We recently stay there in December and love it especially for the price. Our room/hotel definitely seemed renovated and spacious. Not sure about the pool area because we never used it nor walked out there. It was probably a 15 min walk to Bayside and Brickell. We also rode the metro mover for free which is right across the street from the hotel. It was about a 5 min ride on the metro mover to Bayside and the mall. Not sure about eatery in the area since we pretty much ate at Bayside or the mall. Ask for a high floor in the back you get a view of the water. We did take Uber to the port which cost $15. Here are a few pics.