8/10 Very good
Great place but a few kinks need to be worked out
Hotel right on the beach with newly renovated rooms, but limited service. As others have said, lots of rules, and they need to work out a few kinks to unlock its full potential.
Property:
Previously the Hillsboro Beach Resort, the former property's name and branding have not been replaced, including the sign for the hotel off of the street and on each of the hotel room doors. There is very little Sonder branding, which is confusing and also a bit surprising since they bought it in Sept 2023.
Room cleaning is offered every few days (the exact policy is not clear but for a 9 night stay they offered us 2 complimentary cleanings). Paper towels, toilet paper, soap, garbage bags etc are available in the lobby.
They are big on using the app, but we still needed to check in and out in person, and also the room cleaning would not work off the app so had to do that in person. The service we got in person was good.
There is a covered public area besides the lobby between the pool and beach which is called a breezeway, which frankly is a bit shabby and dark and needs a refresh.
The pool area is well kept with great views of ocean. The pool itself had a decent amount of sand in it.
Room:
Beautiful, newly renovated, clean, modern. Lighting was not good though (too dark). And the bathroom counterspace was limited.
Our room had a kitchenette in it. Be aware that the cupboards and drawers were completely bare. The fridge was tiny with a very small freezer section. Considering no restaurants or stores nearby, bigger fridges and a better equipped kitchen would have made the stay better.
Beach:
Beautiful beachfront. The onsite restaurant Ya Mas runs the beach and rent the beach chairs and umbrellas. They have a rule that you cant use your own beach furniture. However, you can simply walk a few feet over on the beach where a rope marks off the property line and plant your stuff down at a neighboring property where these rules don't apply or at least no one is enforcing them.
I also don't think this area of the beach is cleaned like the public beaches are. More jellyfish seem to be on this section of the beach.
Valet:
Yes you must park with valet ($25/day) and you have to use a website to request the vehicle. The valet people were great, but it is a bit annoying that they move the car seat and even steering wheel placements.
Location:
Quiet stretch of beach. If you walk a few minutes in either direction the beach is basically deserted. However, there are no shops or restaurants nearby. Going south, there is no sidewalk on the road but there is a bike lane you can walk in. Going north, there is a sidewalk that you can use to get to Deerfield Beach where there is a boardwalk and shops/restaurants (30-40 minute walk).