Leslie Hotel Ocean Drive

Jerry was the warmest, most welcoming host, and he really made the stay. The rooms were very clean and comfortable, and the central location made it easy to get around on foot. I've stayed at some of Miami's highest-rated and most expensive places, but we wanted somewhere easy and walkable this time. The Leslie made us very happy, and we'll book again.

The rooftop pool and hot tub were spectacular, warm and inviting, with an ocean view from the pool too. Our third-floor suite was perfect, especially the bay window overlooking Ocean Drive. We could see the ocean from the bedroom, and even while showering. The Leslie was a great anniversary getaway, right in the heart of South Beach and across from the beach. Food options are just outside the door, and the staff were lovely and accommodating. Being right in the middle of everything means street noise and the area's energy carry on at all hours, but we enjoyed everything about our stay.

The first night was rough. We had a corner room with windows on two walls, and could hear everything going on all night. I asked to switch and got a quieter room, but there still wasn't anywhere to put my luggage and the lighting made it hard to do my makeup, with no makeup mirror either. The room was tiny. The website described valet parking, a rooftop terrace, and room service, but none of those were available, so it felt like a bait and switch. I'd give it three stars for the good location and friendly customer service. Beware.

Only five minutes into our stay, I told Ray at the front desk that toilet paper was all over the public bathroom. He just laughed and said, “oh”. The pool deck renovation itself is understandable, but the way they handled it is not. We didn't find out the pool was closed until arriving, and had to walk down the street to another hotel to use one. They claimed they'd clearly posted the closure on their site and third-party sites since Nov 1, but that's false. Their website promotes a beautiful pool exclusive to guests, and the closure is buried in fine print on the last page before payment. When I raised it, they laughed and said they'd told third parties to inform guests, so any failure to do that wasn't their problem. Terrible customer service. I would stay FAR away, and I'm sure the rest of our visit will get worse.