The Gates Hotel South Beach is a DoubleTree by Hilton at 2360 Collins Avenue, on the border of South Beach and Mid-Beach, and the first thing to be honest about is the setting: it sits across Collins from the sand rather than directly on it. That is not the drawback it sounds. In exchange you get a distinctly better rate than the true beachfront hotels, a warm-cookie DoubleTree welcome and a location that puts Lincoln Road, Espanola Way and the Ocean Drive Art Deco district all within an easy walk.
The mood is playful South Beach colour laid over dependable DoubleTree bones. The roughly 235 rooms are straightforward and comfortable, some with ocean glimpses; the courtyard pool is the social heart, and there is an on-site restaurant and bar plus a 24-hour fitness centre. Nobody would mistake it for a design hotel, but it is cheerful, well kept and easy to use, which is often exactly what a Miami Beach trip needs.
Think of it as a smart-value base rather than a resort. If you want beachfront luxury and butlers on the sand, look elsewhere and pay for it. If you want a reliable, well-located South Beach room with the beach a minute’s walk across the road and money left over for dinner, the Gates does the job with a smile.
