Travel Diary: Intercontinental Hotel Miami
Bag: Boohoo (NA)
Hat: SHEIN (NA)
Sunglasses: SHEIN (NA)
It's that time of the year again when I get to redeem my FREE hotel night as part of the IHG One Rewards program. The reward, obtained by using my IHG Rewards Credit Card, is good for 365 days and I was a week out from my free night expiring. With nothing really planned - life has been life-ing too much to plan a proper getaway- I settled on a staycation in my hometown. It's always nice to see the place you live through the eyes of a tourist since it's easy to become jaded when you live in a popular city/destination every day. To experience it from a point of pleasure versus daily life brings new perspective and gratefulness.
Join me as I experience Intercontinental Hotel Downtown Miami and the surrounding area as a guest. This hotel is a landmark of the downtown Miami skyline and I've always wondered what it would be like to stay there. The one time I recall having been inside was for a job fair in one of its conference/meeting rooms 16 years ago. I could see why it was considered a luxury hotel and never imagined - at that time - I'd ever be able to stay there as a guest.
Turns out, this year, the hotel was available for my FREE hotel night as part of the rewards program. It didn't take me twice to book a room with a partial Bay view.
Check-in Outfit
Blue Shirt: Ross Dress for Less (NA)
Not only did I plan to spend some time relaxing there, but also planned to shoot content for my blog and YouTube channel. The weather didn't allow for lots of content shooting by the pool, but I did enjoy some time in the lap of luxury. Had the weather been more pleasant, I would have extended my stay for one more night (at my own expense), but since the weather was unstable, I decided to save my coins. Spending money and being stuck inside the hotel and unable to actually enjoy the property would've felt like a waste.
The best part of my stay was the marble-tiled bathroom, which was definitely luxurious. Not only do they provide a wonderful robe, but you also get complimentary slippers.
Slippers: Courtesy of Intercontinental Hotel Miami
The room was immaculate and updated and the view was pretty decent. It would've been more exciting if I could actually see the sun and enjoy a sunrise versus rain and gloomy skies from my expansive window, but I digress. From the 18th floor, I could look down on the pool and greenery area, but the partial view of my room also included a view of high-rise condos. I wasn't sure if the neighbors - enjoying their outdoor balconies - could look over into my room, so the room-darkening shade stayed partially down. The shades, by the way, are operated by buttons next to the large luxurious bed.
The mini-bar, fully stocked with cheap snacks and soft drinks at expensive prices and expensive booze for exorbitant prices, was hardly temptation. I indulged in an $8.50 can of Coke to pass the time of being stuck in my room. Before booking the visit, I considered having dinner at the bar of Toro Toro - located in the hotel. But upon arrival, I wasn't in the head space to deal with people beyond check-in. The weather put such a damper on my mood I settled for in-room dining. Unfortunately, the menu I scoped from Toro Toro didn't allow room service. There was a separate menu for room service. Instead of the pork belly I was looking forward to, I had salmon, vegetable rice, and a slice of chocolate cake. Total for the entire meal (tip included), $90. And it was worth every penny.
The salmon was cooked as requested and as someone who's not a vegetable fan, the fried vegetable rice was delicious. They don't season the food all that much, but provide little salt and pepper shakers so you can season it to your taste. Once I added a little salt, it was 100 percent ready for consumption. The size of the salmon was pretty decent and I didn't think I'd finish it. Once I started eating, however, I could not stop. The vegetable rice was so flavorful it tasted like it had meat in it (it didn't). I ate more of that than I thought I would, as well. And the chocolate cake was so moist and scrumptious I didn't mind that it was semi-sweet dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is not my jam, but this was sweet enough to be yummy, and dark enough to give me all the health benefits dark chocolate is supposed to give...even if in cake form.
I don't regret the price of the meal at all. The chef owes me nothing. AND the most surprising and unexpected item I consumed was the bread that came with the meal. At first, I was disappointed. How dare they give me bread and NO butter?! I thought this didn't bode well for the rest of my meal, but something nudged me to break the bread open just to take a nibble. Some breads, without butter, can be tasty so I gave it chance. Crunchy shell on the outside of the puck-sized bun, I broke it in half and the moistness that was released was surprising. It was as if the butter had been baked into the center of the bread. I took a bite and, yes - it was absolutely buttery to the taste. Tender, warm, and decadent. Comfort food of the highest order. I had to force myself to stop eating it so I could get the salmon and rice in. Again, the chef owes me nothing. I'm kinda mad I forgot to napkin-up the 2nd piece of bread to take with me when I checked out. That was at least $10 that went in trash. If they sold that bread by the bag, I wouldn't hesitate to splurge on it.
Breakfast was typical breakfast fare and there wasn't anything extraordinary about it except they do give you your money's worth and fill the plate. I barely got through it all. The cappuccino was definitely more coffee than milk and required LOTS of sugar. Although the caffeine in coffee gives me heart palpitations, I forced myself to get it all down. It was expensive. Drowning it in sugar minimized the strength of the bitter coffee taste. If you like your cappuccino light, ask for more milk to coffee ratio.
My biggest regret is checking out before doing a tour of the property. The weather was awful that morning, so I took my time packing and relishing breakfast; truly relaxing and enjoying the luxury of it all. But by check-out time, the sun was starting to come out. I checked out and stored my luggage with the hotel so I could finally explore the property, but forgot I needed my room keycard to access the floor the pool area and outdoor greenery space was on. Bummer! Had I known the sun would magically emerge, I would have got up earlier, had breakfast, and explored the property before my check-out time. So, I don't have as much footage of the property as I'd planned, but hopefully, what I have to share is worth watching. The weather gods weren't with me on this stay, but, if anything, it turned out to be a nice FREE (besides meals) self-care staycation. I shot some outfit content from my room (SEE VIDEO HERE) and made it work as best as I could.
The room I stayed in was 1818 for reference. For more information about IHG Rewards program, check here.
Check-out Outfit
White shirt: NA
White sneakers: Ross Dress for Less (NA)
My FREE room for the next 365 days has already been made available to me and this time I will use it on a well-planned getaway outside of Florida...possibly somewhere involving snow. Stay tuned!
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