Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, Surfside, Florida
 

Introduction We recently spent a weekend at Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club. It's glamorous, classic, and family friendly. Here’s what we loved the most:- The history is legendary. Originally opening on New Year’s Eve in 1930 by California tire tycoon Harvey Firestone, The Surf Club was loved by countless celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elizabeth Taylor, and Winston Churchill. Vintage photos of grand themed galas and famous guests line the walls of Peacock Alley. The original club house holds true to its past through the architecture: original exposed beams, grand archways, and original terracotta tiles.- The dining is world-class. The highlights of The Surf Club are Michelin-starred Le Sirenuse Miami and Champagne Bar, located in the original Surf Club ballroom. The Mediterranean dishes and innovative cocktails capture the best of the Amalfi Coast and sister restaurant in Positano. Recently opened is Thomas Keller’s The Surf Club Restaurant with classic cocktails, European-inspired menus, and live music. Winston’s on the Beach is the casual, outdoor dining option with a focus on regional ingredients and a location convenient to the pools and beach.- The rooms and suites are modern, bright and fresh. Rising above the original club house, The Surf Club’s 77 stunning rooms and suites have dreamy interiors designed by Joseph Dirand. Five cabana studios with beachy vintage color palettes, terrazzo floors, and private outdoor decks offer a true sense of place and gorgeous ocean views.- The beach and pools have a resort feel. Quiet, private, and expansive with full service and beach toys & games for the kids, the narrow 900 ft stretch of beachfront is an oasis from the crowds and energy of South Beach. Bikes are complimentary with easy access to the riding path. The quiet adult pool and lively family pool are the perfect temperature and Rodrigo and his team are exceptional. “Cabana Row� lives on with 40 day-use poolside cabanas for guests.- It’s great for families. Kids For All Seasons (for kids ages 4-12) offers daily programming, is always complimentary, and staff have educational backgrounds. Kids will stay busy with lawn games like corn hole, giant Connect Four, Chippo, and Jenga. Pizza making in Le Sirenuse is a fun activity for all ages.- Good to know: Le Sirenuse and The Surf Club Restaurant can be hard to get into. Be sure to book reservations well in advance.- Perfect for: Couples, babymoons, and multigenerational family getaways.

Thank you for the review. Considering staying in Miami in January but a little surprised at the prices—does this hotel offer decent value for the $1,000+ price?

Yes, I think it does offer good value. All of the best hotels in Miami Beach will be expensive during January... and with only 77 rooms & suites the FS Surfside frequently sells out during peak season.

FS Surfside is my favorite hotel in Miami, and we heard other guests saying the same. I also think the service, hard product, and history make it worth the cost, and I think that everyone that can experience it should, at some point. It reminds me of the Beverly Hills Hotel, which I love (but with new / modern rooms & suites). FSPP breakfast credit at FS Surfside is also a generous $120 per day... so that helps :-)

Are we really accepting Surfside as being Miami these days?

Good point :-) I should have said my favorite hotel in the Miami area... FS Surfside is also on Collins Ave, and so close to Miami Beach.

The bar reminds me at the Astir Palace

Realistically
 

A realistic review of this hotel —

Very disappointing Offers very little value for money .
Rooms are small with absolutely no privacy, balconies offer no boundaries.

historic areas of hotel and the bar are very interesting . Liked the champagne set up.

La Sirenuse is ok nothing special wasted opportunity.

Thomas Keller restaurant is horrible clearly caching in on his name recognition . Just avoid not even worth trying.

In general not as bad as the Disney four seasons but not worth a visit . Look elsewhere .

the above review is a puff piece I’m guessing hotel is not doing that well

Exceptional hotel
 

We visited the Four Seasons Surfside last month and had an excellent stay. This is our second stay here. It was fully booked all 5 nights.

The rooms at the Four Seasons Surfside are large, with the entry level room starting at 600 sq. ft.

The quality of the furnishings and bathrooms particularly are very high. I took photos of the bathroom in the hopes of incorporating the look into my own home.

Both Le Sirenuse and the Thomas Keller restaurant are fantastic, not inexpensive but everything we had was delicious and competes with the best we have had in Italy and the NYC scene. A private tour of the Keller kitchen was a highlight I recommend requesting in advance. We ate Le Sirenuse all of the nights of our stay and triedalmost everything on the menu, enjoying all of it. Do not miss the tiramisu. Its a standout dessert which is no easy task.

The pool service, for both the family and the adults only pool was superb. They could not do enough to make you comfortable.

I enjoyed taking the complimentary bikes out on the beach boardwalk.

Good value is a tougher question. This is the place you go when you want the very best, and a truffle lobster omelet.

It's really nice to see FS at the Surf Club receiving some love on this forum. I remember when it first opened there was a lot of scepticism that they might not be able to equal the service standards of St Regis Bal Harbour and Faena. We've stayed there a few times now and we've never had a bad stay. We recently took one of the oceanfront one bedroom suites and it was spectacular. Being able to use the included media room as a second bedroom is fantastic. I love the aesthetic of FS at the Surf Club so it's great to see that being incorporated into the renovated FS Palm Beach too. If you've not done it before I can't recommend the cabanas at FS Surfside enough; they have a double cabana (which they don't advertise) which carries an upcharge over the normal cabanas but is well worth the cost. As we've got two daughters it's great that if you take a cabana they let you use the 'quiet' pool with kids. The quiet pool is so much nicer than the family or cabana pool and if you take a cabana they will reserve a daybed or loungers all day for you at any of the pools. It's probably our favourite property in all of Florida.

I'd agree that the Oceanfront One Bedroom (~1,800sqft) is the best option/value for families of 4-6 as it turns into a proper two bedroom suite since the media room also has a full bath. With a full kitchen, and stocked fridge prior to arrival (as a paid service), it's perfect for families.

Great review and photos :)

I also love this hotel for its intimate setting and high quality room product. Service across the board is good with the pool team delivering exemplary service. Food offerings are good but not exceptional in my opinion. The prices during peak season feels outrageous ($2k for an oceanfront room) so I’ve only stayed during the shoulder season which offers tremendous value especially with their fourth night free promotion + FSPP amenities. This is probably one of my favorite hotels in the US.

I also thought the pool team was fantastic! Most addressed us by name on our second day and often chatted with us. Great attitude and everyone is smiling and seemed to care about the guest experience. During our dates, the hotel was running at 90% occupancy. Our cups of water by the pool were never more than half empty. I was taking photos one morning while they were setting up and someone stopped to ask how I was doing and even pretended to care about my camera gear (lol!) and offered me a complimentary drink/smoothie from the bar...small/kind gesture but goes a long way :)

I had a stay in 2021 for my wedding. The hard product is up to par for the price and what one should expect from 4S. However, the service is extremely lacking. They don't really care to go out of the way or care to provide timely service out of the usual for a 5 star hotel, despite adequate and timely communication on my part. In some parts of the service, it was actually frustrating to get the run around as if the staff could not be bothered. The restaurant food was mediocre and the service was very slow. The drinks were good however.

[QUOTE=fura2;33728775]I had a stay in 2021 for my wedding. The hard product is up to par for the price and what one should expect from 4S. However, the service is extremely lacking. They don't really care to go out of the way or care to provide timely service out of the usual for a 5 star hotel, despite adequate and timely communication on my part. In some parts of the service, it was actually frustrating to get the run around as if the staff could not be bothered. The restaurant food was mediocre and the service was very slow. The drinks were good however.[/

There are significant opportunities for improvement at this property:

1. There is no hot tub anywhere on the property
2. They do not have a full time dedicated concierge
3. The service at breakfast is consistently neglectful and forgetful
4. They have a resort fee, like Ritz Carltons, which makes the experience feel like you are nickel and dimed
5. Le Sirenuese has left and the quality of the food has plummeted

Yes, the room product, especially the ocean view rooms are exceptional.

Yes, the service at the pools is very good.

Yes, the historic parts are beautifully done.

That said, its my least favorite Four Seasons in Florida.

The above suggestions are not difficult changes with the rates they are charging. If they made these changes it could be a contender for best luxury hotel in Florida.

I completed the post-stay survey with my critiques for the stay; the general manager, Daniela Trovato emailed me a canned response and asked to discuss the issues. I gave her my cell; I have yet to get a call from her. I don't think the general manager cares at all.