Mandarin Oriental Miami trip report
Sep 18, 2019, 8:05 pm
Mandarin Oriental Miami
500 Brickell Key Dr Miami, FL US 33131
Mandarin Oriental Miami trip report (3 Photos)
Mandarin Oriental Miami
In short: The Mandarin Oriental is a good hotel for those who want to be close to downtown Miami, and don't want to spend much time on South Beach (the drive is rather long)
The hotel is located well, as it's just across the bridge from downtown Miami (and reasonably close to MIA, ~20-25 min drive) but it's on Brickell Key, an artificial island that has the MO and condiminium buildings. This means that the island is much quieter, and you have a nice view of the skyline over the water from one side of the hotel. The pool is nice, and the spa is exactly what you would expect from Mandarin Oriental, which is to say very nice, but not over the top expensive. I'd certainly stay here again, although if I wanted to be on Miami Beach more than once during my trip I'd choose somewhere else.
Do note that some Uber drivers will try to drive into the gated area of the island, which will cause issues- the hotel is to the right before the gate, not beyond it.
Check In
The check-in was overall very nice. Very friendly and warm staff, bags were whisked away directly from the car and all appeared in the correct rooms (still not sure how they did that, as all the bags were matching).
We arrived extremely early off our flight (around 9:45 AM), fully expecting to be asked to return later, but to our suprise both of our rooms were ready in less than half an hour.
Amex FHR benefits were explained and offered proactively- she actually upgraded both rooms without us even asking, which is rare.
Room
The rooms were thoughtfully designed and had great views of the skyline, although as she said she upgraded us to the "bay view deluxe rooms" I'm not really sure what she meant, although to be fair I'd take the skyline view at night any day. 
There was one questionable design element though, which, while fairly minor, I feel that I should address- these chairs. I could find no comfortable way to sit on them, and I don't really understand why they're there instead of a more comfortable armchair or chaise lounge.
Dining
I didn't try La Mar (the hotel's restaurant) but I did have breakfast in the room both mornings I was there. The in-room dining was nice, an an aspect of the service that I always especially appreciate is the call instead of knocking on the door to let you know they are outside.
Service
Staff were overall very warm and friendly throughout the trip. I was regularly addressed by name, and the front desk staff remembered me throughout the trip. The concierge was also helpful in getting us a reservation at Zuma when it was showing full online.
Sep 24, 2019, 12:05 pm
Sep 24, 2019, 1:13 pm
Sep 25, 2019, 4:08 pm
I had an imperfect but still very nice stay at the RC Coconut Grove last Feb—my biggest issue being, drumroll please, of course the air con in the suite to which I’d been upgraded. So the service was clearly excellent to pre-upgrade me I the first place, even if the suite HVAC wasn’t good enough for me. The room I downgraded to (which was what I originally booked) had amazing air con and was very comfortable and well appointed (though lacking any real Miami sense of place otherwise). The F&B was fabulous. The location for me was perfect, as my client is within walking distance of the hotel, but I realize that is not going to be commonplace.
The MO to me was a mash up and trying too hard. I didn’t like the location relative to downtown but agree the FS is a bit sterile. Service at the MO was quite mixed IMO, but the F&B was fantastic. For the rates, I will be returning to the RC Coconut Grove.
Sep 25, 2019, 10:48 pm
I'm a 4S Surfside guy, personally.
However, I can't say much about ANY Miami hotel. They all are underwhelming.
Sep 26, 2019, 9:43 am
Sep 26, 2019, 10:14 am
Service in Miami, South Florida, the Caribbean, and perhaps all of the USA Gulf coast leaves a lot to be desired compared with almost anywhere else with comparable wealth in such proximity.
Oct 6, 2019, 1:26 pm
Last edited by wk989; Oct 6, 2019 at 1:28 pm Reason: Add Quote
Jan 8, 2020, 7:13 pm
Apr 19, 2021, 6:37 am
Location: A huge selling point. You're on the Private Brickell Key Island which means you're very close to Downtown Miami without the problems of being in Downtown Miami. You can even walk back there if you want but otherwise you're on a private island with no public parking. It's easy to get to I-195 or I-95 to get around too if you want.
Hotel: Very nice. Gorgeous looking from the outside and even better on the inside. An amazing lobby with a nice lobby bar which had live music at night. There's also a pool bar with some local beers on tap and of course La Mar their restaurant which is excellent. There's also a spa and a nice faux beach you can lay out at as well. The pool and beach areas as well as the elevators are all key card controlled which you want. Service was phenomenal from everyone we encountered and the prices at the bars aren't bad.
Lobby
Pool
Brickell Beach
Check In: A very friendly agent helped us out and confirmed if we wanted to use the FHR late checkout. We were also told we were upgraded but I'm not sure what the upgrade was except maybe to a higher floor as I'd booked a Deluxe Skyline View King and I think that's what I was in.
Room: Really nice. I was glad to find a huge bathroom with sunken tub and separate shower as well as lots of space. There was a work area which I appreciate, outlets near the bed, a big TV with a lot of channels and a small balcony. Wifi worked well and there were no soundproofing issues.
Dining: I had drinks at the pool bar where service and prices were good and they had some decent beer options, drinks at the MO Lobby Bar where pours were huge and service again great and a really nice breakfast at La Mar where service was again great as was the food.
Pool Bar
Breakfast
Amenity: I got a box of chocolates at check in and then later an edible Zen Garden was brought to my room.
We had one issue, the water pressure in the shower didn't work in the morning but it was fixed right away. Overall a great hotel, well worth the money and one I am excited to come back to some day.
Last edited by CMK10; Apr 21, 2021 at 11:04 am Reason: Fixed picture
Apr 21, 2021, 11:05 am