HotelChatter

Getting There: Our cabbie did not know this hotel as a Wyndham Garden yet, but he did know it as the Bel Aire (and that sign is still on top of the building). There's another neon red sign saying "Kenmore" above the door. Then there's a Wyndham Garden welcome mat at the entrance. If you need help with directions until the hotel's new identity sticks, just look for or direct your cab to the Miami Beach Police Station. The hotel is across 11th Street from the cop shop.

Check-In: We arrived around 7:30 p.m. and noticed a few people sitting in the lobby. The front-desk clerk was on the phone so we had to wait a minute or two but he was efficient and friendly and we were heading upstairs to room 311 within minutes.

Room Reaction: We skipped the dinky little elevator to take the stairs, partly to 'enjoy' the color-fug-ful hotel carpet and to scope out the surroundings. From what we could tell, the renovation we had read so much about in the Hotel Indigo days had been rolled out to most, if not all, of the property. The bright colors and shiny white furniture made us think of Ikea, while the turquoise-painted walls reminded us of the ones at the newly redone Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Our room seemed to be a decent size for an Art Deco building in South Beach, and everything looked new. Some of it (the flooring, the chair in the corner) looked cheapish—but new. The colorful-coastal design was a bit cute for our tastes but perfectly comfortable. The closet had plenty of storage space, we liked the full-length mirror on the closet door, and the bathroom was typically small (that whole SoBe Deco thing again).

Amenity Madness: The TV was flat and large (32 inches), the bath products were from the Bath & Body Works True Blue Spa line, and glory, glory, there was a single-cup coffee maker and (free) Colombian coffee pods. There was a couple of pieces of fruit sitting on a shelf above the desk but they looked a little forlorn. The pillows still had Hotel Indigo logos on them… and, uh, one of the pillow cases was dirty, so we immediately tossed it out of sight.

Internet Connect: Free in-room WiFi!. Fast, too. Bravo, Wyndham. (Oddly, the network was named Wyndham SB, but one time we logged on, a Hotel Indigo broadband page popped up only to promptly vanish again.) The shared computer function told us that most PCs in the building were still named for the Indigo brand.

Location, Location, Location: Do you like to feel safe? Well, the Miami Beach Police Department is just across the street. We could even see into their gym from one of our windows. (Safety also equals occasional sirens. We heard one, but to be fair, we heard two in other parts of Miami Beach later in the day.) The 11th Street Diner is across Washington Ave, and the hotel could hardly be more central. OK, so it's not on Ocean or Collins, but we kind of dig the parade of weirdness that is Washington Ave.

What We Liked: The friendly, laid-back staff and vibe, the newness, the introductory $99-a-night rate, the convenient location, and the free, fast WiFi.

What We Didn't Like: The dirty pillow case. The fact that the only thing separating the pool from the unpredictable Washington Ave was a few palm fronds and a low wall. That's mostly it. We fear that the fresh, clean, new feeling of the interiors will inevitably fade, but overall this really is a great choice if you're looking for something affordable and easy.

Bottom Line: Once the Wyndham gets rid of the last traces of anything Indigo, we think this will be a leader in its category. It was certainly one of the best rooms we've ever found in South Beach for $99 a night. If you want frills—cabanas and name restaurants and serious pool scenes—stick to the Delano, W, Gansevoort, and co. If you want cheap, easy and breezy… Give the Wyndham a whirl.