This really was an appalling experience. We paid for an upgrade on arrival when we learned that the deluxe ocean view room that we had booked didn't actually face the Ocean at all....and ended up in the main 'Chateau' building in a 'deluxe ocean fronted balcony room'. The entire floor smelled so strongly of the kitchens which got even worse if you opened the doors from the room to the balcony, at which point the noise from the Kitchen extractor fans was deafening. Long story but suffice to say, we had to change rooms twice during a 3 night stay, (and even the so called 'higher end' rooms and junior suites are pretty basic, aside from the gimmicky apple Mac's they lack any of the thoughtful touches or elegance you might expect). Cleanliness is lacking, there are areas of the hotel that feel abandoned and desolate due to it's size and the whole place is devoid of any feeling of welcome, courtesy or hospitality. The attitude of the front desk is dreadful (once you have finished queuing to speak someone that is...) and from checking in to checking out you feel like you are being sold to. We had a sales pitch on the beach to try to persuade us to pay for an 'upgraded' beach bed (larger beds and cabanas at this hotel are rented from $150 right up to $1500 per day and so much space is taken up by them around the pools that there is a woeful lack of space remaining for the 'non-chargeable' beds) and if you want an umbrella for some shade that will be an extra $25 (plus auto gratuity and tax of course). We ate at Gotham and the food was good but hugely overpriced taking all things into consideration and the service was, like everywhere else, pretty awful. We had lunch one day at La Cote, which was very good and the highlight of the stay, thanks to the one outstanding member of staff we encountered at the hotel (Edgy-who is lovely and who's talent is wasted here). To add to all this the location is not good at all unless you are happy to stay on the property for the entire duration (which is unlikely !) you will need to take a taxi to get anywhere near any other eating, drinking or shopping options at all as there is literally nothing in walking distance. We had a late flight so, tried to arrange a late check out when we arrived (chargeable of course) but the hotel policy means that this cannot be confirmed until on or after the checkout time of 11am on the day of departure. We didn't really want to hang around not knowing if we should pack or not until that time on our last day, so instead, we were told that we could store our luggage and use the hotel for the day and there was a shower and changing facility we could use before our departure. However, when we came to check out it transpired that they wanted to charge $70 for us to us the shower before we left. Unbelievable.The attitude of the front desk manager when we said that we weren't happy about this was so bad it was almost funny...she apologized insincerely (and with more than a hint of sarcasm) that we hadn't been informed of this when we had originally asked but refused to do anything about it insisting that if we wanted to shower and change we would have to pay for it. Unbelievable-what a finale.....! We have been fortunate enough to travel extensively and stay in some fantastic properties both in the USA and around the world and this is the first time I have been moved to write such a poor review and believe me I could go on.....but instead I just won't go back.

The room was well decorated and had a desk with a PC. The balcony views were awesome. The restaurants were excellent. The beach, pool, club, location, grounds were really something special. The customer service was superb. I was checking out and I realized I had left an item in the room. The front desk radiod up but the room had already been cleaned so I left my contact info but thought it was gone for good. A week later, a hotel representative called me and asked for my address and then mailed it back to me at no charge. Thank you Kara, a job well done!! I highly recommend the Fontainebleau Miami Beach! It was an awesome experience and will stay here again when I get back to Miami Beach.

What a beautiful place! trendy, spendy, and fun. I was the beach bum and my husband attended a business seminar. Impeccably clean, with a friendly staff, and incredible spa, and club on site. We went to an incredible boat show across the street. The beach was endless beautiful white sand for sunset evening walks.

Love the style of the hotel... the staff, the service, everything... even though there is nothing immediately around the hotel, everything else makes up for it... excellent ocean views, spacious rooms and most importantly excellent bar..... had an excellent time there and would definately go back to Fontainebleau the next time I'm in Miami.