Miami

St. Regis – Ritz Carlton – W South Beach.

1. The St. Regis, Bal Harbour, Miami.

Perhaps what has become my favourite brand over the years as its perks sets it apart from the rest. The last I ventured into Miami was 1989, we stayed at the Hilton Fountainbleu and had this amazing view facing north with the ocean and river perpendicular to one another, I will never forget it. For some reason I always wondered how or where this river ran from until now.

Bal Harbour is the start of the Miami Beach area and more exclusive than the over crowded South Beach.

Is Miami South beach the most famous beach in the world?

The booking.

Initially I had a booking on their points + cash rate option of 15k +$275 however all the taxes and fees made 0 sense so I opted to use the full 30k points per night rate.

Note: the 30k was the highest tier amount in SPG, currently its at 60k after the August merger into Marriott Rewards ( where it should have been 90k !), after Jan 1 2019 in the new program this hotel will go up to 100k in peak on points.

The upgrade.

“Yes Sir, as a Platinum guest we can upgrade you to the Royal Suite but can you please get here in 45 minutes” said the Reservations Manager on the morning of check in.

My reply: ” I’m just down the road, I’ll be there in 10!”

St. Regis comes with the best of everything. All the appliances in both kitchens of the Royal Suite were kitted out from Sub-Zero Wolf. Try $7000 for a Fridge, $2000 for a dishwasher and $10,000 for a stove. This Suite had it all and in duplicate.

The Royal Suite.

Shattered! My upgrade benchmark as well as my personal nomination for Suite of the year 2018 in TL travels.

I posted videos of the upgrade via Instagram of the stay, check it out dated 4th April 2018.

This 183 sqm Suite had 2 wings joined by a lounge and dining room on a high floor in the middle of the hotel with full sea views. It boasted private lift to suite, whilst we have previously had private lifts in previous upgrades such as Gold floor, Fairmont Royal Clock Tower Makkah however never to the Suite alone. All in all it had:

2 King bedrooms.

3 Full Bathrooms.

2 Walk in closets

5 TV’s

Full Living room + Dining Room.

2 Full Kitchens ( with 2 Dishwashers)

3 Balcony’s with 6 deck Chairs.

A Laundry

The St. Regis Personal Butler. ( Loved this 24 hr service that includes tea/coffee/milk and cookies as well as unpack and hang service – all in white gloves) See previous St. Regis trips to Bangkok and Kuala Lampur for more on this.