**3/5 – **
We stayed at Moxy South Beach and had two rooms: one room with 2 separate Queen beds for a couple, and another room with bunk beds for 4 people. Overall, I would give it 3/5. The location is excellent and some of the amenities are useful, but there are several areas that could definitely be improved, especially the pool cleanliness, air conditioning, and lack of storage.
The lobby is nice, with plenty of seating areas and a small foosball table. There is also a complimentary breakfast available until the end of October, including coffee, creamer, hot water, tea, packaged muffins, bananas and apples. It is convenient if you do not want to spend money eating out, but do not expect a proper breakfast buffet — it is really just the basics.
One of the biggest advantages of the hotel is its location in South Beach. Many places are within walking distance, and the free trolley stops right in front of the hotel and can take you around Miami Beach. I recommend downloading the Transit app to check real-time schedules and get step-by-step directions.
The room with 2 Queen beds was quite good. The beds were large and comfortable, the sheets were clean, and we had two pillows per person. The TV offers Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, and you can also connect your phone. There are 2 USB-A ports, but no USB-C ports. The air conditioning worked very well in this room.
The bathroom has a large shower with the toilet in the same area. However, the tiny solid hand soap provided was not very practical or hygienic in my opinion. The hair products in the shower were also quite poor quality, and one of the dispensers was broken.
Another thing to know is that there is almost no storage space in the rooms. There is no proper wardrobe, only some space under the beds and several hooks on the walls.
The bunk-bed room for 4 people is extremely small. You really need to be aware of this before booking. With four people and four suitcases, the room becomes messy very quickly and there is barely enough space to move around. More importantly, the air conditioning did not work properly in this room, and unfortunately the reception staff were not very responsive about the issue.
The rooftop pool is a very good size and gets plenty of sun, but this was also our biggest disappointment. Over the course of our stay, the water seemed to become less and less clean and eventually looked quite cloudy, as if the pool was not being cleaned properly. The pool cushions were also dirty and did not seem to be cleaned regularly. This is a shame because the rooftop area could otherwise be very enjoyable. Towels are available, and having fresh drinking water nearby is a nice touch.
You should also be aware that the hotel charges a deposit of around $400, which is taken from your account, as well as resort fees of roughly $30 per person. These fees include some benefits, such as 2 hours of bike rental for two people and 2 beach loungers. For the loungers, you need to go to the blue beach hut and show your hotel card. Before heading to the beach, remember to take water and pool towels with you, and return the towels to the hotel afterward.
There are also restaurants and shops right downstairs, which is very convenient. Enzo from the hotel staff was very friendly and helpful.
Parking inside the hotel is very expensive at around $56 before tax, so I would recommend using the nearby public parking garage, which is around $20 per day instead.
The beach itself is nice, although there was a lot of seaweed in August.
Overall, the Moxy South Beach has a great location, comfortable Queen beds and useful amenities, but the hotel really needs better maintenance, especially around the pool area. The poor air conditioning in our bunk-bed room and the lack of responsiveness from reception were also disappointing.
For these reasons, 3/5 feels fair.
