Back from Miami
Postcard from an Indagare member who recently traveled to Miami and spent three nights at The Besty with her eighteen-year-old daughter.
“We love eating at Barton G (1427 West Ave.; 305-672-8881) in Miami, especially with teenagers, for a birthday party or special event. We had Sunday lunch at Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink (Atlas Plaza, 130 NE 40th St.; 305-573-5550) in the Design District, and we loved every bite. Some items we tried: homemade strawberry and basil soda, avocado and heirloom tomato salad, a kimchi, pork belly and fried egg on toasted rosemary crumpet. We wish we’d been there on a day when the shops were open, but the weather was warm and it was such a pleasure to eat outside. Reservations a must, but we got in because of some patron’s confusion with the time change. We also ate at Meat Market (915 Lincoln Rd.; 305-532-0088) on Lincoln Road on Friday night, which was yummy. I had a perfectly cooked strip steak and a side of their version of mac and cheese. There was a great vibe there. We wish we’d time to go to Icebox (1657 Michigan Ave., 305-538-8448) on Lincoln.
“As for the Betsy I’m glad I stayed there, and wanted to try it, as it is just the type of hotel I like, but here are some thoughts on our experience. We spent the first night in an ocean-view room with two double beds. The room is configured to be a connecting room and the soundproofing between the rooms is nonexistent. Twice in the night we were kept up by the noisy romantic activities from our next-door neighbors. When I inquired about the lack of sound-proofing, the Front Desk staff said that they were aware that this was a problem in the hotel. The hotel was able to move us to another room (which faced the pool) and, noisy neighbors aside, this side of the hotel was quieter and our room did not have the adjoining door, which certainly helped. But the room was noisy none the less. The elevator dings each time it opens on a floor so all day and night one is bombarded by this intrusion. This chime should be turned down.
“The restaurant is fabulous. We enjoyed our breakfasts on the terrace with the usual Ocean Drive scenery walking and driving by. Lunch is creative and yummy, especially the popovers. The bar and lobby area are cool with dark woods, cane furniture, mirrors, and a rock star theme to the black and white photos on the walls. The pool, however, seems to have been installed simply so it could be included on the hotel’s Web site. It’s in a high, walled-off courtyard, right off the Front Desk, and is mostly in shadow, which makes it feel more like a pit than a pool area. The deck has a great view and the furniture groupings are plenty. The rooftop spa is a puzzle. We kept looking for it—opening doors to storage compartment and AC handlers, and then we realized that the weather was too poor to have the “tent” cabana treatment rooms up. When weather is an issue, the spa gets moved inside to either a guest’s room or to a spa designated room, which is somewhat goofy.
“Other details we noticed: there is no on-demand on the hotel’s televisions, an offering we both missed, as we love being able to catch up on movies in our hotel room. There was not a desk chair at the desk in our rooms, or a pen for that matter. We asked to have our bags brought down from our room when we checked out and it took 20-plus minutes. The excuse was that the door to our room stuck, so they thought we were still in it. Incidentally, we had been fussing with the sticky door throughout our stay, and ideally the cleaning staff would have picked up on this and had it fixed. Finally, I’d put in two requests to have my car ready at 4:45 a.m. on Sunday, as I had a triathlon at 7 a.m., but my car was not ready when I arrived in the lobby at 5 a.m., and the front desk staff was apologetic, but that hardly made up for the hassle.
“The staff is kind, young and gives a good try to offer service, but honestly they just aren’t experienced enough to really get it or compensate for the hotel’s weaknesses. Senior management needs to set the tone. Despite all of the above, we had a great trip thanks to warm weather, fresh and innovative food, and the Miami energy go a long way to erasing sub-par service.”
Facebook
Delicious
Twitter
