Review: Royal Palm Hotel in South Beach, Miami

Having procured tickets to see The Police in concert at the Dolphins Stadium, I set out to plan a small vacation around the concert. I hadn't previously spent any time in South Beach, so I began searching online for a hotel in the historic art deco district. Finding a hotel online is often tricky. You have to read each hotel review with a grain of salt, assuming that some people are just always going to complain about something. You have to hope that, when taken in the aggregate, the reviews are going to prove fairly accurate.

I found the Royal Palm Hotel on Hotels.com, and it appeared to be in a pretty good location. Being unfamiliar with South Beach, I had to take the word of a friend who knew the area. The photos of the establishment looked great, and, although some reviews mentioned construction at the hotel, the majority were positive and painted a good picture. I took my chances and made the reservation.

The Royal Palm Hotel turned out to be in a great spot. Located right on Collins Avenue, at the head of Ocean Drive and very near Lincoln Road and Espanola Way, it was truly in the heart of South Beach. When I arrived at the hotel, I made the decision to valet park, which is very expensive. To save money, you could consider using the parking deck adjacent to the hotel. If you do let the hotel park you, you can take your car in and out as many times as you like without paying extra. You might not get that luxury in the parking deck.

The room I was given at the hotel could not have been better. Because of the great rates at Hotel.com, I had upgraded to a partial ocean view room, and what a view it was! I enjoyed a magnificent view of the Atlantic Ocean from the 17th floor of the hotel. I was overjoyed at my luck! The room also overlooked the glamorous Loews Hotel and their crystal blue pool next door.

The Royal Palm's pool is not very big or exciting. It could've been a bit cleaner as well. Fortunately, we had the biggest pool in the world just a few steps away... the Atlantic Ocean! We were right on the beach and had access through the pool area, where we were also able to grab hotel towels. My advice for South Beach ocean visits - splurge for the beach cabanas. The beach is littered with cigarette butts and some things I don't want to mention - it's a party town, and it shows.

There are many things to see and do within walking distance of the Royal Palm Hotel. Among these are the World Erotic Art Museum, Lincoln Road, Espanola Way, Miami Duck Tours, along with a host of great restaurants.

The great room and fantastic location makes the Royal Palm Hotel a place to which I will definitely return.