The Carlyle Hotel in South Beach Miami is in an amazing location.
Located in the center of South Beach on Ocean Drive right across from the beach you’ll find the lovely Carlyle Hotel. About seven blocks away you’ll find Wet Willies and two blocks more is the popular Fat Tuesday and Mango’s restaurants.
Staying in the penthouse at the Carlyle Hotel I didn’t get to see the actual hotel rooms but the penthouse suite is great for a group of eight.
arrival
It can be tricky finding the welcome desk. When you arrive at The Carlyle Hotel you must go through the restaurant to get to the hotel. It can be a little confusing and somewhat odd. The elevators don’t open unless you have a keycard which is great for security but if you’re checking in it’s an annoyance.
There’s no real “front desk” when you arrive, you’ll pray to be blessed with a restaurant worker who can tell you that you’ll need to walk up the steps to the closed-door (with no signage), knock, and once opened that’s where the concierge person is located.
you’re reading a guest blog post by N.Y.E.D.
penthouse suite
To get to the penthouse suite you must take the freight or hotel elevator and walk up a flight of stairs.
The penthouse is nice. It’s very spacious with four bedrooms, five bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room, and sun deck that has two levels. There’s a bedroom and bathroom on the second level and all other rooms are on the main level.
Each room has a high-definition flat screen television and modern bathroom with a huge shower.
The kitchen is equipped with modern appliances except for the blender which I assume was stolen/broken and never replaced.
For people planning to utilize the facilities, this is great! It doesn’t make sense to pay money for a penthouse suite if you plan to eat out for every meal.
travel tips
Thinking about a trip to South Beach Miami to stay at The Carlyle Penthouse on Ocean Drive?
Here’s what you need to know before you go:
You’re not in the hotel. The penthouse is not considered part of the hotel. There’s no maid service. I expected as much since we rented from the owner of the penthouse and not the hotel itself but some people were surprised so keep this in mind.
Bring toiletries. The penthouse is stocked with some essentials like toilet paper and paper towels but once depleted it’s up to the renter to replenish, if needed.
Take your own towels. After being there a day we informed the concierge that we needed extra face towels. We quickly learned we were not considered to be a part of the hotel. You have to take your own towels. The ones we’d been using must have been left by prior guests.
The towels were clean and white so obviously they had been washed by someone, right? It turns out they weren’t hotel standard clean meaning they weren’t washed with an industrial level of cleanser. Basically, someone cleaned the towels we had already used (presumably the hired cleaning staff) but not the hotel. Needless to say, we went to Target and purchased face and bath towels.
If you want to get off the beaten path and try food that’s not right outside your door, walk a couple of blocks behind the hotel to Collins Avenue or Washington Avenue. You’ll find better prices and food.
As a vegan, I was happy to find three juice/smoothie/vegan restaurants all of which were reasonably priced and delicious. You’ll also find on those avenues local supermarkets with good grocery prices.
I was impressed that every restaurant I went to on and off the strip had vegetarian and healthy options.
beachin’
The beach is abundant and the water was lovely blue. Depending on which part of the beach you’re on, the chair rentals are either $15 or $20 per chair and an additional $20 for the umbrella.
Keep in mind, you’re not in the Caribbean and will not have a lot of people offering to sell you cold beverages. You’ll need to walk to one of the refreshment stands to quench your thirst.
tidbits
Island Queen Cruises is a good boat company that will take you on a tour of the bay and through millionaires row. It’s a 90-minute ride that leaves from Bayside (a 25-minute taxi ride from the Carlyle Hotel). The tour offered good views, history and gossip about the millionaires who own homes there. We saw the homes of Diddy, Ricky Martin, the creator of Viagra (his compound was the largest) and a bunch others whose names I don’t recall.
Bayside has a variety of shops (local boutiques and well-known chains), great restaurants and bars, and an amphitheater with live music and performances.
Stayed at the Carlyle Hotel on Ocean Drive? What did you think of your trip to Miami?
About the Author
Even though she currently resides in Atlanta, the NYC born and raised N.Y.E.D. is still an adventurous, thrill-seeking budget traveler. When she’s not managing projects for her IT clients, shes planning her next escape to relaxation. That may be sipping all natural cocktails on the beach or hiking a volcano. She loves sharing her travel and food experiences with those looking for healthy eating experiences as well as luxury trips for a great price. You will always get a fun location history story from her too.
