My husband had dreaded going to Miami when I told him that was where I wanted to go for a vacation. The last time he was in the Miami Beach area was just after the Mariel boatlift in 1980. He and his friends were escorted out of Miami by the police after being there only ½ hour. They stated it was way too dangerous for them to be driving around the city. He had not been back since except for Wynwood. Fast forward to 2019 and he absolutely loved it.
What made this stay wonderful was our hotel and its staff. I chose the Cadillac Hotel based on its location, away from the crowds of the South Beach area. Being disabled he does not like to draw attention nor does he enjoy the stares from others. The area at this hotel, 39thstreet, was quiet, clean and has a beautiful beach. One thing you may want to check out is the parking as it is $40.00 per day if you let the hotel park your vehicle with the valet. There are garages which are much cheaper as well as on street parking but only for certain amounts of time. What we did utilize was his handicapped parking permit which allowed me to park on the street with no charge. We met the officer who actually writes tickets and enforces the code who stated this was our best option and it was good that we spoke to him and showed him our vehicle as well.
The hotel was impressive as soon as we walked in. Clean, fresh, upbeat, and designed tastefully as an Art Deco Hotel should be and our check in was quick and efficient. Our room was upgraded due to a problem with our first room but the ocean view alone made up for any problems we may have had. The room was well outfitted with a Nespresso coffee machine and supplied free coffee pods as well. Comfortable king size bed, clean bathrooms, ample space and chaired balcony made for a pleasant experience. The interaction with each staff member never disappointed as they were at every turn. The concierge did exactly what his job entails as he helped us with dinner locations and other particulars to make our stay most enjoyable. The “adult only” pool was such an amenity to us and as we had seen, many others. There is another larger pool for children and families away from the adult pool area as well. A generous eating area, sit down bar, whirlpool, and beach access are all within the hotel grounds. Upon entering the pool areas, a staff member greets you and asks how many towels and chair covers as well as which pool you are going to be usng. They set up the lounge chairs with terry covers and towels and set a large umbrella to where you want it. This also applies for the beach area. Throughout the day they will come by and asks if you would like a drink or order food which we took advantage of on a daily basis. The service is well managed and the servers are good at what they do. The beach is cleaned daily and chairs and umbrellas are set up from 8am. There is a $20.00 per day fee for a beach umbrella but I had called ahead and brought our own as we had to drive down there as my husband cannot take his medication on an aircraft (this is for another upcoming story). Yes, we saved money this way but when you figure 9 days at $20/day it adds up especially with a $35 per day resort amenities fee which is not included in the price of the room but is for the towels and chairs that are supplied. This seems to be standard for the area as we looked at quite a few hotels before choosing the Cadillac. You can bet that we will now be coming back to this hotel in the future as the staff alone has secured that decision!