Hotel Victor — Hotel Review Rating: 4.0 Pearls

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Oyster Hotel Review

Reporter: Dipayan G.
Updated: August 20, 2009

 Service

"It's an amaaazing hotel, man," said the guy in the backseat of the Super Shuttle as I headed over to the Victor. So maybe I was unnecessarily miffed that the doorman stared into space as I pulled my luggage in. Still, check-in was smooth and I had my keys in less than two minutes.

Just before dinner, a different doorman saw me taking pictures and walked my way. I thought I'd been busted, so imagine my surprise when he took me on a tour of the hotel, all the way up to the Very Victor Suite. I got an equally in-depth tour of the spa from a desk attendant.

Later that day the concierge, between phone calls, told me the best place to get a quiet business lunch was Nikki Beach Club. Really? Well, maybe table-dancing 20-year-olds could help break the ice. I got better service from another concierge when I asked about the Miami Spice Week menu at the hotel's restaurant, Vix. She excitedly took me over to the hostess, who just as excitedly made me a reservation, told me her favorite entrees and offered me a shawl if it got too cold. Second time's the charm.

 Location

Facing the ocean, all you have to do is walk across Ocean Drive to get to the beach.

In line with other squat Art Deco hotels, many of which are closed for renovation, there's not much else unless you walk one block over to Collins Avenue.

As a highlight, the Victor is right next to Casa Casuarina, Gianni Versace's mansion. An exclusive hotel for many years, the Casa has recently started giving tours to the public.

 Rooms

Our room was like a sultan's tent. The small, 230-square-foot Victor room was filled with heavy draperies and dark furniture. Fortunately, everything from the jellyfish lamps to the curvy love seat was so whimsically arranged that I never felt claustrophobic.

Sections of the room were divided by floor-to-ceiling curtains. One separated the bedroom from the short passage to the door, and the other partitioned it from the bathroom.

Despite my editor's suspicions, the curtain didn't let any steam into the bedroom and was actually, er ... kind of sexy. The bathroom itself was marble from floor to ceiling. The tub was ridiculously deep, enough to keep said 6'5" editor's knees underwater. Unfortunately, the stopper didn't work. I called housekeeping, and a friendly engineer came up to my room and fixed the tub eight minutes later.

The king bed was very comfortable, with little noise from the street or the neighbors.

My only problem was with the TV. My best efforts failed at getting the remote to navigate past the menu screen. In the process, I might have accidentally subscribed to an "Adults Only Package." Imagine explaining that to your boss.

Wi-Fi was practically impossible to access in my room or down in the lobby. And the few times when I could successfully connect, it was very slow.

 Features

You could squeeze a lap into the second-floor pool, but it's mostly for lounging. It has a spectacular view of the ocean at one end and connects to the Passage Bar via a breezeway on the other. In a shady, open courtyard, the bar serves salads, sandwiches and light snacks.

The Victor's main restaurant, Vix, is in a large, elaborate space on the first floor. With a penchant for chandeliers and metal-bead curtains, Vix gets the SoBe club look right without being cheesy. But it shouldn't have taken two hours to finish a three-course meal. Service was really slow.

It's no surprise that the Victor plugs its spa, credited the Steamiest Spa in Concierge.com's list of World's Sexiest Resorts, every chance it gets. You'll find advertisements for it throughout the hotel. While its notorious coed, clothing-optional hammam was empty the day I was there, it has the classiest and most elegant men's room I've ever seen. The adjoining 24-hour fitness center is clean and up to date, with a wide array of cardio and weight-training equipment.

 Cleanliness

Not a hair or stain anywhere in our room, and not a single sign of disarray anywhere in the hotel. Still, the hotel's furniture is beginning to show signs of wear. You can tell that the velvet upholstery in the lobby isn't as vibrant or plush as it once was. The only real sign of wear was the peeling square of wallpaper in our bathroom. Otherwise, no complaints.

 Bottom Line

With eccentric furniture, a jellyfish aquarium and a coed, clothing-optional hammam, the Victor packs sexy glamour into a small Ocean Drive boutique (just across from the beach). Though the pool and rooms are small, the Victor compensates with an excellent spa and a restaurant that even locals frequent.