Over the summer, Ford and I spent a weekend at the Four Seasons Surf Club in Surfside, Miami, for our five year anniversary. While we live in Miami, we’ve never actually done a ”staycation” anywhere, and this is a hotel both of us have been quite interested in.
Continue reading: Review: Four Seasons Surf Club Surfside (Miami)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Thank you for this great review! The property looks certainly very elegant without having the feeling you need to run around in a suit all day to "fit in". And the restaurant is probably asking $75 for a ribeye and $85 for a filet mignon because they can. I would imagine that a lot of guests simply don't care whether it is $45 or $85, and just expect a good quality meat that is cooked perfectly.
While I know this is very subjective (and we love spending time on hotel balconies), your observation of "the balcony was rather modestly furnished" is putting it too kindly. That suite is so gorgeous and then you walk out on the balcony, and it looks just sad and uninviting. Especially given the size of the balcony, there would be more than enough room for some higher quality outdoor furniture.
@ HChris -- You're probably right about the "because they can" pricing comment. There are lots of places like that outside the US (like Porto Cervo, where cocktails are $40 "because they can"), though I just haven't found that many places in the US where that's the case.
And you're right about the balcony furniture. The only thing I'd add is that I also live in a condo in Miami, and I can confirm that balcony furniture is a total PITA. It gets so windy in Miami (even outside of hurricane season), and despite securing furniture as much as possible, we've had cushions blow off the balcony more than once. We've often asked ourselves why we even bother having furniture out there.
I'm not sure if the hotel had similar logic, or...
I stayed here in November. My impressions:
8/10 overall
- the lobby is beautiful
- rooms are modern and nice in a Miami way
- I didn’t like the pool area that much. It felt more like a condo than a super nice hotel
- I thought the breakfast was pretty ok. No wow factor. If you order eggs and bacon, that’s just what you get. A few strips of bacon on one plate and an egg on the other. For $50. Just no “wow” like breakfasts at the Andaz Maui or other top hotel
- similar to above; the prices are just hard to swallow. Above and beyond typical “luxury” pricing
Overall quite a nice respite from Miami though
I’d be interested in Wyndham Grand Jupiter at Harbourside Place. Given how bad everyone thinks Wyndham is. Not Miami but still South FL. West Palm Beach is relatively close.
We loved Le Sirenuse - so sad to hear it closed. The food there was amazing and the ambiance was incredible as well. I do hope they keep the Champagne Bar and use the gorgeous space.
As for favorite hotel in Miami area, the St. Regis Bal Harbour is one of my favorites because it has the best patio with each room. It was like an entire extra room for us. I think I may have even taken a nap outside - the furniture is that comfortable. I know we had lunch one day on the patio.
Stayed at the St Regis in Bal Harbour in March 2020 before everything shut down but had a meal at the Surf Club with family of 4 (two young kids). One of the best meals we’ve ever had with top notch service. They were fully staffed. Food was amazing, servers were genuinely pleasant and welcoming. We had a memorable and wonderful dinner. It was indeed expensive but the experience was worth it - we still fondly remember that meal. Give it another chance when things are back to “normal!”
How did it compare to the St. Regis Bal Harbour, which it looks like you have also stayed at (though quite a while ago, based on your reviews)? We were considering both that and Four Seasons for Thanksgiving before canceling trip due to COVID surge.
I love that four seasons and I’m there pretty often since my best friend lives there. I was so sure I saw you (mask and all) at the hotel. Was this around the time restaurants in dade reopened for the first time but before they closed indoor dining in the summer?
Next time you go... check out the 4th pool (it’s somewhat hidden behind a cabana structure on the southernmost part of the property)
Also the champagne bar is still open and there’s a new restaurant at that site. I can’t remember it’s name for my life but they’ve got amazing Key Lime Pie
That is an interesting contrast to the Four Seasons in Downtown Miami - we stayed there in 2019 and was very disappointed with the Hotel and Service, wished we had stayed at the Conrad or MO instead.
WOW $85 For a filet mignon?? $8 for a marinated olives.
I hope they taste fabulous to justify these crazy rates.
I'm guessing it's not a pet friendly hotel since we didn't get to see a picture of Winston at Winston's.
I stayed there shortly after it opened and agree, as with most FS, the service is incredible, especially for Miami. My only issues were, at the time, the city had banned alcohol on the beaches so the only thing you could get were fruit juices etc. Not the hotel's fault though and it might have since changed. Also, the balconies felt right on top of the other, are totally open and with very little privacy. If a number of people near you are also sitting outside on them do not expect any solitude. Your every move is watched.
Happy to see this review up! This place is miles ahead of the St Regis and really the best hotel in Miami.
Btw the Champagne Bar is still open. They replaced Le Sirenuse with a hotel run concept - same team and similar menu, it’s just called Lido now.
"Winston’s on the Beach"
Hah!
Just a second and we have a picture of Winston: that's great!
Oh no! That's another place of the hotel. 🙂
The restaurant plus the breakfast menu just seems to be taking the piss. I mean, prices that high need to be justified, and based on your photos, I don't see it. 45 USD for 2 eggs, a piece of bread, tea and orange juice? That is insulting. I don't mind staying at nice hotels, but not the ones who are so blatant in their desire to rip you off.
@ Grey -- Fair, though the truth is that I pay zero attention to breakfast prices at Four Seasons, since breakfast is *always* included with Preferred Partner (and that's consistently the best way to book Four Seasons). Yes, breakfast prices are high, though a $120 daily breakfast credit is also significantly higher than you'd get at virtually any other hotel. So just pretend prices are in CAD, or whatever, since it's a moot point for savvy Four Seasons guests. 😉
For your next article series: Start at South Pointe and make your way north along the beach hotels there, one hotel per block, new hotel every day. "30 SoBe blocks in 30 nights." See how far north you can make it before losing your mind 🙂 GMCVB would probably hook you up
No ocean view upgrade? In the middle of the summer during a pandemic, what would you estimate the occupancy to have been?
Four Seasons Surfside looks amazing~ I'd love to visit when the time is right.
Surfside jogged my memory, although not in a pleasant way..
To cut a long story short, many years ago I purchased a new glossy architectural book titled I think, 'Surfside'. It was the time when Surfside was being developed, and may have referenced this hotel. I packed it in my check-in bag and was looking forward to diving into it later.
Regrettably, on my connector flight SFO-LAX (travelling LAX-SYD) I eventually discovered my bag had gone missing, never to be seen again. The airline eventually paid out the maximum compensation allowable, but I was bookless, plus a whole bunch of other stuff .
I would love to replace that book, and was wondering if anyone who lives in the Miami district can recommend a likely second-hand bookstore who might have this title, or could otherwise put me in the right direction to follow up on this.
That would be great! A long shot, I know...
The old surf club building looks gorgeous inside and out, but i disagree the addition of the glass sky scrapers in anyway compliments the existing building. The existing building is charming and fits into the surroundings, the new one is a glass modernist disaster.
I have stayed along the road a the Grand Beach Hotel Surfside, and yes, it is a 4 star property, but so much looks similar for the overall experience, the price here must really be for those where 100 or 1000 dollars is the same thing (especially the food! like others have said)
Great review as always and happy anniversary!
Oh how I’ve missed the hotel reviews. Loved reading this.
FS Surfside has been on my radar for some time, I also love the fact the hotel combines original architecture with modern design. After this review it has to go on my list. I agree there aren’t really other great hotels in Miami - I like the design of the Edition and Soho House and MO was good but looking tired now. Until Aman Miami opens I think Surfside might hold the top spot.
Out of curiosity, did they provide you with utensils and pots and pans etc? I perosnally dislike having kitchens in hotel rooms as it reminds me of a place where someone lives, which is not what I want when I go and stay at a four seasons. I want personality and something different and want to feel like I'm on a holiday.
The champagne bar looks absolutely stunning. I wish they could have adopted some of this style in the rooms which risk being a little bland. Although, if part of a residential building, I can see why the styling might be somewhat generic.
The furniture on the patio is just sad and depressing.
Being a Thomas Keller restaurant the prices are going to be high. He copped a lot of flack for the sister restaurant in NYC which has recently shut for good. Many critics pointed out the poor value proposition. However, having been to Per Se, his other NYC restaurant, the service was spectacular.
one bedroom suite isn't a standard room..you must've gotten a multiple category upgrade...the one bedroom suites are 3300/night for a weekend this july... the lowest rate i see is 1100 for the standard city view room..about half the size of the room you got, with no kitchen