I love my American Express Hilton Aspire Card. I love it so much in fact, that I have two of them!
Last year, I used the $250 Hilton credit (on each card) to stay at the La Quinta Resort & Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, and the year prior to that, I used these credits at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas.
Both were amazing choices, but would I go “3 for 3” at the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort and Spa, a Curio Collection by Hilton?
Review: Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa, A Curio Collection By Hilton
Editor’s Note: This article is part of my ongoing series on the state of California and its sister-series on Palm Springs
Image: hilton.com
About The Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa, A Curio Collection By Hilton
The Hotel Lobby
The hotel lobby is modern, sleek, and stylish – just what I’d expect from a Curio Collection property.
Image: hilton.com
Check-In (Night 1)
Well, believe it or not – I was actually “walked” the first night of my two-night stay.
For those unfamiliar with this term, it means the hotel overbooked itself and decided to give my room away before I checked-in.
True, this happens sometimes, often at very popular resorts. But until now, this has never happened to me – especially as I am a Hilton Honors Diamond Member.
How was this resolved? Well, they “walked” me over to a lower-tier Embassy Suites property nearby. Although my “walked” night at the Embassy Suites By Hilton Palm Desert was automatically fully-comped by Hilton, my refund from the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort was not, and it was predictably a major hassle to get that resolved.
Aside from the fact we had to stay in different hotels – two weeks later I [of course] found myself on the line to Hilton Corporate trying to get a refund of my $500 night when I was not automatically refunded (which I eventually did receive thanks to my insistence on the paper folios I made Miramonte and Embassy Suites print out for me). What a hassle!
The Front Desk & Check-In (Night 2)
On my “second” attempt at check-in, I had to endure a crazy long-line where I waited at least 35 minutes (if not more) just to check-in – and I was first in line.
It was one of those situations where there were only two employees working, and one was having a conversation with a friend while the other was doing a complex refund transaction.
Needless to say, the guests in the line (other than myself) were not pleased, they began grumbling things like, “this is ridiculous”, before that turned into, “call your manager and get somebody down here to help!”.
Side-note: To make matters worse, the Hilton Honors line was not being utilized.
When I finally checked-in, there was no, “I’m sorry for last night” or anything of that sort. But, there was a, “sir, as a Diamond Member we can upgrade you to a Junior Suite”. At least that was something.
Mutiny in the lobby
Interesting light fixtures adorn the lobby (and kept me occupied as I waited 35 minutes)
The Nightly Rate & American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card Redemption
I booked a standard, base-level, 1 King Bed With Sofabed room, which ran for $501.75 a night.
My plan was to use both $250 Hilton Aspire card credits ($500) for the first night, and points for the second night.
What Does Hilton Honors Diamond Membership Get You?
On my first night? Not much but a “walk” to an Embassy Suites.
On my second night, I did in fact get an upgrade to a Junior Suite room.
I also received a breakfast credit to be used at Citrus & Palm (see below).
The Room Key(s)
The Lime-flavor
The Grape-flavor
The backside
The Portofino Building Parking Lot
For the hotel being nearly sold-out, there was plentiful parking.
The Portofino Building
Which way do we go?
The Hallway
When I arrived at my room, I noticed that there was trash from the night before that staff hadn’t yet picked up.
Well, it was still early. Surely somebody from the hotel staff would come and clean that up, right?
Nope. It was there until we left the next day.
Guess whose room has that trash in front of it?
The Room Upgrade: Junior Suite
The room upgrade itself was a spacious second floor unit, it was well-lit and relatively clean.
The Bedroom Area
The bedroom area was closest to the balcony.
The bed was comfortable, and the bedding was plush and clean.
Although I’ll admit I slept like a baby, the bed was a little too soft, and I woke up with some noticeable back pain. I won’t “ding” Curio for that.
There is an empty mini-fridge hiding under the bedroom TV
The Living Room Area
The living area was great. The couches were comfortable and the space was a nice place to hang out.
Party-foul: This artwork was in both the room and the bathroom
The Office Desk
Room Amenities
The complimentary water…
…and the $6.00 water
Another empty mini-fridge in the living area
The coffee and tea station
The Vanity (Outside The Bathroom)
Another nice feature of this room was the vanity with a sink outside of the bathroom.
The Bathroom
Inside the bathroom, there was another sink outfitted with the Stress Relief brand of toiletries from Bath & Bodyworks (which smell great).
Stress Relief toiletries from Bath & Bodyworks
The Room Balcony
There was a nice, large balcony outside (but the view was obscured by a huge tree).
The pigeon inquisition
Go Green
1,000 Hilton Honors points for declining housekeeping service. I always love it when I see these promotions.
In Room Dining Menu – Citrus & Palm
In Room Spa Services Guide To Well Spa
The Property By Day & Night
The views from the Potofino building were handsome, day and night.
Breakfast At Citrus & Palm
We opted to use our Diamond Member breakfast credit at the Citrus & Palm restaurant.
The way it worked here, was that Diamond Members could choose any items off the menu marked with a “HH” as a complimentary item (see the menu below).
We opted for the complimentary Miramonte Continental breakfast and the Orange Butternut Squash Pancakes. We also splurged for the Crabcake Benedict. All were excellent (as was the coffee).
Image: hilton.com
The Diamond Member complimentary items are marked with a “HH”
The Crabcake Benedict
The Orange Butternut Squash Pancakes
The Miramonte Continental
The “HH” items = a $30 credit
The Tavern
The Bar at the Tavern
Outdoor seating
The Well Spa
The Well Spa
The Miramonte Swimming Pool
The main Miramonte swimming pool was the centerpiece to the property.
Image: hilton.com
The Fitness Center
Image: hilton.com
The Golf Course
Golf was available at the Clive Clark’s Celebrity Course, a Troon golf course.
Image: hilton.com
Walking The Property
The restaurant grows its own herbs
Lemon Trees galore
Fire pit
The Hideaway Pool
The Bottom-Line Review: Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa, A Curio Collection By Hilton
This is a tough one.
I was not pleased that, as a Hilton Honors Diamond Member, I was “walked” my first night to an Embassy Suites (nothing against Embassy Suites, it’s just not even close to comparable). It was the switching of hotels and rooms and spending hours on the phone to get a refund that was a genuine hassle. Getting walked just shouldn’t happen to top-tier elites in any loyalty program – especially at a “luxury resort” – let alone an to an elite paying $500 a night.
Still, I wanted to give Miramonte a fair shake, “walk” aside. What I did find was a beautiful resort, filled with families having a great time. I was pleased with the room upgrade I received and the room itself. I was also pleased with the food at Citrus & Palm.
Now for the negatives. “Walk” aside, waiting 35 minutes to check-in was ridiculous. Even more ridiculous? I waited almost just as long to check-out (remember, I knew I would need a printed folio). I was not pleased with the trash not being cleaned in front of my room or on the property in general. I was not pleased with the overall hotel service. If I had to guess, I’d say this was an understaffing issue, and for that I blame management.
When I compare this stay to my stay at the nearby Hilton-affiliated La Quinta Resort & Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – which is often similarly or even cheaper priced – the La Quinta Resort & Club wins in almost any measure by a long shot. I really wanted to like Miramonte Indian Wells, but the disappointing service just wouldn’t let me.
Final Rating: 7 out of 10 [and that is a generous rating].
