The Battle of the Certs: My Recent Experiences with Three Hotels in Miami Area

Even though we live in Florida, we rarely fly from Miami and as a general rule, don’t stay in the area overnight. But due to circumstances, I had a chance to check out three different properties there within a month. Since many families have to overnight in Miami before taking a cruise or due to an early morning flight to Caribbean islands, I’ve decided to put together a post with a condensed review of each hotel. I’ll be covering Kimpton Surfcomber Miami Beach,  Hyatt Regency Coral Gables and Hyatt Place Miami Airport-West/Doral

Kimpton Surfcomber Miami Beach

The price paid: renewal certificate from old IHG card ($49+$99 in parking and resort fees)

At the time of our stay, the hotel was running at 36k IHG points per night, so it was eligible for certificate (capped at 40k points). Weekends are usually more expensive.

We had a 10 AM flight to St. Maarten/Saba, so I figured why not have a mini vacation at the beach while we are at it. Unfortunately, something came up, so we didn’t get to the hotel until 5 PM. Still, a beach is a beach. While I was thrilled to be able to use the renewal certificate, I knew there would be additional costs. We had to pay $99 for valet parking and resort fee. But for a beachfront hotel, it ain’t bad.

The area around the hotel looked relatively upscale, and didn’t fit the usual “Miami beach” stereotype. It is an older property, so you need to have reasonable expectations going in. A luxury hotel it is not.  But it has a quirky vibe that I really liked.

The lobby

After I told the check-in guy the secret Kimpton password, he gave me these delightful gifts:

You will laugh, but I’ve been using the heck out of them in my MIL’s above-ground pool (to float my drink)

The rooms are small, but nice enough:

Two double beds

The room was clean, and the beds were comfortable. The bathroom has very little storage room for toiletries:

The tub has seen better days:

But I didn’t really care, because I was mostly here for the beach.

We got there too late to take advantage of complimentary chairs and umbrella. But I got a chance to swim, so it’s all good. The beach is relatively quiet and clean, with occasional cigarette butts here and there. Why do people have to be so nasty?

The area around the hotel is very pleasant.

There is a small pool, but it closes early (8 pm, if I’m not mistaken). I didn’t get a chance to use it, but it looked rather crowded anyway.

Kimpton gave us two drink vouchers due to complimentary Platinum status, so we redeemed them for margaritas at the poolside bar. Not bad at all.

I’ve seen quite a few families here, and personally wouldn’t hesitate to bring my kids. Keep in mind that at this time you can only redeem IHG points on a room with a king bed. So, if you have a family of four or more, you will need to get two units. But honestly, the regular room we stayed in is too small to fit more than two people anyway.

So, the bottom line is: it’s a pleasant property as long as you come with reasonable expectations. Even if you add the $50 resort fee, using IHG certificate here makes for a cheap beach getaway. I give it thumbs up.

Hyatt Regency Coral Gables

The price paid: $95 for renewal certificate from Hyatt credit card 

Staying here was a last-minute decision. Originally, we planned to drive home after our flight from St. Maarten. But after waking  up at 5:30 AM and wondering around St. Maarten for a few hours (while dragging suitcases), we were exhausted. Plus, we went through Miami airport immigration at around 6:30 PM and had a four-hour drive ahead of us during rush hour.

I asked my husband if he would prefer to overnight near the airport, and he immediately agreed. Fortunately, we had extra clothes. Originally, I redeemed my Hyatt certificate towards the next hotel in my review. But I was able to easily cancel without penalty and rebook. A great decision, especially since my husband didn’t have to go to work the following day. Plus, our kids were in Michigan at the time.

I chose Hyatt Regency Coral Gables because it looked nicer than the other options. Even the award cost (9K points during off-season) seemed rather low. So, we grabbed an Uber (15 minute drive from the airport) and checked in at the front desk.

What a beautiful hotel!

This isn’t your cookie-cutter Regency.

The rooms are large and comfortable:

The sofa can be used as a bed for a child:

 

Bathroom is spacious as well, with plenty of counter space:

I loved the pool area with a hot tub:

 

We ended up taking advantage of complimentary late checkout, so we could relax by the pool the next morning.

Coral Gables is a fancy part of town, and the hotel was mostly filled with businessmen who flew in to Miami from South America. In fact, we mostly heard Spanish around us.

I don’t have Globalist status, so our breakfast wasn’t free. But since we were on vacation, we decided to treat ourselves.

My husband got a buffet ($34) and I got these amazing pancakes with guava syrup ($17):

 Delicious

We didn’t have dinner at the hotel, so I can’t comment on it.

Bottom line: I really liked this property, and IMO using points or certificates here is a steal. The cash rate at the time of our stay was $275 including a resort fee, so paying just $95 was a bargain indeed. If you don’t mind not having complimentary breakfast, I highly recommend this hotel. If you have a Globalist status, it’s a no-brainer to choose it over other Hyatt options that are closer to the airport. Our Uber ride was only $20 one-way, not a deal breaker by any means.

Hyatt Place Miami Airport-West/Doral

The price paid: 8k Hyatt points per room (originally used a certificate)

Due to its location, this hotel will only be of interest to those who are driving to Miami from west and central parts of Florida. If that doesn’t describe you, feel free to skip this section. It’s really too far from MIA airport, but it is conveniently located on our way home in relation to highway 27.

The main reasons I’ve decided to stay here are reasonable cost via points and cheap parking for those who are flying from MIA ($10 per night). We needed to leave our van while we visited Costa Rica, and didn’t want to deal with hectic traffic near the airport. So, I figured we would park it at the hotel and take an Uber to/from the airport.

The all-in cost worked out to be about the same as if we paid to park at MIA lot, and we saved ourselves a lot of stress by leaving the driving to someone else. Miami airport is nuts, and last time we drove there, our Google Maps app was drunk and giving us the wrong directions.

Anyway, onto the hotel itself. It’s… OK. Not much else to say. This is a typical Hyatt Place: rather bland, but overall clean and comfortable. We didn’t hear a lot of plane noises, so that’s a plus.

The room had two queen beds and a sofa bed, the usual setup:

There was also a desk:

Breakfast at a Hyatt Place has gone downhill over the last few years, at least IMO:

It’s OK, but nothing more. Would I stay again? Absolutely if it’s compatible with our travel plans. I value 8k points at around $100, which is a fair price to pay for a clean room in a safe area of Miami.

Bottom line

I give two thumbs up to all three properties (with caveats). It’s hard to argue with the value you get if you use credit card certificates, and burning points can be worth it as well. If I had to pick a favorite, I would have to go with Kimpton. Why? The beachfront location, obviously.

In fact, I’ve just redeemed my renewal IHG certificate here for a stay next year, after we fly to Miami from Peru. The flight would get in too late for us to start a drive home, so why not treat myself to a little beach time, right?

Right now is probably not the best time to apply for Hyatt or IHG credit cards, since sign-up bonus on both products is reduced. However, a few Chase business offers (90k points) are worth considering if you are interested in transferring to Hyatt program.

Readers, what are your favorite points properties in Miami?