What a gem of a hotel!

Yes - the layout is a little strane (it's 3 buildings acting as one hotel) and the name change from Strand to Congress confused both cab drivers we used (Hint: Ignore 1052 Ocean Drive - unless you drive on the pavement you'll never find it ... tell the cab driver it's near 1060, just south of 11th on Ocean)

We found all the reception staff (especially Daniel the Bell Boy) to be very helpful and checking in was a breeze ... we were even more pleased to be given an upgrade to an Ocean front suite in the Tropical building ...

Wow ... a great suite (301) with fantastic views over Ocean Drive and Lummus Park to the famous Miami Beach (where the hotel has an arrangment to provide you with sun loungers etc) ... a well equipped kitchen and a nicely stocked fridge (even the cost of the mini bar is reasonable considering the location) ... a huge bathroom with a great bath/shower combo ... seating & TV area with a nice leather sofa and a huge and seperate bedroom with a TV and a very comfortable bed (another hint ... the duvet hides the fact that the mattress is "sunk" into the frame - leaving about a 2 inch wooden frame hidden under the duvet ... it can give your shin a knock when you walk close to the bed) ... security safe and ample clothes storage ... and of course free wifi!

The lift (elevator) is slow and makes some very strange noises... but it does the job (although if you're in a hurry you may want to use the stairs!)

We spent a good few hours on the sun deck and pool area on top of the main 1052 building ... towels are provided and again the views over Ocean Drive and the beach are fantastic!

Some people have commented negatively over the breakfast arrangement with "The Kitchen" next door ... is it the best breakfast on Ocean? I don't know - we didn't feel the need to try anywhere else ... we found a reasonable choice within the $5.35 allowance and we could always pay a bit extra if we wanted more ...

We were almost disappointed to head off to the port for our cruise - but enjoyed the stay so much we enquired to see if we could get the same room for an extra night on our return. Sadly - the room wasn't available - but we were offered another in the main building on our return ... and this one turned out to be even better!

502 is a corner Ocean Suite ... and again has a super kitchen and bathroom, another lovely large comfortable bed in a seperate bedroom, a large lounge area with TV in both the lounge & bedroom and a "wrap around" balcony - again with fantastic views!

You do need to remember that you are right on one of Miami's most popular "party" streets .. it can get noisy and there was only single glazing in the windows facing the street ... there is some road and party go-er noise ... but you really are at the heart of everything that's good in the beach area ... so just live with it ... we got sone really good night's sleep despite the noise ...

Having looked at the layout of the buildings - it is pretty obvious that many rooms will look out over other buildings, car parks etc ... so do yourself a favour and spend a little more and try to get one of the ocean facing rooms

We looked extensively at different hotels on Ocean Drive and found the Congress to be responsive to our (extensive!) email questions ... we dealt with the hotel directly and I think we found exceptional value for money in this quirky but beautiful hotel

Thank you to everybody at The Congress for making our stay in Miami both comfortable and welcoming

The hotel is located right on the beach, within walking distance of Lincoln Road, South Point Park, bike rental options, clubs, and restaurants. I would suggest exploring restaurant options other than on Ocean Drive though, as they tend to overcharge.

The rooms are amazing. The junior deluxe comes with a full kitchen - I'm not sure about others.

The hotel staff was also very friendly and helpful. They suggested activities, and they provide towels, chairs, and umbrellas on the beach.

The rooms facing Ocean Drive can get a little noisy, especially on Friday/Saturday nights, but it was not excessive.

The Congress is in a great location. The room was clean and well appointed. After reading reviews I thought we had a 50/50 chance but was delighted with the room. The room was clean, the bed comfortable and the kitchen area stocked. The little golden nugget was the reasonable prices for the mini bar. The only issue that we had with the room was the handheld for the shower was missing (it is also used to fill the bath). I had to fill the bath using the shower head. It worked fine and nothing to get worked up about.

The view from the pool area is incredible and the price of the hotel was so reasonable. I will definitely stay again. The staff was GREAT from Tina at the front desk, to our bell hop to Matthew, the fantastic poolside bar tender. We never wanted for assistance. Tina is a bevy of knowledge and can give you advice on anything around the area. From nightclubs to restaurants, she is in the know.

A few words of warning: Our hotel room was the noisiest I've ever stayed in aside from New Orleans. I was not disappointed because of the location I expected it to be loud. We were just off Ocean Drive, where all of the night life is. Of course, it will be noisy. Once the partying dies down it is very quiet. Luckily my travel companion and I have no issues sleeping and rested just fine. If you are a light sleeper bring earplugs or stay on Collins or Lincoln to get away from the noise.

There are several buildings that make up this hotel so it is a bit difficult to navigate when you first get there. Be patient. You enter the lobby between the Medi and Kitchens restaurants - down a "hallway". While it is not a normal entrance it makes sense to use a side entrance and leave the beachfront access for dining and shopping.

Finally - do not park on the street in front of the hotel unless you are fully aware of the events. We parked in front and when we went to leave to head to the airport we couldn't cross to our car. The IMG marathon was going on and 35,000 runners were blocking our path. We took the extra time to go to David's Cafe and have coffee. Park on the side street or in a parking garage. Just be prepared. Parking is crazy expensive.

When we arrived the road was closed for the deco festival which was a nice surprise. The markets and street performers were really good.

we couldnt get into our room until 4pm which is very late in the day by any hotel standards when check out is 11am!

We checked in (for a second time) at 4pm and had $200 held on our credit card for incidentals. we were then shown to our room by a very nice porter.

Within 5 minutes we had to contact reception for a remote to operate the tv.

We had a coffee maker and no coffee so we walked to walgreens to get a few food supplies and coffee etc.

When we returned we attempted to prepare a light supper and discovered we had no cup, plates or cutlery. We phoned reception again and they delivered crockery but no cutlery.

We gave up as we were so tired from travelling and ordered from the room service menu and asked them to bring cutlery with the delivery!!

We never did get any cooking utensils or cutlery during our entire stay!

we asked front desk to arrange us a tour to jungle island and gave the front desk a $40 deposit. The driver picked us up a few streets away and refused to take us unless we paid him $20 extra as the hotel had charged us too much. We asked front desk and after alot of deliberation about who had taken our money the receptionist gave us $20 out of her own purse until she could sort it later.

A housekeeper knocked on the second day and we had just arrived back to change and told her we would be a couple of minutes and she carried on to the next room as she still had other rooms to do on the floor. When we returned she had just walked in and emptied the 2 bins and nothing else.

The location of the hotel was good and the front office staff were friendly. Housekeeping needs a bit of direction and a shake up but all in all not bad.

We did wonder what the $200 hold on our card was for so we asked on checkout and was told 'the minibar' but we didnt even have one in the room so still not sure!

DO
hire a deco bike and ride south, its lovely

WATCH OUT FOR
The pushy servers at the street restaurants as you have to effectively walk through their restaurant to get to your room. Even after 4 days they didnt know our faces and kept hounding us (even when we had eaten with the 1/2 hour before!)