Ocean Reef Suites

Coming from a hospitality background, I tend to give a location the benefit of the doubt and seldom write very poor reviews. I booked this hotel for just one night to celebrate a birthday and stay on South Beach. Being a Miami native, I don’t expect much coming from a South Beach hotel. They are all typically small and overpriced because LOCATION! My negative experience with this hotel happened from the beginning when I was told the hotel did not offer any type of valet or parking. I was told to park in a municipal lot (extremely unsafe and unsecure) which I could only pay for 10 hours at a time. Therefore having to renew my parking around 2:00 am in hopes that I would be awake and remember! Not only did I have to park elsewhere, but there was nowhere to unload my bags or drop anything off so I was forced to walk in the hot Miami sun with all my luggage (and birthday cake) to the hotel from the lot 2 blocks away. There was only one employee working who was rather rude throughout our stay.
Upon arrival to the room I was pleased at first, thinking it was spacious and cute. I like that it had a mini fridge and kitchen area. However, after a few moments of being there I realized how filthy the room was. There were reddish fingerprints all over the walls from what looked like Cheetos or something. The bathroom had obviously not been cleaned which I could tell from the HAIR and dust all over the toilet paper holder. The bed even seemed dirty with the hard as a rock mattress containing stains that could be seen through the sheets (that wouldn’t stay on). We had a room with a «pull out couch/​bed». When I arrived it was an old futon that was left open with no pillow or blankets and what appeared to be an old sheet. To make matters worse, we all ended up with a cold which I attribute to the exposed, filthy, moldy, air filter that had obviously not been changed in MONTHS!
I called several times to ask for assistance, sheet, towels, anything and the phone would ring and ring. When it came time to check out, the rude employee that checked us in came and knocked on the door and asked when we were leaving… BEFORE our check out time. He did not attempt to call or anything, just came to the room and rudely asked us if we were almost done. He seemed stressed out and told us they had a lot of check ins that day and needed to make up all of the rooms. Never in my life have I felt so uncomfortable and rushed to leave a place. So we hurried up and gathered out things and walked once again back in the hot sun to our car only to walk back and properly check out and return the room keys because they charge $ 15 a key!
Honestly, this place is just over all terrible. The only thing it had going for it was the location and I would’ve paid more to stay farther had I know how gross it was going to be. Huge waste of over $ 300 for ONE night.

Stayed here last week. Loved the location but had no hot water the morning we left.
Front deck was unable to do anything to fix the situation including offer any future promotion for an upcoming stay.

If you’re young & want to be in the middle of South Beach this is the place for you. I say young since most likely you’ll just shower/​change & sleep here. I am currently staying here & wish I could get my money back. This place is so dirty. The toilet had a permanent yellow stain making it look like there’s always pee, the bathtub is also stained. There’s crumbs all around the faucet sink. No elevator but luckily the front desk guy helped me carry my luggage. Parking is impossible & if you find street parking you have to pay except from 3am-​9am. You’re better off getting a hotel in downtown Miami & taking an über over to South Beach ($ 10 – 14). They have bread, cereal & coffee for breakfast. Yeah I’ll pass next time

We came to the Ocean Reef suites on Monday, June 22^nd, (booked through Expedia) but left about 2 hours after we checked in. The lobby and our room both had a strong smell of bleach. On top of this, they were painting the hallway, so it also smelled like paint.
My girlfriend is pregnant, so due to the smells we decided not to risk staying there any longer. Unfortunately the hotel is not refunding our money. We booked 4 nights, but stayed 2 hours and are now having to pay $ 400+.
We’re still in the middle of this, so I’ll try to update if anything gets rectified. This is after several emails and hours (literally) on the phone with Expedia and the hotel.
The family-​run Italian place next door was great, so get some pizza instead and save yourself some headaches.

Do not come here. I paid $ 180 per night for an old, dirty, worn out room. They had bed bugs that bit up my arms and legs. The windows are just glass panels so you can hear everything outside. The pictures on the site are deceiving. I felt so gross staying there. It smelled like mold right when you walked into the suites. I think we even brought a bed bug home. I regret not saying anything to the front desk because we had such an early flight in the morning I was in a rush.

The location is awesome and right in the middle of all the action. Great restaurants that are walking distance, shopping, clubs and the beach. The hotel itself isn’t the cleanest and best I’ve ever been to. When I was looking at one of the pillows it had a dead flea on it. My friends and I had to wear our beach slippers in the shower because we were afraid of how dirty the restroom was. We even got toilet seat covers for the toilet. Call us high maintenance but we just like to be clean. Staff wasn’t the friendliest but our room was clean everyday. So pros: great location and mostly everything is walking distance. Cons: Not the cleanest hotel/​room I’ve been to.

I love this place!
After having a horrible experience at another hotel on Ocean Ave me and my friend decided to stay here for our weekend in MIA. Normally check ins are at 3 but we arrived at 11am, the personal at the front desk was extremely nice and friendly and allowed us to leave our luggage at the front until our room was available and promised to make it as quickly as possible since she knew we wanted to shower and change. We were in our room by 1pm. When we walked in we were pleasantly surprised by the size and all the accommodations our room had. The entrance and exit of the hotel was extremely private and didn’t have to always go through the front desk. The room was spacious and even had a dinner table and small kitchen with a microwave and fridge which came in handy. It was clean and comfy and way better then any hotel room I have stayed at before in Miami. Will definitely stay here again!

If and when I do come back to miami I will be definitely staying here again! Such great customer service, the suites are very clean, and private. They had just about everything we needed in the suite. It’s also in a great location everything is walking distance. They also have a shuttle service to and from the hotel but you do have to check for the times. The prices aren’t bad at all. You’ll be seeing me here again very soon !

Terrible, valet only which took an hour, elevator broken and strong over bearing bleach smell in lobby. I left before i checked in. Went to Miami Beach resort, much happier there

Stayed at this hotel and the rate was amazing. Their suites come with kitchenettes, two tvs, a fold out sofa. This is the real deal and in walking distance of the beach and the clubs on Washington Ave. The staff were amazingly helpful and they have a café on site. I’ll definitely be back here.

When I found The Ocean Reef Suites located at 1130 Collins Avenue I was willing to give it a try. I asked around to a few people who lived in the area and was told it was in a great spot, close to the beach this was good news as we didn’t have to drive once checked in. We also took advantage of their valet parking they had which at a decent price this meant parking was not an issue.
We arrived around 4:50PM in the afternoon and was greeted by a very lovely young lady who checked us in quickly and efficiently. She was super sweet and helpful. The lobby was nicely decorated very clean and cheerful. Here are some photos of the lobby that I took.
Once checked in we were directed to our room which was only a little ways down the hall. We were also told if we needed anything at all to just ask. the hall was also nicely decorated as well as clean and nicely kept
Once in the room we found everything we needed for a comfortable night stay from towels, to shampoo to even dishes for cooking and eating. It was like a little apartment. We soon discovered our remote didn’t work but no worries the young lady who checked us in fixed it in a few minutes even brought extra fresh linen for the pull out sofa. I was truly impressed with the service we got. Plus everyone was so friendly.
On check out day the lady at the front desk was super sweet and helpful. She even offer to call a taxi for us which of course we didn’t need but it was so nice of her to offer. Overall a good stay I highly recommend this hotel. If you are planing on heading to South Beach anytime at all I recommend staying at The Ocean Reed Suites.

DO NOT STAY AT THIS PLACE WHATEVER YOU DO. I don’t even know where to start.
The guy at the front desk is not friendly, I don’t think he even knows how to smile.
The room is disgusting. The pictures online are just an illusion but if you look closely it’s like looking at garbage. Everything is dirty. I’m scared to touch anything. The maids? What maid. She comes in and makes your bed and empties the trash. That’s about it. No cleaning, in fact they don’t even clean their sheets or silverware! Disgusting.
The husband/​neighbor across the hall are too busy beating up his girlfriend/​wife to pay attention to his screaming toddler who screams All. Day. And. All. Night. I made the front desk aware and what did they do? Not a thing. Next time I hear that prick abuse his women I’m going to call the cops.
The outside of the hotel is surrounded by noisy construction and crack heads begging for cash. I’ve lived in Miami for 6 years so I know what to expect but this was like a crack head convention was taking place outside the hotel.
If I could give this place minus 5 stars and also report them to some higher authority like a corporate office I would. Never again will I stay at this trash bin of a hotel. It’s nice to have a kitchen and separate living space In a hotel but I’d rather spend the extra money next time to stay a Hilton or Marriott. Now I’m off to go get a real shower in a sanitized tub that’s actually been cleaned.
I regret spending a dime at this dump. Money down the drain.

Hotel is OKAY, but the valet service makes it NOT WORTH IT.

DIRTY, DINGY, DARK & LOUD!
I’ve been coming to South Beach for years.
It’s always been a challenge to find a decent place to stay in the heart of it all that won’t break the bank.
I booked this place as part of a package with my flights on Expedia.
I’ll start with the positives, which are very few:
1) Location. It is literally steps away from the sand and ocean of South Beach. It is within walking distance to everything imaginable.
2) The units are cool in the sense they are like studio apartments with partial kitchenettes.
3) The main receptionist, Marcelo, is a very nice, friendly and helpful guy. He has lots of tips to offer with regard to where to eat, club, etc.
Now, on to the negatives, a much more extensive list:
1) I was promised a free shuttle from the airport at 3:00 PM. When it didn’t arrive at the designated pick-​up spot by 3:15, I called to check its status. The receptionist told me I was told 3:00 in error, that I would have to wait until 4:30. There was no way I was going to stand at the airport for a whole other hour after having already traveled since 6:30 in the morning to get down here. They agreed to reimburse me for a taxi to the hotel. After I arrived, they would only pay for ¾ of the price of the taxi, saying I was overcharged. Not off to a good start!
2) Upon entering room, I notice it is like a cool studio apartment, but it is dark and dirty! The floors weren’t vacuumed. There was a layer of dust blanketing the entire room, as though it had not been dusted in literally months! When I went over to the bed, I noticed finger/​toe nails all over the floor – GROSS!!!
Even turning on every light in the place left me in the dark. I open the shades for some natural light, only to find that the two windows look out at the windows of a neighboring building a mere few feet away. Close the curtains back up!
3) The morning shower is an adventure. There are exactly two types of showers, both of which come in the form of a trickle of water pressure: HOT and COLD – nothing in between.
4) «Housekeeping»: it’s limited to yet again, merely two things: making the bed and emptying the trash – nothing else!
5) The glasses in the cupboard were FILTHY! I went out and bought a glass and some detergent.
6) NOISE!!! The garbage truck arrives EVERY morning at precisely 7:45 AM. I swear you can set your watch by it. When it arrives it bangs and slams dumpsters relentlessly for a solid ten minutes.
There was constant banging and stomping from the people in the suite above me. It was as if they were up there just to spite me. I have no idea what went on up there, but they banged and stomped all night, every night, making it impossible to sleep.
The A/​C units are epileptic. They go on and off every few minutes. When they power up, it sounds like a 747 on a take-​off roll, waking you up between sleeps allowed between breaks in the pounding and stomping from upstairs.
I could not wait for the nights to be over so I could go sleep on the beach during the day!
7) The Bed: I was guaranteed a Queen-​Sized bed. I got a double.
8) Street Bums: Actual hobos sleep on the chairs at the tables in the small «al fresco» dining area to the restaurant linked to this establishment. When you walk out in the morning, they are all passed out at the tables, drooling… a lovely way to begin your morning, tripping over the bums as you exit this «boutique» hotel.
Needless to say, the negatives way outweigh the positives and I will neither recommend this place nor return to it.
I will much more readily spend more money at a better place next time. After all, this was supposed to be a vacation!!!
Stay Away!!!

I give this place two stars for its location only. The room had just been cleaned, but it was filthy. I was never able to take my shoes off. You could see the leftovers from previous guests (toothpaste, hair, soap) in the bathroom and kitchen area. Gross!
Also, there is defiantly an issue with the plumbing in this place. You could either have a hot shower or a cold shower, but nothing in between.
Coffeemaker provided, but no coffee or filter. It would also be helpful to provide a rug for bathroom. Even Motel 6 does that!
Recommendations for guest: Stay someplace else. Recommendations for hotel: Fix plumbing, teach housekeeping how to clean and provide a coffee/​filter packet in room for use with coffeemaker provided (or at least offer for sale). Provide amenities typically provided by boutique hotels.

If you’re thinking of staying here, search your other options first. It is a nice size room with kitchen but it is not clean. The highlight of the filth was when we found a cockroach 3 inches long walking across the kitchen floor. It ran and hid but came back again so we were able to smash it. Now we are here, literally right now about to sleep with the lights on to avoid their massive night crawl as cockroaches tend to swarm about in the dark.
You can see that the floors are not well vacuumed around the edges. The lobby looks cleaned up but once you get into the hallways you can see the unkept floors. The curtains were messed up and had to be jerked hard to open or close them. The bathroom was discusting as you could see streaks of what looked like soap scum all over the bottom half of the walls. Perhaps it was from cleaning products streaming downward but wouldnt they wipe off the entire wall? The bathroom mirror was covered in layers of old scum as you could see they obviously stopped wiping the mirror three quarters of the way down. It even appeared that they left a partially used shampoo in our stall. There is not an elevator so be ready to lug your stuff upstairs. Also my family checked in early since we came from our cruise ship and I heard the older lady (my take is she is the owner) complaining about us waiting there. I do not recommend this place even if you want to save $ 25 bucks.

Stayed at this hotel recently with a friend from april 18 – 22 in one of the «suites.» The hotel room was pretty decent, especially since we spent most of the time outside of the hotel and only needed the room to shower, change and sleep. However, pretty pricey between two people. It was spacious since it was only two people in the room. Had it been four people, it would have been a little crowded. I slept on the sofa bed and that bed is SUPER uncomfortable — my body hurts from how uncomfortable that bed is. The bathroom was pretty small and made me feel like i was in a crappy apartment bathroom. No real light comes in to the room since it is located between other hotels and my room was in the back of the hotel… but who comes to south beach to stay in a room anyway?
Loved the kitchenette. Glass cups and microwave came in handy. Overall an OKAY hotel. Not horrible, but definitely not the best.

***** FREE WIFI! *****
Ocean Reef isn’t one of the more well-​known boutique hotels in SoBe so I was a little apprehensive on booking our girls weekend out here. To our surprise, it was a lot better than we had all imagined!
The hotel was in a great location, one block from the beach, one block from Mansion.
For four girls the room was quite spacious and clean (contrary to many reviews). The spaciouness could be due to the fact that it was a handicap room so we couldn’t complain! It was housed in the building not with the front desk — not sure if that makes a huge difference? There was a kitchenette area (more like a counter top which housed a fridge, microwave, sink and plates/​cups & utensils which was very convenient. It also included a high table with four place settings which we ended up using as our get ready table. The room we requested had one king bed and full sized cot. Great water pressure and great sized bathroom which was clean.
We only experienced one few cons throughout the weekend:
— When we arrived at the hotel past minute, we were unable to get in because no one was sitting at the desk and the the doors are locked and can only be accessed with a card key which we obviously didn’t have so we had to wait outside for about 15−20mins. Tried to call the hotel to realize that there’s only one person who would answer the phone aka the not present receptionist. He was kind despite it all, but it was just annoying as I think he should have at least left a note.
— On the last day of our stay, our AC went out. Thank GOD it wasn’t during because we would’ve been pretty annoyed especially with the late summer humidity!
Would I be back? For the price, sure! You’re only in your room for an X amount of hours while in Miami so if you’re on a budget this is great!

PROS: HUGE rooms in the Art Deco district! Dryer in the room to dry your wet swimsuits. Flat screen TVs, comfortable futon if you have add’l guests, sitting area, sink, fridge and plenty of eating utensils. Plenty of closet space! 2 AC units in each room. Full length mirror is a plus! I love all of these things.
The CONS: Water pressure in shower sucked. It was like a weak sprinkler. Bath tub/​shower needs to be repainted, a few fixtures could be checked throughout, bed is not the most comfortable but not too bad… just depends how long you plan on laying around. It is Miami lol. And there’s no elevator but the workers always offer to help.
Everyone is so kind and helpful there. Ive stayed here 3x.

Booked through Orbitz for this hotel, I have never been to South Beach before and have no idea where location was.
Pros: Very helpful and friendly front desk staff; great location; walking distance to everything; refrigerator; mini-​kitchen (with hot plates, microwave, pots, plates, & etc.); free wifi; mini-​market downstairs in front; room was modern decorated with Ikea things; & good size room.
Cons: No elevators, had to schlep my luggage upstairs; noisy from the alley; the garbage truck comes 7:45am every morning and slams the trash bin on the ground; housekeeping a lacking; bathroom was a little scary; when we were checking in about 5 teenage kids were running upstairs & mentioned that they are going to break into someone room.
Overall, you get what you paid for.