JumboJet

Too bad. Leave the kid on the mainland.

juuceman

Most US hotels, including the Edition Miami will provide one crib at no charge for children under 4 or 5. In our experience, if you ask housekeeping after the crib is delivered they'll bring up any bumpers, etc. that you might want but they tend not to do so initially. Also, highly recommend that you request either a diaper pail or extra plastic bags for dirty diapers. Rollaway beds here are usually twin-size beds that are brought into the room.

Four Seasons Miami opens late March 2017, so anything you might hear is advertising and not based on actual experience. That said, I'm sure that it'll be a wonderful stay.

Faena has 119 keys. The hotel's public and common areas are significantly larger than they needed for a hotel of this size. The gold plated mastadon is the center of the outdoor space and pretty cool to ogle, day or night.

jp-mco

All the places we've stayed with our daughter since she was born have provided nappy bins. Four Seasons / Peninsula / Dorchester Collection all seem to do it without asking but now I've compiled my own stay list (thanks Macmyday!) and it's on there. We wouldn't ever use a bumper with a cot and if they've been put on by housekeeping we've always taken them off. Our daughter still prefers little sleep bags rather than sheets so we'll be taking hers with us.

I do appreciate anything we've heard about FS Surfside is still advertising at this stage but I've never had a bad experience at a Four Seasons and certainly when we stayed for 2 weeks last August at Cap Ferrat it was one of the most enjoyable stays I've ever had in a hotel and from our experience at least they're great for families.

Faena does look superb and if we had more time to spend in Miami I would definitely consider it! I do prefer properties with a smaller inventory (part of the reason I chose FS over Edition and StR Bal Harbour) and so Faena would certainly fit the bill on that score.

MacMyDay

Pleasure! Even though you've already made up your mind, for what it's worth, I've stayed at The Setai 5 or 6 times and wrote previously on FT that I changed my mind about it during my last stay in Nov '15; from believing it was a good hotel for Miami, to concluding since its change of ownership that it's a very good hotel. Have yet to try Faena, but have been thinking about going there in March.

jp-mco

The Setai has been on my 'list' for a long time but when I looked at the rooms and compared them to those at FS Surfside I just thought they didn't look as good. I have to admit I'm very very tempted by Faena and have spent a bit of time this afternoon looking to see if I can rejig our itinerary to spend less time in Key West and return to Miami for the last night so we can stay at Faena. My wife does despair at times - that's what you get being married to a luxury hotel junkie. Still, she did get 3 weeks on the Cote d'Azur in August and I only insisted on trying 2 hotels!

trojanman

I'm trying to identify a hotel I stayed at about 10 years ago. It was in SoBe but not on the water. Very small and boutique-like (maybe 10 rooms?). Very luxe with a full pre-arrival workup about preferences, etc...fancy italian soaps and fine linens. It had a private members-only social club and an Italian restaurant onsite. Anyone know what it is/was, and if it's still around?
TIA!

SanDiego1K

Villa Casa Casaurina??? - though this faces the water.

trojanman

Thanks after some more research i figured it out...Casa Tua. But Casaurina is on my list also!

KatW

Do any of the lux hotels in the Miami area qualify as a destination in themselves?

scented

Hardly, considering the service mentality of this region. FS Surfside might be your best bet if you enjoy not being on South Beach. If it has to be Miami proper, Faena comes to my mind and is pretty OK. I used to like The Setai when it was affiliated with AZ, these days not so much.

Interestingly AZ is still very much active in the Miami area, although more consulting.

uclabruin82

If you like to work out a lot on vacation, I think you would be happy spending 3-4 days at the Carillon without leaving. Tons of classes in different settings and a great spa area.

KatW

Thanks for those tips, scented and uclabruin.

jp-mco

FS Surfside would be my first choice. I’ve stayed there 3 times now in different room categories and they’ve all been great. The service is great, the hard product second to none in Miami and the location near Bal Harbour is good.

bhrubin

Forgive me, everyone, but I’ll gladly take the very tried and true luxury at the St Regis Bal Harbour—where we actually will be staying in late Oct/early Nov while visiting for the Ft Lauderdale International Boat Show. The St Regis has been the toast of north Miami Beach for years for many reasons, and the new FS a few miles away does little to change that.

I know the FS Surfside is suddenly a popular pick here on FT, but I think people are overlooking how new it is to the the FS portfolio and how problematic the FS resorts and service usually are at comparable resort properties in Hawaii—crowded with families who want to recite the FS name and yet clearly enable a lack of proper luxury service standards. From what I’ve heard and read, the FS Surfside seems to be more of the same. I’ll take a pass, thanks.

jp-mco

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind staying at either as the St Regis Bal Harbor is a great property too. Also, they seem to be able to retain their Five Diamond status and the rooms are a bit more reasonably priced than the FS Surfside.