The Biltmore, Coral Gables

One of the only hotels in Coral Gables and one of the remaining historical ones in Miami, The Biltmore was hotel that I sold often and always wanted to go stay at. However the U$ 700+ / night (plus taxes and fees) price tag was out of my budget so I was quite surprised when I was able to snag an awesome deal; U$ 150 / night (plus taxes and fees so about $220 all in, including breakfast for two. Who can argue with a deal like that? And it was refundable too so if we changed our minds, I could cancel.

Now, besides the great deal, I wanted to focus more on the hotel and the free tour they provide. If you are wondering how I got that deal check out my tips / hints for hotel savings under "Prepare".

The hotel staff is all very friendly and very helpful. Upon arrival, the main lobby is dotted with a few bird cages that used to be filled with song birds back in the 20's but now have various little bids. Check in was a breeze and then we had a bellman show us the basics of the hotel layout before escorting us up to our newly renovated room and showing us how everything works in the room before noticing that the room attendant didn't leave any amenities so he left us to our own devices while he arranged to have them delivered.

Settle in, we noticed what time it was and decided to check out the free tour that is given twice on Sundays. I was expecting that we got to explore the hotel but I was wrong. The attendees gathered in the lobby by the elevator but no one knew what was going on. We were just about to leave when 20 minutes after the start time a woman showed up to take us on a tour through history of the hotel. (She's not very loud so don't be in the back). After meeting at this location we were walked to the far end of the room before being shown a gargoyle that was specially created for the property before launching into the early years pre-hotel, building the hotel, and then how it was changed during the war.

We were then led into a couple ball rooms while we were explained that one was used as the mess while it was a hospital and the other was the movie room so nothing original was left but when it was restored, they did their best to emulate what it was. Connecting the ballrooms was an outdoor patio that overlooking the restaurant. Originally the space was filled with 20 shops but upon reopening they removed the shops and added a fountain that was in the original design but there was no space for it. Then it was onto the patio to look out over the pool. At one time the waterfall was the high dive board and it was deeper but it was filled in while it was a hospital and then it was only extended back to it's original length once it became a hotel again but since it wasn't deep enough, there was no need for a high dive. Next stop was a hallway to look at a photo of one of the owners before the tour ended. By that time, we were almost half of the size we started with as we lost people as the tour progressed.

When staying at the Biltmore we went with the breakfast inclusive package while, as the name suggests, includes breakfast. If you decide to include this option then you will have a note in your room listing where you can eat your breakfast. For us, our options were:

Fontana (Breakfast Buffet Only)

Monday to Saturday from 7AM to 11AM

Sundays from 7AM to 9AM

the 19th hole (A la carte)

Sundays from 8AM to 11AM

Cascade (A la carte)

Sundays from 7AM to 11AM

It did not include room service or the Sunday brunch.

As we were staying at the hotel on a Sunday night our breakfast would be the Fontana breakfast buffet on the Monday morning. We got up and headed down where we were quickly sat at a table near the breakfast buffet. Freshly squeezed juice (orange, grapefruit, or apple) , coffee, and tea were served to us by the wait staff. The buffet was not very large but it had something for everyone. It was all laid out on the bar top in a single line that started with a selection of pastries and bread then cereal followed by the hot items which included bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and pancakes. Then at the end of the line was various fresh fruit, chesses, and sandwich meats.

We didn't feel that it was worth paying for but supposedly the Sunday Brunch is one of the bests in the area and not something to be missed.

Keep in mind that COVID may change things up.