We had already booked this hotel before I read the comments bt Alfie posted 14 Feb, so it was with trepidation that we carried on.

The only difference for us was the owner was friendly and we did get the king size bed we booked. So for the full description read his posting.

The whole place could have done with leaving a few doors open to air the place as the first thing that you notice is the smell of damp.

Yes we were woken up on the Sunday morning to the noise of the next room having a "good time".

Breakfast.... we didn't bother with we went and found a Denny's.

Homestead is not an area that I would have liked to have walked around after dark but it is a good location for the Everglades. I did look longingly at the Days Inn a couple of times wondering if it was any good.

Recommend the Italian 1 mile down the road "Capri" great food

We found this little place while searching online prior to a trip to the everglades last year: The only joint in the area with 3 Diamonds in the AAA book. The gent at the desk (I don't remember his name) was friendly and welcoming. The room was nothing special, but we thought the rough edges were just the cost of staying somewhere other than a corporate chain. Quirky. Quaint. And the price wasn't too bad, either.

Well, OK, so the shared upstairs patio overlooks an unroofed machine shop and the banging of steel on steel makes for a helluva wake-up call; but at least total strangers can sit at a table right outside your sliding glass doors. And, of course, it's always nice to hear everything going on in every room from the hallway. Nice that everyone can hear what you're doing, too. So, I guess you could say the place is...intimate.

It was odd to see a fully outfitted dining room and bar without a soul in the place. I mean, no one. Nobody. Empty. Not open for business it seems. Lonesome. Quiet. Some would say "dead." And it was a bit of a pain to find out that the breakfast nook had closed. A full kitchen; a full set of chairs and tables; a nice little spot right at the front of the place by the front desk--and what you find are paper cups stacked next to a thermos of warm coffee. A handful of pre-wrapped twinkie-like treats. A few pieces of fruit. And no one on call. The place has all the surface appearance of an elegant hotel without one bit of substance to support that impression. Well, the front desk area is nicely restored, I'll give 'em that. A pretty sight, too, after passing the signs on the front veranda warning off loiterers and malingerers--and a survey of the area in front of the hotel doesn't help to alleviate the impression that sign will leave on you during a late-night check-in. But the halls are pretty.

Anyway, we remembered the place fondly after our first trip there. Love and romance can render extraordinarily inaccurate memories. For example, who’d remember that the air vent dripped water all over our clothes hanging on the rack? That kind of thing can easily be overlooked in retrospect. So, we didn't think twice about it when we called again to visit our little place in Homestead. I mean, hey, after a year the kitchen's got to be opened, right? And if not, you can still grab your girl's hand tightly, put your head down and scamper through the tracks and construction rubble to town to get a bite to eat.

Nope.

Still no in-house action. Same thermos. Same shrink-wrapped treats on a table. Same empty, unused bar and dining room. But, really, who cares about this? It's the place itself that counts, yes? It's a work in progress, a nice place to stay in-the-making and we get to see it take place a little at a time. The point is, we thought we were glad to be back.

We’d called ahead to reserve a room with a King-sized bed. We like to get a lot of rest on vacations and that’s what suits us best. We’re laying out money for a room—why settle for something we don’t want? For the record, we’d have been OK had they told us nothing was available like that. We’d have stayed somewhere else, but also would have been glad to try the Redland on our next trip. No problem. But we got great news—they had a room for us. Just as we wanted and for both nights—one at either end of our trip. We were relieved. We were happy. We were staying again at the Redland!

First night: It seemed a little….off, somehow. The carpet seemed a little….crunchy? And there was a bit of a mildew stink to the air. Well, it’s South . Florida, after all. And we can’t fault the owners for the natural order of things in the environment. Well, a shower will help. And a pretty good one too, if you can avoid tangling your feet in the detached, loosely flapping anti-slip strips that have come undone. One wonders why no one has bothered to make such a simple repair, especially as this alone would give a paying guest the impression that he was staying in a slightly re-worked flop house. I tied not to be negative and look in the corners too closely.

The real fun was on the last night of our trip. Back at the Redland. Keep in mind that this makes us three-timers there. We’ve come back twice. Got it? Now imagine our surprise, after calling not once but twice to confirm our reservation AND our king size bed and getting affirmative guarantees both times, to find ourselves in a room, well, not exactly what we had reserved. A visit to the desk resulted in no help whatsoever. The place was booked and we had no choice. Back in the room…well, now we’re disappointed, and a little PO’ed , as well. Off come the blinders. What’s that on the floor? What’s the stuff built up in the corners of the shower? What kind of mold IS that, exactly, making the ceiling plaster buckle and crumble? THIS is a three diamond hotel? Almost enough to make you want drop your AAA membership.

The real irritation though, came when we talked to the front desk, and the owner, about the room. At first we were told there was no record of our request for a king-size—despite the fact that we had called TWICE to confirm. And then we were asked “Who made the reservation for you?” “Was it K----? She’s the new girl.” And then, “Oh, K---- made the reservation? she’s the owner.” So—is she the new girl, or the owner? We’re here for the third time, and you’re going to lie to us? The next morning’s conversation with one of the owners was worse. You can’t RESERVE a king-size room, she says, you can only request one. Nice. Would have been OK had they bothered to tell us this on any one of the phone calls instead of the very opposite of what we were now being told. The real irksome thing, though…the ATTITUDE with which our complaint was dismissed. Here’s what we were told: “The family in that room yesterday extended their stay. Rather than move them to a new room for another night, it was just easier to put you two in another room.” Along with this, a snooty, dismissive look, as well; as though she’s the one who’s being put out. Ah. So.. It was just easier. I don’t know: maybe the Redland is doing well enough that the owners don’t have to care about talking down to the guests who’ve returned for several visits. Maybe that’s it. It’s just easier not to vacuum the carpet. It’s so much easier not to fix the slip-strips in the shower. Maybe it’s just easier to ignore the mildew and the crumbling plaster too? Just like it might be easier not to replace the torn-up maps and tattered local guides left in the drawers. It’s easier to ignore the little conveniences like that.

We loved the quaintness of the Redland the first time, despite the little vagaries here and there. But this last trip is, in fact, our last trip to the Redland. A three Diamond Hotel? Look at the pictures uploaded here, and you decide. It ain't quaint. It's just sloppy and run down. Thanks Redland, for one nice trip. Thanks for nothing on the last one.

Found this hotel through this site.

Hotel is very clean and staff id friendly. The rooms are very spacious and comfortable.
Internet didn't work in the room, and there was some noice from the neighbouring room through the door.

Price was 99 USD, which I consider to expensive, compared to what we payed throu out CA, but it seems that every hotel in FL is expensive.

People that complain about this hotel probably have some personal problems.

Neighborhood is OK, nothing special, but OK to walk at night and OK restaurants in walking distance.

This place was an absolute GEM. We decided on a road trip for the New Years Eve holiday so we sorta winged it on motel stays. We drove thru Miami and soon decided to keep on driving as prices were rather extreme. I looked up Homestead as it would be a close stop for our final destination of Key West. Thank GOD for trip advisor. We had stopped at many hotels along the highway and fouind them all rather dirty and expensive for the experience. I finally decided to look up if there would be anything else in this town thru this site. We were very happy to have found this Inn. It is a historic hotel and the rooms were clean as well as large. We had a couch and a great deck to enjoy evening night cap on wicker seated tables. The room was quiet and very nicely decorated. If you enjoy clean, budget hotels, this is the absolute place to stay if you go to Homestead.