Reviews of Property: Centrally located - Miami Beach Oceanfront Building

We are a family of four from Norway, with two small kids who stayed in the condo for 2 weeks in April 2009.
We had the best time of our life.
The condo was perfect, clean and really nice, and with plenty of space for a family.
The location was perfect, right on the beautiful beach, far enough from all the noise of south beach, and close enough to not miss out on anything. You can either walk to south beach(..) or get in a cab or a bus.(The bus is a easy way of getting down to south beach at night when the parking there is a nightmare.)
We had rented a car, and the secure parking was great.

The neighbors and all the people we met in the building where extremely nice and helpful.
We visited the pool at the rooftop every day (great for the kids those days there where big waves) and had absolutely no problems.
I have to mention the janitor/caretaker. He was very nice and helpful. He asked us every day if there was something he could help us with. When he saw the kids where swimming in the pool, he came and asked if the pool was warm enough. The temperature in the pole was fine, and although we said it was ok, he turned it up for the kids, and it was appreciated.
I will also like to thank Maria, the owner. She has been very nice and helpful, and answered every question we had.
We really missed the apartment when we traveled to orlando and clearwater, the space and flexibility a so nice apartment gives you, is something quite different then hotels with paper thin walls.

I will recommend this condo to everyone I know, and we will come back sometime.

We stayed at your condo for a week and found much more that was expected. beautiful decor, neat, clean.
Great located right by the beach, close to restaurants and shops. We'll be back and will make you place, our place when we come to Miami Beach.

My wife and 2 children stayed at Maria's condo the latter part of February of this year.

We were looking for an ocean side location where we'd be close to restaurants and shops but away from the noise of South Beach. We loved this condo!

The family was overwhelmed with the newness and magnificent upkeep of the unit and it's amenities. We were totally impressed with the beach area directly behind the building and the nearby outdoor restaurants overlooking the sand dunes.

We just want to thank Maria for her hospitality and for the terrific experience and look forward to our next vacation here.

E.R.

My husband, mother-in-law and I stayed at the apartment in November 2008 for just under a week as part of a touring holiday in Florida. The facilities were excellent and the apartment was lovely. Maria was a very good and attentive owner and we were very comfortable throughout our stay. We knew we would not have an ocean view from the balcony but we were surprised at how much we enjoyed people and car watching in the evening as various flash sports cars and limos passed by! We used the apartment as a base to see Miami and the Keys so were driving most days. We did try walking along the board walk but unfortunately it was too far for my mother-in-law to manage, however I'm sure that my husband and I would have very much enjoyed walks along the beachfront under different circumstances.

My husband and I and our 1 year old spent a week at Maria's condo, and while we had a fabulous time and the weather was beautiful, there were a few things about this particular condo that were not made clear when we booked it. The condo itself is beautifully renovated, spacious and was the perfect size for our family, with room to spare. Maria is excellent to deal with. The condo complex is right on the beach, which is really nice, and in close proximity to Lincoln Road (shopping and restaurants) and not far from South Beach and all of its activities. We had an excellent trip with lots of fun activities and time on the beach.

This particular unit, unfortunately is located basically in the worst possible location in the building: right above the parking garage door and it backs onto the main Street (Collins Avenue). What this means is that you not only hear traffic all the time, including dump trucks at 6am, buses, and motorcycles, but you constantly here the garage door slam whenever someone comes home, which is a little frustrating when it is either 7am or 11pm...

Also, this building is mainly an owned condo building, so there are not many others (if any) who rent there condos. While this in and of itself is not a problem, the majority of the people who live in this condo complex are of a certain religion that does not allow men to swim with women. So while there is a swimming pool on the roof of the building, we could not use it as a family during the day because from 10-2 it was women's only time, and from 2-4 it was men's only time. This is something that I believe we should have been made aware of before we came.

Also, in addition to not swimming together, this particular religion cannot use electricity from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, which means they don't use the elevators. This would not be a problem at all, but because our condo unit's location was right by the stairs entrance, we heard people late into the night coming home and the door slamming as they walked up the stairs. A few times this slamming even woke up our son.

I would definitely not say that these things ruined our vacation at all, because we had a great time! But I think it is definitely something to be aware of if you are thinking about booking it, especially if you are a family or someone who is a light sleeper like my husband.

We (4 middle-aged ladies) used the condo for an extra week in Miami after cruising the Caribbean just to relax before going back to work and weren't disappointed. It had everything we needed (including the complimentary bottle of wine - what a nice touch). Maria rang us on the day we arrived to ensure we had everything we needed and again later in the week to see how everything was going.
The location was ideal. You can't get nearer the beach without camping on it! We had no problems and always felt safe, even walking about at night.
As we didn't hire a car we used the local buses to get shopping malls, South Beach and Bayside with no problems and the stops were all convienent.
We walked to the local shops to pick up basics for breakfast and lunch but chose to eat out every night with plenty of places within walking distance (and I can't walk very far). The facilities were there to cook if we wanted to but we get enough of that at home.
Our only problem? We had to go home after a week! There was so much more we could have seen and done given the time!
Would we recommend it? Without a doubt!

My wife, 3-year-old daughter and I had a phantastic time in this very private and personal property of Maria in Miami Beach.

We would definately recommend staying and will come back sooner or later.

Best of luck to you again.