Located on the Atlantic Ocean, 14 miles northeast of Miami International
Airport and 14 miles southeast of Fort Lauderdale Airport, this posh
condominium is in a soaring 27-story cylinder trimmed with balconies. With a
more residential feel than its neighbor, the newer Trump International
Sonesta Resort, this hotel is one of the best in its grade.
The driveway rises up to the fourth-story lobby, whence valets whisk cars
down to the lower-level garage. This is one of the only hotels on Collins
Avenue with an off-street entrance, another feature that contributes to its
overall serenity. The open-plan lobby affords ocean and pool vistas through
expansive sheets of glass.
Just beyond the two reception counters is the main restaurant, which is
named after its most prominent feature—View. Open-plan seating allows
for great ocean panoramas, and the menu fittingly spotlights seafood.
Nightly themes, such as sunset sushi, lend diversity to the menu, and Sunday
brunch draws locals as well as guests. A pianist plays in the adjoining
lounge, and a large terrace permits alfresco dining and drinking. The
marketplace delicatessen by the pool supplies gourmet groceries, and a few
supermarkets are close by for milk, cereal and such.
The attractive pool deck is flanked by semiprivate whirlpools, and the
25-ft waterfall spills from the lobby level. The fitness center offers a
well-equipped gym along with steam and sauna rooms, a small spa for health
and beauty treatments, and a juice bar. The hotel boasts 12,000 square feet
of meeting space, with a panoramic terrace that can host up to 300.
This once pet-friendly condo-hotel is pet-friendly no more.
Elevators rise swiftly to the accommodations, a mix of efficiencies and
one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, most privately owned. All are
identically furnished and have ocean views from large balconies stretching
from sitting rooms to bedrooms. With only eight units per floor, hallways
are quiet and proportions generous. Standards vary, but renovations are
slated to begin in earnest by summer of 2006. At inspection, only the units
on the sixth floor were completed. These have a more attractive contemporary
bent with tropical accents, new TVs, plush carpeting and sand- and
sea-inspired soft goods. Standards in the older units are acceptable even at
these rates. Amenities run to WebTVs, pillow-top mattresses on king beds,
and whirlpool tubs in baths. All units, including efficiencies, come with
full kitchens equipped with dishwashers, full-size refrigerators and both
microwave and conventional ovens. Washers and dryers are concealed in
closets. Bedrooms have big TVs, along with armchairs and ottomans, and
living areas come with sofa beds and matching armchairs set around coffee
tables. TVs are in matching cabinets. The large baths impress with their
marble countertops, bidets, and glassed-in showers with cascading
showerheads. All apartments have data ports on multilane phones. Room
service stops at 10 pm. The staff is thoroughly professional, unlike some of
the staff at hotels farther down the beach.
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