We arrived in Miami the day before our Virgin Voyages cruise was scheduled to leave from the Port of Miami. We weren’t looking to bust the bank as we would only be there for the night. I checked the nearby hotels, and the prices were higher than expected. Even the “inexpensive” hotels were $250 to $300 a night. I didn’t have any free night certificates, but I had purchased 300,000 IHG points during the 100% bonus promo.
One of the iconic hotels in Downtown Miami is the Intercontinental. The triangle-shaped hotel is located on Biscayne Bay. Some rooms have views of the cruise port, where you can watch the ships come and go. The hotel was charging 49,000 points per night, which works out to $250. I also get 10% back as a benefit of the IHG Select card.
Intercontinental Miami
100 Chopin Plaza
Miami, FL 33131
Check-In/Lobby
Entering the hotel, there’s no missing Henry Moore’s 18-foot, 70-ton Spindle sculpture, made of travertine marble. The hotel was built around the art installation.
The check-in desk is to the left of the hotel’s entry.
Rooms
Check-in was quick, and we were assigned a room on the 20th floor. With IHG points, I could reserve a 1 King Classic Partial Bay View. It was at the corner of the hotel, which made for an interesting visual when leaving the room.
This was our first Intercontinental stay in a long time, and this hotel impressed us. The room was large and comfortable, and it had a classy Miami vibe.
The nightstands had updated connections with two USB-A, one USB-C and a power outlet.
The entrance hallway had a regular setup of a coffee maker, fridge and free bottled water.
One negative about the room was that we faced another building nearby that was under construction. For the day, we could hear jackhammers and other loud noises from outside. While we could see the bay, we had to lean over the window ledge and look to the left. But since we were staying only for one night, this was a minor inconvenience.
Bathroom
The bathroom looked stunning. We had both a walk-in shower and a tub. The shower passed the leak test with no water pooling outside. The amenities were from Byredo, which is the preferred brand of Intercontinental hotels.
Restaurants
The hotel’s breakfast restaurant is Olé. It’s open daily for breakfast and also offers Sunday Brunch. We skipped breakfast, opting for a coffee from the Starbucks onsite and then going to Bayside.
Also located in the lobby area is the main restaurant, Toro Toro.
We didn’t eat in the restaurant but enjoyed drinks and tapas while sitting in the lobby, which serves as an extension of the restaurant bar/lounge.
Final Thought
One negative aspect of Intercontinental Miami is the $33 service fee, which includes a $13 credit for Toro Toro and a $20 credit for MySpa. While checking out, I noticed we weren’t charged the fee for either our or our friends’ room. This is not the rule, as IHG doesn’t waive resort fees on award stays.
I really liked our stay at the Intercontinental. The hotel’s stunning visual appeal is truly breathtaking. Our room was spacious and featured a large, comfortable bed that allowed us to have a restful night’s sleep. The bathroom was one of the standout features of our stay, with high-quality toiletries that added a touch of indulgence. The price was a good value considering that I could use my IHG points which saved a considerable amount.
Overall, I highly recommend the Intercontinental and will gladly return if we need a place to stay before a cruise.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
2 comments
It’s a great pre-cruise hotel for Miami. We always enjoy it. The service fees there continue to climb though which is too bad.
I think I must be the cheapest person going. I’d never pay ~ $250 for a pre-cruise hotel. I’d stay at a crappy airport hotel rather than burn 49k.