Clinton Hotel South Beach

The Clinton is a small, 88-room building, but it somehow manages to pack in a hot tub, a deck, a bar, and a restaurant. It draws mostly younger guests (20-30 years old, generally) from the U.S. and Europe looking for a cheap hotel close to the beach, shops, bars, and restaurants. Though most of the young, glistening bods by the pool were in South Beach to party -- the hotel itself is quiet. Most guests keep to themselves, even while sunning shoulder-to-shoulder on the deck.The hotel even unveiled a touch-up in 2011, with a updated lobby, restaurant, and poolside lounge. The common spaces have an uber-cool South Beach vibe with modern furniture in all-white spaces, accented by bold pops of color.

At Eighth Street and Washington Avenue, the Clinton is only two blocks away from the beach. Unlike the row of hotels farther north on Collins Avenue, this hotel is surrounded by residential apartments and condominiums. Guests aren't kept awake by noisy teens late into the night, but clubs and restaurants are all a good five- to 10-minute walk in either direction. Or, if guests are wearing heels and don't feel like springing for a cab, there's a bus stop right by the entrance (though, the bus system is Miami is pretty unreliable).

The rooms all hover around the 250- to 300-square-feet mark (just like the Townhouse), and are broken into four types. The standard queen is the smallest and has only one queen-size bed (yup, you guessed it). Double rooms, with two double beds, are somewhat larger, fitting in a small sofa by the foot of the beds. Spa suites and loft suites are just studio rooms like all the others, but both come with Jacuzzi tubs. Higher-end suites are larger but don't have balconies like the somewhat smaller loft suites. Don't get carried away, though -- balconies at the Clinton either look out onto the neighboring apartment buildings, into the hotel's small courtyard, or out over the slim reflecting pool (not for swimming!) that randomly cuts through the north side of the building.- Rooms are bright and made the most of natural light with two large large glass panes separating the bathroom from the bedroom

• Beds are comfortable, though the linens are pretty basic
• The couch can easily double as a child's bed, if need be.
• Smallish TV offers Netflix
• A CD player
• Balcony rooms overlooking a reflecting pool are available

• Resort fee covers Wi-Fi and beach towels
• The hot tub in the Clinton's enclosed courtyard that's large enough to double as a mini pool, and has plenty of pool chairs to lounge around in
• Free airport shuttle
• Computer in the lobby for guest use
• Watersports center across the street
• In-room dining
• On-site restaurant open daily for food and cocktails
• Free continental breakfast