Review: The Clay Hotel - Miami, FL

During a recent trip to Miami, I was able to stay at The Clay Hotel in South Beach. The best aspects of this hotel are the price and the location. A standard room costs about $90 per night, which is cheap for the area. The hotel is located a few blocks from the beach and right on Espanola Way, which is full of cute shops and restaurants. Lincoln Avenue, a main shopping and dining area, is about a 10 minute walk to the north. Bus stops are located about a block from the hotel which offer an inexpensive way to get around the city.

The rooms are clean and well equipped. There was a small refrigerator, coffee maker, TV, and hair dryer in our room. Our room also had two doors that lead to private balconies with tables attached to our room. The buildings were locked from the outside and each room was accessed with a key card so we felt safe in our room on the second floor.

My major complaint with the hotel is that the beds are extremely hard. I am not usually very picky about this since I am used to staying in expensive locations with less than ideal features, but I woke up a few times throughout the night with arms and legs asleep because of the bed. Due to the restaurants and bars on the street below, there was a lot of noise outdoors until about 4AM. Bring earplugs if you want some sleep. Also, it was extremely cold for Miami while we were there (highs in the low 40s) and the rooms had no heat. I suppose this is to be expected, but when we went down to ask for extra blankets there were none available. The lady who asked after us was given a couple extra sheets. I spent the night dressed in all of the clothes I brought with me and with my sneakers on to keep my feet warm. If you are planning a visit there and the forecast suggests it will be cold, you would be wise to bring along extra blankets and a space heater.

The workers at the desk were polite but not overly friendly. We were appreciative that they allowed us to check in about an hour early so we could drop off our stuff. They were mostly bilingual in Spanish and English and seemed welcoming of Spanish speaking guests.

Overall, I would probably stay here again but only because of the price and location. As a college student, I always try to travel as cheaply as possible, so I am used to putting up with some negatives in order to have more money to spend on trip activities. We only spent one night here while waiting for our cruise to leave from the Port of Miami the next day. If you are looking to spend a relaxing week in Miami, you may want to look for another hotel.