More about Riu Florida Beach Hotel
nearly perfect !
by A TripAdvisor Member
After a one week trip through Florida we stayed 8 days at the lovely Riu Florida Beach Hotel.
The breakfast and the dinner are outstanding (maybe not for fast-food lovers *g*). Everything you can imagine.
The rooms are very clean though the cleaner somertimes aren´t really spring-cleaning.
The atmosphere in the lobby and the organisation of the appurtenant structures really were professional.
The employees are very kind and helpful and what is important for no native english speakers they are all multilingual (english, spanish, german).
Recapitulating we we really recommend this hotel and would like to stay again in one of the Riu hotels anytime.
Fantastic pool area but far from the center of town
by TripAdvisor Member Saralondon
As one of the cheaper hotels in South Beach, The Riu Florida is excellent value for money. The pool area is gorgeous, buffet breakfast is great, rooms comfortable and air-conditioned and the hotel is literally right on the beach. The only downside is that the hotel is a $6-$7 cab journey from Ocean Drive, the center of South Beach. The service is also not that great or friendly, but I found that to be true of the whole of Miami in general. Overall, this hotel is a great place to stay.
Nice Place
by TripAdvisor Member grabmilla21
This place is great for the price. Stayed here 5 nights. It is a $5 cab ride to anything you want to do in south beach. Lobby was very nice, pool area excellent, beach was great. Rooms where basic but nice also.
Although we never had fitted sheets. Beds could be newer also. Clean and great cleaning staff. The downside is that if you speak english, 80 percent of the hotel staff and guests do not. Staff was very nice but had a hard time understanding things sometimes. Get a room on the 10th floor with an ocean view, worth the extra 20 per night.
What a relief!!
by TripAdvisor Member janp70
After reading all the reviews AFTER we had booked this hotel, our family of 4 were very (very) anxious before we arrived. The rooms were tidy,clean and comfortable . Ocean view excellent, Pool/area excellent, a wooden bridge from pool area right onto miami beach (excellent). Yes there was a musty smell in the corridors, they were painting the lobby/reception area, and they are slowley revamping the hotel. But it was MUCH better than we had hoped for. I would stay there again..
There are other hotels on Collin's Avenue
by TripAdvisor Member rawding
Following a luxury cruise on the 'Explorer of the Seas' my family and I spent a couple of nights at the 'Riu' which I booked over the internet.
Did I do right?? Location:-Superb - backs onto South Miami Beach - but beware, chairs on the beach cost $5 and umbrellas $10 to hire. Rather expensive for a family of four. Hotel:-No air coditioning in our room just a ceiling fan. Our room o/k but drab and dingy. No tea/coffee machine in room, no writting materials and no red beetles! Dining Room:-food was fine but we paid the price for it. The $16 buffet dinner turned out to cost more than stated. No iced water could be served with the meal, bottled wter only in the Dining Room, at a price. Bills for meals and drinks were seperate which meant two service charges and two state taxes at 7%. taking the bill to around $48 each. Hotel souvenir shop:- selection of souvenirs very sparse when the shop was actually open. Shops about 6 blocks south. Some other reviewer mentioned Denny's, stick to their coffee if you must. Bus takes 25 minutes to get to shopping Mall, clothing very highly priced. Better prices and bargains on streets inland from Intercontinental Hotel. Plus points - beach, hotel pool and gardens and being in Miami. Minus points - musty smell in corridors and room, staff not too attentive. Hotel statement:- "Delux Hotel" questionable - "Completly refurbished" what year?
"Minutes from fine dining and shops" by what form of transport?
helicoter, Harley, Liar jet? Conclusion - Would I stay again - No - You could do better booking into another Collins Avenue hotel.
Where did these negative people stay?
by A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I stayed at the Riu for one night prior to a Cruise on the Carnival Triumph and for a further seven days after the cruise. We found the Hotel exactly as described in the brochures and their on-line advertising and really cannot understand some of the negative reviews we read previous to our stay. Let me assure you that my wife and I are not easily impressed with hotel accommodation, having stayed in many 4 and five star hotels worldwide, and while it is true that the staff at the Riu are Spanish speakers who sometimes lost a little in translating our English, we found them very helpful and friendly. The breakfast buffet is superb, and though we chose to eat out in the evenings taking a short cab ride into the town centre, the food on display for the evening buffet looked excellent. The cost of the buffet was $16 to $18 + tax which I consider very cheap considering the fact that if you were a big eater (which we are not) you could eat as much as you could carry on your plate and then return for more. As far as musty smells are concerned, we noticed none of that on our first night, but when we returned the only room available with the view we required was a smoking room and did smell "musty" for a day or so, until the room had been aired and then there was no problem. The rooms we occupied were spotless and the maid service excellent. I spent a lot of time walkin the boardwalks NJorth and South, and the pool and gardens of thew Riu were the best I saw apart from the Fontainbleu Hilton which is a serious five star and nearly three times as expensive.
The two lifts are a little slow if you consider having to wait 90 seconds on average for service, but if you are on holiday and get stressed by that you seriously should consider getting a life.
If not and you are thinking of staying there, "Do it!". you will not be dissapointed, it is a superb value for money hotel and we will definitely stay there again when in Miami.
Read my review, it is the truth
by TripAdvisor Member Gregbo
I read the reviews before staying here and was a little worried, but anyone who had a problem with Rui, has a problem themselves. The rooms were clean, the service was excellent (granted very Spanish speaking, but so is Miami), and the hotel itself is beautiful. The pool was great, the food was great, the beach was right there, what more can you ask. If you are looking for a wild hotel, go to South Beach. If you are looking for 4 star, than pay $200/night. If you are looking for a safe, nice place, this is it.
Awesome stay at the Riu!
by A TripAdvisor Member
As soon as my Mom and I arrived at 10:30 a.m., the front desk welcomed us and brought us 2 glasses of orange juice. Inside the room we noticed the smell that was mentioned on previous reviews and the cause of it is HUMIDITY, just turn on A /C and the odor will go away. There were no red insects or bugs. During our 5 days 4 night stay we went to the beach, pool lyed down on the hammock. Went for stroll at the boardwalk (21st-47th street) went to Ocean Drive where restaurants are in South Beach. Check out stores in Lincoln Road on Collins Ave, I believe its 15th or16th street. Take a ferry to see famous homes such as (Rosie O'Donnell or Gloria Estafan all you need to do is take the "C" or "S" bus at Indian Creek a block from hotel and get off at Bayside which is in downtown Miami its worth it. The bus fare is $1.25 and on your return back to hotel the bus will leave you in front of Riu on Collins Ave. The breakfast buffet was spectacular, there is a variety of food to please everyone you can sit indoors or outdoors I recommend you sit outside to take the morning breeze, sun and the view of the pool. On a daily basis the housecleaning maid left us nicely decorated towels in a shape of heart, butterfly, two swans. Overall I can't complain about this hotel, twice the front desk called to see if I had any problems/issues and I had none. I'm glad we went despite the negative reviews that we read. Go for it and enjoy your stay in Riu!!
Great stay at the Riu
by TripAdvisor Member mgary56
We stayed at the Riu 5/26/04 for a week, and was also worried after reading some of the reviews. One of the reviews written by a gentleman 5/8/04 from Cranleigh, Surry U.K. put us at ease. This review was very fair, honest, and correct.
Upon arriving at the Hotel we were greeted with refreshing orange juice and someone getting our reservations in order. Our room was the average room. Very clean, vaccum and fresh towels daily. We had NO red bugs, or a musty smell. The hotel restaurant is buffet style, $16.- p.p./ wide selection to choose and was very good. The poolside bar & grill is great, but a little pricey. The Pizza is GREAT!
They do have chairs & umbrellas on the beach for rentals. But, you also receive beach towels from the pool at no charge with your towel card.
I will say we enjoyed our week stay and do recommend the Riu.
Forum Posts
Clubs in South BEach
by latingurl
I am going to be going to S. Beach in May with 4 of my friends and three of us are only 20yrs. old and only one is 21yrs. old is their any clubs that will allow us to get in 20yrs.and over or are they all 21+
Also does any one kow anything about the Riu Florida, that is the hotel we are staying at, is it close to clubs and night life
Re: Clubs in South BEach
by Merry_Prankster
You should check the clubs in Coral Gables because the UM students hang here and for under 21s, you can usually gain entrance but no drinks.
Same with some of the mega clubs like Club Space (see http://www.clubspace.com) which ranks in the top global mega clubs - its downtown. South Beach - summer is slow so you will generally be lucky except at lounge clubs were policy is stricter.
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