We recently stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club at South Beach last weekend, following a cruise.

We arrived around 10:30 am after disembarking the cruise ship, expecting to leave our luggage and go for a walk. Alexander met us at the curb and helped us bring all our luggage inside. We had 2 rooms reserved and were very pleasantly suprised to learn 1 room was ready and we could go up! The 2nd room was also ready shortly after.

Rooms were spacious and well appointed. We had a queen sized bed, which we put the kids in since they went to bed hours before us, and a pull out sofa in the living room. When my husband pulled out the sofa bed at night, I thought there was no way it would be comfortable, but it was honestly the most comfortable sofa bed I've ever slept on.

Location was excellent - after a week on the cruise, starbucks across the street was a welcome sight to a few of us; although the weather didn't cooperate, the beach across the street was also very nice; lots of restaurants, bars & shops within walking distance. We enjoyed the hot tub on the roof - it was quite hot. Also complimentary laundry machines were available. All staff we encountered were very friendly and helpful. We used the business centre to print our boarding passes for our flight in the morning and it contained everything we needed (including printer, stapler, etc.).

Although our stay was short, it was excellent and I would love to come back again for a longer stay.

booked this thru the Hilton web site...was difficult to find, because there is no Hilton sign, it's two of the older art deco hotels which still have their names (I guess architecturally they cannot change this). The room was beautiful, but smelled of harsh chemicals and industrial deoderants. No windows to open to clear the air. Awful.

At 5pm on our second day, the room still had not been cleaned, but we needed to change for dinner. There was a knock at the door and maid said they were there to clean. We asked them to come back in 30 minutes so we could complete our change for dinner. We were told that the maid clocked out at 530, so no cleaning that day. The front desk did arrange for an early cleaning the next day while we were at breakfast.

Just not a Hilton-worthy experience.

We recently took a family trip to Miami the first week of January to enjoy the weather and go to the Orange Bowl. I almost didn't give it 5 stars for not having a pool, but we knew that going in so it really isn't their fault. We were a little concerned staying on South Beach with the kids (10 and 6), but our concerns were quickly erased as we had a great time from start to finish! We had a 1 BR suite with a pullout sofa; the rooms are a little smaller than most HGVC properties but this was to be expected. The hotel is a boutique hotel right on the heart of Ocean Boulevard; across the street is a park then the beach. The rooms were spacious enough and well equipped. There is no pool, which would be nice, but there was a jacuzzi tub and lounge chairs on the roof of the hotel. Very nice view and the kids enjoyed the hot tub a couple of times. This is a much more laid back hotel compared to most on SB, and that was OK with us. You will hear street noise depending on where your unit is located, it wasn't a huge distraction. They have laundry units but not in the room; my wife used them once and they were fine. Again, this hotel is boutique style. Parking was at a minimum as well. There is a garage on 13th street that charges $12 for 24 hours, or depending on when you were parking you could use the meters on Ocean Ave (they are more expensive but don't charge from 3am-9am). There is a Starbucks and mini-store across the street, and you are within walking distance of many restaurants. All in all, a great experience and we will be back!

Incredible location and the rooms are clean and well kept. If you want an ocean view go somewhere else, if you want a great place to stay that is in the middle of it all, yet quiet enough to read the paper on the front porch, come here. Love it!