Miami 2021: Summary

Highlights

• Amazing weather
• Speedboat Tour!!!!
• Great food options near both hotels
• Beach paths, especially in South Beach

Lowlights

• Hugely disappointing stay at St. Regis
• Small rooms and no quiet areas to work at Hyatt Centric
• South Beach area was more seedy than expected

What Went Right

• Flights were full but went smoothly
• We were much better off using Lyft instead of renting a car
• Lots of great food options within walking distance to both hotels

Takeaways

I wasn’t a big fan of Miami before we went. I had been there a couple times and hadn’t had great experiences. This time I had a better experience, but I’m not sure this is destination is high on the list for a return trip.

South Beach had some great restaurants near the hotel and it was close to the beach (which was a nice beach), but the area never matched the expectation I had. The parts of Miami proper we went to didn’t seem all that glamorous or interesting, either. The only exception were the mansions on the bay we saw from the speedboat tour.

The South Beach hotel was in a pretty good location, despite not being directly on the beach. The rooms were quite small, especially since we were all trying to work at the same time. The hotel didn’t have any quiet public areas to work, which was frustrating. Granted, most people don’t go to South Beach to work, but a little peace and quiet would have been a nice respite.

I have to admit that I was REALLY looking forward to staying at the St. Regis hotel. I’d read many blog posts about how amazing it was. Nearly every review of a St. Regis raves about how wondering the brand treats guests. The St. Regis Bal Harbour seemed like it was a bucket list hotel for many.

The reality of our stay was drastically different from what I expected. The staff was generally unhelpful. The room had numerous serious issues that never got resolved. Service was not good for any hotel, much less a 5 star resort. The hotel location was surrounded by other large buildings and it wasn’t the private oasis of tranquility I had hoped for. The beach wasn’t anything special, either.

The interior of the hotel was ornate to the point of tackiness. The security details did not blend into the background and were a source of stress rather than reassurance. It felt uncomfortable for us to be in public spaces because of it. We used“suite night upgrade” certificates on this stay, yet the room would not be considered a suite in any hotel I’ve every stayed at. It wasn’t even a room on a higher floor.

The speedboat tour was definitely the highlight for the boys. It was only 45 minutes, but they loved every second of it. They enjoyed the beaches and pools at both hotels. They found restaurants they liked at both locations, too.

While we’ve had our fill of Miami for awhile, we did have a good time, overall. We tried not to let our negative experiences with the room cloud the rest of the vacation. It was generally relaxing to be in the warm weather in February and we got to experience things we couldn’t at home. While we won’t be returning soon, it was good to have experienced it in the first place.