The Clay Hotel

"I deliberated long and hard before booking the Clay. Im glad to report that in the main, our stay was a pleasant one. When making the reservation I asked for a "quiet room if possible" beforehand via email to avoid any noise from espanola way/washington avenue. hey presto, they put us in a room around the back. A problem solved quite easily. I had no problems at the reception, yes the staff are foreign, but we understood each other without any problems. the price is good, and the room was fine by us. if we wanted to be ultra fussy, I suppose we could say that the carpet felt "slightly" sticky and the bottom of the bath was dirty. I cant be 100% sure this was the case though. the bath looked dirty but when I tried to scrub the "dirt" off i couldnt so I think it is due to the age of the old enamel bath. i didnt have a problem showering whilst stood in it anyway, and I consider myself hygenic. The balcony in the communal room overlooking espanola way was great! you could lap up the street atmosphere whilst having a beer or two of your own before going out. The bed was immaculately clean, and the TV reception was good, and the fridge was clean. I did spot a bug on the wall on the morning of our departure, I couldnt verify what kind it was, but we did have our window open for our entire stay, so i'm reluctant to blame the hotel for that. the air conditioning was good but noisy, so we tended to use it just for short periods, and it suited us fine. one black mark is the shared bathrooms: when exiting/entering the bathroom you have to lock/unlock access for the adjacent guests while you are in there. Not a problem, if people use the bolts quietly. In our case I think two gorillas had taken residence in the adjoining room as they were really noisy with the bolt in the middle of the night. but, that isnt the hotels fault! all in all, a good budget hotel, which I would be glad to stay at again."

"This place is very close to Miami Beach strip and it's a very happening place in itself. It's along the lane at Espanola Way. You can find a lot of people dining outside and a lot of fun and frolic which creates a festive atmosphere. Speaking of the hotel itself, it didn't look like much from the outside but it was a different story inside. The place was clean and had enough space for a hotel located in a prime area. The place may seem a bit shady initially but I personally didn't find any reason to complain. They provide complimentary breakfast from a location close to the hotel. Breakfast was adequate. No complaints there. Overall I would recommend this place for its proximity to the beach and adequate facilities."

"The rooms were nice and clean but there was a wet smell in the hallways. It was great to be able to get towels, chairs and umbrellas as part of the resort fees. Although we were supposed to get 2 complimentary waters a day we did not. I had to go to the front desk on multiple occasions to complain about not getting the water. The front desk person, Luis, was very helpful and have us solutions to problems that may have come up. However, even with the complaints I would definitely stay here again. Close to the beach and plenty of things to do."

"Be warned! Additional costs applied. I liked our room, well equipped, clean and a acceptable size, we also had a nice meal in their restaurant. However, there was hidden costs added to our bill. A further $18 was applied to our room for wifi, water and towels which should of been included. Plus you have to pay $30 for valet parking. A very unfair and dishonest business model. NOT RECOMMENDED. Breakfast was included, but is a very cheap option; lots of white bread and jam. Coffee and some fruit are included. Not great quality."

"Room was definitely smaller than what most people are use to but very clean. Bed was very comfortable and AC unit worked well. I was definitely a little nervous about the unit when I saw it in the window but it worked fine. Check-in was slow yet again but that seems to be the norm for hotels in SoBe. If you are looking for a sleek modern hotel this is not for you but if you want a nice, charming hotel this will do."