Westgate Miami Beach

Stayed there Oct. 10-17, 2010

We traded our timeshare through interval international for this disappointment. The first two-bedroom they gave us was DIRTY and outdated. The sheets were stained, the blankets were torn and the upholstery ripped. The decor was 1970ish. In order to get a renovatedroom, we had to downgrade to a studio/hotel room; which slightly better. It was a poolside room with noise and music well into the wee hours of the morning. No kitchen utensils, broken shower faucet, paper-thin walls. The room's desk chair was from the hotel's dining area. I purchased Lysol to sanitize everything.

Staff: I called before arrival and the female that answered the phone was rude and unprofessional. Brian checked us in and was the only friendly front desk person we encountered. The housekeepers were grumpy and lazy. The only housekeeper that was polite was a male who cleaned the room Thursday. Although we received fresh towels daily, we always had to call the front desk for face towels and floor mats.

Beware of the parking fees and resort fees for such a substandard place.

We did not eat at any of the on-site restaurants but they advertised an all-you-can-eat lobster feast. There are several good eateries near the hotel. Pool was nice and warm but the kiddy pool was under construction. We questioned the safety of the hotel based on the ground-level door at the end of the hotel always unsecured. The short walk to the beach was a big positive. The air condition system was top-notched. This hotel has potential if renovations are properly done and staff is trained in customer service. Until then, we will never exchange into this place again.

I am an owner at this resort. The view from the poolside and oceanside rooms is outstanding. I will say that the common areas meaning the pool and lobby need an update, but are well kept. The staff contrary to what others say are VERY ACCOMODATING, and make this place a terrific place to stay. The staff give the resort a more privately owned type of enviornment rather than a large corporate conglomerate. I will say that the rooms do need to be soundproofed and could stand to be updated again, but are well kept. I have stayed in this hotel for YEARS since the 70s and watched it evolve into what it is today. It used to be so alive in the late 70s and early 80s. Some things that I suggest would be an all inclusive package available to guests, bring back the Pub restaurant with the pecan rolls and bring back a hot night club with floor shows for the guests. This would make guests spend their money at the resort rather than let it leave the resort.

We rented a two-bedroom unit from an owner in February 2005, and we really enjoyed our stay, primarily because the hotel and the surrounding area are so children-friendly. There is a children's pool with a slide and a wonderful playground (trumpline, slide, etc.) right on the beach. My 4-year old son had a blast on that trumpline! The hotel must have been renovated since the time of some of the reviews posted on this site because everything in our room and the lobby was brand new. Our unit had a small fridge and a microwave (no stove) and a regular size jacuzzi tub, which my son also enjoyed greatly. The lobby looked bright and inviting. For the kids, it even has a parrot in a cage. All the public areas looked and smelled great.

The downsides of this resort include the following:

- no soundproofing between the unit walls whatsoever. You could hear your neighbor's TV better than your own. - the staff was unfriendly bordering on rude. The housekeeping requests were not fulfilled until several calls. However, I've stayed in other Miami hotels and observed the same. - In a two-bedroom unit, the living room and the second bedroom are basically the same long room with a sliding door that can be closed to divide the space. This was ok for us, but may be less convenient for some. - If you come to Miami for the attractions (Art Deco, Vizcaya Museum, Metrozoo, etc.), they will all require a drive of at least 25 minutes and up to 1.5 hour. Younger people with no children may prefer a hotel located between 1st and 40th Street, where all the excitement (and noise) is. However, Sunny Isles and other areas above the 40th Street are wonderful for families and there is a good shopping (with prices within reach of a middle class person).

I stayed here at the end of April, 2006.

The location right on the beach is really excellent. Lounge chairs are free for resort guests to use, and shady huts are provided for something like $8 extra. The fishing pier is immediately next to the resort's section of the beach which is kind of neat - you can see pelicans diving for fish.

The outdoor pool and facilities were also great - lots of families enjoying their stays. However, the inside of the resort and the units left much to be desired. We had a one bedroom -- the only thing separating the bedroom from the living area was a sliding door. It was a long narrow room, which made us feel like we were staying in an RV. Furniture and decor was very well-worn and outdated. The unit was very smoky - the windows could not be opened to let in fresh air. We had a balcony overlooking the ocean and pool, but couldn't enjoy it with so many smokers at the pool and on their balconies.

They play loud (and mostly bad) music at the pool from 11 am to 10 pm, and there is a poolside bar that can be noisy even past that. The rooms aren't well insulated for sound. We stayed on floor 3, which is really the 2nd floor, so we probably got the worst of the noise.

Overall, the beach and pool make this resort worth a short stay. But, if you are accustomed to more modern, luxury resorts, you'll be disappointed here.

We stayed at this resort because it was listed as wheelchair accessible. We had a two bedroom unit in which there were two bathrooms. Neither bathroom had a doorway wide enough to fit a regular width light weight chair. The beach is not accessible. The pool and hot tub are not accessible. Wheelchair parking is across the street. Our concerns were ignored by the front desk and by others contacted by phone. We finally contacted an onsite rep from Interval International who helped us find an efficiency room with a bathroom that was wheelchair friendly but not officially accessible. I find it interesting that as Westgate owners we could not get anywhere with the staff. Rather we had to get help from the II rep. If you can put up with oblivious, rude and apathetic staff members then the resort is okay.