Westgate South Beach Oceanfront Resort — Hotel in Miami Beach

We frequent Miami Beach once or twice a year for the last 5 years and so far, this is our favorite place to stay. We rented a spacious one bedroom unit for essentially the same price as what tiny closets cost at other hotels. It's a game changer, especially if you're traveling with kids. ||||We were also given an in-person welcome by Luisito who directed our attention to various activities and hotel's social events. That's a nice touch and especially good for kids to have something out of the ordinary. We also got some USEFUL suggestions on food options... That local area of Miami beach has very limited food choices, at least by NY standards (the hotel has a small cafe, which is a plus). And, all those options to eat out are on the expensive side. We were given a great suggestion for delivery/take out, so on some nights that's exactly what we used... and we also got some substantial discounts to a local restaurant. For someone who is not local, it's GREAT to have suggestions of good and affordable places. So, thanks Luisito and you should get a raise ;)||||This is a smaller hotel and many of the units are privately owned (or rented), so it wasn't very crowded or crazy. There is plenty of space and unlike many "venue" hotels, the number of non-resident visitors is low. There is always someone at reception, and after a certain hour, the front door is key access only or receptionist access.||||The Hotel has a pool and a small playground for kids. Our unit had two TVs, a Jacuzzi, full kitchen with a fridge, stove, dishwasher and all the basic instruments, dishes and silverware. The rooms were clean and relatively new. Everything worked. There was a small water stain in one of the kitchen upper corners. I'm SURE it will get fixed soon.||||The staff were VERY GOOD and always polite and respectful. Above and beyond the impersonal robots you see at a typical hotel. I don't think we came during a very busy time, so service wasn't rushed and we never had to wait for anything.||||It's obvious that the management is working on improving the property, so that's a welcome sight. I get the impression that someone is actually concerned about improving the place. So many hotels in the area are OLD... and just riding out the days of gloried past... ||||There are a couple of things I would improve. ||1) The pool is too deep for very little kids. Kids under 5 can not be left alone at all. A kiddie pool would be a great addition. Say a small pool by the playground. Or a couple more kiddie flotation vests.||||2) The Cabana in the back area is a bit small and there is no shade near it. So, while the main area has many tables with umbrellas, the backyard area does not.||||We didn't have any bug issues in our room. I once found a half-dead ant... so much excitement. This is a 3 story resort in Florida. Anyone thinking it's possible to eliminate all insect life on low floors in hot and humid environment is insane. They don't have a common pest problem as far as I could see.||||We're all very happy with the place and will come back in the future. Also, a HUGE plus is that the management weren't getting their noses into our personal life, if you get my drift... I will not tolerate being treated like a 5 year old, so being treated with respect is a big...

I’m going to preface this review by saying that I’m very picky when staying in hotels so these issues may not bother those who aren’t too picky. My parents were once Westgate owners so I’ve been staying at Westgate properties since I was a child. When I found out there was a Westgate in South Beach, I decided to book here. I did read a few reviews first. Upon walking in the front door, the lobby smelled like a freshly cleaned bathroom. Once we checked in and walked to our rooms, I noticed the carpet wasn’t very clean and the hallways didn’t smell fresh. We were traveling with our minor and adults kids so we had two rooms. Our adult kids’ room looked fine upon walking in. When we walked in our room, the first thing I noticed were the popcorn ceilings. I also noticed that there was evidence of several prior ceiling leaks. Our room was kind of muggy. The air didn’t feel fresh. The lighting through is very dim. I like bright lighting. Also the carpet wasn’t visibly dirty, but we wore white socks when walking in the suite and our socks were filthy by the end of the day. In our kids’ room, the air wasn’t originally turned on and the temp got up to 86 degrees. They were told to turn it on. After turning it on and waiting for a few, it only got to 80 degrees and they were told it probably wouldn’t get much cooler. Then their toilet began leaking and wouldn’t flush. They were moved to a handicap room because they were told it was all they had at the time. The handicap room was much smaller and it just wasn’t a good fit for them. The next day we went to the lobby to prepare to head to the beach. Someone by the name of Maria (i think that was her name) approaches me and asked if we were a family waiting for a timeshare presentation. I told her that we weren’t. Then she asked what room we were staying in. I asked why she needed to know that. She then asked again and i asked her the same question and she said it was because we need a pass to go to the beach. I then walked away from her and went to the front desk to inquire as to why we needed a pass to visit a public beach. The manager told us we just need our key to get in and out. Basically Maria didn’t believe we were staying there. She was totally out of line and i didn’t appreciate her singling us (a group of African Americans) out. Later that day our kids were moved to a different suite. Everything was fine until my stepdaughter looked down and found a flying cockroach by her foot. They were terrified! Someone from the front desk came to look for it and it wasn’t found. They were moved to another room that we were told was upgraded. It was ocean view. I spoke with a young lady who was very helpful. She contacted the manager and said we could get a refund for our last night. Hector processed our refund the next day and we ended our trip to Miami a day early. With the exception of Maria, the staff was very friendly. The pool was cool. Unfortunately our stay put a damper on...

This is my third year staying at this resort as an owner. It's in the good part of Collins ave and connected to the beach/boardwalk. This property is literally the smallest building in the entire area at three floors high (this is considered a good thing for me as it means less people in the lounging areas, pool, and beach). If you are looking for parking, you are better off parking in the big public lot to the left of the hotel on 36th st. I was told handicap parking is free but cannot confirm this. The property does not have a parking lot and you must valet it if you wish to do so at $30 a day. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted by some of the nicest people who always seem to remember my family and I. We own a two bedroom apartment here and have been assigned a different room every time. They are generally all the same. Very spacious and modern. My only complaints with regards to the rooms are that the pillows are absolutely terrible. The beds are somewhat better but not the best. Housekeeping can be a hit or miss. There have been days where I receive multiple towels and there are days where my towels don't leave the bathroom floor. There is also no vent above the stove top so the room may fill with smoke at times. Unfortunately, there are no balconies for all the rooms, nor ocean view two bedroom apartments but this is no big deal as there is a beautiful backyard that connects to the boardwalk where you can lounge and relax all day, enjoy a nice private bbq, or play volleyball and table tennis. There is even a bonfire you can use until 10pm! Before reaching the backyard there is the small pool area with about 15 cushioned sunbeds and pool up to 9 ft deep along with a few tables and chairs. The following is what really ticks me off the most: On the beach there are sunbeds and umbrellas but you have to pay for them everyday that you want to use them even if you are an owner! I can accept the fact that parking is so expensive, I can even accept these minor complaints I have about the room and whatnot but what I cannot accept is that I have paid so much money to own this timeshare and even pay a lot of money for the maintenance every time I visit and still have to pay for beach chairs and umbrellas? It is Miami so you have to be ready to blow money but come on now. Westgate isn't just a resort, it is a timeshare and it should cater to it's owners as such. In conclusion, Pros: location, staff, pool/backyard area Cons: paid parking, paid beach chairs,...