Miami Beach 550

After seeing the apartments, we canceled and management threatened not to refund us. That’s how our Miami vacation began. We had booked two weeks ahead on Booking.com, which listed check-in at 3 PM. Since we got there at 8 AM, we stopped by to find the place. Cleaning staff were doing laundry; they called someone they said was the manager, who told us check-in would only be after 4. Fine, we said. When we returned around 5, they said apartment 7 was ready. It had trash everywhere, used tea bags on the floor, and a filthy toilet. We sent management a video, but they insisted it was clean. They offered apartment 1, but people were already living there. Apartment 3 was just as dirty as 7. We watched cleaners use the same rag on the floor and tables, supposedly to get everything clean. When we said this was unacceptable, the manager made excuses, said the apartments would be ready soon, and told us to go shopping while we waited. He said ten minutes, while the cleaners said 40-60 minutes. We no longer wanted to stay and canceled. Dirt, unsanitary conditions, and incompetent management made us wonder how anyone could rent or stay in a place like this. I strongly advise against it; paying more somewhere else would be better than living in that filth. I can share photos and screenshots of our conversation as proof.

The units are a gamble, with cockroaches in some, and the thin walls do nothing for privacy. Getting to the beach takes a long, sweaty walk. Sure, there’s space, but it’s overpriced and poorly maintained. “Luxury” feels like a marketing label, and the place doesn’t live up to the hype. A view won’t make disappointment worth the money.

The apartment is dated and has plenty of problems. In the kitchen, the faucet was broken, the stove was dirty, and the fridge smelled as if it hadn’t been cleaned in ages. Supplies were sparse: one mug, four mismatched glasses, a couple of plates, no bowls, and too few utensils. When we asked management for more mugs, plates, and utensils, he told us to buy them at a nearby shop. There were three TVs but only one remote, and it didn’t work with the other two. A mirror hides the Unit 4 door to the neighboring apartment, so we could hear their conversations and smell the food they cooked. These aren’t all the issues, just the ones I’ve tried to describe. Max tries to be friendly, but his service is poor.

We were charged $100 for more parking time than we actually stayed, and they contacted us about parking several times even after we explained that. I’ve never left a bad review before, but the photos and reviews don’t reflect the apartment. In the first unit, the damp smell was terrible; the kitchen wasn’t fit for use, with a broken sink tap and cooker hob, the toilet seat was hanging off, and the shower leaked. We complained and were moved, but the replacement smelled of urine, probably from the air conditioning unit. We left the air con off, which made it very hot. We’ve just returned from this Miami accommodation, and I’d say don’t be fooled by the pictures.