Nice property, fancy art in the lobby, very Miami chic and futuristic Asian meets Latin decor, but God help you if you're driving a car on your visit. It's in the financial district so you WILL drive a car to get here (unless you're a Latin banker that is, or a national geographic reporter doing a story on Miami's haitin cab driving community)

It takes not one but "TWO" elevators (one of which is less snappy) to get from the valet parking area to your room. At first it didn't bother us, but after day three this hotel is permanently off our list. It's like a fancy French dinner with tiny servings, or a pair of cheap high-heels. Looks terrific but feels uncomfortable. Girls weekend.. this was our first and last stay here.

After spending a few weeks going back and forth on where to stay in Miami (and watching hotel rates go up), I booked this hotel with some girlfriends from college days to celebrate a birthday in the group. We got what I consider to be an excellent package (3rd night free and a $100 credit) that made it less expensive than many 4 star properties in the area.

This is not your typical resort hotel. If you want to be right on the beach or walk more than drive, this is not your hotel. It caters primarily to the business guest and is in the financial district. We were only a short drive from both Coconut Grove (great shopping & food) on one side and South Beach (nightlife) on the other. I would say you need a car though, whether rented (BTW most hotels I’ve visited in Miami charge at least $20/day for parking and you’ll need to tip on top of that) or taxi.

That said; the hotel is a little oasis! This was my second visit in six months and the level of customer service has been consistently excellent. The poolside service made us feel like royalty and my best friend and I fell in love with the steam room (they had eucalyptus in the steam, my skin was glowing after my weekend).

Our room was VERY spacious. Please keep in mind we were three women traveling with day & night wear, plus shoes, etc. and we started shopping the minute we left the airport and hit the Grove. Our room was on a corner with window seats on both sides and gorgeous views of Biscayne Bay & the city.

The food was great, we loved the egg white omelet for breakfast and the arroz con pollo we got from room service at 3am. It was piping hot and delicious!

All of the staff did a fantastic job helping us out with club & restaurant recommendations (the concierge introduced me to a lovely french cafe in the Grove) and we felt every inch the “princess” as we strolled into and out of the lobby. I also think the fact that we were snapping pictures incessantly bemused them slightly. (Hey, it was our 1st vacation together and it's been years since we left school!)

Anywho, I would definitely stay here again and probably will for my BD later this year.

What a terrible disappointment after the glowing reviews. We booked a large suite choosing cityview as we're in town for shopping only. $875 (taxes etc take it over $1000 a night) and no complaints at all, we're getting a 'suite' so we expect to pony-up (Ocean view suites are the same size BTW).. We check in to a shoebox of a suite, 12X12 living room, miniscule bedroom (the entire suite incl bath is smaller than our bedroom at home). This is a brand new hotel and dissapointment is an understatement. The suites are what I imagine prison cells to be like. So small we were uncomfortable. Almost comically so; no embellishment.
Save your money and stay at the Ritz in the Grove (honorable mention to Mandarin) or skip Miami shopping entirely and head for Palm Beach.
We are easy going, low-maintenance folks expecting a nice stay for the money and can assure those like-minded that they will 'not' find that here. Adequate service from the staff is the only thing that spared this property the more thorough dressing-down it deserved. Shame on the Four Seasons for attaching their brand to a property that puts occupancy capacity ahead of guest comfort.

After a 3 day, four night stay, I am pleased to say that every engagement I had with the hotel staff was excellent. Despite my arrival via foot from the metro mover, the bellhops were very gracious. The check-in staff were well prepared and there was no line to check-in. While they took the opportunity to offer me a couple upgrades (at additional cost), it was all done very appropriately (and yes, I upgraded myelf). The concierge staff was very courteous and well prepared. When my cell phone battery was dying, they had a recharger easily available. They might, however, take a trip on their city's public transport to learn the best public transit route for travelers to Miami beach. The room was very attractive but a bit smaller than I expected, especially after upgrading a couple levels. Maid service was excellent. I like the Four Season bed/comforter much more than the Westin's which tends to envelope/bury you. The athletic center was large, well equipped and not excessively busy. The primary restaurant featured wonderful meals served by people who knew their business. Pricing was no worse than most other high level hotels. The pool was reasonably large and had the usual high level of service (I do not know if I will ever forget the offer of cucumber slices to cover my eyes!!!). One final thought; the hotel is located in downtown Miami, a $20 - $25 taxi ride from the nicer shopping centers or Miami Beach. Unless you are a business person, not much to do downtown. - Would I stay here again; if I needed to visit Miami's business community, most certainly!