A Review of Downtown Miami's EPIC Hotel

After three days of sun and fun in Key West, Florida, my husband Bill and I drove our rented Ford Mustang convertible back to Miami to spend a night before we had to fly home. Neither Bill nor I had ever been to Miami and, in retrospect, we really should have stayed at least two nights. Our plan was to stay the the EPIC Hotel in Miami and, perhaps, go out to dinner.

Unfortunately, the drive on the Overseas Highway to Miami was more tiring than we expected. We arrived at the EPIC cranky, hungry, and road weary and more than a little sick of paying tolls. Luckily, the EPIC hotel is easily accessed on Biscayne Boulevard Way in downtown Miami. We pulled up to the valet station and an eager young man relieved us of our rental car while another offered to help us with our luggage.

Checking in

I was immediately impressed once Bill and I walked into the EPIC's vast lobby. The hotel is sleek and modern and the lobby seems vast with its high ceilings and modern decor. We approached the check in desk and were warmly welcomed by a receptionist dressed in what appeared to be a fashionable light blue taffeta suit. She noted our reservation for one night. I had booked our stay on Jetsetter.com and got what I thought was an excellent deal. But the receptionist said since Bill is in the military, he qualifies for the EPIC's government rates, even if he's not booking for business purposes. That's handy advice to know for next time.

I glanced over my shoulder to the right and saw a table set up with lemonade and iced tea, a welcome touch for tired travelers who might like a little complimentary refreshment before heading to their room. The EPIC Hotel is owned by Kimpton, which is well known for also hosting complimentary wine tastings from 5:00 to 6:00 each night. Bill and I knew about this tradition, since we had once stayed at Kimpton's Hotel Alexis in Seattle. Sadly, we were just too worn out to think about the free wine. Our first mission was to get our bags to our room and have something to eat.

Our room

We booked a standard waterview room and were given a room on the 25th floor. As we approached an elevator, a valet showed us how to use our card keys to get the elevator to work. The EPIC is security minded, after all, and only registered guests of the hotel can get the elevator to run. A couple of EPIC executives joined us in the elevator and asked us what we thought of the hotel. They seemed genuinely happy to see us and glad to hear our opinions.

Once we walked into room 2506, we were even more impressed. The room featured a king sized bed, a large flat screen television, a minibar, two telephones, and an enormous bathroom. Sitting on the writing desk near the television was something I had never before seen in a hotel... a desktop computer! Internet access was free on the desktop computer; wireless access was free if we opted to join Kimpton's loyalty program, InTouch, which we did decide to do. Beyond the writing desk was an enormous sliding door which opened to a nice sized balcony. We had a great view of the Miami River as it opens into the Biscayne Bay.

The bathroom

Our bathroom at the EPIC was very nice. It was done in beige marble and had a squarish looking soaking tub, a large shower with a rainfall shower head, and his and her sinks. The toilet was in an alcove with a sliding door that could be closed for privacy. I liked this little architectural touch, since it allows people to be able to use the toilet without depriving other room occupants of the sink.

One other feature I had never seen before was the large open window next to the bathtub. I'm assuming the window was there to let bathtub soakers enjoy the TV. Shades were available to those who would prefer privacy. I didn't recognize the toiletries in the bathroom, but did note that they were of good quality.

Food

Bythe time we checked into the hotel and ditched our luggage, I had a splitting headache and Bill was very tired of driving. EPIC Hotel has two restaurants, Area 31 and Zuma. Area 31 has sort of a Mediterranean focus, while ZUMA's cuisine is Japanese. We didn't have a chance to try ZUMA, but we did have an interesting experience at Area 31.

It was 2:30pm and Area 31 was mostly deserted, save for a trio of women who had a reservation. One server and a bartender were present in the restaurant, though I also noticed a server working the outside area. Area 31 has several tables outside, where one can gaze at the watery views or enjoy lunch by one of the two outdoor swimming pools.

Our server seated us by the window and gave us some time to look at the lunch menu. Actually, she gave me a lunch menu and Bill a dinner menu. But she cheerfully fixed the mistake once we pointed it out to her.

Bill decided to order a bottle of wine, but the wine he wanted was not in stock. So he chose another bottle, which also wasn't in stock. Our waitress was very embarrassed about the situation and asked us for our room number so she could send us an amenity.

As for the food, well, it was a bit pricey and I've had better. I had a mahi mahi club sandwich that tasted okay, but the fish made the bread very soggy. Bill had a Cuban sandwich that was tasty enough. Our friendly waitress is what really made our lunch at Area 31 pleasant, though.

An evening surprise...

My headache was taking its time going away, so Bill and I decided to stay in the room and watch some TV. At around eight o'clock, there was a knock on the door. Our server from Area 31 had indeed requested an amenity for us. A young man was holding a bottle of chilled Pouilly Fuisse, a bucket of ice, and two wine glasses. He also presented us with a note of apology in an EPIC card, personally inscribed by our server.

Though we weren't too hungry because of our late lunch, Bill and I decided to have order some food from room service to go with the wine. We noticed that most of the selections were a bit more expensive than what was on offer at the restaurant and carried a 20% service charge and a $3 delivery fee. Nevertheless, we didn't feel like going out, so we ordered some hummus with black olives and pita bread and chicken satay. The hummus was very good and generously portioned. The chicken satay was a bit disappointing. Three, rather dry looking pieces of chicken were skewered on wooden sticks and served atop a huge mound of greens. The satay came with what tasted like a cucumber mint sauce. The order also came with glasses of ice water. Though we enjoyed the hummus, I'm not sure we'd order room service again.

Sleep

Bill and I can't complain about our rest at the EPIC. We both slept reasonably well, though I did get a little warm in the middle of the night. Our room did have a thermostat, but it didn't seem very responsive. However, the bed was comfortable and the sheets were crisp, clean, and a pleasure to sleep on.

Breakfast

The EPIC does offer packages that include continental breakfast, but Bill and I didn't purchase one. Consequently, we ended up spending about $60 on breakfast at the EPIC. I am happy to report, however, that this time, the food seemed worth it. I ordered Eggs Benedict, coffee, and orange juice. Bill had scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese grits, toast, orange juice and coffee. My Eggs Benedict was prepared perfectly and Bill had no complaints about his bacon and eggs. At the very least, he was given enough food to feed both of us! The orange juice was scandalously expensive at $6 a glass, but it did taste like it was fresh squeezed. We were served by the same nice lady who took care of us when we had lunch and she was very gracious when we thanked her for sending us wine.

Other amenities

The EPIC has a spa called Exhale that offers a full range of pricey spa services. There are also fitness classes available, as well as a hammam. One area I had hoped to explore but didn't was the pool. EPIC has two outdoor pools surrounded by cabanas and lounge chairs. It appeared that one pool was out of commission for some maintenance work, but the other was well attended by sun worshippers. Unfortunately, there was no hot tub.

Checking out

Checking out was hassle free. After the receptionist bid us a cheery farewell, we went to the valet area to wait for our rental car. I happened to notice that the EPIC had set out a welcome sign, water bowl, and a bowl full of treats for three canine guests. Like all Kimpton hotels, the EPIC is very pet friendly and even offers concierge and spa services for guests' four legged friends.

After the valets loaded up our bags, they handed us bottles of water to drink on the road to the airport.

Overall

Bill and I enjoyed the EPIC, though we wish we could have stayed another night or two to explore Miami. One thing we did notice about this particular hotel is that its location downtown may be best for business travelers. South Beach is about a ten minute drive and a lot of the downtown businesses close at about 6:00pm. The EPIC is close to the Bayside Marketplace, but there didn't appear to be much else of interest in the neighborhood. Also, potential guests should also be aware that the EPIC also consists of residences for locals.

If we went back to Miami, we might stay at the EPIC again. On the other hand, next time we go to Miami, I'm hoping to really see the city, which would probably mean I'd want to stay in a different area. But for this particular visit, the EPIC mostly suited our purposes fine.

For more information: http://www.epichotel.com/index.html