Hyatt Miami At The Blue: Review
My business travel has started taking me down to the Miami area with some increasing frequency. I’ve been trying to find the right Hyatt property (since I’m putting most of my paid stays there to lock up lifetime status, while most of my award stays go to SPG for their lifetime status).
I tried the Hyatt Regency Miami a couple times. I also tried the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables.
The last full-service property I had left to try was the Hyatt Miami At The Blue. This property is located a couple miles west of the airport, so probably a 10-minute ride to downtown. It’s not a horrible ride but it is a bit out of the way. The property itself, though, is beautiful. A long time ago I worked at a Doral property in New York, and this Hyatt is located on the Doral golf course. Not the best area of town, but a beautiful golf course.
The property is a series of separate buildings with the main amenities (front desk, gym, pool, restaurant) located in the first building when you enter the property. The pool is a pretty decent size, and there are some comfortable areas for lounging. The pool looks a bit dated but in a decent state of repair.
The exercise facility is upstairs. The equipment is one generation older than the newest stuff at some Hyatts but there’s plenty of stations available. Both times I was there I was the only one working out.
The front desk informed me they had upgraded me when I checked in. A standard room is about 700 sf. According to the website, the upgraded room I got was 1000 sf. It had a very spacious kitchen and living room area and a sizable balcony that overlooked the golf course.
The rooms are located on the corner of the buildings so they were pretty quiet and a bit more secluded. The bedroom was larger than most standard hotel rooms I stay in. The room had two full bathrooms. The master bath was very big, with a large jacuzzi tub and big walk-in shower.
Hyatt Diamond members get breakfast in the main restaurant. There was some initial confusion when I arrived at the restaurant the first morning, but the cards I had been given indicated I received a full breakfast for free (not just a continental or buffet). The buffet was okay, definitely not the best I’d ever seen but serviceable. A la carte is probably the better choice here. For dinner, they have a pretty decent menu for a hotel restaurant. The wine list is actually pretty reasonable, too.
This was by far my favorite Hyatt in the Miami area as far as the physical plant is concerned. The rooms were spacious and in great condition. I would definitely recommend this property for people that don’t see to be on South Beach. I also think there’s a chance I’d return.
I didn’t love the location, a bit further away from where I need to conduct business. My guess is that I’ll likely end up choosing a property other than the Hyatt as my primary property in the area. The Intercontinental downtown is supposed to be pretty nice.
I really do wish Hyatt had a top-flight property in downtown Miami. It’s a big city and a cosmopolitan one. It deserves a nicer Hyatt property, IMO. I shouldn’t have to hike out past the airport to find something in good shape.
