Freehand Miami — Hotel in Miami Beach

worst hostel ive been to. The bar is not open during the pool hours and I thought it was a pool side bar open during pool hours.. it was the reason I choose the hostel. It was close to pool but only open at 5pm. CAUTION they allow anyone in this hostel even if their not guests! anyone is allowed in. very dangerous! Luckily I met some sweet girls. But if anyone can come in thats crazy. No security only 1 young security guy thats there like super late at night. Theyre rude near the bar at night they reserve half patios of tables for people from anywhere so u cant sit unless u buy stuff. I sat and was given looks the whole time the minute I go they put reserved on the tables. The front desk doesnt know much it mentions airport shuttle/miamover even on their hostel page ..I got lost getting to the hostel because it failed to mention which airport stop to get off at the airport before taking the 150bus. So I had to walk all the way back to other side of the airport to uber. I asked few questions to front desk not knowledgable. I bought a package to key west an excursion.. they failed to mention it doesnt drop u off at the beach and u need to buy another excursion once ur there to do anything! I ubered. I was giving such attitude and discriminative marks during the tour by the guides as I look white. But if u head to miami expect a lot of racism..if ur white.. not knowing I was part spanish myself. My spanish friend even told me not to tip cause she thought the woman was going way too far. TOUR GUIDE dropped me off late night UP STREET FROM HOSTEL Too .. excursion booked with this hostel!!! My first hostel room was upstairs, elevator was broken almost everyday. I didnt ask to move my room. but one day i come to my room all the beds were in the air.. and half of my stuff was touched and moved by staff.. no warnings.. with a sign on my bed to go to reception.. when I asked .. they said its because there was no more people staying in my room. My first room had a shower handle my 2nd room had no shower handle and was much smaller. I paid for mixed dorm but they put me with all girls each time.. but that I didnt care. The hostel was anti friendly compared to all hostels ive been to. Luckily I met some nice people.. They were giving free shots.. and I misunderstood and thought u had to pay so I told the woman no.. and aparently it was free for everyone she didnt say that and she just skipped me didnt say anything and gave everyone free shots. You cant eat or drink outside that isnt bought from them on the patio if their "bar" is open at 5pm*.. Its their "rules". This was my worst vacation. Again if I didnt start convos first with a few people ...this hostel wouldve been very boring too. on top it rained almost everyday I was there. I was there for 7nights last week. Apparently people from generator miami and our hostel could go to eachothers.. and few came to ours.. I spoke to people and they said their sister hostels but apparently that one was much more advance newer better. Their a walk from eachother tho bit distance. Def would not come back to this hostel. Ive stayed in hostels in hollywood, and hawaii..they were 5stars and were suppose to much lower. this was just hitting 3. if it wasnt for their large pool I would have given it 0. and no they dnt give u shampoo conditioner etc I brought my own so it was good: also no blow dryer in rooms. no microwaves.. apparently unless u get a much upgraded room.. one guy felt bad and offered me to use his microwave...

This is a tough one as there were some really great aspects, yet it was not for me and I will not return. I will be reviewing the hotel and guest house room 8 specifically as there seems to be differing types of rooming options. ||It was a mix of good and bad. For example, the AC wall unit seemed new and kept the room extremely cool despite it being so hot and humid outside. Best AC I've probably had ever. Yet, the remote didn't work so I could not change it. As the fan was at full, it was quite loud. The bed was awesome, which is very important. The sheets were clean, pillows perfectly fluffy for me, the mattress seemed very good, and the bedding was great too. I should have slept great. But the blackout drapes didn't fully cover the window and there was a streetlight outside so it couldn't really be very dark in the room. There were also some really great art and amenities, like a Coca-Cola fridge, complete with a separate freezer - how cool is that! The walls were nicely painted with tree designs, a double shelf hung using rope from 2 points, with antique cameras and some books, and some really cool paintings. Yet, there was very little power and required getting down on the ground to plug in electronics.||The hotel itself seems old, but perhaps that is by design and part of the vibe they are going for. I say that because there are hints of technology, like the bar/restaurant had exceptional sounds with deep, full bass. The pool was clean, lit, and seemed very well maintained. The doors all had proximity chip-based locks. But dragging my suitcase across cobblestone up and down 3 sets of stairs but not ideal. And the outside doors didn't have keyed access, so I always had to enter through the lobby. I also had to park on the street and pay using a parking app and refresh every 4 hours, although 9pm - 9am was free. There were also people wandering around at all hours. When I arrived at 3 am due to a delayed flight, there were 4 or 5 people just sitting in the lobby, and several others wandering around the pool area. I think this is marketed as a positive due to the communal feeling. I just found it bit creepy.||In summary, it feels like this may well appeal to some who are very interested in its artsy and communal nature. However, I've realized with this experiment that when traveling alone for business I'm more interested in comforts...

Honest review from 29 yr. old, stayed 2 nights in King Room for a quick weekend trip to Miami Beach. If you are a young 20-something looking to meet new people and party, this is your place! Let’s just say, the vending machine in the lobby carries condoms… lol! The outdoor area is just as cute in person as it is in the photos. Definitely my favorite part of the hotel. Nice vibe, music always playing, and plenty of cute spots to sit relax. The onsite bar/restaurant doesn’t open until 5 pm. It would have been nice to be able to grab a drink or snack while we sat by the pool during the day. Even though the hotel bar was busy every night, my bf and I were able to easily drown out the distant music in our hotel room with white noise on our phones. The room could definitely use a good update. A couple of faded stains on the sheets and pillows, lesser touched items could use a wipe down, and the toilet kept running. But nothing we couldn’t deal with. For the “cheaper” price in comparison to the surround hotels, you definitely forgo a few of the typical hotel luxuries. We had a nice trip, but don’t think we will use Freehand again as we are less focused on the social scene and more focused on the amenities at this point in our lives.

Biggest Cons: Room definitely felt lived in and not 100% clean from previous guests. (Thankfully I brought Lysol wipes).

No free drinking water available onsite. If you want water, you have to buy a bottle in the lobby for a hefty price. We went to Walgreens a few times to stock up on reasonably priced bottles of water.

Breakfast is not complimentary. $12 a day per person. Nothing impressive, mostly boring cereal. I would suggest going a block away to the Starbucks or Tropical Beach Café for that price.

Beach chairs that come included in your hotel price (resort fee $25 per day) are already veryyy worn in and borderline broken. Plastic parts are bent, and metal is rusted. But we just placed our towels over them and hoped for the best.

Biggest Pros: Price in comparison to others. Couple blocks from the beach! Cute outdoor sitting area. Good location, Ubers...