Penguin Hotel - Miami Beach, Florida

If you've already read my review on the "Paradise Beach hotel" you'll know I was unhappy with both of my hotel choices on Miami Beach.  Unfortunately the Penguin Hotel didn't fair much better than the Paradise. Just a short walking distance from one another I found the Art Deco theme on Miami Beach to be more like "Cheap Deco and Uncomfortable Deco".  The simplicity of the room was overdone and tacky - I was so glad we were only staying for one night before our return home to Washington. 

The bed was hard, tables made of plastic and the man standing in the hallway for an hour having a conversation at 1am sounded like he was standing at my bedside.  Although you could of heard mice running down the hallway if they have them in Florida. 

The room smelled of bleach when we walked in, and it was so strong we had to crack open the window and go out for a walk before settling in.  Although don't get me wrong, I enjoy clean, which is probably one of the only compliments I have for this hotel, but they obviously used watered down bleach for cleaning the entire room. 

As for location, this hotel is directly across from the beach and you can't get any closer, but you pay the price!  It's also closer to the stores on the Beach than Paradise was.  I don't recommend these hotels if you're staying in Miami beach unless being on the beach is a must! Next time I will be staying farther from the beach in the city for comfort and amenities. ShareThis

Beach Paradise Hotel - Miami Beach, Florida

Location and a cheap meal is about the only thing this hotel has going for it.  My trip to Miami Beach was thankfully a brief one and I was not happy with either of my hotel choices during our stay before and after a cruise vacation (the other hotel mistake will come later this week).

Upon check-in at the Beach Paradise Hotel the man at the front desk took copies of the front and back of our credit card and licenses, he explained it was their policy.  Something neither my husband or I was comfortable with, but we were already booked there.  They apparently keep them on file if you ruin the room and run off during your stay.  Be sure to request upon check out for them to give those copies BACK to you - we did.

The Hotel is in serious need of updating and renovation.  Our room was about as basic as a Motel 6 and costs as much as a four star resort in downtown Seattle.  Not to mention our TV wasn't working and the noise from outside and inside was horribly loud.  Luckily our stay was only for one night and we spent most of our time out on the beach front and checked out early the next morning.

If your set on staying in Miami Beach don't be surprised to see mostly older hotels set in the "art deco" theme, basically meaning bare bones basic and cheaply renovated and at a HEFTY price.  I may have been able to find something a little nicer on the beach had I spent a lot more money, which was not worth it to me.  Our next trip to Miami we will definitely be a stay in the downtown area which appeared to have nicer hotels and would be just a quick ride to the beach.  

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Disney's Coronado Springs Resort - Disneyworld, Florida

First off I will say, I am digging into my memory bank on this review, but my vacation to Disneyworld several years ago is still one of the Top on my list and Coronado Springs was part of that reason!

When we pulled into the Disney Resort I felt as though I had entered a whole new world, with it's Southwest Spanish style theme, everything is transformed.  This massive resort has several buildings, fountains, a 22 acre lake, 3 pools and a Grand pool with a Pyramid slide.  You can also find restaurants, a health club, salon, babysitting and shopping all within the resort.

My first trip to Disneyworld and Coronado was with my parents and best friend.  My parents were very strict growing up, so I was surprised when they allowed us free range of the Disneyworld property for a couple of days.  The resorts have buses that come every couple of minutes and at Coronado there are bus stops in front of almost every building they have.  You hop on the bus and head for which ever Disney park your heart desires.  Even something a parent can feel comfortable for an older, responsible teenager to accomplish on their own. 

We spent 8 days at the resort and after every long busy day at the park we were happy to come back to the resort for a swim in the pyramid pool and dinner at the "Pepper Market" inside the resort.  I recall every night having dinner with my parents and we'd sit  and talk about all the great stuff we saw and did that day.  GREAT memories I still have!  Some people complain about pricing at the resorts, but it's a theme park and everyone knows when your inside a park prices go up (just because they can), so don't expect to find any cheap eats inside any of the resort hotels or Disney parks.  Save up your money and make this a good trip. You can also purchase a refillable mug for fountain drinks at Coronado during your stay, well worth the money!

Since my trip was awhile back, I looked into the Coronado Springs Resort today and they have since updated their rooms with the newest flat screens, plush bedding and updated decor.  Even nicer looking than I recall and during my first stay, and we had enjoyed the nice rooms as they were.  My FAVORITE part of the trip...turning on the TV each morning on the resort channel hearing "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, My, oh, my, what a wonderful day!"...everyday was truly a wonderful day for us at the Disneyworld Resort.  An unforgetable and memorable trip with my family.  I can't wait to take my children there someday!

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