The Raleigh

My family spent Christmas Eve at the Raleigh. We love the atmosphere and ambience of this hotel. Its a quiet Oasis and a great respite from the hustle and bustle of South Beach. The rooms aren't perfect , a little on the small side, but the bathrooms are new and fresh, the beds are comfortable and the linens are great. The pool area and the service are what makes this place special. The staff all seem proud to work there and everyone we encountered just made the experience more special. We loved that the internet and beach chairs were free too (after seeing fees of $30 a day for a beach chair and $10 for internet, per person! in Palm Beach). The food and service in the restaurant/bar was great. Outstanding breakfast. Highly recommend dinner at Ola which is only 1 1/2 blocks away. I've stayed in a few other spots in Miami but this is our favorite by far. Hated to leave.

THIS WAS THE WORST HOTEL EXPERIENCE EVER.. THE FRONT DESK CLERKS WERE GREAT,BUT FROM THE TIM WE CHCKED IN I FELT LIKE WE WERE TARGET VICTIMS FOR SOME [*]. I SHOULDVE FOLLOWED MY 1ST MIND AND CHANGED HOTELS. THE MAIDS KEEP KNOCKING ON OUR DOORS EVERY 30 MINS FOR NOTHING , ACCUSSED US OF SMOKING IN ROOMS,WALKED IN OUR ROOM UNANNOUNCED AND MY FIANCE WAS LYING IN THE BED.. FOR REAL.. THE SAFE WAS BROKE THEN THEY CAME TO FIX IT BUT THIS IS THE ICING ON THE CAKE ''THEY STOLE OVER $5000 WORTH OF JEWELRY OUT THE SAFE''. ARE YOU SERIOUS IM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FREAKING P'D OFF NO CAMERAS ON THE PREMISES ARE YOU SERIOUS.. YES I CALLED THE POLICE.. IM STILL P'D OFF AND GONNA BE P'D OFF UNTIL THIS IS RESSOLVED.. I WANT A FULL REFUND..

The Raleigh is in a great location if you want to be in South Beach. The public spaces, particularly the pool area are beautiful. The rooms could use some refurbishing and we were told this will happen in April 2011. The staff was very accommodating considering we got stranded and could not fly out. We were able to stay extra nights. A new restaurant, The Royal, opened in the lobby recently. We ordered lunch at the pool and waited over half an hour for the food. While we had a great lunch earlier in the week, the kitchen was so backed up that the waiter offered to cancel the order since he couldn't say for sure how long the food would take. We did cancel. I would hope these glitches will work themselves out but it was a holiday weekend and they should have been prepared.

The hotel is in a great location in terms of being able to walk from it to many key locations on Lincoln and Collins avenues as well as on Ocean Drive. It has a nostalgic appeal, harkening back to the days of the Rat Pack, with a 40's-50's feel to it. The base rooms are a bit small. I like the fact that they still use actual room keys instead of swipe cards. The staff overall was very friendly. My friend and I for the most part ate at various different locations aside from the Raleigh, but the one night we had dinner there it was excellent, with relaxing outdoor seating to boot. The pool itself is quite interesting in terms of its architecture and quite deep. The Hotel provides complimentary beach chairs and towels for the beach goers as well.

Excellent location, beautiful pool and secluded back-area. Friendly help - but received a curt message when cooler was emptied of liqor, and replaced by own soft drinks...

We spent our time between the beach and the pool during the day. We went shopping on Lincoln avenue and enjoyed drinks and food there, also on Ocean Drive. The hotel is a great place for a young couple who wants good personal attention, fantastic food (french toast was amazing!) and drinks and great service, all the way from the bar tender to the front desk, everybody was very nice and accomodating. A bit on the pricey side but worth every dime.

Amazing service, great location, fantastic pool, good food all for a moderate price! Would definitely stay there again.

The Raleigh was not a good choice. The room smelled musty and moldy and 1/2 the selections on the very limited menu were not available. Would not go back or reccomend to anyone.