May 10

May 10 Ritz Carlton Miami South Beach - An Interesting Blend

Miami has long divided people - some say it’s an unparallel bastion of sunshine and freedom, others claim it’s as fake as the crypto influencers that hype it. The Ritz Carlton South Beach Miami attempts to straddle this divide between beachy and trendy, and makes it work. However, there were certainly a few things that could be improved, which is it ranks middle of the pack, and unfortunately not worth its price point.

Booking

Miami hotel prices during March were extremely hi, driven by a confluence of Spring Break, Ultra Music Festival and the warm weather. Prices range from US$750+ for a basic room, which on the high end for Ritz Carltons, and indeed the value of a night here. That being said, Ritz Carlton South Beach on Miami beach is amazing, as it is right at the center of the action while being slightly isolated.

Though the sign above the Walgreens does cut down in the mystique. The entrance is located on a quiet side street, and is fairly low key by Ritz Carlton standards, likely due to the fact that valets efficiently moved cars through. I did see several Lambos and Ferraris occasionally wandering through

Check In

The Ritz Carlton South Beach Miami was renovated in 2020, and I must say it’s one of the best lobbies I have every seem (move over Ritz Carlton Hong Kong).

It managed to turn one of it’s weaknesses (lack of natural light) into one of it’s strengths. This is helped by the fact that there is a Prosecco cart from 3:00-4:00PM, as well as an alcoholic icecream bar from 4:15-6:00PM.

Checkin was done swiftly for me, for some reason multiple other guests took a while (nothing against the hotel). I was kindly upgraded to a Lanai Pool View King with direct access to the pool, and for this hotel it means direct. This room was also a tad bigger at 400sqft than the standard 375 sqft based room, and featured a nice private outdoor “terrace'“. Furthermore, I was given two welcome drinks at the DiLido Beach Club, which is a semi private club that unfortunately closes pretty early. I didn’t end up using these drinks, and funnily enough at the airport I saw another similar voucher in the trash.

The hotel was quite generous in giving out branded water, which I found in contrast to my experiences at full service Hilton properties.

One additional thing to note was the late checkout, a Marriott Titanium benefit, was only granted until 1:00PM as opposed to the standard 4:00PM.

Room

I received a room on the 3rd floor, which is where the pool and the Zaytinya restaurant (a mezze style restaurant) were. The hotel overall was perfectly walkable, and I enjoyed this airy feeling decor that the hotel tended to favor outside of the lobby.

The room itself was pretty good, except the desk. Not this desk though, which was quite handy.

Next up was a connecting door, presumably for families to use, as well as a large table with a TV.

One annoying thing about luxury hotels is that they typically have a minibar to mark things up, and extract extra revenue from guests. The Ritz Carlton South Beach Miami takes this a bit further to Vegas level, offering both a minibar and a shelf of overpriced snacks. Remember, you can get free bottled water just by asking for it!

There’s also a surprisingly affordable Walgreen’s liquor right next door as well if you need to stock up.

Underneath the table, the hotel provided a Nespresso machine, the hallmarks of any self respecting hotel.

Next up we have a rather weirdly placed chair and very very small table, as well as a indoor shade. Why the shade?

Because of your direct pool access of course! I was a bit concerned about the potential for noise, but a combination of sturdy construction and the fact that everything dies down a bit when the sun does down means I slept soundly.

Next up is the table and chairs, which I found uncomfortable. Alas, this is my fault, as I was attempting to do some immigration related work while in the room.

I also respect that the hotel put a look / viewbook of expensive things with absolutely no price tag, although I suppose if you can spend thousands of dollars on a Miami hotel you don’t need to worry about the prices of most things.

As for the bed, it was as comfortable as one would expect, and I enjoyed like lying there in the morning recuperating.

The nightstand was rather basic, and I was surprised at the lack of charging options. That being said, the lighting / room controls were definitely fun to play with.

As for the washroom, I was definitely impressed, especially since this was considered a non-suite type room. While the sink was not as amazing as the Ritz Carlton Cancun, I appreciated the level of amenities provided, including fan favorite Diptyque.

There was also a large tub, which unfortunately filled rather slowly.

There was a separate shower and toilet, which again were fairly standard for a luxury hotel.

Finally, opposite of the bathroom, was the bathrobe; I found it funny there was only 1, given the maximum occupancy of this room. Or the hotel knows that I’m sad single pringle.

And while I unfortunately forgot a picture of the entirety of the room, I give props to the design team at this Ritz, as the space felt very airy and large enough for 4 people.

Amenities

The hotel, being sandwiched between the beach and the roads of Miami, also gave a “sandwiched” vibe in terms of it’s amenities. It had an excellent pool setup, an okay gym setup, and honestly a terrible beach setup because guest’s didnt get their own private beach :(.

Starting with the pool - it’s a tad strange that a hotel so close to the beach would put such a emphasis on it’s pool, but I am glad it did.

The guests are Ritz Carlton, especially for a Miami crowd, were quite respectful of the opening and closing times of the pool and of having a good ambiance in general.

The staff also came around with random snacks during the day, and I managed to snag some crackers.

There were also quite a few empty cabanas for rent; surprisingly, even though this was spring break, the hotel wasn’t quite at capacity. Finally, there were several hot tubs dotting the main pool - I consider it a great luxury to have hot tubs right beside your room.

One benefit of the Lanai Pool View King room is the direct pool access - I used this to, in the mornings, pour myself a cup of coffee and vibe out in the daytime.

Beside the pool, there were several restaurants / bars. Besides the Zaytinya, there was also the DiLido Beach Club. Note that the place closes at 7:00 / 8:00PM, and note that if you have complementary cocktail vouchers from the front desk.

There is also the Lapidus Bar, which thankfully is open much later. Despite the empty looking photo, I did see quite a few patrons at the stunning bar later on.

Next up we move onto the gym, which to be honest was a tad small.

That was partially balanced by the slightly bigger business center (with free printing!), which I used quite frequently.

The hotel does have a few ballrooms and conference rooms, although I can imagine that people are a bit too preoccupied with outside to have any meetings.

Finally, beach access. The Ritz Carlton South Beach Miami doesn’t have it’s own private beach (see my next review for a luxury hotel that does), the hotel does have it’s own private beach entrance.

That being said, look at those amazing views!

The Service

Was pretty good! Everyone at the hotel was welcoming and helpful, though thankfully not to an overbearing amount. Shoutout to the well dressed African American gentleman manning the ice-cream / champagne cart. While I like anyone who feeds me those things, this man jovially engaged with all the guests, and was more than happy to answer questions about not only the hotel, but of the surrounding areas. I will say the lack of late checkout, which is something other reviewers experienced as well, was dissappointing.

The Point

For a beachfront property in the US, the Ritz Carlton South Beach Miami is certainty good. That being said, it does not command it’s US$750+ price tag, partially due to the lack of it’s private beach, and partially because it felt more like a city resort. That being said, the hotel did have an beautiful design, good staff, and fairly adequate amenities. It just wasn’t worth the premium, especially since the beach was so nearby!