Get ready for more Miami hotel reviews, especially since Miami is warm and still floats as of 2025. The St Regis Bal Habour, which sits a bit away from the action in South Beach, is a wonderful choice for a continental US getaway, if one can afford it. In exchange for an elevated price point of upwards of US$1,300 a night during high season, you get a little piece of secluded paradise away from the hustle and bustle.

Overview

We’re reviewed other St Regis’ before (Chicago), as well as Ritz Carlton’s (Hong Kong); I think for Marriott elites, the main question is whether you value complementary breakfast, and depending on your status suite upgrades. Personally, I look to that as a type of brunch, so when deciding between the St Regis Bal Habour and Ritz Carlton Bal Habour, factor that in. Concurrently, St Regis’s I find also are a bit less service oriented than their Ritz Carlton counterparts, although bear in mind both are always great.

Location

Bal Habour has been described as a wealthy enclave by Bloomberg, and I can certainly attest to that. One only needs to look at the mall right across from the St Regis Bal Habour, Bal Habour Shops, which has brands including Loro Piana, Audemars Piguet, Zegna. Despite it’s location, South Beach, where much of the action happens, is a relatively close car ride nearby (pending traffic).

The overall neighborhood is quite calm (minus the traffic), orderly, clean, and surrounded by palm trees.

One thing to watch out for is that the entrance to the hotel isn’t really walkable, and that you need to navigate a path to get to check in.

One small thing I noticed was that the bellhops didn’t really interact with nor open the doors for guests - not a big thing of course in the grand scheme of things.

To make this hotel seem even more out of Billions the TV show, the hotel was actually owned by a Middle Eastern conglomerate, Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company

Check In

The lobby was decorated wonderfully for Christmas with many christmas trees, as well as a sculpture that I assumed was regularly there.

Guests actually need to walk down a long hallway to get to the actual lobby, which was also immaculately decorated.

The lobby also plays host to a variety of stores, including a cafe, jewelry boutique and for some reason an art gallery.

And of course St. Regis Bar, which given this is the St Regis is quite pricey.

Given the hotel is actually attached to a condominium, there is a separate concierge for condo residents. Note, there is currently a lawsuit between the condo corporation and some owners, but I didn’t see any issue with the hotel. As an FYI, Condos start at US$3M, and can go to upwards of US$12M.

Both owners and hotel guests get access to this cute candy assortment, which the staff kindly set up.

As a mild joke, I used a Nightly Upgrade Award to upgrade from the Guest room, 1 King, Ocean view to the 1 Bedroom Suite, 1 King, Oceanfront. The hotel granted it LOL, so I ended up staying in a suite that goes for $2,500 a night, and is ~1,250 sq ft…as one person.

Check in was also an interesting experience: I was early, at around 2PM, and was rightfully told the room wasn’t ready. Upon trying to check in at 4PM, I was told the room still wasn’t ready, and the hotel proactively offered 30,000 Marriott points (worth around $200) for the inconvenience. The room ended up being ready at 4:22PM. Insanely good customer service.

Room

The 1 Bedroom Suite, 1 King, Oceanfront was located on the 14th floor, and had it’s own set of private elevators. Talk about overkill, in a great way.

The other testament to the service culture of the St Regis Bal Harbor was this hilarious sign, asking us to please use the other elevators if the private elevator wasn’t operating fast enough.

Now to the room 1401. The door opens up into a massive living room, complete with a full kitchen and living room, which I appreciate.

You know a hotel is expensive when they provide a viewbook for expensive items, and don’t bother with providing prices.

Whilst there are several bottles of expensive liquor for sale in room, note that there is Big Daddy's Wine & Liquors nearby with substantially more reasonable prices.

The room was rounded out by a massive table, along with a few paintings. True ballers can book two connecting suites, and merge the rooms together; however, the hotel was quite insistent that only 4 people could utilize the room at a time.

One of the best parts about the St Regis Bal Harbor was that all rooms were ocean facing. But for this suite, there were TWO balconies, one in the living room and one in the bedroom.

The entrance to the bedroom was past the kitchen, and in true style was absolutely massive. Almost to the point where it was annoying to walk to the washroom (true problems).

Beside the king bed was the 2nd balcony, which had an equally spectacular view.

The bathroom was definitely up there with the best, especially given the size of the bathtub.

To get there, one must pass through this hallway, which contained some of the more residential aspects of the room, including a washing machine, ironing board, scale, bathrobe.

I still think that the hotel should have included a dental kit and shaving kit already in the room, but the hotel quickly provided it on request. I really dislike the small bamboo toothbrushes given their ineffectiveness for brushing my teeth, although I appreciate the attempt at being environmentally friendly.

Overall, the room was certainly something I would expect a $2,000 a night suite would be, and I use the balcony to eat some ribs from local pub Flanigan’s. Truly a way to live in Miami.

Amenities

Let’s start with the boring: there was a serviceable business center, and I did see people using it.

The elevator banks on the ground floor were pretty cool, as your keycard automatically directed to you to your floor.

However, I was a tad disappointed by the gym, both by the small size and the lack of equipment. That being said I am happy that they provided gatorade, a first that I have seen.

There is also the St Regis Spa, which be warned is St. Regis prices.

Now, for two of the best things about this hotel. Firstly, the breakfast is amazing, especially for a North American hotel. Nothing beats sitting by the pool, 25C, and just lounging around. I also had some of the best French Toast I have ever had! The restaurant is called Atlantikós, and is Mediterranean inspired.

Everything was high quality, and the service was quite good: I saw the servers bringing out kid specific items to families, including stuffies and special cups.

The other incredible thing is the view! I spent many an hour lounging about, after of course putting on some sunscreen.

There was both a family friendly pool by the restaurant, and a more secluded adults only pool. The adults only pool was much quieter, and also featured a jacuzzi. Once can order food from the hotel’s multitude of restaurants to be brought poolside (list here).

There is a publicish beach, but the hotel did managed to take over a small segment to provide towels, chairs, and other beachwear. Nevertheless, I spent my time inside the hotel, indulging in the free cookies that were provided.

There are also bikes that are included in the resort fee, which can be used until 4PM.

That being said, Miami overall is amazing in terms of weather, so the benefits of having a private beach are a bit muted. But the St Regis’s beach is definitely up there in terms of resorts I have stayed at.

The Service

Overall, the service was wonderful. My room, which was already upgraded, wasn’t ready until 4:22PM, and I got 30,000 Marriott points for it. The room upgrade was totally unexpected, and welcome. Check in was fantastic, going through the benefits, and offering me a multitude of beverages and snacks. Everyone at resort was professionally cheerful (outside of the door people), and eager to help. That being said, I never got introduced to my butler, something which I believe the St. Regis prides itself on. But overall, top marks.

The Point

I really enjoyed my time at the resort, and would definitely consider coming back, ideally with more people. Location is definitely an issue, as it takes around 40-45 minutes to get to downtown Miami, or 30 minutes to get to South Beach. But why leave? Everything, from great food and drink to incredible views, is nearby. Service is great, the room is amazing, there are so many freebies. If you can afford it, I highly recommend the hotel for a couple day getaway, especially over the Ritz Carlton South Beach.

Dec 28 For Ballers, St Regis Bal Harbour

Overview

Location

Check In

Room

Amenities

The Service

The Point

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Dec 28 For Ballers, St Regis Bal Harbour

Overview

Location

Check In

Room

Amenities

The Service

The Point

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