City view-poolside
“Party in the city where the heat is on, all night on the beach ’til the break of dawn” ~ Will Smith
On our recent trip to Cuba my daughter and I overnighted at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami for a little R&R and to review the property. The travel concierge organizing our Cuba trip suggested a different Miami hotel, I called one of my very best friends who works in PR and asked for his advice, he said “the Mandarin Oriental is the ONLY hotel you want to stay at – darling”. He was right.
Here’s the 411:
Location: The Mandarin Miami sits on a private beach, close to shopping, with a view of the city. This is not South Beach, you won’t find any degenerates or weight lifters lurking about, this is the hotel’s own little beach with hammocks and cocktail service. It’s a quick trip from the airport and a quick trip to the mall if you have last minute shopping needs, which I always do.
Your own private beach
I have never seen a hammock with a city view
The pool: It’s not huge, it’s not for kids, but it’s just right. A great view, the bar within close reach and coddling poolside service. What more could you want really?
Can’t see the view because she’s busy checking her text messages
The rooms: Each room has a panoramic view of Biscayne Bay and the city. Each room also features balcony to lounge and enjoy the views. The rooms have all been recently renovated and are very minimalist and swank. The bathrooms are marble and feature the uber fab Shanghai Tang bath products. These are hard to come by and made our showers in Cuba oh so much more enjoyable.
View of Biscayne Bay and the city skyline
The food: The recently opened La Mar restaurant on property offers Peruvian cuisine by famed chef Gaston Arcurio. We didn’t have a chance to try the restaurant as they were doing a soft opening for friends and family, and we didn’t make the cut. So instead we ate poolside and can safely vouch for the sushi and cocktails (I can, Macie can’t). Later in the evening when we decided we were too lazy to head in to town for dinner they were kind enough to bring us room service pool side. We wanted room service, just not – – in our room. I love hotels that have that kind of service ethic. If only the entire world worked that way.
Every hotel should give service like this
The spa: I asked for an 8:00pm massage because I fantasized about getting a great treatment and then immediately falling asleep. I was prepared to be underwhelmed by a city spa, and to be honest the waiting area did not wow me. Then they took me to my treatment room and my jaw literally dropped. Book a night massage, make sure you get a suite and then find some way to get locked in there for the night. Also, the massage was great.
View from my massage table
What you need to know: It’s not in the “hip” part of town, it’s the only hotel on Brickell Key, it feels very residential and very chill which I loved. It’s any easy cab ride to South Beach or the mall or wherever your heart desires. It’s not a place I would take small children mostly because they would ruin it for me. The rates seem really reasonable to me, running a quick check you can get rooms for under $400 a night (depending on room type and date) which is an amazing price for what you get. If you do decide to bring the fam and book a two bedroom suite your rates will claim north of $1,500.
My daughter and I were guests of the Mandarin for our one night stay. All the photos are mine and are subject to copyright.
