Belly G

Review of The Epic Hotel - The River Lou...

If I had to summarize my stay at the Kimpton Epic ...

If I had to summarize my stay at the Kimpton Epic Hotel in one word, I'd simply say, "Epic!"

After spending my first couple of nights in Miami Beach staying at the Lorraine Hotel (crappy experience), I spent my last night in Miami staying at the Kimpton Epic Hotel. Yes, it was more than twice as expensive; but you know what? IT WAS WELL WORTH IT!

One of the reasons why I was willing to pay more for this hotel is due to the fact that it was almost New Year's Eve and so people were coming into Miami from all over and hotel rates in general just spiked. Another reason is because this is considered a luxury hotel and this is Miami where nothing is cheap.

I arrived at the hotel around 11 am on a Friday and traffic was pretty bad at the time: It took me almost 45 minutes to get to the hotel from Hotel Lorraine and it wasn't even that far. But hey, again; this is Miami we're talking about so this was expected.
When I checked in, I was informed that they didn't have any room available yet. But they checked me in, took my luggage and also my number so they would be able to text me when my room was ready.

Long story short, they actually didn't have my room ready until almost 4 pm. I'm not sure if this is the norm with the hotel or if it was due to the fact that it was almost NYE. But I would recommend AGAINST early check in.
And also, if you plan on staying in their lobby, bring a jacket because the AC is freezing in the lobby area.

When I got up to my room, however, I was like "whoa!"
I've stayed at a lot of hotels: budget, medium range, luxury. I've even stayed in a Marriott Suite before (another 'whoa' moment) so at this point, it's pretty tough to impress me when it comes to hotel rooms. But this room is "whoa!".
Check this out:
- 55" Samsung Smart TV in the room.
- A balcony overlooking the pool (would have been super awesome had I stayed here in the summer).
- An opening in the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom so you could soak in the tub and watch the TV (and yes, they have blinds if you need some privacy).
- Super comfortable mattress to sleep in (unlike Hotel Lorraine).

I actually planned on using more of the amenities being offered by the hotel (gym, wine at the lobby, etc). But you know what I ended up doing? SLEEP. The mattress was so comfortable and I needed the sleep after not being able to sleep well for two nights. I didn't even care to check out the gym or whatever. I just wanted to sleep.

ALMOST everything about this hotel is perfect. The only reasons why I'm not giving it a perfect review are (1) no early check-in and (2) not a fan of the valet price and wait time.
Your only parking option here is to valet and it will cost you, if I remember correctly, $48 + tax/night. Pretty steep.

Would I stay here again? HELL TO THE YES!
If you're visiting Miami and you don't mind staying downtown, check this hotel out. You won't regret it.