Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
As of 1 MAY 2021, my wife and I were both fully vaccinated and ready for a trip anywhere. We were ready to get back on a Delta jet for the first time in over a year and a half — and ready to see the ocean. Due to zero travel, we had piled up a number of IHG free night certs from our Chase IHG cards and started to look where we could string a number of nights together to use them all up at once.
We chose Miami and South Beach.
A few days in tropical sun and toes in the sand sounded simply glorious. And this hotel seemed to check all the boxes we were after.
Did it, though? And did we get real value from our certs? Let’s dive in and start with the important parts, that is, the pool and beach.
Kimptons are a neat concept and I have to say I have never had a “bad” stay ever at one. The staff in South Beach were great. I can’t say enough about them. Helpful, accommodating, and welcoming. Tops!
The pool area is a decent size. While some have complained about how packed chairs are during the pandemic, I had no issue being fully vaccinated and outside. That said, there were disappointments.
The larger chairs i.e. two-person padded ones were a $150 upcharge per day (you get $150 bar credit but that does not last long as prices are just wow). Upstairs space or private cabanas? Pay up for the privilege. Bottom line is you get a chair free – that is it!
Do keep in mind the hotel charges a hefty resort fee that I did not try to opt-out of of the resort fee because it included one feature I was looking forward to! What was that you say?
Beach time! You get a reserved chair and towel service at the beach! Yes please. But, not so fast. Want an umbrella to not cook in the summer sun? You guessed it – upcharge. Sigh. I hate this “show me the money” everywhere you turn. On to our room.
As IHG Platinums, we were not extended any kind of an upgrade and given the room we booked. It was fine, clean and the bed was comfortable. The AC worked well (a must-have in Florida, clearly).
The closet was tiny but had a safe that worked. The bathroom was also clean and everything worked as expected. Even the wifi speed was decent. Simply no complaints here.
Overall, it was a pleasant stay and a welcome one as our first “real” trip away in well over a year. Wine hour is a nice perk before going out to some fantastic dinners within walking distance of the hotel.
So would I go back for an extended stay again?
No.
The resort fee, for what you get, is simply ridiculous. The unwelcome feeling that you can not enjoy most of the hotel without paying up — BIG TIME, at that — is just nasty. Not providing an umbrella at the beach was the deal breaker for me and will keep me from returning again.
Would I stay one night before a cruise from Miami? Only if my Chase free night cert covered the hotel cost but with the new revenue-based fee charts the chance for that is slim. – René
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I was just recently there as well and my experience was similar to yours. I did get a Platinum upgrade, but just to a courtyard view rather than city view which isn’t much but they were also at capacity so understandable. The umbrella thing is customary in most of Miami Beach (and elsewhere). Other hotels I have stayed in have a similar setup. I did get a free umbrella using the Kimpton “secret password” they put on social media. I found the food expensive, but having someone deliver it to me right on the beach is worth it to me. I found all the food very tasty. When you look at comparable hotels in the area, the Kimpton is actually a good deal price wise and one of the few that you can use a loyalty programs free night certs with.
I have stayed here maybe 5 times over the last 6-7 years. Would I say here again? Probably not. Not because of the hotel, but because of the crowd. This area used to be quiet and where a lot of families stayed. The party crowd was always down on Ocean Drive. That has changed. The streets did not feel as safe as they were in the past. There were people frequently smoking dope on the beach and street. A lot more drunk and homeless people. Rap music being blared on the beach rather than being able to hear the waves. It is no longer the quiet, relaxed section of Miami Beach.
Stayed here in November on points (it was so cheap I couldn’t even bear burning an IHG cert on it). I’d largely agree with your thoughts on the place. The attempts at nickel and diming are overkill. We were able to get the resort fee waived though, which made the stay feel much better. We did love the tropical landscaping and riding the Kimpton bikes along the beach boardwalk.
Overall I think South Beach as a whole is cruising on its former glory. Nowadays it’s not that great of a place to be in general, but everywhere still charges like it is. There’s still some nice spots from North beach upward.
Great Review. Trying to figure out whose toes belong to who. Lobster looked mazing. Hope you are both safe and well.
Take care
That room (though not the bathroom) looks like a dorm room! Hard Pass on anything Florida for me right now but definitely on this hotel in particular.
@Mark – My visit was at the end of May this year. I agree – now is NOT the time to travel.
I stayed here a couple of years ago with the free nights also. I didn’t really like the room, the pool and location was the reason I liked the stay. I’m from Miami and there’s nicer options but nothing beats “free” annual fee.