The Castle Hotel — Hotel in Miami Beach

Subject: Horrible Experience at Castle Beach Hotel – Girasole Suite (5445 Collins Ave, Miami Beach)

My recent stay at the Girasole Suite in Castle Beach Hotel was an absolute nightmare from beginning to end. While I understand the villa is privately owned and rented, it is being marketed and operated like a hotel—meaning basic hotel standards should apply. Unfortunately, not only were these standards not met, but the treatment and conditions fell shockingly short of even basic expectations.

Unwelcoming and Unprofessional Front Desk

I arrived at 1:00 PM, two hours before the official check-in time. It’s common for hotels to allow early arrivals to store luggage and enjoy amenities while waiting. However, I was met with rudeness and outright hostility. I attempted to use an unattended luggage dolly—standard practice in hotels—but the front desk agent stopped me, took the dolly away, and refused to provide his name. Staff did not wear name tags, making accountability impossible.

Valet Parking Disaster

The valet experience was just as chaotic. Initially, I was told I could temporarily park and that the $38 fee would be adjusted once I checked in. Upon returning, a different valet attendant insisted I pay the full fee again for just two hours. Meanwhile, my car keys were misplaced—eventually found in a valet’s pocket. Several other guests were involved in similar disputes, showing this isn’t an isolated incident.

Misleading Room Description

The suite did not match the photos or description online. There were no two full-size beds downstairs as advertised, only two tiny, uncomfortable twin beds with thin 1-inch mattresses. One of my children was injured by an exposed metal bed frame. This is not only misleading, but dangerous.

Air Conditioning Issues

From the moment we entered, the villa was uncomfortably warm. I reached out to report the AC wasn’t cooling, and the response was dismissive—suggesting I close the windows (which, being right on a noisy main road, should not be opened in the first place). By 9 PM, the temperature inside had reached 79°F, and we discovered two fans hidden in a closet—clear evidence this has been a recurring issue.

Mold and Cleanliness Concerns

The bathroom was in unacceptable condition. Mold was visibly growing between the travertine tiles and on the shower guard. There was no proper seal on the shower door, resulting in a soaked bathroom floor after each use. A humid, musty smell lingered throughout the entire villa, and grew worse over time—raising serious concerns about mold throughout the unit.

Non-functioning Amenities

The pool gate code didn’t work, forcing me and my four children to wait around until someone let us in each time. Additionally, the pool bathroom closes at 6 PM, making it extremely inconvenient for families enjoying an evening swim.

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Final Thoughts:

My stay was uncomfortable, unsanitary, and far below acceptable hospitality standards. I will be sharing this experience publicly across Booking.com, Google, Airbnb, and anywhere this listing appears, so others are warned. Additionally, I intend to report the deceptive practices and health concerns to local media outlets and relevant consumer protection agencies. Tourists deserve transparency, safety, and respect—not to be misled and mistreated.

This experience at Castle Beach Hotel – Girasole Suite was not only disappointing, it was unacceptable. I strongly urge the property managers and owners to reevaluate their practices before someone gets seriously hurt—or files a...

If I could put less that one star I would. If you want to have the worst experience, visit this hotel. Driving down to the hotel we had a family member puking uncontrollably so we went directly to the hotel at 1:30 and seeked help despite our check in that was at 3 and because of that we weren’t deemed worthy enough of assisting and instead like how dare we arrive expecting good service when you’re not a guest for two hours? We were rudely spoken to, anytime we asked a question we got rolling eyes, told to call all these different numbers, employees mumble under their breath about guests. I’ve had bad experience but never bad enough to write a review. Like not even one ever tbh. This is my first review for any hotel, product anything I’ve spent my money on just because of how incredibly terrible this experience was and I refuse anyone to feel like a low class citizen. My family did not deserve this. We have 13 people with us here and 7 of them are little girls under 10. The way they made them feel uncomfortable was enough for me to write this. I’m actually flabbergasted especially at the two people could lack so much compassion that they treated us the way they did. Is this apart of getting a job here? Because every emplpoyee we met has extreme attitude with the exception of the waiters in the lounge restaurant which is in the hotel.. anyone else you ask them a question and they sigh like ugh.. is this not your JOB??? Don’t work with guest if you are not capable of speaking to guest. Even if someone asks a silly question. This is your job and you’re suppose to make this a fun experience for people. People spend hard earned money to come here. I typically go to resorts but my family were here and we came to surprise them for a birthday. They made us fully feel unwelcomed and extremely emotionally. I shared with my followers in depth my experience but wanted to make sure everyone who thinks about going here does not make that mistake. You will regret it. I’ve wrote this review in every place this hotel is listed. I refuse for any to be treated so inhumane. Mind you this is just service should I talk about the no pool, lack of ventilation, your room can only be freezing below 60 and nothing higher. They have no heat in this hotel at all and cannot offer room heater which is suppose to be a standard for hotels. And when you call them to bring you a blanket because your kids are literally sick and freezing they will tell you call early in the morning and best of luck to you and hang up. Then when they do bring you blankets the next day they’ll only bring two but we have 6 people in the room and when we said we need one per guest because it’s under 60 degrees in the room they said you have enough???? We slept in our NY jackets. The pool was closed for month because we talked to other guest there and they never informed us which goes against regulations. Nor did they provide any accommodations for us despite us driving from NY to south Miami 22 hours for the pool experience. When my aunt who left on Thursday asked them when it will open they lied and said the next day after she left but they didn’t know we were here for another 3 days and recorded their lie. You cannot make this up 😅 we reported them to them to the DBPR with extensive evidence. Here’s some roaches for you. Every other photo and video recordings I cannot post for legal purposes until the violations are handled but can send personally for you who want to see. You will literally suffer here so save...

This is more of a short term rental apartment property than a hotel, so don't expect room or maid services. The Bldg. and room were clean. The room was close to the elevator shaft, ugh. The elevators for the most part worked well. There are two convenience type little stores in the bldg.. There are two places to get something to eat, plus one by the pool. I did not use the one by the pool and the other two were closed. There are soda machines but no ice machines in the bldg.. My Air B+B, Instant Stay rental and the pics were more hype than actual. The rental lacked several amenities and safety features. It needed maintenance, many repairs and TLC. No inside door safety lock, no room safe, no room phone, couldn't close drapes, couldn't open windows, no hot water at kitchen sink, no working clock, no shower grab bars, no tub, no soap dish, no bath mat. There were no dish towels, dish rags, paper towels or napkins in the kitchen. The refrigerator/ freezer acted like freezer only. Microwave worked well. A/C worked well. There was a large screen television. I had no problems with the wifi/internet service. The bed was comfortable although the pillows were lumpy, There was a full length mirror along with some small mirrors on a wall and a bathroom mirror, which I had to stand on tip toes to see in. I am on the shorter side. There were hangers, iron, and ironing board. The closet was adequate. Hopefully, other units are better than the one I had. The Front desk, although polite, seemed un knowledgeable nor very helpful. The Pool and pool facilities were good, plenty of chairs and loungers. It could use some more shade umbrellas though. I did not access the beach but what I did see of it it looked clean and safe. The laundry room could use cleaning, repairs, and upgrades. I decided not to use it. Valet was hit and miss, some were inattentive and unhelpful and some (like Jaun Alverado) were outstanding. The Bus stop going North was in front of the building premises. Bus stops/shelters are about every two blocks. The drivers were ok and some went out of their way to be helpful, all were patient. You need exact change to use. There are discounts for seniors and disabled. I Used the bus to go to the Publix liquor store/grocery store and also to Aventura mall. The Uber drivers I had were all very good and seemed to me cheaper than the taxi's. The Publix is a short ride or long walk away. You could find pretty much whatever you are looking for there at reasonable prices for that area of town. Suggestions: bring night light(s) and...