Lovely hotel with some negatives outweighed by the positives.
Jun 26, 2022 davyp777 Durham, United Kingdom
After two years of cancellations, we were able to make this trip to Miami and incorporate it into our Ruby wedding anniversary celebration.
I booked a Junior Suite for a four night stay with breakfast included and we were looking forward to our stay after learning about the history of the hotel.
We arrived late due to utter chaos at Miami…
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After two years of cancellations, we were able to make this trip to Miami and incorporate it into our Ruby wedding anniversary celebration.
I booked a Junior Suite for a four night stay with breakfast included and we were looking forward to our stay after learning about the history of the hotel.
We arrived late due to utter chaos at Miami airport, however, we eventually arrived at the stunning reception area to check in. We were the only guests checking in at the time and the process seemed somewhat unnecessarily protracted.
Our allocated room was reasonably spacious and tastefully decorated, although the bathroom was disappointingly small. There was no separate shower just a tub, with a shower head above. I didn't realise that shower curtains were still a thing - I can't recall the last time I saw a shower curtain in a hotel.
That said, the shower was powerful and very good, the downside of which was the curtain sticking to your skin while trying to wash.
There was a balcony overlooking the magnificent golf course but another disappointment was the absence of patio furniture to sit and enjoy the view.
Unfortunately once settled in bed, it became there was an issue with the grill on the AC unit as it was annoyingly rattling. I attempted to secure the grill, but was unsuccessful and eventually switched it off which resulted in an uncomfortable night.
The problem was reported the following morning, but by mid-afternoon, hadn't been rectified. I contacted reception again and two maintenance guys arrived to secure the grill...or so I thought.
That night the AC was fine, but by the following day, it was back to its rattling and we just decided to live without the AC during the night. There was also a persistent noise throughout the night from the air/water handling system feeding the unit which again, was annoying.
It was good to see that housekeeping was undertaken daily post Covid and that was certainly a positive.
Another plus was free self-parking, although like most US hotels, they charge a 'resort fee', however, the sting of such a fee is mitigated when parking is included as opposed to an additional charge. I had no issues finding a parking space as the parking area is large.
The area the hotel is set is very opulent and pleasing to the eye, however, there is nothing within walking distance so for many, a car will be required. Downtown Coral Gables/Miracle Mile is only a short drive away where you will find restaurants and shopping and Miami Beach was an approximate half hour drive depending on traffic.
We intended having our anniversary meal here, but we decided to go into Coral Gables as we were both disappointed with what was offer at breakfast. If you cannot get basic breakfast items cooked to a decent standard, we didn't have confidence of having something more sophisticated at the hotel restaurant.
The setting for breakfast was lovely and the staff were really nice, sadly, the food couldn't match the environment.
We opted for the buffet during our stay and the items never changed for the four days we were there. Furthermore, the food is kept heated by lamps that are cremating the food. The scrambled eggs had to be cut into squares in the gastro tins to serve, and as much as I like my bacon crispy, I prefer not to have it dehydrated. The sausages were also way overcooked and as for the waffles, they just disintegrated due to over exposure to the lamps.
Any chef who cares what they cook should be checking what is being served and replenish sub-standard food. The hotel was charging $35 for this sorry offering and I would be demanding a refund if the breakfaast wasn't included in the rate.
On a Sunday, they serve a brunch and sadly, the service at Breakfast totally disappeared as it seemed all the catering staff were preparing for (I suspect) a lucrative brunch event.
For sure, there were negatives on this stay, but I would still very likely return if they could iron out some of the niggles that could so easily be resolved.
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