Review: Lowes Hotel on Miami Beach

Although I live in Miami, I don't often make it over to South Beach. But this past week I spent two nights at the Lowes Hotel on Collins Avenue and below are my comments regarding the hotel amenities, service, rooms, and adjoining Elemis Spa.

My room (1554) faced north and offered a view of the ocean to the right, the SoBe skyline straight ahead, and Biscayne Bay to the far left. Both the room and bathroom were small (like most hotels in the area), but nicely appointed.

The bath robes were ultra-comfy, but the beds were much too soft for my taste. Also, the duvet comforter was an awkward weight - under it I was hot, but any exposed body part was chilly, even with the air conditioning off.

The in-room pod-style coffee makers offered Emeril-branded coffees and Celestial Seasonings teas. A note: when I first entered the room I sneezed several times due to the strong air-freshener, but opening the balcony door for an hour alleviated the smell.

I ate the heavy hors devours offered by the hotel the first night of our stay as part of the conference I attended. Several food stations were set up in the beautifully-appointed outdoor courtyard overlooking the beach. Everything was tasty - my personal favorites were the mussels, roast beef with mushroom ragout (really good), and the roasted vegetables as part of the antipasti display. I sampled several of the dessert offerings - the spoons of dark chocolate, the rice pudding, and the crème brulee (though it was more like a pudding) were delicious.

Each day the maid places a list of hotel events on your bed. One of the offerings is a free glass of lemonade in the lobby - a different flavor each day, When I asked about it downstairs, I was told (graciously) that they were no longer offering lemonade, but would I like a strawberry smoothie. Yes, and it was delicious!