Murray On Travel

My last stop on my 7 Hotels In 7 Days: Miami Beach reviews was The James Royal Palm Hotel.  NOTE: as of March 2015 this property is know as the Royal Palm South Beach, a Starwood Hotel.   And what a treat. This is a great beachfront property. Located just two blocks from the heart of the historic South Beach art deco dining and entertainment district. The central portion of the resort was first built in 1939, but today it is very comfortable and current. 

Checking in was quick and easy.  Bellmen are available if needed.  Valet Parking.  Key-card required to access the elevators and to enter the resort from the beach. 

Room 846 is an Oceanfront Balcony King.  A bright and airy room with a variety of whimsical accessories.  Lots of custom items make the room unique. 

Was very pleased that this beautiful room included a very comfortable bed with high quality bedding.  A heavy comforter and a lightweight blanket.  Each side of the bed had an LED reading light.  Rest of the room had plenty of light, most of it indirect. 

One of the many accessories that made this room at The James Royal Palm very unique.  I was also impressed with the room's air conditioning system.  It was very quiet, even with the fan on high. 

No desk, but this table was enough for me.  Plenty of pop-up power outlets around the room.  WiFi was very fast.  This room had medium signal strength, 13Mbps Down / 18Mbs Up.  Other areas of the hotel had strong WiFi. 

A very well stocked mini-bar in a custom cabinet that keeps the refrigerator quiet.  No coffee maker.  Door to the bathroom was interesting and included a large mirror, but didn't contain noise coming from the bathroom.

 Small but very usable bathroom space with plenty of towels.  Good lighting at the mirror.

Large shower with a frosted window letting in outside light.  Having bath products mounted on the wall isn't my favorite; I prefer small personal bottles.

 The unique lamp shade, bulb, and clever positioning of the cloth covered cord made this lamp a work of art.  NOTE: as of March 2015 this hotel is now called the Royal Palm South Beach. 

Sliding glass door opened to a very shallow Juliet style balcony.  The expansive view was perfect for my last night in Miami.  One set of sheer curtains and a set of blackout curtains.  A quick security note:  there was no evacuation/floor map on the back of guestroom entry door.  For more about Miami Beach click here.

The welcoming lobby of the James Royal Palm resort has lots of seating areas along with a nearby bar.  Note:  My stay at this property was thanks to my sponsors/supporters. This property provided one night of discounted accommodations.

Time for a snack or a little caffeine fix?  A coffee shop is conveniently located in the lobby across from check-in.   

These wooden stairs lead up to one of the restaurants.  It is an impressive structure. 

The James main pool area felt a little crowded.  A second pool is nearby, and so is the beach.  

Patio restaurant, the Florida Cookery, was excellent.  Its open air design was very much what I would expect in Miami.  No view of the ocean.  

In addition to the patio seating, the restaurant has more formal seating upstairs with views.    Another restaurant, The Catch Miami, is a fine dining seafood offering.

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On the 4th floor is the spa Renew.  It has a deck looking out over the ocean, where some treatments are given.  Renew Massage is the signature service here.  Many treatments are salt based.  Each visitor receives a complimentary salt scrub.  Check website for latest services.   Nice gym with view of the pool and ocean.

The James Royal Palm is just a few block away from the historic and popular South Beach art deco neighborhood.  Plenty of restaurants and nightlife.

It is a short walk to the beach.  The hotel provides services via beach attendants and offers a variety of lounge chairs and day beds.  Nearby vendors offer jet skis and parasailing.  I also spotted a few food trucks along the beach.

This resort has two towers.  The room shown above was in the tower closest to the ocean.  Checkout was 2 pm.  Now that is nice!  The property also has party and meeting facilities.

If you make the trip to Miami Beach/South Beach for your vacation, you should enjoy it.  And The James Royal Palm has everything you will need.  Great guestrooms, services, public spaces and location.  NOTE: as of March 2015 this resort is called the Royal Palm South Beach. 

Looking for pools?  Well you don't have to look very far when you are staying the Eden Roc Hotel on Miami Beach.   Here you will find an eclectic mix of modern decor with classic accents.  A large silver vase filled with white roses is featured on one side of the lobby, while a striking, modern graphic is displayed on the opposite wall.  And...did I mention the pools? 

Check-in was smooth, with plenty of staff on duty.  Concierge available.  Didn't notice any visible signs of security around the property.  Sometimes that means they are hidden; other times that means it's non-existent. Valet parking.  

Tower room 2039 is an Ocean View King, a larger end unit with great balcony views up the coast.  Beach colors with simple modern furniture.  Dark wood accents. 

The mattress felt a bit old.  The bedding was nice with a medium weight comforter.  Plenty of pillows.  The small sofa bench was also older and worn in areas.  Plenty of room lighting.  Two nice bright reading lights above the bed.  Good air conditioner with a very quiet low speed.  Two large closets.  One has a safe and iron & ironing board.  Other closet has two bathrobes and a hair dryer.

Desk has a iPhone/iPod dock with older 30pin connector.  Very handy power outlets on the desk, along with hardwired internet connection.  Wired connectivity quality was spotty.  WiFi signal was also weak in this room; other parts of the hotel had better signal strength.  3Mbps Down / 6Mbps Up.  Single cup coffee maker provided.  An empty and quiet refrigerator is provided.

Nice HDTV, but it had a standard definition cable TV feed -- not the best setup.  Large window had one sheer curtain and another heavy curtain that didn't black out the room.  Floor to ceiling window that opened very wide.  It dramatically extended what was already a large room out onto the beautiful balcony.

Two frosted glass windows opened from the bathtub/shower room into the main room, exposing the view out the window and up the Florida coast. 

Large shower area next to the tub.  A few basic toiletries, but of high quality from Aveda.  Note: This property provided one night of complimentary accommodations.

A cushioned chair for two makes a great spot to lie back and relax.  Higher rooms on the north side of the tower have similar views of the Miami Beach coastline. 

I mentioned pools earlier, and Eden Rock has plenty of pools -- four of them.  The oval one is for adults only.  If you like swiming laps, the big pool is perfect for you.   Guests in the main tower can easily access the pools.  Those in the northern building can take elevators to the lower, meeting room level and use that hall to get to the pools, avoiding the swimsuit in the lobby exposure issue. 

Here is one of the four pools.  And as you can see, a great space for soaking in that warm Miami Beach sun!  

 Short walk from the resort over to the beach.  Your room key opens the gate. 

Eden Roc beach attendants are available on the beach and provide bar/food services from the hotel.

Fun spot for the kids to enjoy a little adventure on the beach.

This is one of my favorite spots in Miami, the Cabana Beach Club.   It isn't trendy and hip, but a casual and comfortable restaurant with excellent food overlooking the beach and ocean.  I had a lovely lunch here and lingered for some time, relaxing and soaking in the sea breeze.  

Nice gym with a wide variety of equipment.  Eden Roc does have a small spa.  I had a quick tour, and it looked nice.  Elle Spa offers a signature treatment called "Total Relaxation."   Ask about specials.

A touch of luxury at this casual and comfortable hotel.  I want to add that this property does have a large ballroom, which might attract some business meeting groups, a situation I normally don't like when on vacation.  They also have a few meeting rooms tucked away on a lower level. 

After dark you will find activity in the bar and at the Cabana Beach Club bar.  You can find some nightlife venues next door at the Fontainebleau.  Not many shops within walking distance. 

This is the main tower at night.  Here is some info on the nightlife in Miami.

Hotel lobby and bar is modern with touches of classic Miami Beach style.    

Official checkout time at the Eden Roc is 11 am.  Ask for additional time if you need it; if they can extend your departure, they will.  This is a great hotel.  The room was showing some age, but the pools, restaurants, and beach made up for that.

The Fontainebleau Resort Hotel & Spa has been on my "must stay" list for years.  I knew if I ever did 7 Hotels In 7 Days: Miami Beach, this place would be one of my seven.  Normally wouldn't visit such a big mega resort, but I wanted to do the Fontainebleau anyway.  And with its recent renovation and improvements, I had very high expectations.  

The hotel reception desk is far from the beautiful main lobby area.  This is a huge hotel property with 1504 guestrooms, and the front desk was understaffed when I arrived.  There was a long line; while waiting I noticed large numbers of guests wearing expo/meeting badges around their necks.  This indicated that the Fontainebleau is more than just a popular vacation spot.

Room #832 is in the original curved Chateau Tower.  An Ocean View King.  Cool colors with light fabrics and blond colored furniture.   A very comfortable pillow top style mattress.   Nice soft and smooth sheets.  Heavy weight comforter.  Plenty of pillows.  Room had plenty of lighting.  Simple but nice artwork on the walls. 

The nice desk with a Apple iMac computer was the final confirmation that this is definitely more of a business meeting/convention hotel than it is a resort hotel.  The desk was comfortable.  Power and hardwired internet plugs were on the desktop.  WiFi was very slow at 1.7Mbps Down & 4.3 Up.

Beside the desk was a dresser with a safe and plenty of drawer space.  The bedside tables also have additional drawers.  I found personal lubricant from the previous guests in a bed side drawer.  I didn't need to be reminded of the prior night's activities in the bed  I would soon be sleeping in.  Above the drawer unit was a nice HDTV with an HD cable feed.  

Closet provided plenty of full length hanging space.  Two very nice bathrobes.  Extra pillow and blanket.  Iron & ironing board.  The room's air conditioner was a bit noisy -- not what I expected in such a nice room.  A well stocked mini-bar refrigerator & snack tray are located in a bar area just inside the entrance door.  No coffee maker. 

The marble bathroom was lovely and functional.  Excellent lighting and large shower, no tub. Plenty of high quality towels.  Magnified, illuminated makeup mirror.  The non-HD tv was a little out of place in such a modern bathroom.  Plenty of toiletries from Molton Brown. 

The view from my room was excellent, meeting all expectations for the Fontainebleau Hotel and Miami Beach.  The large knee to ceiling window was great, after cleaning off the oily hand and face prints!  These were so obvious that I knew no one had even looked at the window during the last room cleaning.  Curtains were a heavy blackout and a thin sheer.

The property has six pools.  The central bow tie shaped pool is the main one, with the nearby kids pool and water slide a popular spot for the kids.  Personal daybeds ($150-300),  and cabanas ($250-1500) are available.

This little coffee/bakery/gelato shop was beautiful.  A casual cafe is located on the pool level. 

Several bars are located around the resort.  This one in the Chinese restaurant was especially beautiful.  Note:  My stay at this property was thanks to my sponsors/supporters.  I received no free services from this property.

Off the main lobby is a major Miami Beach night club, LIV.  Locals told me that it wasn't the hippest place in town at that time.  Popularity of dance venues change over time based on DJ's and promoters. 

The focus of the spacious lobby of the Fontainebleau are the three massive crystal chandeliers that dominate the space.  Several comfortable seating areas are provided, but it is the central path for what is now a massive resort.  It should be noted that for some guests, the only way to access the pool area is via the main lobby.  A swimwear cover-up is advised. 

The lobby opens up into the Bleau Bar with it's colorful lighting.  Action here picks up after 10 pm with a DJ and high cost bottle service. 

The Fontainebleau is more of a convention hotel than a resort hotel.  Yes it has beautiful pools and a nice beach.  But at every turn I was reminded of the attached convention center facilities.  I don't want to feel like I'm at a convention when I'm on vacation.  You could use this hotel for the main Miami Convention Center but it would be about a 10 minute drive.  It also takes the edge off the romance.

Checkout is 11 am.  The Fontainebleau was the only hotel of the seven that I reviewed during my 7 Hotels In 7 Days: Miami Beach that was unable to give me a late checkout.  Had to wait in a line for checkout.   This was the one property I was really looking forward to the most, but it ended up being the biggest and only disappointment.  It was dramatically over-priced, and as a guest I didn't feel like I was on vacation.  Check out my other Miami Beach reviews for better alternatives.