For Those Staying In Miami Before or After Cruise (review with pictures)

[Blasian]

Hi! This review is for those staying in Miami before or after your cruise that would like accommodations and dining recommendations. I find the cruise reviews on this site very helpful and I thought a hotel review would benefit someone out there. We planned this trip about three months ago for my boyfriend's 31st birthday. We were a group of 4 ages 31-38. We vacationed in Miami last year but this is the first time we actually stayed on South Beach.

 

After researching many hotels, we decided to stay at the Clevelander on South Beach (June 15-21). We mainly selected the Clevelander because of the customer reviews and value/cost (value in South Beach you may be asking yourself?...yes, it CAN be done.)

 

This will be mostly a pictorial review. But to cut to the chase, we absolutely LOVED our stay at the Clevelander and will be visiting there again if we are ever in the Miami/South Beach area. Although the Clevelander is not for families with children (you must be at least 21 to even stay there), it is a great little get-a-way for all you young and hip Parents out there. Music goes on until 4 am and there is always some event taking place. They provide earplugs for all guests but we did not need them and, in fact, slept like babies each night. My rating system is 1-5 with 5 being the best: Cleanliness: 5/ Friendliness of Staff: 5/ Cost: 4/ Convenient Location: 4/ Amenities: 5

Let's Crack On With The Pictures:

 

 

 

The outside bar at the Clevelander (there were 3 stations)

 

We opted for the Ocean Front room. There was very little noise in this type of room. Rooms were on the smallish size but extremely clean and modern.

Bathroom (obviously....)

A close-up of the wall art

 





Rooms were given new ear plugs. However, we did not once use them. The Ocean Front rooms had very little noise. My friends who stayed in the Pool View room mentioned they DID use their ear plugs.

 

 

Our Room Key accompanied by a small container.

[Blasian]

View from the rooftop

 

 

One of the rooftop lounging areas

 

 

Lobby

[Blasian]

 

We were given complimentary pina coladas at check-in

 

 

The Clevelander slogan

 

If you have questions, feel free to ask. More to come later.

[LBumb]

nice pics

[Blasian]

nice pics

 

Thank you! :)

[Beth]

Loved the pics. How much was your room?

[Blasian]

Loved the pics. How much was your room?

 

Hi, Beth. We stayed 6 nights with an average of $101 per night.

[Blasian]

I forgot to mention that was with a 20% discount for advanced booking and not including taxes.

[Beth]

Thanks!!!

[Blasian]

Pictorial Review continued...

 

 

 

South Beach Luumus Park Beach

 

 

The Clevelander at night

 

 

This is a drink sold at the Clevelander called the "Raging Bull" It was my absolute favorite drink in South Beach. It is Red Bull and vodka frozen. The test tube thingy is an extra shot of vodka! YUMMY!

 

 

1020 Ocean Drive (The Clevelander)

[KenMo]

The hotel looks really nice!

 

But for me, I'd have to rethink staying at a hotel that provides ear plugs...lol!

[crewsweeper]

Great review. Blasian. Might want to link it to the Florida Departures board as well.

 

Looks like a great spot to stay. Did you drive down or fly in? Looking at options for parking other than cruise port and hadn't really considered SoBe for a 1 nighter pre-cruise, except for a dinner jaunt.

[MiamiLady]

Hey SoBe is Wild and Noisy...fun to visit by not to sleep near there... It's a non-stop party... but hey that why the tourist come to visit here

[Blasian]

The hotel looks really nice!

 

But for me, I'd have to rethink staying at a hotel that provides ear plugs...lol!

 

---

Ken, I thought the same thing. I am a light sleeper and even with the music blasting until 4am, I did not hear a thing in our room. I did not even need to use the ear plugs. I had restful sleep every night much like I do with the Carnival bedding/beds. The bedding at the Clevelander reminded me of the Carnival bedding.

[Blasian]

Great review. Blasian. Might want to link it to the Florida Departures board as well.

 

Looks like a great spot to stay. Did you drive down or fly in? Looking at options for parking other than cruise port and hadn't really considered SoBe for a 1 nighter pre-cruise, except for a dinner jaunt.

---

Hi. Good idea.

 

I flew with Delta. We rented a scooter occasionally to get around. I did notice there was daily parking around the hotel and in South Beach. The cost was mainly $15/ daily parking.

[Blasian]

Hey SoBe is Wild and Noisy...fun to visit by not to sleep near there... It's a non-stop party... but hey that why the tourist come to visit here

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MiamiLady! hi there

 

Yes, it is wild and noisy and I LOVE IT! :-) Ironically, I did not miss any sleep at all.

[Blasian]

OK..Time for my favorite part of the review..THE FOOD!!!

We ate at several restaurants during our stay in South Beach/Miami. Some restaurants were excellent and some...not so much! I took my boyfriend out to dinner for his birthday at a place called Prime 112. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! Prime 112 was my favorite place for dinner. It is a bit on the pricey side but it was a special occasion so what the hell!! :p

 

FOOD PORN!!!!

 

 

This was my main entree. Jumbo Fried Shrimp w/ Lobster Cole Slaw & seedless watermelon. Price $44. The portion sizes at this place are HUGE. Two people could have easily shared this meal and, in fact, the restaurant encourages sharing.

 

 

The birthday boy's main course was Pan Roasted Boneless Half Chicken with Garlic Mash, Green Beans & Natural Reduction. Price $32.

 

This place was luxury comfort food and it was amazing!

[spideyfam]

The best room key I have ever seen!!

[BlueJacketsFan1]

My wife and I also always do a pre-cruise stay in SoBe. We have always stayed at the Park Central Hotel a few blocks south of the Clevelander. There is nothing in the world like SoBe.

[Blasian]

 

The best room key I have ever seen!!

 

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haha! They should have a hot male's bottom as an option as well....just to be fair...;)

[Blasian]

 

The best breakfast we had was at a place called Big Pink.They also deliver any where on South Beach. The picture above is what I had during brunch one day. I had the Malted Waffles with Bananas and Strawberries. $6.95

 

DELICIOUS!!!

 

 

Another good place to eat on South Beach is a place called News Cafe. They are open 24 hrs and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. They also have the BEST banana daiquiris

 

 

YUMMY!!!

[Trailhed1]

Great info thx for posting. More please.

[Blasian]

Great info thx for posting. More please.

 

----

More will be coming later. Stay tuned.:)

[Blasian]

Continued....

 

 

This is a grilled seafood platter from Cafe Milano which is right on Ocean Drive. This platter was very pricey but large enough to split 2 ways.

 

 

This chocolate concoction reminded be so much of Carnival's chocolate melting cake. SO GOOD!

 

 

Cafe Milano had the best traditional mojito IMHO. We ordered the ginormous one and shared it. I would later order my own mojito.

[Blasian]

Entertainment

These are just some of the highlights of the South Beach/Clevelander experience.

 

Our group of 4 found a really sweet deal for a private tour of the Everglades. $99. It was VERY cool and one of the highlights of the trip. That's me on the air boat.

 

 

Parasailing

$85(single)/ $170 (tandem)

FUN!

 

 

The Clevelander had shows every night we stayed there. The shows mostly consisted of unique blends of dancing. This woman was a pretty decent ballet dancer. The Clevelander requires a cover charge for NON-GUESTS of the hotel. We did not have to pay for these shows. I did notice that there were always huge lines trying to get into the shows/bar.