Overall, my stay at The Hyde Resort & Residences, unit 404, was mediocre or average: an acceptable 6 out of 10 stars. Not bad at all, but also not the luxurious resort stay the Hyde bills itself as. Here are a list of pros and cons...
PROS
- exceptionally clean
- lovely modern decor throughout the unit, with an ultra-modern kitchen
- an excellent shower stall
- steps from the beach
- great location: minutes from the Hollywood Broadwalk; a 20-30 min drive to downtown Miami; 20 mins from the Ft Lauderdale airport and the Hard Rock Casino
- the Terrazas Restaurant located within the Hyde on the 9th floor was very nice, with tasty food (a bit pricey, but that should be expected, to an extent, in a touristy area).
- Enrico was very communicative and informative with details concerning my stay
CONS
- the reception staff was a bit aloof and apathetic. Not rude or impolite, but not as friendly and accommodating as one might expect from a luxurious hospitality business
- vacationing residents had access to only one elevator, which was often crowded; wait times for the elevator to get to the 4th floor sometimes exceeded 5-10 mins
- the valets seemed to be rather slow or understaffed for the volume of vehicles they receive. The main driveway areas were typically crowded with lengthy vehicle lines. I didn't have a car, but the crowdedness of the valet area still negatively affected me bc it's a cluster if you have to wait on a ride-share to pull in, or food delivery
- the view, while pretty, wasn't a full ocean view. There is a 3 story building behind the Hyde, between the Hyde and the beach, which has a spa and a bar/restaurant in it. This building obstructed a full ocean view, so from the balcony one can only see the ocean to the right of left of this building. The pictures for this ABnB were cleverly taken to limit visibility of this building
- not reliable internet at all. Each night I was there the internet went out temporarily for periods of 30 mins to a couple hours. The staff could offer no explanation as to why, and it wasn't just affecting me but other residents as well
- DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL RESORT FEE. The front desk hits you with this before you can check in. They told me it was standard for all beachfront rental properties as instituted by the city, county, state or whoever. I do believe it is mentioned in the ABnB description, so it's not blatant deception, however it is something that's easy to forget about as you book the unit. If I remember correctly it amounts to an extra $25 per day. The cost isn't that high, but it still sucks to have to pay one more fee before you can get to your unit
PERSONAL CONS (These are small cons and nitpicks I had personally which might not bother other people)
- I wanted to have the balcony doors open for a cool ocean breeze while I slept in late into the early afternoon, but this was difficult bc there was always noise coming from the spa/restaurant behind the Hyde - like busboys throwing bags of noisy bottles into metal dumpsters, vehicles pulling up and honking, etc. And bc I was on only the 4th floor, all this noise was very noticeable. This was all outdoor noise. The unit itself was very quiet and I never heard any neighbors. And don't get me wrong, once I closed the balcony door it was perfectly quiet; it just would've been nice to leave it open while sleeping in late
- I was unable to use my Chromecast (and I'm sure this would apply to other casting devices) on the TVs in the unit bc of the general internet offered by the Hyde. It was a technical issue within the router due to the unit's internet being shared amongst other units as well, and I didn't have access to the router to adjust this.
- the cleaning crew was just finishing up and walking out the door when I arrived to the unit. The only reason this was an issue is bc, due to my flight, I arrived an hour, hour-and-a-half late to the unit. If I had arrived right at the 4pm check in, they wouldn't have been done cleaning and would still need to work for about another hour to prepare my unit.
- the gift shop was INSANELY expensive. $20 for a small beach towel; $20 for a beachball - a regular, plastic, blow-up beachball?! Yikes! - and $38 for a small, light foam boogie board. And these were only the items I browsed. I get it: it's a touristy, convenient gift shop, and one should expect higher prices, but cmon. $20 for beach ball! Come prepared and try to avoid the gift shop at all costs.
- AGAIN, I REPEAT, JUST IN CASE YOU FORGOT WHILE READING MY REVIEW, DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL RESORT FEE.
In conclusion, overall, my boyfriend and I did enjoy our stay at the Hyde. Although, for the list of negatives and inconveniences I encountered, I wish the final cost would've been a bit cheaper, but we don't feel gipped or robbed at all. 6 out of 10 stars.