Sanctuary

I stayed at the sanctuary with my best friend for a birthday celebration 3– day week and we loved it! First off, the customer service was phenomenal over the phone prior to arriving. We had a few inquiries before we settling on this place and we were assisted by a really really sweet Haitian girl whose name I always forget, but thank you so much! When we arrived, we were greeted by the hotel manager Frank I believe and his staff and they were all warm and welcoming. The rooms were like micro condominiums, or at least the one we stayed in, had beautiful décor and felt really home-​y if you will. The hotel is located near everything and is a great location if you’re staying in South Beach. The heated pool on the roof is also really nice and it wasn’t an issue during late hours of the night. I didn’t try the food at the hotel but it seem to be crowded every day we stayed and the menu seemed reasonably priced for the cuisine. We definitely recommend this place if you are going to be in South Beach! it’s affordable, it’s pretty, and it makes for a great first time Miami experience! I’ll definitely be staying here again thank you Sanctuary staff!

It’s nothing like the pictures. MOLD EVERYWHERE!!! Smells like mold, dirty and run down. First floor is even worse, the mold smell is so intense that it’s hard to breathe. We were moved to a second floor unit since our toilet was clogged the day we arrived.
Honestly, it’s an ok place if you want to party and get messed up every night, but if you’re seeking comfort it’s definitely not a place to have you’re vacation at.

Our stay here was perfect for our short stay in south beach. The sky loft was spacious and provided us with the convenience of our own terrace. There was a small wading pool on the roof which was useful more when the weather was cooler as the water was warm, but we did have access to the pool at the Gale! The continental breakfast was the one downside, it was poorly attended and lacked quality and substance.
The location was great, on a quite side street in a location near to the beach and the heart of south beach’s main roads and attractions.

Our stay was just ok. The room was a little weathered, the AC leaked all over the floor, fixtures on the bathrooms were rusted and falling apart. I like the idea of the hotel but it needs some work. Both elevators were out and the computer was totally useless when trying to print out boarding passes for my flight. Left a drink on the counter in the kitchen and a few hours later ants had found its was to it. I honestly wouldn’t mind staying there again if I could have a better room.

We originally booked here MONTHS before our trip. Before arrival we were charged for our stay. Upon arrival we were told we were being moved to its sister property, The Gale. Staff didn’t have a proper explanation why we were not notified in advance of this. Staff was pleasant enough, but in my opinion very unprofessional about this. Front desk staff was very disorganized and communications with The Gale were fractured at best. All in all a horrible experience. Avoid this property and the Gale. Read my review of the Gale as well.

The hotel staff is nice and very responsive. This was our first stay in Southbeach. I’ll start with the pros of the hotel. The pool is really just to dip your feet in. No larger than 4 feet wide and no deeper than 2.5 feet. They do have access to a pool with a bar and a gym at a sister hotel around the corner. You will also have access to beach chairs and towels via another partner hotel on the beach. It’s located within walking distance to many venues and eateries in south beach. Now for the cons. The room we had was not the best. The mini fridge leaked on day one, and in day two the bathroom ceiling had a leak. The sink in the bathroom did not drain properly and the jet tub looked like it had not been cleaned in a while. The pull out couch was old and badly stained. The room had a smell so we bought air freshener to help it. It still recieved 3 stars because of location, staff hospitality and amenities. Do not stay in room 209, they need to work on it. The night manager was awesome, provided us free tickets to a few night clubs.

My hôtel to stay in Miami! Staff is amazingly kind specially Andres, and Julian. Food and bartending are just perfect (try the meat balls with a spicy Martini). Room a clean and big. Just a little bad thing: the air conditionner can be noisy.

We really enjoyed this boutique hotel! We stayed for 2 nights and had a wonderful stay. The staff is friendly and very accommodating and the rooms are clean. The food and drinks at the restaurant here are phenomenal! And the bartenders were a lot of fun and very outgoing.
I like that it’s a quiet hotel while still only being a block away from the pool parties, clubs and the beach.
Wi-​Fi is free, they have a free shuttle to local spots, and beach passes for chairs and umbrellas, which was very nice!
The ONLY problem we encountered was down at the beach. The young lady that stood around pretending to be a server was seriously the worst. She placed a menu two chairs away from us and pointed at it saying, «here is a menu». Were we too far away to hand it to us or to greet us? We enjoyed ourselves at the beach for a couple hours and not once did she walk by us, come ask us if we needed anything. We wanted to order drinks and we were waiting for her but she never came, which is lost money to the hotel or whichever bar she was coming from because we could have sat there all day and had drinks, but ended up getting up to leave to find drinks elsewhere. People had to walk to her to order as she was sitting down in the little cabana. As food was delivered to her, she let it sit until she was ready to deliver it, I’m sure everything was cold by the time it got delivered. As we were leaving I also saw her drop a salad that someone had ordered, then she brushed the sand off threw away the sandy lettuce and gave the customer half a salad. By far the worst server we’ve ever seen. We walked by her at one point and she was on her cell phone talking to a friend, it wasn’t work related based on what we overheard from her conversation.
I feel bad speaking poorly about Sanctuary, and she may have been hired from a bar closer to the beach and unrelated to the Sanctuary, but who knows. Everything else was amazing.

For a boutique hotel they are very accommodating and friendly. It’s very clean and quieter then the main area of clubs just a one block over. We originally had reservations at another hotel but the over booked us and paid for our accommodations here. I would definately suggest this place. It’s clean and updated with fine furnishing and a contemporary style.

Been here a number of times because of the price during the boat show. I think it was a nice place in the 50’s. People are nice, texted me to make sure everything was ok. What do you say? Please remodel my room? It’s tired, old, and weird but a very short walk to the convention center. Go ahead and stay here but don’t expect much. Be prepared for a cash pre– paid parking lot across the street, $ 30.00 daily. It’s a bit odd walking through a fairly upscale restaurant with your bags waiting to check in, then again it’s south beach where everything is a bit off of center.

It’s great small hotel a bit dirty the carpet has some coffee stains and a bug dead on the floor,

The service including checking in, breakfast buffet style though very simple breakfast like croissant and different kinds of bread, yoghurt, milk, juice and coffee are all decent. The room was very modernly decorated and has separate living room from bedroom space with microwave and refrigerator which is very nice. However, the beds are EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE. I can’t sleep We paid $ 160 including tax and $ 10 resort fees when i bid through Hotwire. We didn’t bring car. The distance to the beach is about 10 – 15 min walking distance depending on your pace. The pool was very unique but very small. its not crowded at all and we checked in around 2pm

If you want to stay in a place that’s like having your own apartment in South Beach then this is the place. I visited from Los Angeles and found this place randomly via a hotwire deal, I’m so happy that I did.

So it was New Years time, Miami’s high season and the time in which hotels are either ridiculously expensive or completely booked. Even the incredible shitty, disgusting, morbid hotels such as The Penguin are starting at $ 500 a night. I was fully preparing to end up spend more simple to avoid staying at some dump when I came across The Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary really lives up to it’s name. It’s a quiet hotel, the rooms are comparable to a small, modern apartment, and it’s peaceful. The restaurant in the hotel, Ola, is absolutely amazing! In fact, it trumps some of the restaurants in the more lusted after hotels. The pool area is very quiet to the point that no one was using it while I was there. I was able to relax in peace and there was a decent view as well.
If you are looking for a hotel with a party vibe, this is NOT the place. Unlike Fontainebleau or SLS, the hotel is very peaceful and zen. It truly lives up to it’s name. The positive thing though, is if you do want to go to a more lively destination, The Sanctuary is conveniently located walking distance to hotels such as The Raleigh, The Delano, Shore Club, etc.
For a very affordable price and a good location, I recommend the Sanctuary.

My husband and I stayed here 2 nights. Had booked it through a national online company but still paid over $ 300 for it due to events happening in the Miami Beach area. It looks good from the outside & on their website but when you are there it’s another story!
There is no valet parking. It’s a drop off across the street at $ 30 per night, cash only! That should have told us something! Anyways, as other reviewers wrote, there isn’t a lobby per se’ just a desk outside of the restaurant for check ins. We went to our room and unpacked. We realized that all they left us was decaf coffee for the keurig and no coffee cups. So, we requested from the concierge, coffee cups and coffee. We were brought, 3 capsules of caffeinated coffee & very small styrofoam cups. We thought maybe they made a mistake. A over $ 300 a room would not have styrofoam cups! So we requested again, this time receiving paper to go cups. I gave up. I thought maybe since we would get ceramic cups considering there is a 5 star restaurant in their lobby! To top it off, no spoons or stirrers to stir our coffee! We were disgusted but had already prepaid for the rooms.
The shower head was coming out of the wall. Stains on the walls by the bathroom sink, no lighting to do makeup, burnt out bulbs in the overhead lighting in the bedroom, etc. The air conditioner made loud noises every time it came on and the tv/​cable system was horrible. Our tv had a white line that ran through it & cable was horrible almost fuzzy! When leaving the hotel, they only have one key per room as we were told by the concierge so you have to leave it with them. The rooftop pool was dirty and not as big as it look on their website. The bed & pillows were horrible. It had a dip in the middle of the bed & pillows were falling apart.
The only plus on this boutique hotel is that it was close to everything especially other hotels that I would have rather stayed in, especially for the price tag of $ 297 plus $ 15 resort fee plus $ 30 per day valet parking! We were ripped off. I will stay at other places than this place. By the way, each evening during the restaurant service, they will set tables outside your door so watch out upon leaving your room when you open the door, you just might bump into restaurant customers dining there! The whole experience was totally disappointing especially for the money we spent. Mismanagement of this property will be it’s downfall if they don’t fix it.
P.s, never tried the restaurant… OLA

A «C+» for comfy. Kind of.
As a former beach resident, I must get creative when visiting now that I moved to California. I recently booked two nights at this so-​called oasis because the price was right and the location rocked. However we found ourselves yearning to spend more time anywhere else but there.
Why? Well for one, the Sanctuary seemed almost abandoned. No other guests, no diners at Ola, no spa clients — yet an influx of staff hanging around. There was maintenance drilling in the morning and pressure cleaning outside our door. Who doesn’t care for some bleach with breakfast? Me.
The rooms were spacious and the location is perfect. Other than that — avoid it. Book a stay at the Gale across the street and enjoy a true vacation.
My opinion? Menin Hotels should look into a lil re-​vamping.

I WISH I COULD GIVE THIS PLACE ZERO STARS.
The following items were missing from my room which was called the «Spa Penthouse» on the second floor:
–MY $ 200 SWEATER WHICH I LEFT ON MY BED. When I called to ask about my sweater, the person on the phone ended the call with «I couldn’t find the key to your room, did you return it?» I totally blew up! You’re worried about your STUPID $ 1 key? What about my sweater that SOMEONE OBVIOUSLY STOLE.
— PHONE
–hairdryer
— pillow cases on the pillows (DISGUSTING)
–a sink that drained (EW)
–water pressure in the «rain shower»
–iron
–doors to balcony that actually locked. MAYBE SOMEONE USED THESE DOORS TO COME IN AND STEAL MY SWEATER? JUST SAYING.
— chain lock. (I was scared in my room all night because I only had a deadbolt lock and not even a card access door)
— a safety deposit box
–Mini Bar was EMPTY
–The «Beach Club» doesn’t even have drinks or food
And to top it all off, I woke up in the middle of the night to a weird buzzing sound coming from the bathroom. It just would NOT go away and I was forced to call the front desk at 2 AM after sleepily searching for the hotels number on my cell phone because I DIDN’T HAVE A PHONE IN MY ROOM.
No refund was offered. No offer to change my room (stayed two nights). Just a horrible experience overall.
Definitely would not recommend this place to ANYONE.
Side-​note– My colleague’s room was PREPAID and they charged his card for the reservation even though it was already paid for on our company card. What a bunch of crooks!

Location is good but the room was a wreck. The spring on the door was broken, there was no door on the shower, fixtures were broken and there was a pool of water in the main walkway outside the room with an orange cone by it. Also, the iron in the room was totally covered in black crust. When we asked for a new one they brought us two more that were also disgusting. Nothing like going to your birthday dinner with wrinkled clothes.
Just really disappointed. Definitely not 3 – 4 stars

I had a great experience here and would definitely recommend it. The price was reasonable for me and my partner, but we used a Groupon deal and I’m unsure of the regular price. The bed was comfortable and the balcony was good although it faced a wall and was above the restaurant kitchen. The «kitchenette» (a sink, mini fridge, and counter/​cabinet space) and living room area were a plus and we had some good down time with friends there. The area was quiet but only 1 block from the beach and a short walk to Lincoln Road and other stores and food.
The cons of this place were bad lighting in the bedroom and bathroom area and a sort of open shower because one of the doors was missing (but this is apparently how all the rooms are since our friends’ were the same). The shower was very large and had a cascade shower head at least. The pool was small, but the deck was nice for getting some sun in a private setting.
The front desk folks were nice and were very helpful and attentive when I left my iPad there after heading home. They shipped it to me and kept me updated on its status consistently.
This was a great place to relax and we really enjoyed our stay. I’ve stayed in Miami Beach often and, for the price, this was a great value.

Getting knocked down to three stars.
They put an extra mystery charge of $ 20.00 on my credit card and have not removed it.

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars but I chose 4 because of the overall experience I had in South Beach while staying in this Hotel and the price I paid for it.
This was my first time in Miami altogether. My mom and I met «in the middle» as I live in San Francisco and she is in New Jersey. This was a good option for us since it was only 2 blocks from the beach, $ 100/​night, and seemed to have a fun vibe on the website.
The pros — very comfy bed (they only have 1-​bedrooms so you have to share a queen), nice shower, fridge/​microwave. Good free wifi. There is also an indoor/​outdoor restaurant attached but it is on a quieter street.
The cons — no free parking (we paid $ 50 for 2 nights across the street), fuzzy tv, broken «terrace» door, rooftop pool smaller than it appears online — more like a large hot tub with bugs in it. But good lounge chairs with direct sun!
My final complaint is about my deposit fee. When I initially booked online, the email said «card charged upon booking». When I got to the desk, 2 weeks later, they said that it was not charged until 3 days before we arrived and it was declined. I was a bit aggravated that no one let me know it was declined until I got to the desk.
All in all, this hotel is in a great location if you want that beach vibe and are on a budget. It also has that very south beach art deco style with a little twist of zen (buddha statues and fountains in the small courtyard between the rooms) and clean modern room décor.

I haven’t had the pleasure of staying at this hotel, however was invited to a party at their rooftop bar last night. It has a great view of the South Beach skyline, with a wading pool (2ft 10in max), plenty of secluded bench seating, a dance floor area and two bar areas. The rooftop is split into two sides with the elevator in the middle. It made last night’s party great, because despite having a lot of people in a small space, the two areas made it seem less crowded.
The staff were amazing, extremely friendly, professional and helpful. They were on top of everything, making sure the area stayed clean the entire night. Only moments after setting down an empty glass someone would come by to pick it up.
I don’t know their pricing, however from a guest’s point of view, it is a great option for private parties.

Four of us stayed at The Sanctuary this past weekend and absolutely loved it. My boyfriend and I were unexpectedly upgraded to the Spa Penthouse and spent the whole weekend talking about how amazing it was. Our friends had a regular room and theirs was pretty great, as well. Both were large and clean. The regular room included a small kitchen and a living room that was separate from the bedroom (but no door division). The Penthouse was one (very) large room with a private sun deck and fantastic shower. Beds were comfortable. Rooms were clean. Staff was attentive. You really couldn’t ask for anything more in a hotel. We were so pleased with our stay that we ended up extending our trip an additional night.
The pool is small — but it’s located on the roof and has several chairs, which are good for laying out. If you want to swim, you can use the nearby Shelborne, which is gorgeous. The hotel is in a great location and just a few short blocks from many restaurants and bars.
We’re already talking about going back!