Miami Guidebook Piggyback: Sanctuary South Beach Review
Travel writer Michael de Zayas is in Miami on an assignment--30 Miami
hotels in 30 Miami nights. You will be able to find his detailed travel
musings in Miami and Miami Beach books later this year.
HotelChatter asked Michael to let us know his minute-by-minute thoughts on
the Miami hotel scene during his guide book mission, which he will be doing
over the next two weeks. During the fortnight, Michael will share with us
every bed, maid, drink, pool, henhouse and outhouse that comprise the Grove, Gables, Sunny Isles, North Beach, South Beach and the Key Biscayne hotel scene in 2007. If you wish to ask him a question during
his jaunt, shoot it our way.
Sanctuary rooms live a little like upscale NYC-size one-bedroom apartments. They compact a lot of chic per square foot, and offer a fun, trim base to be fabulous. On South Beach, the Sanctuary does it relatively cheaply, at $300 a night per suite.
Still think that's a lot of dough? Well, for this price you get to play at exclusive chic, and there aren't many cheaper ways to pay to play at that game here and feel authentic in the process. Perhaps it's because the hotel takes itself seriously. (Townhouse, where I'm staying tomorrow, for instance, likens itself to be more fun Lifeguard than the lording Buddha who presides over the premises here.)
Looking a bit like an underweight model, Sanctuary's narrow space folds around an open air inner courtyard of small fountains edged in bamboo, and the aforementioned Buddha. It might feel claustrophobic despite the intended tranquility of the svelte courtyard, were it not for the rooftop. The courtyard is split into two sections: to the south is the small bar open to a lively scene on weekends, and a few wide and comfy cabanas. To the north is the pool. Please don't dive in it - it's two feet deep and 10-feet long. But this attractive folly sets the stage for chaise longues where one or two or three beautiful people sun during the day.
More on the Sanctuary tour after the jump.
In a Nutshell
Sanctuary snatches a very subtle niche for chic exclusivity on a budget. It's an etherealized notion of the Shore Club. Want the beach? It's sister property, the Shelborne, provides you free beach cabanas. Want a gym? Half price at David Barton. Want to dive into a pool? The Shelborne's pool will certainly suffice. And if you want to lounge in those gorgeous cushions and tasseled hammocks - why not walk on over to the Sagamore and do so - no one will stop you. Here's the rub - at Sanctuary you get a larger room for a better price.
Room Dirt
Rooms have a separate living area with 42" plasma screens, and stainless steel mini kitchens with microwave, minibar, coffeemaker. Bedrooms have comfy queen beds and an additional flat screen tv, but are more or less plain besides.
Location is a Virtue
The property is on quiet James, two blocks from the heart of Lincoln Road and one block from the stretch of chic and pricey Collins hotels centered around the Delano. If you either can't afford or don't want beachfront or Ocean Drive, it's a quiet, centrally located redoubt.
Final thoughts
Since originally reviewed on this site, Sanctuary has dropped its inventive single girl discount. (The presumably complimentary Bentley service, as reported by Frommer's, probably never existed; the hotel has a Land Rover which will shuttle you to the airport for $120.) There was once also yoga, but no longer. Tip: second floor rooms have steam showers; first floor rooms have elegant sunken tubs. And if you're looking for Super Bowl rooms, they were booked "as soon as it was announced," according to the front desk.
Related Stories:
· The Quick and Dirty on Sanctuary South Beach [HotelChatter]
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