The Vagabond Hotel Miami — Hotel in Miami

I wanted to give this hotel five stars but deducted for a few things. First the good:

We felt like our room was very spacious and clean. I appreciated that they provided little toiletries, especially the cotton swabs & makeup wipes because I feel like often these are forgotten with hotels. We rented a car for this trip so we were thankful that parking was included with our room. Huge plus. The pool area is very beautiful and feels like a little oasis! There aren’t any elevators but someone did offer to bring my bag upstairs for me. I didn’t ask for help back down when checking out and I wish that I had because I twisted my ankle a little bit lifting my big bag down the stairs (my fault). We liked the location, it’s close to downtown while still feeling a little “quieter”. And there are plenty of little cafes and restaurants within walking distance. Our favorite was the Sunny Side cafe across the way and We We’s.

The bad: I was traveling with my cousin and I convinced her to ‘splurge’ a little bit on this room for two things, both do which weren’t really available to us. First, the gym. I have a pretty strict gym routine every morning at 5am. I wanted to continue this while on vacation and asked my cousin to pay more than she’s typically comfortable with so that I could utilize this. We arrived late on a Saturday night but the next morning I asked where the gym was so that I wouldn’t need to disturb anyone when I wanted to use it. The woman at the desk told me, “you’ll have to come in here anyway for us to unlock it”. I responded, “oh okay, and someone will be in here at 5am?” She told me that they don’t allow anyone to use the gym that early due to a room being right next door and that they often get complaints of noise. Gym hours are after 8:30am which didn’t work for us because we had activities scheduled at that time everyday (we were on vacation to see and do things). I didn’t see anything about specific gym hours when booking. The second thing we were excited to utilize was the pool bar. Our first day there it looked closed which I thought “maybe because it’s Sunday”. My cousin doesn’t like to party as much as I do so I was looking forward to having a bar right there that I could hang at. After talking to some girls in the pool, one being a local, she said that the hotel had a falling out a month prior with their bar guy, so the bar was completely closed. This wasn’t mentioned on the website when booking. I understand that we were there during peak season and pricing, but we had been looking at cheaper options and chose this one specifically for those two things, so this was a bummer. The last thing was the smell. The rooms were very clean and tidy but definitely have a musty smell to them. I’m guessing because of the humidity and we did sort of get used to it, I just wish there had been some room spray or something for us to use.

Overall we had a good stay and I would recommend this motel to people if the gym and pool bar wasn’t an issue for them. I just personally think the rate was a little high for me given that these two things weren’t really...

PERFECTION!!

This past Sunday evening, myself and a bunch of my Biscayne Corridor neighbors did a Restaurant Crawl and sampled delicious fare from participating restaurants on Biscayne Boulevard. The final destination on our crawl was The Vagabond Hotel and it was a fabulous end to a glorious evening. The bartenders were already making the hotel's signature drink, the Vagabond Collins for us when we arrived. To make the evening extra special a delicious and refreshing gazpacho (which will be on the menu of their soon to open Vagabond Restaurant) was specially prepared for us to sample. The gorgeous, exuberant Billie Myers, Guest Services Director at The Vagabond greeted us and chatted with everyone the entire night. Also on hand to welcome us was Alvaro Perez, The Vagabond's charming Restaurant Operator. The Vagabond Hotel staff are AMAZING! These people are serious about service! Warm, welcoming, friendly and helpful - and this applies to everyone - Security, Front Desk, Bartenders and Directors. Good manners are always in style, and they know it! Really, the staff here is exceptional!

This stunning '50s era hotel can be found in the heart of Miami's thriving, historic MiMo District on Biscayne Boulevard and 73rd street. It has been meticulously restored yet updated to reflect a modern and witty style. And, it has special little gems everywhere - the mermaid in the pool, the sea nymphs at the corner, works by artist in residence, Edwige Belmore, even its iconic space-age sign! The Vagabond is surely a find for both locals and tourists. For locals it is the perfect spot to relax and enjoy a yummy cocktail at a beautiful and fun poolside bar. The Vagabond also hosts regular social events on Friday nights and all are welcome - a chance to kick back and mingle with your neighbors! The Vagabond Restaurant opens soon and if the gazpacho which I sampled on Sunday night is anything to go by, the food will be fantastic!

For tourists, a stay at The Vagabond gives you the chance to experience the REAL Miami! Savor this authentic, established neighborhood by the bay where people live, work, eat and socialize - no glitz but plenty of urban style. Cafes, small and mid-size restaurants, charming boutiques and markets are nestled around this lovely hotel. You'll be a quick cab ride (or bike ride) to Miami Design District, Wynwood, Adrienne Arsht Center, Perez Art Museum and the Gusman Center. With the many events hosted in downtown Miami, save yourself the hassle of staying on the beach and enduring causeway traffic. Instead zip quickly up the Boulevard to The Vagabond Hotel where its stellar staff and lovely rooms and ambiance await you!

Thank you Vagabond Hotel for making our inaugural Restaurant Crawl so special and really, for being so nice to us! You outdid yourselves and we can't wait...

I visited Vagabond Hotel for an event and spent 4 nights planned (plus an extra night thanks to airline nonsense) there. The rooms are very cute, with comfortable beds and sheets, mid-mod inspired furniture, and lovely large showers. I spent most of my time in and around the pool, which has beautiful dolphin and mermaid tile work details. The bartenders at the pool bar are fantastic, making creative cocktails for everyone. The front office staff are truly some of the most welcoming people I’ve encountered in a hotel. Especially my last, and unexpected night at the hotel. I had checked out and headed to the airport, and was bumped from my flight. Instead of staying somewhere right at the airport, I went back to the Vagabond because I’d had such a great experience there. The nice woman at the desk remembered me from earlier and helped me check in again, and seemed genuinely happy to see me.

I even met the owner the morning I originally checked out when she was present for an architecture tour. She shared the short video of the transformation from when they bought the place to now, and clearly so much work went into the renovations. You can tell that it was a labor of love, however, and feel that level of care from everyone on staff there.

The on site restaurant is also fantastic, with friendly staff and delicious food too! The portions of hummus are super generous, so be prepared to dip everything on your plate in hummus, and be happy about it.

Thanks to everyone on staff at Vagabond for making the entire experience fantastic! I wouldn’t hesitate to spend any trip to Miami with the phenomenal people there. If you are expecting a resort style experience, please look elsewhere, but if you want a fun and unique stay in an up and coming part of Miami, don’t hesitate to book at the lovely Vagabond. Not to mention the proximity to multiple delicious restaurants aside from the on-site eats, you’ll be a...