If you have a love for art, décor and all things esthetic then the Hotel Faena is definitely the place when visiting South Beach. Every carpet, painting, sculpture, bedspread, inch of tile and staff uniform is designed to create a sense for the opulent. The spa was operating without the use of some of their facilities so they were still not quite in high gear but close. Despite that, the service level overall at the property is extremely high, especially in a town like South Beach where “QUALITY SERVICE” is hard to find. I never opened a door, waited a fraction of a second for service pool side or felt it difficult to be in touch with the concierge desk.
The room we had was on the small side (Oceanview King), which wouldn’t have been a factor if we had not been travelling with our seven year old son and needing a rollaway. My only other complaint was the the room did not have anything resembling a desk or work station…maybe that was not a design flaw however for those needing to hammer out a few emails you may be doing it from your lap. I did tour the larger room categories (junior suite and up) and found these rooms very adequate in size and quality. I would strongly recommend going for a Junior Suite or larger room category if you require some space. And, of course, lets not forget the butler service for your every need including packing and unpacking.
The gym is decent with a handful of aerobic stations, a few free weights and a half dozen strength machines. Everything is perfectly new and of the highest quality. The spa once it is fully operational will be spectacular.
Drinks at the Veranda Bar is ultra cool…no other description fits. The décor is a mix of leopard and cheetah (faux of course) upholstered sofas, plush velvet chairs sitting on richly colored carpets. A jazzy Cuban band is playing and the mixologists are all seasoned veterans capable of putting any drink together to perfection. We ate at Pao the first evening and although it’s on the pricy side the service and food made it worthwhile.
It will probably be a while before another hotel scoops the “trendiest hotel in Miami” award away from the Faena. If you don’t get a chance to stay there go for the pool side lunch, a drink, spa treatment or just a stroll. It is certainly worth a look.