I find that the reviews of hotels generally are slanted to the few who have a gripe to make. Most people who enjoy a hotel don't run home to write about it, but those who don't, can't seem to stop. As a result, I try to write both with equal vigilance.

That said...be forewarned.

The Vizcaya is absolutely wanting for service, class and just plain cleanliness. My wife and I stayed due exclusively to its 4 star rating. I would agree with many other visitors that the bed and breakfast would not receive 1 star in comparison to any generally accepted rating system.

From the moment we walked in, the service was atrocious. We were clearly a bother to the one person staff member who couldn't have been over 19. She apparently was saddled with double duty of cleaning floors and hosting incoming guests...and we were clearly cutting in on mopping time.

She had us sign in and pointed at our room across the back patio. Parking is atrocious. The room, when we finally did get in, was dank and mildew smelling. I never expect a Four Seasons when choosing a 100 year old bed and breakfast, but I also do not expect the same sheet set from 100 years ago. The beds were extremely noisy and poorly maintained. The refrigerator was inoperative as was the fireplace. We were suppose to have a suite and their suite apparently was determined by the fact that a coffee table was in the room. The carpets were stained miserably and the house abuts an alley that insures that any traffic not found on the carpet was a short glance outside the room. Just a pet peeve for anyone going with a woman or any amount of bathroom paraphernalia...there is no counter space. None. Well, at least not in our room. We were forced to put toothbrushes, hair brushes, antiperspirant, etc... on the floor on a towel.

I can't speak to breakfast because I was terrified to even attempt the "gourmet" meal after the "4-star" accommodations.

Frankly, returning is never an option. While the picture opportunities at the front fountain are fabulous, the rest of the service and rooms were less than picturesque.

We stayed here on our wedding night. What a dump! The furniture was dirty (white/stained brown) chairs in room, dirty bathroom, and lousy service. The room was advertised with a fireplace. We called the concierge for some firewood and they said "Why do you need firewood? It's summertime!" No firewood was available. So, it was certainly a memorable night. Oh, and the breakfast consisted of fresh and canned fruit and stale pastries!

This place is a dump. I recently attended a wedding & stayed in one of their rooms at the Vizcaya. The whole thing was a disaster. The wedding plans got completely messed up, they lost the bride and grooms alcohol (which she provided for the reception) and botched the dinner service, Staff was no where to be found the entire night, her family and friends spent the night trying to patch up mistakes and track down Vizcaya staff, Now they are refusing to refund her any money. The rooms are nasty. The whole place smells like mildew, the rooms are funky and old, water stains on the showers and bathtubs, old mattresses and stained, holey linen. They advertise this place as 4 star, ha ha, what a joke. I wouldn't give this place 1/2 a star. Whoever owns this place should be embarrased. No wonder they are selling it.

The Vizcaya is a very nice bed and breakfast, but did not live up to the billing it got in some of the travel guide reviews.

The inn is located in a beautiful old house that has been reasonably well-restored and maintained. High ceilings, stained glass windows, etc. A little peeling paint on the front steps, and some of the restoration isn't perfect, but it's still a very nice place.

What it isn't is quiet. A person coming up the stairs can be heard throughout the house, and it's pretty easy to make out conversations in the room next to yours. The HVAC comes on sporadically, and sounds like a storm rolling in. Couple these things with the fact that the house sits in a fairly urban environment, and doesn't have dual-pane windows, and you're in for a pretty noisy night. It wasn't too bad, but it also isn't the quiet and restful environment described in the travel guides.

As for the "gourmet breakfast," well... There was a table with few muffins that appear to have come from Costco, some cereal and milk, and (reasonably good) coffee and OJ. The "full" part of the breakfast consisted of eggs (scrambled only) and either toast or a bagel (again, apparently from Costco, and the bagel was so stale as to be inedible). Breakfast, yes, but gourmet--I don't think so.

All said, I'd stay here again, but anybody who's planning to do so should understand that the information available about the place tends to run to hyperbole.