The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami

We used points and were surprised with an upgrade to a one-bedroom suite, with a lovely inlet view and two balconies. The rooms look a little tired, though, and are due for a major renovation. The food was amazing, especially the tuna Poké bowl and buttermilk breakfast pancakes. Both Daniels from the beach were so kind and gave great service. Daniel set up our chairs, helped us move closer to the front when we wanted to, and brought cucumber water. We’re looking forward to spending the rest of the week with him. Daniel the server was prompt and attentive with our food too. What an amazing place, and it should be stellar after the renovation.

Margo and Victor made our time at the spa and pool feel special and relaxing. They were attentive, friendly, and genuinely cared that everything was right. Their professionalism and positive energy elevated the experience. The service was top-tier from beginning to end, and we can’t wait to come back. Highly recommend!

We checked out today, and I wanted to say how wonderful the stay was. Everything was so clean, the staff were really nice, and the food was great. The beach was packed and there weren’t any chairs available, but Alex R kindly looked around and found extra chairs and an umbrella for my husband and me. Juan, the beach manager, and Alex kept checking on us through the day, making sure we had water and towels, and helping us choose dinner spots. They made our stay amazing. Thank you, and we can’t wait to come back.

We were welcomed by friendly, helpful staff, and the food and drinks were great, but a couple of things made this day pass feel less worth the splurge. At the pool, people were allowed to smoke cigars. I find that gross and hard to get away from. We managed to move away, but still caught the occasional waft. Allowing any smoking feels dated and inconsiderate to other guests. We also went upstairs to Artisan Beach house at 2:30 for what we thought would be a quick bite. The drinks and food took so long that we didn’t get back to the pool until 4, when the sun was already gone. We moved to the beach, where there was about an hour of sun left, but I’m not a beach person and would have eaten lunch by the pool if I’d known it would take that long. My partner and I had been staying with family in a retirement community for the week and wanted a change of pace. I’m glad the Ritz and other hotels offer day passes through Resortpass for an elevated daytime escape, but these issues got in the way of a great experience.