Ohio in the winter months…boy oh boy do we LOVE our winters, but we also LOVE to escape them for a few days when possible. In December (2021) we decided an Ask Us Travels and Lifestyle trip to Miami, Florida was just what we needed (and it had been quite some time since we have traveled together). We chose this destination because we had never been there AND we looked at the weather trends and just knew it would be perfect. We decided on leaving shortly after Christmas and returned to the cold just before the new year.
We had to rely completely on ourselves for this trip to look at accommodations and areas of the city to decide which hotel and location would be the best. To be honest, there were so many AMAZING properties and spots that this was probably one of the hardest decisions of the trip. We narrowed our sights on South Beach and after much discussion, we landed on staying at the Cadillac Hotel and Beach Club. This hotel was chosen after sifting through LOTS of reviews and also looking at the location and its proximity to things we wanted to do while visiting.
The Positives:
1.) The hotel atmosphere is relaxing but also “bougie” at the same time. There is a historic feel in the hotel lobby and bar that truly makes it feel like you are stepping back in time. The staff at Cadillac Hotel and Beach Club are outstanding. Whether ordering a drink from the bar, asking for directions, or assisting with a beach umbrella, you can expect friendly staff who will make you feel special.
2.) Step out the back of the hotel and you are greeted by not one, but two pools. The mornings are so peaceful but by the afternoon, the atmosphere becomes more vibrant with lots of fun music and staff. One of the pools is adult-only and more “chill” so if you are looking for that vibe instead, this hotel has it all.
3.) We love a hotel that promotes a healthy lifestyle and this definitely has that! When you step through the back gates of the Cadillac Hotel, you are literally on the Miami Beach Boardwalk. It is a beautiful, scenic pathway that stretches approximately 40 blocks and there are many places along the way to eat, drink, or shop. We started each morning here and LOVED seeing all the cats along the way. In addition to this, the hotel has free (yes, FREE) yoga in the mornings and you can rent bikes from the lobby.
4.) We can’t write this post without mentioning the beach and this was one of our favorite parts of our stay. Beach chairs are free (yes, FREE). I love the sand but prefer to keep it on my toes only if possible haha! The chairs are comfortable and the staff place them wherever you want (facing the sun, facing the ocean, etc) and they carefully line the chairs with towels. Around 10:30am, staff walk around with menus and you can order drinks and food without leaving your beach chair…JUST WHAT WE NEEDED. We literally ate on the beach every day because not only was it convenient but it was so delicious. Shout out to the pineapple and jalapeno popsicle I had on my last day. SO GOOD.
5.) We have to tell you about the food in it’s own paragraph because every meal we had at the hotel was insanely great. When we first arrived, we ate at the Bungalow by the Sea which is tiki bar themed. Sitting there with our Cadillac Margaritas eating mahi tacos we busted up laughing at how far we have come since vacationing with one another in college. The food you can order on the beach is from the Bungalow by the Sea menu and we definitely tried different things each day. Whether it was something simple (like Le Club) or something more flavorful (like the Mare Speciale pizza) everything was delicious and perfectly portioned.
6.) The rooms were clean and the beds were comfortable. It is hard for me to sleep without my Tempur-Pedic mattress but I slept like a baby. The rooms stayed at a constant temperature and it was not noisy at all despite my room being near an elevator. One of my biggest concerns when staying at a hotel is water pressure and I am happy to report that the Cadillac Hotel and Beach Club had GREAT water pressure AND lots of hot water. The view from our hotel room was a SIGHT and we also had a balcony to really take in the water views.
7.) The hotel is in an AWESOME location! There is a CVS and a market across the street if you want to stock up on snacks and water (we certainly did!). We were also able to get an Uber super-fast to get to our activities and reservations quickly. AND I was able to get an Uber back to Miami Airport at literally 5am with NO PROBLEM.
A Few Things to Consider:
1.) While the beach chairs at the Cadillac Hotel and Beach Club are free, the umbrellas are not. We needed one umbrella to cover our chairs and that was an additional $22 per day. We did not think that the cost was terrible and like we mentioned above, the staff carries and places the umbrella for you and will move it if requested.
2.) There was a bit of a towel shortage while we were on the beach haha! We did NOT experience the shortage because we got to the beach early and we didn’t use our towels as napkins or paper towels for spills. Some of the hotel guests were agitated when they tried to return towels in exchange for fresh ones and they were not able to accommodate at that moment. To be fair, every chair was being used AND it was a holiday weekend with the new year so I think they were just swamped.
3.) There was some construction going on (looked relatively new) around the hotel that might have delayed things just a bit. It was not noisy but we did read reviews that there is not an on-site parking lot and if you choose to valet your car ($35 a day) waiting for it can be lengthy. Obviously, we did not experience this but wanted our readers to be aware.
All in all, we simply adored this hotel and the experience and would highly recommend it to our friends at Ask Us Travels and Lifestyle! In fact, we would definitely recommend Miami and plan to make this trip again next winter! Because we had such a short period of time, we really had to narrow in on just a few activities and restaurants but there was so much left to explore! If you want to read about what we did on our first trip, be sure to check out our blog post LINKED HERE.
