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Introduction: The Long Way to Costa Rica
Missed United Airlines Flight from OKC
Irregular Operations on United Airlines
Review: Landry’s Seafood – Houston Intercontinental Airport
Missed Flight on American Airlines from Miami
Review: Springhill Suites by Marriott – Miami Airport South
Review: American Express Centurion Lounge Miami
Review: American Airlines (737-800) Economy Class Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica
Review: El Camino Del Vino
After traveling most of the day and not making it to our destination, I was excited to get to the hotel to unwind. The shuttle pickup was just outside of the terminal between the United and American Airlines’ counters.
Booking
As I mentioned in the previous post, the United Airlines agent gave my friend and I hotel vouchers valued at $110. The voucher was only good at this property. I was able to earn 2,786 Marriott Rewards points for the stay. The total was broken down into the following: 1,613 base points, 807 elite bonus points, and 366 credit card points.
Arrival
The hotel was located minutes from Miami International Airport. The shuttle took way longer than what Google Maps showed. When I asked the driver about the delay, he stated that the hotel did not want to pay the tolls. Fair enough.
Check-In
The front desk was positioned was to the right when I entered the property through the main entrance.
There was not anyone ahead of us so we were helped immediately. I presented my credit card, identification, and voucher from United Airlines. After a few minutes, I was welcomed back to Marriott and thanked for being a Platinum Elite. I was offered two bottles of water as a welcome gift. The agent informed us that we had two options for hot food at the property: 1) the lobby restaurant, or 2) the breakfast buffet the next morning. I quickly made my way to the room.
Room
I took the elevator up to the 3rd floor, made a left, and the room was a few doors down on the right
The room was a standard King. The door opened into the sitting area. It included a sofa bed, kitchenette, and desk. Compared to other Marriott properties that I have visited, this one was severely outdated. In the end, it did not matter because I did not pay for the room and I was only using it for a few hours.
Just past the main area, on the right, was the bed. The bed was big and comfortable. I managed to get a few peaceful hours of sleep.
The bathroom was directly across from the bed. It was fairly basic, but did include some Paul Mitchell toiletries which I appreciated. There was not much to the bathroom.
Dining
As I stated earlier, there were two hot food options at the hotel: 1) Lobby restaurant and 2) breakfast buffet.
After settling into our room we made our way back to lobby to grab a drink and a quick bite to eat. The lobby bar had six seats, but there was plenty more seats in the lobby itself. We grabbed a seat at the bar and were quickly provided menus by the very funny bartender.
I ordered a chicken Caesar wrap to hold me over for the night. It was served alongside plain potato chips. The sandwich was delivered in less than 10 minutes. It was warm and surprisingly delicious.
We decided to grab a quick bite to eat from the breakfast buffet the next morning. It was located in a room just across the hall from the lobby bar. The buffet included eggs (scrambled/boiled), pork bacon, chicken sausage, cereal, yogurt, and an assortment of pastries. It was definitely surprising and impressive to see a complimentary buffet of that size at the property.
The other option for food was the Market located behind the front desk. It had beer, microwaveable dinners, various snacks and toiletries.
Fitness
The hotel had a fairly basic gym on the ground floor. It was on the right side as I passed the lobby bar.
Final Word
The Springhill Suites at Miami International Airport helped me to relax after a long day of traveling. While the property was on the older side, the friendly staff and delicious food far exceeded my expectations. I would not hesitate to visit this property again.
