Whenever I am planning a vacation there are 2 two things that are very important to me, an amazing hotel and an even more amazing pool. Yes, I do like the beach but I would rather sit by a pool with a margarita while enjoying some chips and guac.
Don’t get me wrong, one day I would like to take a “Euro trip” for sightseeing etc. but my life right now requires 100% relaxation while away. So last spring and the spring before that my husband and I wanted to plan an anniversary trip. We were going to my grandparents condo in Siesta Key Florida and figured why not end that early and drive to Miami. I had never been to Miami before (seriously!) and have only heard good things so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to get there. Now begins the hotel research, I absolutely love researching new and luxury hotels. Honestly there are numerous hotel websites I check DAILY to see prices and what is going on in that world. Who knows when some amazing 5 star resort will be opening and I will have to go!
This review will kind of be a mix of our first stay and second stay at the 1 Hotel as I wanted to include a few things from both times.
After some research I found that the 1 Hotel in South Beach was opening in April. What luck! We were going the end of April! At that time there were no reviews yet on the hotel but there were stock photos… and that pool won me over at first glance. Now that I had the hotel picked out ( I don’t say “we” because my husband never cares where we go, he just is happy with my planning it and getting away) it was time to find a deal! I LIVE for finding deals. For some reason it just makes me so happy. I searched a few travel sights and then decided to check with American Express Travel. They had a promotion where if you stay 3 nights you get the 4th free. The 1 Hotel is also part of their Fine Hotels and Resorts program which means you get free daily breakfast, early check in, late check out AND a room upgrade if available! I ended up booking through Amex, not only are those great extras but they have amazing customer service if there are any issues. (We had some on our honeymoon in Bora Bora and they were able to take care of EVERYTHING, So I trust them!)
After a few days in Siesta Key, we rented a car and drove a little under 3 hours south to South Beach! A 3 hour drive on vacation is so much easier than 3 hours at home. Most of the way we were on a highway called “Alligator Alley” which was literally a roadway through swamps. I had my husband pull over at one spot so I could peak in the water and see an alligator, sadly, I did not. But I did see this cool guy at the hotel =)
Once we arrived in South Beach we returned the rental to Hertz, I picked Hertz because they had a location right across from the hotel and knew we would not need a car once we arrived. As soon as we walked into the hotel a feeling of calmness took over. The smell is amazing and it feels like you are at a serene spa. (which you pretty much are) Check in was a breeze, especially for being a brand new hotel.
They were already aware of the extras we had with Amex, gave us our room keys and up we went. The elevators are a little slow so you have to get used to that, but we asked why and apparently the way they are programed is to save energy. The hotel is extremely green and has lots of other eco-conscious amenities. Even our room key was made out of reclaimed wood!
Once we got to our room I immediately ran and opened the curtains to check out the view. You will come to find out this is always the first thing I do. Our room was “partial overview” which is on the side of the hotel, but we were still able to see the ocean from the couch on our balcony. The room was full of neutrals with a few pops of a light sea foam green. There were lots of wood elements, a gorgeous walk in shower, and standalone bathtub. During the first visit our room did not have a door to the bathroom and the bathtub was in front of a glass wall that was facing the bed, it wasn’t a bother to us as a married couple but just an FYI if planning on going with friends. The second visit we had a suite so it had a bathroom with a closed door.
After I inspected the room, we changed into our bathing suits and headed down to the main pool. Once you exit the building and head toward the pool deck there are tons of outdoor couches to hang on and a small cabana area to get towels. We were greeted and escorted to two open lounge chairs that were set up and asked if we wanted any refreshments. Just a taste of the great service which the 1 provides.
A little while later a waiter came over to check in and ask if we were interested in any food or drink, of course I opted for a margarita and chips. They also brought over a water pitcher along with glassware, which was a really nice touch. Always stay hydrated when drinking poolside! A single marg deep and relaxation mode had kicked in.
Shortly after we headed up to our room to get ready for dinner. Before we go away I really do like to try and make dinner reservations for each night so we are not sitting around on our phones checking yelp all day. (Although sometimes that still happens.) We had reservations at Prime 112 which was about a 15 min cab ride from the hotel. The food was great there and that can be a whole ‘nother blog post on its own. If you have ever been there before I’m sure you know the struggle, AKA having reservations and still waiting 8 hours to be seated. On a positive note we did get a seat at the bar and they do serve some pretty amazing glazed bacon to enjoy while you wait…Plus it is a pretty fun spot for celeb sightings and people watching. Once our meal arrived we knew we were in for a treat. The food was phenomenal and could be an entire blog post in itself.
The next day we woke up and went to the gym, everything was super clean and they had towels and water available. They did have a list of classes but we kept it simple and hopped on the elliptical. After our work out we went to Beachcraft, a restaurant in the hotel for breakfast. We walked in and were immediately seated. The waitress let us know it was buffet style and there were two different options: yogurt, cereals, toast or the omelet and waffle station. Of course we were headed to the omelet station. What is it about great omelet and vacation? I am not a huge egg person but I get them on vacation and they are always SO much better than a local diner. My husband and I both had the omelets, shared a waffle and amazing potatoes that included some seasoning and onions. We pretty much ate this every morning, it was charged to our room and credited upon checkout because of our Amex deal.
The rest of the trip pretty much went the same way. Wake up, gym, pool, eat by the pool, change, and dinner. So it was a VERY relaxing trip to say the least, and that is EXACTLY what we were looking for.
If anyone asks my favorite hotel this is definitely it. They also opened 2 more hotels, in Central Park, NY and in Brooklyn, NY which I can’t wait to try! We were planning on staying here again this past April but with the recent Zika scare we opted elsewhere.
