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Circa 39 Hotel
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Courtyard Miami Airport
- Location:
- Miami, FL
Once you settle into the newly renovated guest rooms at this warm, welcoming Miami International airport hotel, you'll find that... more »
13 reviews for Circa 39 Hotel
This place reminds me of my college dorm. It's old. It's dark. And it's freaking loud at night. The room is probably 200 sq ft with a white chipped desk, a king bed with 4 flat pillows, a flat screen tv on the wall, a closet, and a tiny bathroom in which we found a cockroach on the first day. The room was clean, no funky smells, the maintenance guy came up to kill the roach within 5 minutes.
The elevator is labeled 'ugly red elevator' and that is what it is. It fits perfectly with the rest of the hotel: old, dark, but very very red, with red light and red walls. Egh!
The lobby looked very nice but smelled like cleaning products. There was a bar in the lobby with a friendly bartender which probably was our highlight of our stay. Continental breakfast every morning but this made it feel more like a dorm than anything else. The swimming pool was very tiny, 3 strokes and you get to the other end of the pull, maybe less than that. The beach was close by though.
Given that it was so cheap and I actually didn't have to pay for it, I really won't complain much more. Circa39 didn't underperform in anyway. It didn't, by any means, outperformed either.
There's a reason this hotel is much cheaper than other "boutique" hotels in South Beach. Because it's crappy. It's far away from the action of South Beach and the rooms are shabby. The hotel claimed to have free wi-fi for guests but it didn't work during our entire stay (3 or 4 nights). We tried to use the Ethernet connection with a borrowed cable and that didn't work either. The staff made no real efforts to get the Internet connection fixed during our stay. We had paid for Internet as part of a bundle of extra charges called "The Spoil Me Plan," which was a rip-off. The plan also included breakfast but no one was checking to see if you had this plan when you got breakfast. Breakfast felt exactly like eating breakfast at a hostel.
Hotel staff were very hard to understand, and I'm usually pretty good with accents. There was no door man. No one greeted us when we arrived or helped us carry our luggage up the narrow front steps. Perhaps we would have enjoyed the hotel more had it been warm enough to use the pool. The beach is a 5-min walk away, not bad I suppose, but you have to be very careful crossing the busy street.
This hotel does not qualify in my opinion as a true boutique hotel. I stayed here one year ago and doubt it has improved since then. The web site is very misleading. Don't be deceived.
I thought Circa was a bad location and smelled of smoke. The people who work there were nice but not always friendly...Except Jose! Shout out to Jose!
The room prices are reasonable and some are very updated and nice. The pool is small and mostly shaded.
We liked this hotel a little bit (partly due to the house music playing in the lobby). It seemed like it couldn't really decide between being run down and being art deco.
Our room was clean, the bed was comfortable and the comforter had a white duvet on it which you could tell was washed recently. The pool was nice, we spent a good deal of time floating in it (the weather was pretty fickle while we were there so the pool was a better choice). The staff was friendly and helpful. The hotel also provided free beach chairs and beach towels to its guests.
The bar tender made a decent mojito but complained about it when we asked her to make it.
The elevator was scary (also lit in red and had the words "ugly red elevator" painted inside). The "comlpimentary" breakfast was horrible; the coffee was weaker than weak and they had those nasty store bought pre packaged bagels and some cereal (and considering we paid an extra $10 per day per person service charge that included the breakfast I can't really call it complimentary). You also had to be in the lobby to use the wireless internet (though the lobby was comfortable and well decorated).
All in all, I might stay here again. It was quiet and comfortable.
Definitely not the nicest or the best hotel I have ever stayed at, yet I really enjoyed it a lot. The lobby is very decieving because it is very fancy. The rooms are not really. Although it is Miami Beach and a lot of the hotels are kinda run down and very beach-side like.
The pool was fun and open late. Just very loud one of the 3 nights at 2 in the morning.
Ask for an upgrade....if they don't give it to you, they will give you the Spoil me package free. It's free chairs at the beach, happy hour, and free crappy breakfast. So whatever, it's free..don't we all like something free when we're spending so much on vacation?!
-There were marks on the floor of the tub, eh it's fine.
-Pot smell every night with scary looking neighbors next door!!!
-Screaming girl called me a "weirdo for videotaping her" HAHA i was reading my phone looking out the window to get air!
-Parking is $17 aday, I hate paying for parking!
Great location!!!!!!!! The highway is off 41st street and this is on 39th!!!
Right by the bus stop to get to South Beach!
Definitely not as congested as South Beach.
Mid Beach is more calm and not as busy, I loved it!! A true vacation!!!!!
Plus: Clean, art deco, away from noisy South Beach, short notice price $50/nt (including resort fee)--amid $200/nt hotels. Breakfast, pool/beach chairs, towels, concierge, newspaper included, close to beach, boardwalk, deli, liquor store, restaurant, free street parking available, catered to international crowd/multi-lingual
Minus: Small elevator (ran fine), dark hallways (pink/blue lights), unheated pool (brr). As long as the price is competitively under the nearby hotels--this is first choice!
** UPDATE BELOW **
I live in San Francisco, work for a company in Miami, and they fly me out here about one week every 3-4 weeks.
I work evenings when I'm in Miami, so I want a hotel that gives me a quiet environment so I can sleep well into the morning, and it's Miami, so I want a refrigerator to keep my beer cold :D
3 weeks ago was my first visit to Circa 39.
It's a boutique-style hotel with a pool, really LOUD thumping music inside and out around the pool, a small bar, a small bistro area where they serve a continental breakfast, and wireless that's accessible only in the lobby.
There's a convenience store/deli next door that's open til midnight. There aren't really any nearby restaurants or anything else amenity-wise, so I picked up a six pack of beer to take to my room for later :)
The first room they gave me, the ceiling in the bathroom was rotting, and pieces of the ceiling were all over the floor of the shower. I asked them to move me. The second room it turns out was next to the laundry area, which gets VERY LOUD starting at 6am. (sigh)
I had asked for a refrigerator, but they told me there were no more fridges available... what?
They also had a REQUIRED $10 "spoil me" fee for services I can't use since I work from around 10am to 11pm.
Because it's so close to my office, I chose to try them again, hoping things would be better.
This trip, I called ahead to ensure I'd have a fridge in my room, and that I'd be placed somewhere reasonably quiet.
When I checked in, I reminded the desk clerk that I'd requested a quiet room and a refrigerator.
He said, "ma'am, you go check out the room, and let me know if it's okay."
Tired from the long flight, I made my way to the room, and find it's overlooking the pool, there's no escaping the LOUD pumping music, and no fridge.
Grrr. Why didn't he just acknowledge they weren't going to follow thru? To make ME do the work, and come back again just pissed me off. LOUSY customer service.
To frost the cake, the required fee for spoiling services that I cannot use is now $15 a day plus taxes!
I don't know what's more annoying, the lack of responsiveness, or the complete lack of customer service from the desk clerk (Julio!).
Either way, I've asked my company to NOT give business to a hotel that provides such poor customer service...
*** UPDATE ***
An hour after I wrote this review, Julio let me know they had another room available for me.
It had TWIN BEDS! Good lord.
It was, however, much quieter (in the back) and it had a fridge. Praises be.
So, other than almost rolling over onto the floor a couple of times during the night, at least I had a good quiet sleep after two nice, frosty beers (Peroni in case yer interested).
The next morning, I spoke with the lovely Elizabeth, who informed me the hotel had recently been sold and who apologized profusely for the mishandling of my reservations.
She hooked me up with a junior suite in the back (cute lil kitchen, huge deep bathtub for yummy soaking pleasures)
I added another star, because I really appreciate her efforts. She was very sweet and kind. Thank you Elizabeth.
Unique boutique hotel that is definitely more memorable than a Fountainbleu or a Crown Plaza chain. Upon walking in the lobby, you are greeted with trip hop music, minimalist furniture, and the chic hotel clerk decked out in all black, a suiting welcome to South Beach.
Drop your bags in your completely white decorated room and go for a run on the boardwalk (a few steps from the front entrance). Come back and take a dip in the pool. You won't find many screaming children running around here.
I stayed here last night, and although a good 20-30 blocks north of all the action on south beach, this is a nice, hip little non-chain hotel. The staff was friendly and accomodating, and I love the decor and feel of this place. The euro-lounge music in the lobby and small but inviting pool area was great. Loved the Aveda products in the bathroom! Plus- the price is right- you'll pay a lot less than most hotels on the beach.
My only cons would have to be: although modern, my room looked cheap. The carpet looked old and out of place with the decor- like they hadn't replaced it when they remodeled the rooms. Furniture was chintzy and my TV was mounted high in the corner of the room, which gave it kind of a Motel 6 vibe. Plus- I was on the 2nd floor right on the front/south corner of the building, and was treated to a neon blue light all night which lit up the outside of the building, though I can sleep through anything, so it didn't bother me too much. Also, there is a $10 "resort fee"- for what, I'm not sure. Use of the pool and breakfast? I didn't pay it and used the pool anyway, and to be honest- I checked out the cafe area, and breakfast didn't look particularly inviting, anyway. IMHO, that stuff should just be included.
Still, I would stay here again. I wish it were closer to the main Art Deco section of south beach, but you can't have everything. Plus, you're a stone's throw away from the water, which is really really nice- and I'm from Chicago, so I was just happy to be near the ocean, laying out for the day.
If you're looking for an out of the way hotel on the beach with an upscale look, but reasonably priced, this is your place. If you want to be in the middle of the South Beach scene, find a hotel much closer.
Okay, Circa 39 had some good things and some bad things. Let's start with the good:
- Great music playing when you walk in (George Michael's Faith for us)
- Cool vibe in the lobby, restaurant, bar
- Nice staff
- Decent Bathroom & Bed
And now for the eh/bad:
- I can get down with the minimalist vibe but you need to pull it off. Circa 39 is just a bit too run down to pull it off. In my room, for example, the outlet was held to the wall with electrical tape.
- THE CARPET WAS NASTY. Definitely ask for a room without carpet. I was seriously grossed out
- Thin walls + Spring Break '08 = Little to no sleep
Overall my stay was okay but for $220/night definitely not worth it. They need to do some renovations, add new carpet, etc.
Six nights in the Circa 39 hotel and I had very few complaints. This place is pretty bare bones and has a lighting set-up that is very David Lynch-esque, but it is also clean, staffed with nice people and a convenient six dollar cab ride or thirty minute walk to all the action on South Beach. It comes with the added benefit of somewhere quiet to sleep when you are done living it up. The price is more than right, around $220/night for a suite. Be sure to ask for a room in the back with hard wood floors as carpet gets nasty fast near the beach no matter how nice the hotel is. Also, those sand flea things are unavoidable. They have them in the Ritz and they have them here... Maybe it would be good to travel with some insecticide? I just decided to deal.
There are Aveda products in the bathroom and they are replaced everyday. Also, its thirty seconds from the beach, always a plus!
We just went down to Miami for WMC and were really happy with our stay here. It is a bit of a hike down to South Beach, but totally doable (about 25 blocks). If you're not too cool for the bus it's right by several stops that take you down to SB or into Miami really quickly. We got a great deal on air and hotel off their website - way better than other places that weekend. The room was clean and tastefully decorated. The folks downstairs were always really nice and helpfully. Even the cleaning ladies were amazing! It's about a block away from a nice, quiet beach. My only problem with it was that the location was the lack of restaurant selection - most were either too expensive in nearby hotels, not open late, or just mediocre. (Except for Tropical Beach Cafe down Collins at 28th, that place had great Cuban food.) Otherwise I'd definitely recommend this hotel to travelers who are looking for a place that's affordable, comfy, and kinda chic.
Right across from the beach - nice! A little over priced. Breakfast is continental and not very good - think coffee, mediocre pastries and toast. The room was clean and staff was nice. The lobby was comfortable. Next time I probably wouldn't stay there - too many cab rides required. You can walk to south beach in about 20 - 30 mins.
