Life House, South of Fifth — Hotel in Miami Beach

We had an absolutely fantastic time in the Life House South of Fifth (except for Beatriz). As you walk into the hotel, you are welcome with a beautiful aroma of oil flowers. Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the friendly receptionist Jack; he made us feel very welcome and went out of his way to help me check in since you will have to check in yourself. Don't worry, it is an easy process, and Jack was there to guide me. Jack made our trip more enjoyable with his advice & tips about the city, shops, and restaurants within walking distance. The hotel is in an excellent location on the island. The rooms were spacious and spotless, with sumptuous décor. They were Instagram-perfect. We were in awe of the chic deco. The only disappointing thing was the morning shift receptionist Beatriz. I worked in customer service in my young years, and the first thing they trained me was welcoming guests warmly and friendly. I have also treated others the way I want to be treated. Beatriz is not in a career suited for customer service. My first encounter with her was in the morning. As I was walking in the lobby, I asked her to whom I should give my keys for the valet parking, and she responded with, and I quote, "Me. I am the only one here." I swear it took all of me to keep it professional. I gave her the keys and walked out. I am very understanding and understand if you are having a bad day, so I didn't take it personally until we came back from dinner—hints why I am writing this long review. As I walked into the lobby and she was the only one there on her laptop; as I gave her my keys again for the valet, she snapped at me, "I am off the clock. You will have to wait for the other guy." She made this great Hotel vacation experience turn into a bittersweet. I would never have treated a guest like that. If I ever return, which I was thinking of coming back to this hotel because of the double bunk beds is now a maybe because of Beatriz. I may come back because of Jack's fantastic customer service and...

We had a lovely stay at this beautiful boutique hotel located in the best part of South Beach. In addition, is only two blocks away from the ocean and some of most exciting restaurants in Miami Beach like Joe's Stone Crab, Intimo, and Call Me Gaby. You also have amazing lunch/brunch spots like Pura Vida and Mexihco Organico. To top it all, you have a small local convenience store called Playa Market which has some of the best cuban coffee and dishes for very affordable prices and is open until 11 p.m. Going back to the hotel, the service provided by the Daniels (there's three of them working the same role) and Jack is great. They really know how to make you feel welcome and at home during your stay. Our entire family enjoyed the lovely Le Labo toiletries very much. Even my wife who hates hotel toiletries loved the Le Labo conditioner. Yes, the rooms are on the smaller side, but this hotel is for those wanting to spend their time exploring and then coming back to a nice comfortable room at night. Bottom line, the hotel itself is beautiful, however, they do have couple of maintenance issues that should be properly addressed. The first one is the carpet in the hallways, it is so dirty and stained that you it really gives you a horrible first impression of the hotel before you even enter your room. Second, they need to do something about the humidity and/or moisture in the air. Nothing is dry in the rooms, from the sheets, to the towels, everything feels damp which translates into that smell that so many people mention in their reviews. Even the wood walls and ceilings have warped because of this issue. They try to mask the smell using that nice fragrance in the common areas but it's impossible to hide in the rooms, especially when you lower the thermostat a bit. Please don't let this beautiful hotel go down because of these maintenance issues. We appreciate the effort in creating something unique and stylish, but the up keeping needs to be at...

Summary: Do not stay at Life House, South of Fifth.

*Everything smells horrible (lobby, room, towels, wicker funiture because it absorbs moisture and is growing mold)

*AC vents are only 6ft high and is visible how filthy they are

*Room was extremely humid, very uncomfortable, smelled wet and moldy

*Room was not functional being impractical. Owner is focused on design, not comfort

*Public parking or $50 per day w/ the hotel

*no TV in the room

Details: Read the reviews as they are consistent. We stayed 2 nights and the place is too much of a “vibe” that it’s impractical and very uncomfortable. The place is super nice look wise HOWEVER, the air freshener is so strong you’ll realize they are trying to cover the nasty smell of mildew throughout the entire place. Our room had 4 bunk beds and the room was not functional. No TV, no chairs, no place to set your luggage, the room was extremely humid that our beach clothes never dried in the room. We ran the bathroom fan all 2 nights we were there and everything is so wet that as you lay in bed, you feel cold, wet, and sticky. The “front desk” said to crank the AC or set it to the “Dehumidifier” setting and mentioned all the rooms feel the same. The entire facility to too dark as in, their “look” is very dimmed lighting. No parking. They offer $50 per night or find a spot on the street (public parking) you need to pay for. No complimentary coffee (not an issue, just a very common staple in a hotel/motel). The only nice thing is that it’s walking distance from everything but still, not...