Hotel Strand Ocean Drive Suites (Miami Beach, USA)

It’s right on the beach and the room itself is enormous. At these prices, you can’t really ask for, or expect, anything more. Whether you are a party animal or just here to relax, don’t miss out on the stunning rooftop pool.

From this Oceans Drive setting, South Beach is an easy walk away. The location couldn’t be better and whilst taxis are easy to get hold of, most folk can reasonably walk to restaurants, shops etc. Or, get a Citi bike!

The first thing you notice is the cleanliness. The second is the friendly service, plus the fact that towels are changed daily. It goes without saying that the beds are supremely comfortable.

Some guests state that they are less than thrilled. Because of poor design, bad plumbing – or both – the shower floods the floor on every occasion that it is used. It’s not bad enough to drown the ants though. Plenty of them - apparently - particularly in the kitchen. Some appliances need upgrading or replacing as instanced by the hairdryer which shows every sign of imminent explosion. Day or night; strangely, the security gate defies its title and remains permanently open.

Management must have sat around howling with laughter when they came up with the monumentally expensive cost of valet parking. Members of staff are nice though and they’ll happily tell you about alternative parking nearby that’s less than half this price.

They need to re-define the word ‘balcony’. It seems that these vary a lot in size and dimensions. The more dramatic of these are exceptionally narrow and are little more than an invitation to jump.