We just return from 4 nights at the Grove Isle. This was our second visit and we felt pampered. The hospitality and service by the staff is at the highest level. Check in was extremely smooth-using a wireless device in our room. Our room had a great water view, excellent balcony for relaxation. We also had a seating area and flat screen TV.
Housekeeping was excellent-we are water drinkers and requested 6 bottle of house water each day-no problem. The only issue we had was the backup alarms from the delivery trucks. This sound seems amplified by the shape of the hotel-very distracting in our room.
The hotel never seems crowded; this could be because of the extensive security required to enter the island as the hotel shares Grove Isle with three large buildings of condos.
While there is a Spa and exercise facility, my wife swam laps in the outside pool each morning and I walked into Coconut Grove and back-50 minutes.
We had breakfast each day in the hotel and it was nice, good selection and good service. However we found some great restaurants near by. First in Coral Gables, 15 minutes away is La Dorado-great fish. Then for authentic Cuban food, we loved Las Culebrinas, 2890 SW 27th Ave-also 15 minutes away. We were one of the few Anglos there-food is great. Then for lunch, best Cuban sandwich ever-Villa Habana at 34th and Coral Way-again authentic.
On our next visit, we play to stay at Grove Isle.

First of all, they dislike everyone who uses a travel site they dn't like. I couldn't get good flght times to miami cept w/orbitz and the savings seemed good, but if you want to stay at this resort book through someone else. I'm half convinced everyone there hates their job, maybe except one person. Dn't expect house cleaning or turn down service for every night you stay, but to be fair, they do a good job whenever they do turn up.

I thought the spa was okay, they're friendlier there and I liked the locker room. I had a better time at The Spa in West Palm florida though, which is a wonderful place with nice package deals. Overall, I thought the place was pretty and the security seemed good, but I wn't be heading back there even when I decide to stay at one of Noble House resorts.

I expect better service from a luxury hotel, no matter how I book my stay.

We returned to Grove Isle after a near perfect stay in April (see my previous review). This place has gone DOWNHILL! Such a disappointment. There were several disappointments compared to our previous stay but the biggest problem was the food and food service. We paid $50 per person for a dinner I couldn't even eat (seafood was way overcooked, smelled like a dead animal, rubbery). The next 4 mornings our bfast was also inedible: burned pancakes, rubbery tasteless waffle. It also came exactly 15 minutes late 4 mornings in a row. It was always missing something from our order. The eggs, toast, and grapefruit were good so we eventually learned to only order those.

At the pool, it took 35 minutes to get a burger, chicken fingers, grilled cheese, and a salad. They did not have fresh ice tea like they did in April; only bottled. When the food finally came it was either terrible or not as ordered. The cheese on the grilled cheese was completely unmelted - my daughter just lifted the bread and picked it up to show to the waiter!

All this is too bad since the rooms and the property are one of my all time favorite hotels - private, peaceful, personal, and tasteful.

My husband and I stayed for 1 night for our 2 yr anniversary. From the outside the building looks very tropical but a bit dated. We were in room 108 which was beautiful on first impression. It had a great large patio outback facing the bay, a great spot for dolphin spotting. The rooms look like they just did a quick updating, all the baseboards were filthy, needed painting. The bed was one of the most comfortable I have slept in. All the doors were pretty dirty as well. Pool area very tropical but the hottub was all chipped on the inside, the pool bathrooms had such poor updating, painting around the paper towel holders, cracks and chuncks missing from the ceilings and the tiled floors. Not at all a professional job. We ordered chicken wings by the pool, they were still frozen and not cooked properly.
We had dinner at Baleen, very pricey but so private outside, the food was delicious, service not so good, we had to flag down the waiter numerous times. All in all a nice place for 1 night if you get a good price and not look to closely to the finishing details.