Bal Harbour Hotels

Our balcony view was beautiful. We had an oceanfront E3 room, close to the water and basically on the beach, with nothing but ocean in sight. Service was decent, and the location was good. But don’t expect a luxury stay. The hotel is dated, the lobby lights were off and the chandelier never came on, which gave a weird first impression. Our mattress was uncomfortable, and the blanket was just a random brown throw. There was no balcony light, bird poop on the oceanfront window, and the TV was very small and old. The toilet was low, with the toilet paper under the sink, so we moved the roll to the side. There were no tissues, and the toilet paper was awful. It’s a place to sleep in a good location, nothing more.

The location is fantastic, and I love the private balconies. We’ve stayed here on and off for a decade, but it’s been going downhill, and after this last visit we won’t be back anytime soon. We don’t care about amenities, just need somewhere to shower and sleep. An old building is fine, but it’s dirty and neglected. There was sand and dirt on the floor as soon as we entered, and crumbs and dirt inside the refrigerator. They replaced the carpet with flooring this year, but that only makes it worse if they still don’t clean. The elevators look like they haven’t been cleaned since our first stay ten years ago. It could be so much better with some care. The location may explain the prices, but for now we can find better for the money elsewhere.

We paid over $1,000 for a long weekend, and the room wasn’t very clean. The sheets looked dirty, and the closet had two ratty old blankets. The maid wouldn’t come in unless I was there, and even then asked me to hand out the garbage and towels without stepping inside. The rooms badly need updating. The parking situation was horrendous, and the garage was full of black mold. It was much better in the 90s. Not worth the money, and I won’t be back.

We should have listened to the reviews. Five minutes after we got there, a bug crossed the floor. Google Lens identified it as a bedbug. I brought it to the front desk in a tissue, but they wouldn’t give us another room. When other vacationers reacted with concern, the manager called us liars, even though I had the bug right there. Then they said we couldn’t stay and kicked us out. I told the manager I had a five-year-old, and she just said, “Oh, well.” After a four-hour drive, my poor kid started crying because he only wanted to go to the beach. The manager or owner was vile, disrespectful, and unprofessional. We were lucky to find a better room next door for less. The next day, people we ran into at the beach said they’d been in the lobby and couldn’t believe how we were treated. The toilet was tiny, with the counter wrapping around it so you banged your arms trying to sit down, and the toilet paper was under the sink near the floor. Stay far away.