A stay at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
By Kylie Wang
With only 33 locations worldwide, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (MOHG) is far from the world’s largest hotel chain. But what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality and reach. Focusing on luxury resorts, hotels, and residences, MOHG has properties worldwide, in cities like Prague, New York, Geneva, Jakarta, and Marrakech, to name a few.
The Miami location is on the smaller side, with 15 floors of rooms and one level devoted to business services, including meeting spaces and a ballroom for conferences and workshops. Catering is also available, as are planning services for both large and small events. On the ground and lobby floors, you’ll find everything from a wine room to a hair salon to a private beach. A highlight is the staff; like the guests, many are foreign-born, and all delightfully helpful – which is good, because navigating a stay at the Mandarin Oriental can be tricky.
For starters, the biggest tip we can offer is to sign up for the “Fans of M.O.” program when you arrive. The Mandarin Oriental’s free membership program, Fans of M.O. gets you benefits like complimentary Wi-Fi (usually about $15 per night), faster booking, and other offers. Booking online also gets you two additional perks: a choice of free breakfast, room upgrade, pressing services, early check-in, late check-out, streaming Wi-Fi, dining or spa credits, or a celebratory treat – ours was a mini “Zen Garden” with multi-flavored chocolate bonbons. The views of the Miami skyline and Biscayne Bay, meanwhile, are unbeatable.
The real draw of the Mandarin Oriental is the amenities. You could spend a weekend without leaving the grounds and still find more to do. For those with leisure time to explore the city, the hotel offers a walking audio tour of Brickell and the Downtown, laced with historical tidbits. For those who wish to relax on-property, there are plenty of activities.
The hotel has its own private stretch of sand, Brickell Beach, where visitors can sunbathe on padded beach chairs overlooking the bay. On Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9 am, there’s a complimentary Vinyasa Flow yoga session on the beach for Fans of M.O. members; you’ll be told these sessions last only 45 minutes but be prepared for slightly over an hour. Pro tip #1: Grab a coffee from the complimentary station in the lobby, available daily from 6:30 am to 10 am, before you go.
Afterwards, visit La Mar, the on-site Peruvian restaurant led by acclaimed chef Gastón Acurio, open early for breakfast (7 am to 11 am, daily) or brunch (weekends from 12:30 pm to 3 pm). Breakfast can be one of the Fans of M.O. perks and features both an a la carte menu and a buffet for $42. Pro tip #2: Have an omelet – like cumulus clouds, they are buoyantly fluffy, soft, and large. La Mar is also open for dinner and features an eclectic menu of elevated Peruvian dishes.
The pool at Mandarin Oriental isn’t the most impressive, but the service is. A team of energetic young staffers are constantly in motion, tending to guests’ every need, from lugging enormous umbrellas around for perfectly placed shade, to fluffing and replacing towels, to serving sushi and coconut cocktails poolside (available 11 am to 6 pm). There’s also a full bar with TVs, patio seating, and a hot tub. Pro tip #3: Take a chair on the south side of the pool so the sun isn’t shining in your face and umbrellas can be easily placed.
The hotel gym, on the lobby floor, is suitable only for on-the-go workouts, with little beyond basic equipment. The spa, however, is the opposite, a large and fully stocked wellness retreat that includes treatments from anti-aging facials to Thai massages. Offerings include: the red eye recovery treatment, designed to help you recover from jet lag; the 80-minute fertility treatment, personalized for pregnant and nursing mothers; and suite experiences, available at hourly rates, that allow you to enjoy the spa at your own pace with customized treatments. There is also an on-site JGS Salon that offers a variety of hair care services, including cuts, highlights, extensions, keratin treatments, and blowouts. Pro tip #4: Book online to save 30 percent on your treatment.
After a full day, the place to wind down is the MO Bar Lounge, which has a small menu of light bites like the Oasis Pool Cafe but with a much larger menu of drinks. It’s worth a visit on live music nights (Friday and Saturdays 8:30-11 pm and Sundays 7:30-10 pm), when trumpeter Renoir Rodriguez takes the stage with the Fox Brothers to deliver upbeat, jazz and R&B-inspired music. Pro tip #5: Arrive during the early portion of the set to get a good table.
The Mandarin Oriental sits off the beaten path on Claughton Island (also known locally as Brickell Key) just east of Miami’s Downtown and Brickell hubbub, which is another of its charms. For the businessperson visiting with a plus one, the hotel provides more than enough to occupy your significant other while you’re off conducting commerce.
