Hotel Review: St Regis Bal Harbour
To celebrate my birthday, my husband and I took a trip to Florida and stayed at the St. Regis Bal Harbour. Bal Harbour is just 15 minutes north of South Beach, in Miami. After arriving at Fort Lauderdale airport, it took us just 20 minutes to drive to the hotel which is right on the waterfront.
Stepping into the impressive lobby was like entering an oasis of calm. Quiet and cool, we checked-in sitting at a desk rather than just standing at a kiosk, and we were given cold towels and champagne. The agent said that we had gotten upgraded from the original booked Jr suite to a Deluxe Oceanfront suite because of our SPG Platinum status. Wonderful!
The property has 243 rooms, including 71 suites. In order to access our room, we were shown which elevators went to our floor. Instead of pushing a button, we simply waved our card key over the sensor and the elevator opened.
There were 27 floors, and we were on the 12th. Once we got out of the elevator, our room was directly in front with only access to our room and one other via that elevator. Very convenient.
The suite we were given was 1,450 square feet with two balconies. After passing by a half bath the room opened up to a large dining area.
There was a kitchenette to the immediate left, stocked with enough plates and glasses to host a party.
The kitchenette came with a Wolf burner.
The huge well-stocked fridge had more drinks than my fridge at home.
And a classy minibar.
A lighting fixture that looked like upside down candles hung floated above the dining table, which seated six.
To the right of the dining area was a second sitting room with TV and wardrobe. Because it was a bit dark and the other rooms offered ocean views I didn’t spend any time in here. It would be a good place for entertaining though.
The main sitting room had a large flat screen TV and a DVD player, and was decorated in muted tones.
I liked the touch screen controls, that allowed everything to be controlled from one place.
The living room sofa was great, large and comfortable.
Through the main sitting room was one of the balconies.
The view was gorgeous, and there were two loungers placed just right to enjoy it.
There were also two chairs and a table, which was a great place to enjoy breakfast in the mornings.
Just through the main sitting room was the bedroom.
It came with it’s own balcony, another TV, and work desk.
The bed was so comfortable it was a good thing that there was a view right from there. It looked out to the second patio, and the on the ocean beyond.
Dual closets lined the entryway to the bathroom.
The stone and glass bathroom in warm tones was large and had a his & hers sink.
Lighting controls on the wall made adjustments easy with just the touch of a finger.
The shower was huge and had both a handheld and overhead rain shower.
The bath amenities were by Remede.
One night, my husband arranged for a birthday surprise to be delivered to our suite after we returned from a dinner out. The plan was carried off by the butler and staff without a hitch. It was an amazing surprise indeed, and the cake had been made by the chef at the restaurant. It was dense, moist, and very tasty.
After a trip to the beach the next day, the wind picked up and the temperature got chilly.
I moved indoors to watch the storm.
As is often the case in Florida, the rain came suddenly and as a downpour. The hotel staff hurriedly tried to stack up all the beach chairs and bring in the umbrellas.
I watched as a large full lounge chair cushion floated down along the beach, and a cabana boy go running after it. The cushion got away, and the boy returned empty handed.
It was fun to sit on the balcony and look out over the waves, and right inside I had all the comforts of a well-appointed suite.
This hotel was a great place to stay. It had a wonderful vantage point over the ocean and pool, the service was attentive, and the room was quiet and relaxing. I would definitely stay here again.
SPG Category 7. 30,000 – 35,000 points for a free night depending on season.
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What was your nightly rate in points/dollars?
Hi Jake, thanks for reading! I took advantage of a special offer. The offer was book any suite, get the second night for $4. Total cost was $603 for two nights. I was very happy with the upgrade.