The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort

To continue on my Hotels and Resorts Fest 2020, I hopped on another flight after checking out of The St. Regis Atlanta where I had one of the most fabulous times of 2020. Since COVID literally cancelled all of our planned international trips for the year, the least we could do was to live with what’s available to us, which is to explore our very own backyards. That is, somewhere not too far away from home.

Set on one of the most prominent locations in Miami Beach, Florida, The St. Regis Bal Harbour is a Category 8 luxury hotel and resort in the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. 

BOOKING:

Taking advantage of the Marriott off-peak rate introduced in June 2020, I booked a Grand Luxe Guestroom 1 King Oceanfront room using 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. As at the time of this booking, the cash rate of this room was $492 per night. In most cases, I’ll usually apply Suite Night Awards (SNAs) for a suite upgrade at hotels of this caliber, but the only option for SNA was Astor Luxe Guestroom 1 King Oceanfront. Merely 25sqft bigger than the room I booked.

From the moment you walk up on the red carpet through the door (depending on what entrance you use), you are welcomed by charming decors which feels like you have just entered into one of the world’s best art galleries.

From charming high ceilings to stunning chandeliers, this Forbes 5-star and AAA 5-diamond property is truly one of Miami’s masterpiece.

CHECKING IN:

The glittering marble-floor lobby was very roomy with plenty of seating area, with a concierge desk adjacent to the front desk.

Related: The Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne

Like many other St. Regis Resorts, the check in process at this hotel had a little bit of personalized one-on-one check in experience whereby you sit while being checked in. Although the hotel was still stingy with a suite upgrade during check in, but I was assigned a room on a higher floor, a bit higher than what I originally booked. I pushed harder for a suite upgrade, but it wasn’t my lucky day. 

Prior to my arrivals at the hotel, I had received an email saying the famous St. Regis butler service will only be available to take limited request, and that unfortunately it is not complimentary. I actually didn’t have any baggage except my backpack since my bag was left in Washington DC by American Airlines. 

After being directed to the elevator bank, I was ready to explore my room 1611. At this point all I wanted to do was to stretch on one of the daybeds in the balcony admiring the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean.

THE ROOM:

One of the things that sets this hotel apart is the fact that every room has an Oceanview. Whether you book the least of the standard room, or the best of the suites available, regardless, every room gets a minimum of 210sqft balcony with the view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Realistically speaking, the room was nicer in person than it was in pictures. Exquisitely appointed with a curved sofa, 1 King Bed, another single-seater chair, coffee table, a work desk and chair.

My favorite part of the room was the balcony. Not only that I had the view of the ocean, but also the pools of the residences. The balcony had 2 daybeds and a side table, and also a dining table for 2 overlooking the Atlantic. A trip to Miami during the global pandemic doesn’t get any better than this.

Related: The St. Regis Mauritius

The marble bathroom had a soaking bathtub, 2 single vanity sinks, separate walk-in shower with rainfall showerhead. One of the two robes was in the bathroom, while the second one was in the walk-in closet. The bathroom also had a lighted makeup mirror attached to the wall mirror. Another favorite part of mine in the bathroom was the Remède bath products which I graciously love to collect.

And like many of the other luxury hotels and resorts I’ve been to; the telephone is also mounted on the bathroom’s wall right by the water closet at this hotel. The second vanity sink was a few steps away from the toilet. I was quite impressed with the way the bathroom and the toilet looked spotless and was even more impressed seeing that the faucet had a St. Regis logo on it.

I personally liked the way this hotel room was structured. From the entrance along the hallway in the room, the bathroom is located on the right with 2 separate doors on each side, the water closet and the walk-in closet are located on the left. 

The dressing room / walk-in closet had plenty of storage drawers, the second Frette robe and slippers were also located in this room. You’ll also find iron and ironing board inside one of the closets in the dressing room.

THE HOTEL AMENITIES:

Since this was a stay during COVID-19, some of the hotel amenities were temporarily unavailable until further notice, but the hotel did make up for that to some extent. 
The Resort Fee was slashed in half, which I think was a kind gesture from The St. Regis Bal Harbour since other hotels in the area did not follow suit. I only had to pay $25 in resort fee plus $2.75 tax. $27.75 in total, instead of the full $49.95. 

A St. Regis Bal Harbour Bloody Mary Spice Mix was available in the room as part of the resort fee amenities. There were also access to other amenities like 2 beach chairs and a umbrella, 2 bicycles, bottled water as a pass-around amenity, morning tea / coffee at the lobby.

Although the resort seemed busy, but the beach was actually not crowded. The main pool was kind of busier than the beach during my stay.

Related: Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas

The family pool deck, which is the main pool, was right outside the doors of Atlantikos and the hotel gym. There were plenty of daybeds and loungers all around the pool deck. The pool area has a terrace just a few steps from the pool where you can lounge and enjoy Miami sun. And if you would rather have some privacy in your own cabana, there are plenty of those around the pools too. Of course, it’s for rent.

Above Atlantiko’s Bar, which is the poolside bar, located the second pool called Tranquility Pool which I believe is more of adult pool. Though this pool was closed during my stay, but I was able to get access it for some pictures.

As I mentioned earlier, the hotel gym is right across Atlantiko’s Mediterranean Cuisine. While it wasn’t that big, this athletic club has enough equipment to get your workout on. And if you’re a fan of Peloton bikes, then you’re in luck because you’ll find one here. You don’t always find Peloton bikes at many hotels. So, nice touch St. Regis Bal Harbour.

FOOD & BEVERAGE:

Breakfast was served at Atlantiko’s Bar which is the bar at the main pool area. A-la-carte menu served to-go via counter service only. There were also grab and go prepackaged items on offer. The to-go breakfast actually made in-room dining possible without all the ridiculous service charge and tax that usually come with it.

I spent most of my time here just chilling on the balcony admiring the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean. And honestly speaking, I actually wouldn’t mind waking up to those views every morning.

La Gourmandise, Private Dining, Mini Bar services, The Grill, St. Regis Bar, Atlantiko’s, Kids Room (Sea Turtle Room) and Business Center were all unavailable during my stay.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS:

I must say it was a great stay and even a great way to redeem some of my Marriott Bonvoy points. It was great seeing the hotel going above and beyond following the guidelines regarding Covid-19. Although it was disappointing for the hotel not to have honored my 4pm late checkout since they started calling my room around 2:30pm for checkout. I was told the most they could offer was 3pm. I didn’t checkout until 3:30pm though.

In conclusion, this is one hotel I would love to visit again and again, even despite the not-so-impressive service. I hope I get a chance to return here again when things are back to normal, and hopefully The St. Regis Bal Harbour get things right by then.