More about Chesterfield Hotel
Mixed Bag
by TripAdvisor Member cbspuches
THE BAD: I had to move rooms due to a roach infestation in my first one, and two, the receptionist called me a liar when I told her I was told upon check in that a $20 fee gets you a 3 p.m. check out.
Roaches are all over Miami, and the world, but the exterminator told me he visits the Chesterfield mosre often than other hotels because they don't take his advice on cleaning properly.
Although I was a bit rude to the aforementioned desk clerk, no one likes being called a liar, and it's not worth alienating a customer over a lousy 1/2 hour.
The GOOD:
The rooms are very nice, and great value for the price. The showers are either very cool or annoying, depending on the type of person you are.
I liked them. And the sundeck is ugly, but if you hate it go to the beach, it's a block away. This ain't the Delano. So overall, if they clean up hte roaches and teach the front desk some manners, I'd recommend it.
Not recommending the Chesterfield
by TripAdvisor Member SandyB
Spent four nights in the South Beach section of Miami Beach -- which is completely fun, by the way. First of all, you should know that almost all the hotels have very small rooms since they were built in a different era with different expectations. The Chesterfield's rooms were no exception. They were furnished wonderfully, however, with sumptuous bedding. The other advantage to this hotel is its location. It's on Collins in the middle of the choicest area, which are both good things. It's also right around the corner from the News Cafe and the Pelican, where we had breakfast each morning. They hotel provides a continental breakfast each morning -- served next door -- which amounts to coffee, powdered nondairy cream instead of half-and-half, middle of the road orange juice (it's Florida for goodness sake) and muffins from a package. The room had only one closet (with 6 hangers) and no dresser. I asked immediately for more hangers, but after 2 days of asking, I finally went out and bought some. There was absolutely no floor room to use your suitcase for storage. I banged my shin on the bed's platform more than once navigating the room. The elevator was pretty much non-functional -- it kept getting stuck on other floors. We had a king bed room on the 2nd floor, so the stairs were not a problem, but we had to listen to this god awful music blaring all night from the lobby. For some reason that wasn't apparent to me, they had two speakers positioned in the lobby toward the street with this out-of-date disco music playing at night. I had previously been looking forward to hanging out at night on their porch, having a drink from their bar, and doing some people watching. Forget that. So -- good location, great bed/bedding, tiny with no storage, mediocre to poor breakfast, nonworking elevator, and way too loud. Perhaps very young kids wouldn't notice these things. We're a couple in our late 40s/early 50s who love to travel to different places and explore.
Not the best
by A TripAdvisor Member
The only good thing about the Chesterfield is the location. It is only a few blocks from the beach and in the heart of downtown South Beach.
However, the room I stayed in was extremely loud and cramped. The bathroom IS the shower. There are no shower doors or shower curtain, and the water gets all over the floor. The lobby turns into a nightclub/bar at night with extremly loud music, so don't plan on getting any sleep until about 3am if you're on the first floor. The bed takes up almost the entire room. I have heard, however, that there aren't many big rooms in South Beach, so that's probably to be expected. The shelves in the closet are so high, anything that you hang up will drag on the shelves. The alarm clock was broken. The staff is not helpful at all. Just an overall lousy hotel.
AMAZING time thanks to a great hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
This is the best hotel for trendy young people. I stayed at the Chesterfield for a couple of weeks and had the most amazing time. All thanks to its great service, location, and cool spaces. It's so modern, trendy and comfortable!!! Didn't want to leave!!! Can't say it enough: IT IS SOOOOO COOL!!!!!!
Are we lost?
by A TripAdvisor Member
I stayed at the chesterfied for about 4 days and it did not look like the picture, However it was not located in South Beach I don't know what these other people are talking about.. I mean it didn't even have a showever enclosed as stated in the add.. Some of the people were friendly but I would not reccommend..
Charming Hotel, roaches and all.
by A TripAdvisor Member
Yes, there are a few roaches that graced us with their presence at night.
Yes, the hallways are dimly lit and you have to really look to see the room numbers (painted on the door near the floors).
Yes, the bathroom is really funky and interesting and the toilet does get wet when you shower. But it is guaranteed to be one of the most unique bathrooms and showers you will ever have seen.
Yes, the rooms are a bit small. But this is SoBe. ALL THE ROOMS ARE SMALL!
But if you're young, not looking to spend a mint for a place to crash, don't care about not having a view, and flexible about small details like the roaches, this is a pretty cool place to be.
The location is terrific...on the edge of the SoBe shopping district and one block from the beach and the glitz of Ocean Drive.
The $5 per room per day "resort fee" buys you the use of a beach towel during your stay and free cocktails in the lounge every evening during happy hour and free continental breakfast next door. The free drinks are small, but they are free and the bartender is very friendly. I wouldnt waste my time going to the rooftop deck...it's where the staff eat lunch, and why go up there when you can walk a block to the beach instead?
I would stay there again if they kill all the roaches (we saw 4 while we were there...they were pretty small though).
Cool, but.......yikes!!!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
Interesting design concept, except it should be called the Roach Motel.
It's not a lie....there are roaches there. We had to move from the 1st floor to the 3rd....we looked, none up there. Very comfortable bed, but we were pretty creeped out. No smoke alarm in room. Phone didn't work.
The doors of other rooms slam very loudly....yes, you will here them slam, CONSTANTLY. The hallway is soooo dark...kinda spooky. Maybe they don't want you to see the roaches. Shower concept interesting...no curtain, but everything gets wet including the toilet paper & towels.
Is it safe to blow dry your hair while standing in water???? The floor takes forever to drain. Wouldn't go there again inspite of the great location.
Hotel From Hell
by TripAdvisor Member H-JMom
The write-up on the hotel was very interesting. Always wanted to stay on SoBe. The room was cheaply decorated - if you could find your room.
I didn't feel safe walking down the dimly light hall, and the door to our room didn't have a dead-bolt lock. We had a rental car that was valet parked - in which we were suppose to give 25 minutes notice if we wanted to use it. On the day we were checking out, they said it would be at least an hour to get the car - which would make us late for the airport. When I insisted that we needed it within the half hour - it arrived all dented down the side.
Bottom-line, service and accommodations were substandard.
Poor service, Smoky Rooms, Roaches, and Extra Fees.
by A TripAdvisor Member
I would not recomend this hotel. We stayed here in December, and had consistently poor experiences. First of all, they charged $5 a day "resort fee" to cover "complimentary" services. (?) Then, we asked for a non-smoking room and were told that their rooms were all either/or, meaning that they were all smoking rooms. Then there were the roaches.
Front desk staff seemed accustomed to all of these complaints. To be fair, the bed was comfortable, and the location good. But I would go to a different hotel next time.
Nice, but not for everyone
by TripAdvisor Member Randy&Lynn
Our room was on the third floor and was very quiet, except when the partyers came home at 3:00 a.m., but that's to be expected in SoBe. If you love the hip, high energy SoBe scene, then this hotel fits right in. If you are looking for a quiet resort, stay somewhere else. No roaches. The furnishings and bathrooms are either loved or hated. My wife is planning on going back; I'll stay elsewhere.
