5-Star Hotels in Florida, United States

The room's decor is thoughtfully designed and very comfortable, with tall, floor-to-ceiling windows offering beautiful city views. The lobby staff were warm and attentive. There's a free MetroMover station near the hotel, which makes getting around very convenient.

The hotel is luxuriously decorated and elegant. It is very convenient to go to the mall near Brickell Center,, with many food choices, close distance, good view and advanced facilities.

Coming from DC, staying at the InterContinental in Miami was a smart choice. The main reason was convenience; it's right next to Bayfront Park, and a taxi from the airport was probably only around $20. Since check-in wasn't until 3 PM, and Americans are unlikely to be flexible, we landed around 10 AM and took a taxi directly to Sawgrass Mills—the largest outlet mall in the US—which cost about $50. Our driver was Colombian, and we chatted the whole way. The shopping experience there was even better than Woodbury; they had all the major brands, and especially since Miami is so hot, they had a full range of fall/winter styles and sizes. We reluctantly took a taxi back to the hotel around 4 PM; the Black driver was quite aggressive, and there was some traffic getting into the city. Upon arrival, the bellhop enthusiastically helped with our luggage (a tip was a must), and check-in went smoothly. We booked a partial bay view king room. The room wasn't huge, about 20+ square meters, with a king-sized bed that was about two meters wide. The bedding was very comfortable, and the bathroom had both a tub and a shower. Overall, it felt relatively new, and the cleanliness met InterContinental standards. After a short rest on the first night, we went to the Kaseya Center to watch an NBA game between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. We got nosebleed seats on the app for only $32 each, a $12 premium. The arena was just a ten-minute walk from the hotel, very close and convenient. The atmosphere was incredible, much better than Wukesong. Especially with the live DJ, hot dances, and big screen transitions, it truly lived up to its reputation as Shaq and Hardaway's home court. The viewing experience was on par with Madison Square Garden in New York; Americans are all about eating, drinking, and having fun during the game. We embraced the local culture and bought popcorn, pizza, hot dogs, and beer (they didn't ask for ID, but it was a bit pricey at $15). Amidst all the cheering, the Heat won 106:102 in a nail-biter. The next day, we had an early morning shuttle to Key West, so we didn't book breakfast at the hotel. There's a Starbucks inside the InterContinental, and grabbing two packed breakfasts for $40 in the morning was very convenient. The shuttle pick-up point was just a few hundred meters from the hotel, outside the Holiday Inn. We stopped at CVS for snacks and water. The day trip was booked on Viator for only $49 per person round trip to Key West, though activities there cost extra. The shuttle departed at 7:30 AM, stopping at McDonald's for a 30-minute break for supplies around 9 AM. After that, it was a series of 'keys' and scenic overseas highway bridges. Passing Seven Mile Bridge, its beauty certainly lived up to its reputation. We arrived in Key West at 11 AM, with six hours to explore the island. We took the Conch Train for $45 per person, which gave us an hour-long tour of the old town, with the driver also acting as a lively guide. The sea breeze made it incredibly pleasant. After getting off, we went to the mall converted from a Coast Guard building and had a Cuba Queen Coffee. Everyone says Cuban coffee is good, and it really was rich and smooth; I couldn't resist buying two pounds. Then, we walked along the main street, accompanied by various roosters, past Mallory Square, the Little White House, Hemingway's Home (admission $18, with timed tours, and we found six cats!), and the Southernmost Point. We walked past the US-1 Mile Marker 0 sign and made a special trip back to the post office to mail postcards we bought at Hemingway's house. Postage to China was $1.70. It was a tight schedule, but we boarded the return bus before 5:30 PM, arriving back in Miami at 9 PM. We immediately headed to CVI.CHE 105, ranked number one for Peruvian food, and it was the best meal we had during our ten days in the US, very suitable for Chinese palates. We ordered seafood paella and grilled octopus; the desserts were a bit too sweet. About a third of the customers were Chinese. This trendy restaurant was pretty good, costing around $60 per person. It closed at 10:30 PM, and after a satisfying meal, it was just a few minutes walk back to the InterContinental—still convenient. On the third day, we skipped breakfast and took a taxi to South Pointe Park in South Beach at 8:30 AM. It wasn't crowded yet, filled with handsome men and beautiful women, along with uncles, all out for their morning exercise. Walking along the beach, there were already people surfing and playing in the water. Personally, I felt it was much more refreshing than Sanya. We didn't plan to swim, so after a walk, we took a taxi to Wynwood Walls to see the graffiti. It's a huge district; while painting one wall can be considered scribbling, when it's all over the place, it becomes art. Looking at the photos later, it was even more stunning, though the neighborhood itself was a bit messy. Feeling hungry, we took a taxi to Little Havana to try the famous Sanguich, a Cuban sandwich. We were lucky to get a table at 11:30 AM. We ordered the Cubano and Bistec, milkshakes, and hot and iced coffee. The generous amount of meat combined with the perfectly toasted bread was like a Cuban 'roujiamo,' and it was definitely on par with the cheesesteak at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia—so delicious! Half the customers were Chinese, so be prepared to wait an hour. We returned to the hotel and checked out before 2 PM. We headed to the PortMiami for a harbor tour. Although we missed our planned boat trip, we stumbled upon Thrill Miami. It was a large speedboat, and we were the only two Chinese people on board. It was incredibly thrilling, highly recommended! It cost only $45 per person for about fifty minutes, marking the end of our three-day Miami trip.

I liked the luxurious facilities, convenient shuttle service, and swimming pool. The room condition was good, and I was satisfied with the amenities provided by high-end brands. However, I was dissatisfied with the fact that I got a room right in front of the elevator and all the noise from outside came in. The overall facilities and service are the best.

As people who travel regularly, we place a lot of emphasis on other reviews when booking. I was rather concerned reading previous reviews of this property, but having stayed at multiple other Ritz Carlton’s (Singapore, Koh Samui, Dalllas, Melbourne etc) we hoped the brand would live up to expectations and great experiences at other properties. IT DID NOT! Strongly suggest avoiding this property at all costs. Look at the low ranked reviews, they all make sense to me after staying. This property has us questioning if we would ever stay with this brand again. Amazing isn’t it, how one property can tarnish a brands reputation. We have been overcharged after checkout after settling the bill when leaving (unresolved at this point but will get to that later). The first room we checked into had air conditioning so loud you could not hear the TV. It was also dirty with marks and dust/grime on every surface and excess dog hair on the floor. I went to the front desk and the best they could do was “send someone up to check the A/C. The property was practically empty. This was not good enough! I was fortunate enough to speak with the GM who remedied the room situation immediately. We then dealt with Daniel (who was on loan from Santa Barbara Ritz Carlton) he was a great reflection on the brand. He upgraded us, which was appreciated but not expected, just a room with a reasonable a/c would have been fine. Rooms are very average, worn and not clean. Linen was stained, towels so old some had tears and holes in them. The majority of the staff seemed like they would rather be anywhere else than at the Ritz Carlton South, can’t say I blame them but really let the place down. When dining they would bring the bill before we had finished dining over and over, at times even advising their break was about to start so needed to provide bill, how about you get another staff member to do this… Upon checkout I paid with an alternate card than I used for the security deposit (to avoid international transaction fees). I settled the bill of approx $450usd and away we went. A few days later, a charge of $390usd (approx) appears on my original card used for security deposit (along with an international transaction fee). This charge is absolute rubbish and was not warranted, everything was settled and paid on check out. I rang and rang and rang all day to the hotel and the phone was never answered. Finally I had to call and international call centre where the wind noise in the background was so loud I could hardly hear. I was then told the extra was for bar charges (not ours!) we had one whisky and a coke at the bar which was on my bill at checkout. I was then told they would try to contact hotel and hopefully in up to 2 weeks they would respond to the call centre, and sometime after to me. This from Ritz Carlton? Disgraceful. We then got lucky and got the US call centre. This was much more helpful and the agent advised the hotel would call back the same day. Still no call back from Hotel, no explanation of why my card was charged… no invoice, no receipts. Now I need to go through the process of disputing the transaction with my bank. Really? The old saying one bad apple spoils the cart, couldn’t be more true of the Ritz Carlton South Beach. There were many other disappointing things that happened during the stay that isn’t even worth going into. Such an epic disappointment from this brand. I am hoping this property reaches out as promised but it holding my breath. Do better Ritz Carlton South Beach! Not wanting to end on such a sour note. Daniel (from RC Santa Barbara) was a standout for guest service as was Noela at the Valet, both embody what guest expect from RC.

The most important thing is that when I checked out, I had to charge my vacation tax repeatedly. I showed them the details of the order email, but they still insisted on collecting it. In the end, I had to call the order platform to solve the problem.

nice bay view and a great breakfast buffet. The hotel has a small swimming pool, which is great for relaxing. The scenery on the walking trail is also beautiful.

Our family spent five pleasant nights in this hotel with a very good environment around Disney. The hotel hardware is new and spacious, bright, tidy and clean. It is not far from the four parks of Disney, and the hotel provides shuttle to and from Disney. What I like most is that every staff member and service of this hotel is so excellent. Recommended!