Mrs. MJ on Travel and I recently completed a one-night stay at the chic Conrad Miami Hotel. The hotel receives mixed reviews on FlyerTalk.com, so I was anxious to give it a try and see if the hotel had improved since the first reviews were posted on Flyertalk.
Check-in
We took a cab from Miami International to the hotel. The fare was around $25.00 for the two of us and our expansive cruise luggage. We were immediately greeted by the bellman upon arrival who took our bags and explained to us (although we already knew) that the hotel lobby was actually on the 25th floor. There is a concierge desk on level one that I understand provides check-in services, but we proceeded to the 25th floor, appropriately marketed as “Level 25” by the hotel.
Upon exiting the elevator, we were cheerfully greeted by the front desk staff who checked us in to our bay view corner room within minutes. The desk clerk remarked that he “loved my credit card” which is a Hilton HHonors Surpass Card from American Express. We collected our keys and proceeded around the corner to the elevators which took us to our 17th floor room. Yes, our room was actually below the lobby level. The rooms above level 25 are condominiums, many of which are “sold” as hotel rooms when the owners are away.
The Room
Our room was a corner bay view (apparently an upgrade from what I’d booked) tucked nicely away from the elevators. The room was well appointed with all the modern amenities one expects from Conrad. The bathroom was enormous and blessed with windows stretching the entire length of the wall. There were dual vanities, and a separate tub and shower.
Things to Do
Downtown Miami is not crawling with activity. However, there is a Gordon Biersch restaurant one block away that featured live music on the night we arrived. We spent most of the evening wih friends of ours at the Level 25 Bar. I won’t tell you how many bottles of wine the four of us drank. We also enjoyed a few delicious appetizers. The tab was surprisingly light considering our consumption. Don’t get your hopes up as it was just north of $200 dollars, but still much better than I’d feared. After a slow start, our server turned out to be quite polite and attentive.
We dined at the Atrio Restaurant on the 25th floor for breakfast the next morning. I received complimentary continental breakfast as part of my Hilton HHonors Gold VIP benefit. The hotel was running a special the morning we dined including hot breakfast items (eggs, sausages, hash browns, etc) as part of the continental offering. So we received basically a full breakfast for free. The continental buffet was well appointed with numerous fruits, pastries, cheeses, and deli meats in addition to the featured hot food items. Service was polite but not overly gregarious. Probably just about right considering how late we were up the evening before.
The hotel features a nicely equipped fitness center that was not crowded at all. Equipment included a full range of strength training machines as well as the usual batch of cardio devices like bikes, treadmills and ellipticals Complimentary bottles of cold water are provided so remember to hydrate!
The Bottom Line
I know this review is a little light on intricate details. We didn’t spend a lot of time at the hotel after arriving late in the evening and checking out before noon the next morning. I’ve read some not so flattering reviews on FlyerTalk about the property, but I decided to give it a try and see for myself. Outside activities are a little sparse to recommend the hotel for anything like a weeklong South Florida vacation unless the price is really right and you have transportation. In the end, our stay worked out fine and I have no complaints at all. I’d certainly stay again for a brief business trip, or like this visit, one night pre-cruise. In summary, I like the Conrad Miami overall. Give it a try if you think it might meet your needs.
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