Bal Harbour is like Malibu with a mix of Orange County and Newport News. If South Beach is where people go to party; than Bal Harbour is where they go to relax with a touch of opulence. St. Regis is known for its quality, service and one of a kind experience. This property has made no exceptions with the formula that has garnered them such great praise from presidents, kings and billionaires.
Soon as you pull up to the property you notice and feel this is not a Holiday Inn. The exotic cars may also may have had something to do with that. On this particular there were no less than 4 Bentley Phantoms, 1 Bugatti, a few Ferrari’s, Maserati’s and of course Mercedes-Benz. You expect grandiose with a welcome like that. Please to inform you that you will not be disappointed in the least.
The Tech: The Technology in this resort is great and lackluster at the same time. The lackluster part is due to poor design and the breakneck speed of which technology evolves. Examples of the great forward thinking but not future proofing is as follows. There are the restrooms have TV’s in them. However, it is nearly impossible to to control them due to IR reflecting off the glass. To fix this they could easily add a IR blaster under the mirror. There is iPhone an adapter that connects direct to the TV for music. However it is a 30pin connector. There are plugs right next to the bed but no USB ports. It was not all good intentions but misses with the technology. MyAway is an app that the resort supports in every room. The app was very easy setup. Once connected the app lets you control the TV in either room, including the restroom one. The alarm clock is able to control everything in the room from drapes to temperature to lights and even see your agenda. The very best thing about this resort is the Wi-Fi. Once you are connected the Wi-Fi practically is always on even extending to the beach.
The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, Miami Beach, awarded the coveted Forbes five-star and AAA five-diamond awards for 2014, is a peerless haven of oceanfront elegance, quiet unwavering taste, anticipatory service and seductive amenities. This exclusive Miami Beach enclave is directly across from the celebrated Bal Harbour Shops and mere minutes from the whirlwind energy of South Beach, Miami, and the area’s premier events such as the world-renowned Art Basel.
Pros: To put it mildly. You are treated like Royalty at this resort. The staff remembers your name and what you like or do not like. the point and very clean app. The views are spectacular. On one side is the ocean with a private beach on the other side is the Bal Harbour Mall. The rooms are very well laid out. Some suites even have washer/dryers, 24 hour butler service and multiple turn overs.
Cons: The USA Today was a photocopy. I thought it was a mistake but for the week and a half I was there, everyday was a photocopy of the paper. This was very disappointing as the USA Today is very colorful. Its one of the things that make that paper stand out. There needs to be a better way to get service on the beach. It took way too long to get a towel for the chairs. Fresco the beach bar/restaurant needs to start serving food before 11AM. If you want a morning swim and are hungry you’re out of luck.
Unexpected: The Body by V workouts on the beach are intense and well worth the it. Through out the day the beach staff rotate the beach chairs so you get a good tan all day long. The elevators do not have numbers. You scan your room key and off you go to your floor. The restroom mirror has a TV in it. There is very little (I’m being nice) cell phone service here. Install and learn to use a VOIP service such as TalkaTone or use FaceTime for communication.
Cost: If you have to ask you should not make reservations here.
Aye/Nay: This is a Aye. If you are able to stay here do not pass it up. It will not be cheap or even reasonable to stay at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort but it is well worth it. Please be advised that if you do stay here it will ruin your travels forever as you will compare everywhere else to The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort.