things were broken at first, including the safe and shower drain, but they fixed them promptly. The bathroom is unusual, so just be prepared. The ice machine is across the street at their sister hotel.

We ended up leaving and spending another $900 on a last-minute Airbnb. We’d already paid nearly $800 for this hotel, and if we hadn’t had extra money, we could have been stranded. They refunded half several days later, while I was already on my way back to Ohio, but that didn’t make up for the stress, wasted time, and extra expense. This was my first time booking a hotel. I’d just turned 21 and driven all the way from Ohio to Miami, trusting the online photos. The room looked nothing like them. It was dirty and run-down, smelled like dog poop, and had stains on the floors, walls, pillows, and furniture. There were open vents, chipped paint, visible water damage, and a nasty bathroom with a yellowed toilet seat. When my mother called the front desk for me, the staff member brushed her off. They offered another room that looked the same and still smelled bad, then sprayed Lysol to cover the odor, which made it worse. We were so uncomfortable we had to leave. A terrible first hotel stay, and not something I’d wish on anyone. Don’t trust the photos or the price, and have a backup plan if you book here.

The room we eventually got was nice, which is the only reason I’m giving this place two stars. The woman with brown hair and glasses at the front desk was rude and dismissive when we asked for a refund at checkout. She said, “at least we gave you a place to sleep,” and got snarky when we questioned the outcome. They ended up taking off a $200 resort fee, which didn’t seem like enough after putting us in a room that was nowhere near what we’d paid for. On our first day, a maintenance issue meant we couldn’t check in at our hotel and were sent across the street. That room was less than half the size of ours, with barely enough room to open our suitcases. We spent an uncomfortable night there before going back to the original hotel, where the room finally matched our booking. Terrible service. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.