Great hotel

just got back from a 2 week holiday,staying at the riu florida beach on collins avenue,miami,and i must say it was the best hotel i have stayed in. all the staff done everything they could to make my stay so enjoyable,they were all so friendly,and they all had smiles on there faces,unlike some staff at some hotels.the free breakfast buffet will take some beating,the food was excellent,and there was such a big variety to choose from,the same can be said about the evening dinner buffet,the food was 1st class.i only have one small complaint to make about the riu,and that is they do not supply coffee making facilities in your room,neither is there a coffee machine available.the only reason that i am complaining about this,is that i get up early in the mornings,and always like to get a coffee,but then again the restaurant opens at 7.30 am.but overall this is a fantastic place to stay,and will certainly be going back next year...thank you riu hotel

We had a FAB time staying at the RIU

Stayed here in October (arrived 11 October). The hotel was great, as soon as we arrived we were greeted with refreshments on check-in. The hotel reception staff were very friendly and accommodating to have our room upgraded (especially George & Diovanni). We stayed on the 6th floor, which was definately a superb view out looking on to the beach and pool. The room itself was clean and tidy with clean bed linen and towels. I would mention on the downside the dresser draws and carpet smelt a bit musty, but apart from that everything was fine.

The complimentary breakfast they served was very nice with lots of variety, well catered for, if you have allergies and are vegan/vegetarian also the catering staff were very welcoming.

On a whole this hotel is a nice place to stay and "Yes" we would stay here again and highly recommend the RIU.

HOLIDAY TIP: Do not believe all the reviews you read, I would suggest you go yourself and experience their hospitality.

Wouldn't stay at RIU in Florida or other areas they are located.

Stayed at the RIU for 5 nights. Hotel room appeared to be very worn out. Carpets were old and did not seem clean enough to walk around in bare feet. We had requested oceanview and saw nothing but tops of the palm trees. After the maid cleaned the room we returned to find head hair on bathroom floor. Not very thorough in their cleaning. I would give this hotel a 2 star, not a four. Management seemed disinterested.

Don't go looking for luxury

My husband and I just returned Sep 28 from one night at the Riu Flordia Beach. I have to agree with the other reviews, this places looks really nice on the outside and in the lobby, but lacks that luster in the rooms. If you get a really cheap room rate or are only going to be spending a night or two then okay. Also, do not try to drive in Miami Beach you can get yourself killed, taxi is the only way to get around.

If you want a quiet vacation go to Destin or Key West, FL.

Holiday Inn @ Riu

Beautiful on the outside, truly, the beach access, the pool, the drinks at the bar, top notch. The service and the rooms were holiday inn quality at best. If the weather is good and you're going to be outside of the room, best deal in town...any time spent in the room, is not worth the trip. Find an inland hotel!

Great Stay

My wife and I recently spent our honeymoon at the Riu Florida Beach and, after reading the previous reviews, I have to wonder if those people were staying in the same hotel. Our stay was very pleasant and we would certainly return again. The lobby is very large and inviting and the service at the main desk was excellent (the young man checking us in also provided us with excellent recommendations for dinner on Lincoln Road during our stay). Our room was clean and comfortable and the cleaning staff was very accomodating. The pool was fine and the bar at the pool had very good affordable lunches (I enjoyed sipping a drink while lying in one of the shaded hammocks). We rented a couple of padded lounge chairs and a big umbrella on the beach for $20 a day and just enjoyed the sun and ocean all day (why would someone complain about cable tv service when staying on Miami beach?). We were lucky to have perfect weather for the week. Our rate was under $100 per night and an excellent value. The only complaint I could make was having to wait for an elevator (there are only two for the entire hotel).

Running Away From The Riu

We stayed at the Riu Miami Beach for 4 days (Fri-Mon) and had the same experience. Arrived at 1AM, and the Front Desk couldn't find the reservation, didn't know the rate, couldn't find an available room for almost 20 minutes. (We were the only people at the desk.) They asked to keep our own copy of the reservation [that we had printed from the internet]. The room was less than good. The carpet was visibly dirty, the bedspreads were old/well-used, the sheets not-quite-white, the pillows were very flat. The bathroom was on par with the room [with missing facetowels for 2 days despite repeated requests]. It took me going back down to the front desk to remind them to activate the telephone in our room. We were so unhappy, we spent an hour on the phone at 1AM, trying to find another room on Miami Beach (that wasn't $200+ a night). No go. We stayed. In the morning, the hotel's EXTERIOR is absolutely wonderful: landscaping, pool, lounges and towels provided, access to the beach, boardwalk. The breakfast and dinner (internal or external dining) is great, with a mulitude of dishes from which to choose. Note: there is no lunch offered in the dining room, but there is casual dining by the pool (hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, etc.) Final verdict: if you're there on internet rates ($95 or less) and plan on NOT being in the hotel room unless necessary, OK. If you're planning on luxuriating around inside the hotel, massages and/or spa-ing (there are none), lounging and watching TV (1 cable station, no pay-per-view movies, and ROTTEN reception), we strongly recommend that you keep away from the Riu.

Good and Bad

We stayed two nights at the Riu before taking a cruise (we just returned). When our taxi pulled up in front of the hotel at midnight, it was impressive. I still think it has great curb appeal compared to other hotels in the area. As we entered the lobby, it gave me a feeling of entering an expensive hotel. I had made reservations two weeks earlier through the internet for $96.00/night. They could not locate the reservation (I had a copy) and stated the rate was $197.00/night. Since I had proof, they gave us the $96 rate. The room was ordinary as far as atmosphere and decor but below standards in cleanliness. Although not filthy, you could see the bathroom had not been cleaned. I don't know if this only applied to our room or whether all rooms were dirty. They did have a team of maids cleaning from room to room the next morning so it could be they took a shortcut and skipped the room without the knowledge of management. I'll never know for sure. Anyway, when morning came and there was light to see, we began a tour. The back (beachside) was splendid. Beautiful tropical landscaping, pool, hammocks, boardwalk and fantastic beach area. A breakfast buffet was provided for all guests and I will have to say I found absolutely no fault with it. Eggs were cooked to order (omelets, etc.) and the buffet contained everything to be expected for breakfast and more. There was fresh fruit, pastries, cold cuts, cereal, bacon, sausage and on and on. We ate well. Later in the day, we walked to Lincoln Road Mall in South Beach. It probably took about 20 minutes and the sun was hot. Actually, I was relieved we did not stay in one of the South Beach hotels due to all the commotion and lack of privacy. We did feel that the beachside of the Riu was private. With the overall nice facilities, beautiful landscaping, private beach area (they even furnished beach towels) the excellent breakfast buffet served facing the ocean and for $96/per night, I more than felt we got our money's worth. I would stay there

Terrible assistant manager

well we were offered a room with a balcony, low and behold we had a balcony alright over looking the top of a palm tree and the top of there building no ocean no pool no nothing. we called to complain and all the asst. manager had to say was you get what you pay for, we tried to get our money back but no dice...the rooms stunk really really bad the carpets were so dirty that my socks turn black on the bottom unbelievable. They also leave a little note under your door to call an 800 # making us think that the note was for us, just so they can charge us for the $1.00 phone call,so when we called it was a wrong number and a few other people that we talked to at the hotel had the same note under there door to con then into making the $1.00 phone call..what scammers...

RIU Florida (not a good choice)

If you find a good deal for the RIU Florida hotel in South Beach, I would advise that you think twice. The rooms reek of a stale musty ordor. The carpet, the bedspreads did not smell clean at all. You would think that housekeeping has never heard of Febreeze. After spending 5 minutes in the room, we quickly gathered our items and switched hotels. The bargain was not worth the sacrifice in accomodations.