Frommer's Review
Corporate big shots and celebrities not in the mood for the South Beach spotlight here have a high-end luxury hotel to stay in while wheeling and dealing their way through Miami. Catering to business travelers, conventioneers, big time celebrities (J-Lo, Jacko, Will Smith, and so on), and the occasional leisure traveler who doesn't mind spending in excess of $500 a night for a room, the swank Mandarin Oriental features a waterfront location, residential-style rooms with Asian touches (most with balconies), and several upscale dining and bar facilities. The waterfront view of the city is the hotel's best asset, both priceless and absolutely stunning. Much of the hotel's staff was flown in from Bangkok and Hong Kong to demonstrate the hotel's unique brand of superattentive Asian-inspired service. The hotel's two restaurants, the high-end Azul and the more casual Café Sambal, are up to Mandarin standards and are both wonderful, as is the 15,000-square-foot The Spa at Mandarin Oriental in which traditional Thai massages and Ayurvedic treatments are your tickets to nirvana. At press time, the Mandarin Oriental Miami had just opened its 20,000-foot white-sand beach club with a fabulous Friday-night happy hour, complete with beds with white cushions and canopies, beach butlers, and beachside cabana treatments, which is nice considering the hotel is 15 minutes from the beach. Celeb tidbit: Michael Jackson felt it necessary to autograph one of the paintings inside his suite even though he didn't paint it.
Facilities:
2 restaurants; 3 bars; Oasis Beach Club; infinity pool; state-of-the-art fitness center; full-service holistic spa; outdoor Jacuzzi; outdoor jogging trail; concierge; business center
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
