Better than I expected

I booked the room about a month before reading other reviews on this website, and after reading them a couple of days before going to South Beach I was worried that I made a bad decision. I was pleasantly suprised by being able to get an early check in w/ no hassle and the staff there was very friendly.The hotel isn't 5 star, but neither is the price.

Forget trying to park at the hotel. There is a parking garage on 20th street and Collins that is 20 bucks a day with unlimited valet in & out. Factoring this cost into the hotel room cost (I paid $89.00 per night, it still was a good bargain)

There are towels you can check out at the pool so you don't have to take your room towel to the pool or beach.

If you fly in to Miami late at night like I did, and spend the night at an airport hotel, whatever you do, DON'T stay at the Miami Intercontinental Airport Hotel, it is an absolute dump. It makes the Riande look like the Taj Mahal.

Haunted - Creepy - Nothing worked and no parking

Our room was haunted. An odd numbered room, my husband and I experienced strange happenings, presence & voices in the room, knocking at our door at 3-4am, peephole in our room was broken out with a pencil or something. Also no hot water, hair dryer broken, lamp broken. We really sensed that something terrible had happened there and were extremely creeped out. I don't know the history of the place but it had a bad feel to it. We won't be going back there. Parking was also an issue, as one of the earlier reviews state, the $8 municipal parking on 17th & Washington was the best bet. It's good to be home for sure.

Miami Beach can be a lot of fun with it's beaches, shopping, restaurants and nightlife but the city is full of a lot of derelicts, people laying in doorways, bums, and an unbelievable amount of male and female prostitutes per block. Lots of beggars and bag people too. The city is bursting with a multitude of unsavory characters and you really must be careful. Go to Disney instead!

GREAT location, acceptable room

The Riande Continental does not offer a lot of extras but we found it to be clean and more than acceptable as a place to lay our heads at the end of the day while discovering South Beach. We were there for three days before taking a cruise and were always treated courteously by the staff. There is no longer a hot breakfast buffet so ignore that on various websites. It is a continental breakfast buffet which was OK and two free coupons are included with each night's stay so it's pretty much a freebie. I loved that they served Cafe Latte by the potful right next to the coffee pot at the breakfast buffet.This is right in the heart of South Beach so you have all the people watching, sidewalk cafes, fabulous cars, great shopping (Lincoln Road Mall just blocks away) plus the beach out the back door. You don't get a lot of extras but it's an economical place to stay while drinking in the sights and sounds of South Beach. We stayed at the Holiday Inn South Beach AFTER our cruise and although it featured more amenities it wasn't as good for location (further north) - but did have free sun chairs and umbrellas on the beach and a larger pool and sundeck area behind the hotel.

Very good

Had i have taken the time, like i should have done, to look at some of the reviews posted before i booked this Hotel i may have looked for a new location. After spending a week there ( 3rd Jan - 10th 2004 ), i can honestly say that i was pleasantly surprised. The location is excellent, it has a well kept pool, it has an exclusive path to the wonderful golden sanded beach. You are within easy walking distance to the very popular Ocean Drive ( 5 mins ) parking may be a problem but the Valets are always on hand. The room we stayed in was a basic twin,with colour tv, it was cleaned everyday of our stay! so the decor had some cracks, as i was out most of the day, i wasn't looking to come South Beach to stay in a hotel room. I found all the staff to be very friendly & helpful, look out for Willy the bar Manager, he can get you passes into most of the exclusive clubs, saving you a small fortune. To conclude, i'm sure there a lot better Hotels but as i say, for the price you pay you can't beat it.

Beachfront cheap

We stayed here over Christmas.Under $100 per night.Good location and right on the beach.Rooms need cosmetics but clean.Don't even try to eat or drink here unless you have plenty of time.

No Frills - at all!

This was my first trip to South Beach. When researching area hotels, I was looking for accomodations near enough to Ocean Drive, restaurants and shopping, but not so near that it was too noisy and busy. I came across reviews of the Riande Continental, and all seemed to agree that it was an adequate hotel with a great location. Since the price was nearly 1/2 of what some of the other nearby hotels were charging, I thought I might give it a try. I had the foresight not too expect too much, and, boy, I was not diappointed. I occupied an oceanfront room, and the best thing about the room was the view. It was spectacular. If you don't mind cracks in the walls, water damage by the air conditioner vents, mismatched and broken bathroom tiles, this place will do just fine. On the plus side, though the appearance was run down, the room was clean, spacious and adequately furnished and decorated. I decided not to spend a lot of money on a hotel room that I would only be in for a few hours a day. It's South Beach! I'd rather spend my money on other fun activities. Now that I have been to South Beach and am a little more familiar with the terrain, I think I might try a different hotel next time.

Worse karma than in the NYC subway system

Couldn't even bring myself to complete the check-in process after watching the front desk fight with three sucessive parties checking in before us. They threatened two girls that they would "call the cops" when the girls were just inquiring about a room change. The staff seriously needs to be reminded that the hotel industry is a service industry!!!! We were happiest turning, walking out and checking into a nearby hotel just down the block.

The worst customer service I have ever endured

1. We booked 2 adjoining rooms and called the night before to confirm.

When we arrived, our adjoining rooms had been given to someone else for no apparent reason. They were not willing to make it up to us.

2. Upon checking in, a window in one of our rooms was smashed to pieces. We checked in on a Friday. They hadn't fixed the window until Saturday night.

3. The bartender was totally incompetent when it came to making mixed drinks. Stick with the beer.

4. We were made to leave a $400 deposit. Upon leaving, the woman at the front desk tried to give us our deposit in increments of $5, $1 and rolls of quarters. The only plus is that the hotel is on the beach.

A Penny Saved

This hotel was satisfactory, and it was very inexpensive for a place with its own beautiful beach and OK pool. But if I were coming to South Beach for the first time, I'd want to stay somewhere closer to Ocean Drive. Cleanliness and age of facility was the problem. Maybe the ocean view units are better, but couldn't seem to reserve one. It was also a bother that there is absolutely no parking available. Parked 4 blocks away at the municipal garage and it kept our legs in shape, but was a bit of a hassle - $8 per day, no in and out access.

The Worst Parking!

This hotel is OK if you want to be near the ocean. The hotel is not that clean and it looks old (however, they say it has been remodeled). But the worst part is that there is NO PARKING!! I mean NO PARKING!!! I understand that most hotels in South Beach find it hard in this matter, but this hotel was the worst. I had to walk 3 blocks to the nearest public parking, or pay almost $20 a day for valet 2 blocks from the hotel. This hotel is great if you only want to be on the beach and have no car.