Riu Plaza Miami Beach

Good hotel. Kind of away from the crowded area. My room was not ready till exactly 3 pm we had an early morning flight I would have liked to get in my room earlier. The view was incredible. We had an ocean view and it was on 8^th floor and gave up ample view of the ocean.

It’s a nice enough hotel but not a customer service hotel. Unfriendly staff, late check-​in and slow service. The pool is nice but you’re a bit away from the main part of South Beach. Look for other deals before you book a room here.

Although I enjoyed my stay, the RIU would not be my first choice next time I stay in Miami. The hotel lobby is beautiful and the pool area as well. The front desk seemed a little confused at check in since one of my friends had already checked in and was waiting for us. The café con leche in the little café they have on site tasted just like warm milk and the food by the pool area was not good at all! No romaine lettuce although they offered a Caesar salad. The nachos were gross. My friend was in the bathroom all night!!! The drinks were good!
The bed in the room needs a serious upgrade, it felt lumpy and old. No quilt just fitted sheets and an extra fleece blanket in the closet.
If u want a safe in the room that’s $ 2 extra a night which I don’t understand if the safe is already in the room.
The cleaning lady did not really clean, we still had the garbage full along with empty cups and bottles. We literally had to take it downstairs ourselves at which point the front desk told us to take it outside!!! With no apology for the housekeeper. We had to ask for extra towels. We are supposed to get two complimentary waters but one of the rooms we had, had no waters. When we went to the front desk to let them know, the lady responded a few times that the waters were ‘complimentary’ giving us the impression that if it was there then good, if not than ahh well. Also the room key kept locking us out. Had to go to the lobby twice for them to fix it. Rooms are small and the bathroom is semi private. No lock on the door and the sinks are outside in the room.

Do not waste your money on this hotel. We booked via Hotwire, otherwise we would have avoided it due to the reviews. They are all true.
To start– the default is to place you on a smoking floor of you don’t indicate. Huh? After a bit of back and forth they moved us to a non smoking room, but this was a simple bad omen.
Fast forward: this is the coldest room I’ve ever stayed in. Apparently, the maids put the AC on high blast for 50 degrees when they leave the room. Seven hours later, we arrive and it’s freezing! Given a rare cold day in Miami, and a nasty cold/​flu for my boyfriend, a room where we had to wear two sweaters and a winter hat to bed was not what they were looking for. When the front desk called up, they indicated only AC is available so just «turn it off» to warm up the room.
To make it worse, the floor is cold tile and the full sized bed had only a sheet and light cover on top so we had to add the comforter from the other bed to even cope. The beds felt papery and hard, and we realized it was far warmer outside (53 degrees) than inside so we took a walk to warm up.
When we checked out, the young man who checked us it tried to explain that because we were on an upper floor, the room would be colder than normal (doesn’t heat rise?). No real validation for us. He also tried to keep our valet ticket when we checked out.
Speaking of parking — there was a $ 30 parking fee as there is no parking.
The only good thing about this place was the bathroom. Nice large showers with good pressure.
I would have had a better experience at a motel 6. Do not waste your money. (And don’t use Hotwire in Miami beach as you make get stuck with this awful, pretentious, disappointing hotel).

Great location on Collins Avenue between the new Macdaddy Hotel Faena and the well known Palms.
First impression upon arriving to the valet: Horrible– Valet seemed pre-​occupied talking to friends and no one was even aware that a vehicle had pulled up. I stepped out of the car and took my own luggage up the steps and into the lobby. Lobby was modern, beautiful and impressive– large and airy boasting whites with an accent color of black. Service needed some tweaking. The guy checking us in seemed to be having an off day and would forget to mention things pertinent to the stay. It almost seemed as if he was new. The others behind the check-​in counter weren’t polished. They were speaking Spanish amongst themselves loud enough where I could join the conversation and that was a little distracting.
Once we got to the room, there were two double beds. We called the front desk and my little check-​in friend mentioned the hotel carries about 4 – 5 rooms with a queen/​king and that they were completely booked. This hotel caters to the business market so double beds it is. On another note, the accent color of choice in the room was purple. Don’t get me wrong, purple is lovely… but this was 12 year old little girl kind of purple and not the deep purple you are accustomed to seeing at Z Gallerie etc… it was a little odd since the room did not seem to match the décor of the hotel in general. In either case, we happened to have an awesome view, therefore the color purple became less of an obstacle.
The hotel has beach access so you’re right on the boardwalk and it’s got neighboring hotels with award winning cuisine so you’re literally steps away from good meals all around. When we checked out– valet was $ 60 for two nights as expected on the beach and it was $ 1 per piece to hold our luggage. Seemed like a made up charge to me however I was planning on giving the guy $ 5 anyway for helping get the luggage in the first place so no big deal.
Checkout process was easy but again not personable. I walked up to the desk to a girl chomping on her gum who just said «checking in or out?» No good morning, no smile, no courtesies. Overall, it was an awesome staycation– but it was more about the location being awesome versus the hotel stay leaving an impression. I could do with or without it in the future.

Very unorganized for check in — and information is not explained clearly — there is no benefit to being a card holder. wouldn’t recommend.

Valets were confused and extremely slow. Bags were lost for 2 hours after check in making us late for dinner reservations. A camera crew shooting in the hallway outside of our room for several hours woke us up around 7am one day. The pool was constantly crowded (camera crew was also shooting in the pool 1 day). There are only 3 small elevators. Also currently a construction site next door and blocking part of the beach view.

It’s a great location in the middle of the hotel strip. It’s about 15 blocks away from Lincoln Rd and Ocean Drive, where all the shops as good eats are at. The broad walk is being rebuild, so it ends right at the hotels back door. It is directly on the beach, just step outside the door from the pool and walk about 10 feet and viola… Beach. The pool water was always hot, which I wished it was tempered instead and cleaned a little more frequently. People just jumped in with sand from the beach w/​o cleansing off first. Cool water on those hot days would have been very nice. The buffet all-​you-​can-​eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner cost $ 25.00 per person, pricy but it was good. The little deli in the lobby has expensive drinks, water was $ 5.00!!! Also, the concierge downstairs was helpful however pricy. I suggest that anyone wanting to take a tour buy the tickets directly with the tour companies… For the Everglades tour it’s «Paradise Tours», and for the city double decker tour it was City Bus Tour. That should save you guys about $ 70.00, I wished I knew about it. one of your drivers told us he only charges $ 20.00 for the tour per person and we paid $ 100.00 for 2 people!!! Besides that everyone was super nice and respectful. It feels like its mostly a Brazilian/​Argentinian hotel.
I would stay again & this time rent a car.

I booked through Expedia and was pleasantly surprised. I would say the customer service was a ¹⁰⁄₁₀. The front desk was very attentive to all of my requests and questions. The food/​drinks are expensive but very similar to the other hotels in Miami. The food did take long to come out; however, I noticed that many places in Miami took long as well (although I’m from New York so I’m biased). The hotel is very laid back and relaxed which I LOVED. I would recommend this hotel to a friend.

Very unfriendly staff, wouldn’t let us check in a minute earlier than 3pm, asked a rollaway bed never was given, no good…

Overall, not the best experience. When we were checking in, the front desk couldn’t find our reservation. When we finally got to our room it turned out to be dirty… dirty toilet, stuff in the trash, dirty towels on the floor, used soap in the sink. When I told the front desk they just sent up housekeeping to drop off more towels.
The most disappointing part was the lack of lounge chairs and drink service on the beach. The palms next door had a much better setup.

This place was ok the view was phenomenal we got top floor and all the rooms have balcony. I just really disliked that they had no parking when we arrived we had to park super far and pay 70.00 for parking. Then when we got there our room wasnt ready we had to wait 1 hr. They did give us complimentary drinks which was cool but everything is so expensive. You have to pay for EVERYTHING. wifi is a mission to get you have to request a username and password like 5x they take forever to give it to you (ill call you back with a username and password and they never did) water is $ 5.00 for a bottle. Theres no complimentary breakfast instead a buffet for 25.00 per person. Idk if ill be back honestly theres way better hotels to go to on south beach.

Such a pleasant surprise for the price! The staff is amazing, helpful, and very friendly. Our room wasn’t facing the ocean as we were promised, but we spent most of our time out by the pool anyway. The hotel has a very modern and exotic feel, with an excellent restaurant and dessert/​bar on the first floor. Our room was very comfortable, and the WiFi was great, even out on the beach! The hotel rests right up against the beach board walk, which was perfect for strolls, with easy access to the beach. There was construction going on next to the hotel which was loud at times, but left a less crowded beach front. The pool and property was very beautiful and private from the public. Despite the construction, which is almost completed (for future travelers FYI), I give this hotel a 5 star for service and amenities! Will definitely consider coming back if we travel again to Miami!

Riu + Expedia = Nightmare on Collins Ave.
Background:
I booked through expedia on 08/​14/​2014 for 6 nights from Feb 16 to 22, 2015. I booked flight plus the hotel and also travel insurance for $ 249. I opted for oceanview room. I stayed in RIU before and I knew that they have pool and also a gym. Expedia merrily booked it but I found out in a few days from the RIU website that it is under renovation and will open in late November. I took it for granted that Expedia being in hotel service business knew that the hotel was closed. My booking was for February and I thought everything will be ok. But I was painfully wrong.
The Story:
In December 2014, I started checking but everything on the website was the same, saying that it will open on late November. On Tripadvisor, I saw one review on Dec for RIU and I thought it was open but on re-​reading carefully, I saw the person stayed there in April. I never received any information from Expedia or the hotel about the status.
Around February 5, I started geting antsy and called the hotel’s 1 305 673 5333 no. but it was always busy. I called 1 888 RIU 4990 and they told me to send an email to RIU hotel. I never got any answer.
Then on Sunday, I called Expedia and apparently they did not know and opened a ticket saying that they will answer in 24 hours. By this time, I knew something was wrong and posed a question on TripAdvisor and someone answered and I knew I have to get back on the phone to Expedia. Calling them is like pulling teeth. You will be on a queue and on hold in between.
I am already on phone for 4 hrs and then at around 8 pm, someone expedia person told me that it is indeed closed and they can find me another hotel but I have to pay the difference. At this time, I came to know that I am being charged about $ 372 a night at RIU. When I enquired what my travel insurance covers, they said they are LodgeOps and they know nothing about insurance.
They told me to call another dept for insurance and the queue was 1 hr 35 mins long.
At this time, I am getting desparate because this is a busy week in Florida and may be I will not have a place to stay. I stayed in RIU before and I knew what type of a hotel that is. Expedia started offering me hotels way out in North Beach in 6000 Collins or some hotels without Oceanview like in Washington Ave.
Finally, some supervisor found Marriott Courtyard with Oceanview, pool etc on 3900 Collins. It will have two double beds. Expedia sent me mail and the description says 1 king bed. By this time it is 10:30 pm and I called again. I got someone, I had to retell the story and they said they will check and send me a mail.
At 12 midnight, I get a mail from LodgeOps that they checked RIU and I have two double beds. It is already early monday morning, I gave up… Buy Why RIU, they rechecked me in Mariott.
Apparently, for all these troubles I have got some coupon which I can use on my next travel package.
Moral: Probably, I should book hotels and flights directly without travel agency.

Muy buen hotel el personal habla varios idiomas, los bartender del la piscina muy atentos I had great time there I’m defe. retund

Negative stars second night here water is either Hot or cold no in between. Called 3 times to the front desk. first tech came in tried telling me how to use a damn faucet I know how to work a shower no matter how new they supposedly are. Spoke to me like I was slow or something. Tech said it works now left and guess what doesn’t work. Called sent a new tech with new supplies supposedly «fixed» the issue again guess what still broken. it’s in the process of being fixed as I write this review I did not want to write. We missed dinner plans with another group of friends due to this. Made reservations to have two rooms ocean front views. They gave me two rooms 3 floors apart that is not side by side. When we spoke about this they said they were out of rooms! They gave our rooms we reserved 2 months in advance to other people. Just overall terrible hotel stayed in many rius this one by far was the worst. I’m at the point where I’m so upset I think I’m going to try and get my money back. Absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. Stay away from this hotel.

WARNING STAY AWAY! If I could give this hotel a negative number I would! I’ll start from the beginning… first the CHECK IN: was horrible. The staff was laughing and joking as we were made to wait. Check in took us about 20 minutes. THE ROOM: When we got to the room there were two single beds. I called down to the front desk and they told me their hotel has no queen sized beds, so if you’re thinking about sleeping together then forget it! The room also had mold on the windows, the carpeting was filthy, the bathroom looked like something out of the 60 – 70’s, the elevators had this moldy, feces smell to them. Don’t bother complaining because they don’t care! When we asked for a room with a view, they said there are no rooms with pool side /​ocean view and that if we wanted that, we would have to pay $ 50 extra a night!!! The front desk assured us the room we were going to be in would have a wonderful view of the city… yeah right! We were facing a building and the city was a speck in the far distance between two buildings! CAFETERIA: Be prepared $ 20 for breakfast each and $ 30 for dinner… buffet sucks! THE BEACH! Barely any chairs and I’m talking less then 10! Expect to lay on the beach and be very careful! There were used condoms (we counted 3) absolutely disgusting! Horrible hotel! Horrible customer service! I will never stay at any RIU hotels! I’d rather stay at a holiday inn express or La Quinta!
I don’t know what else to say other then STAY FAR FAR AWAY! We got scammed! You will too!

We were in Miami for a wedding and wanted to spend a coupe of nights in Miami Beach so our little kids could have a couple of beach days. Of course, all the hotels on the beach were outrageously expensive. I got an Ocean View room here for $ 200 out the door through Orbitz. We were a little nervous because the reviews were so mixed but our stay here was AMAZING.
Sure, the room is slightly outdated but totally clean and comfortable. I think the beds may have been new. The lobby and pool area are beautiful and well maintained. The staff was warm, welcoming and genuinely kind to my children. You truly are right on the beach and it’s a beautiful section of beach.
We got a late checkout one of the nights and were not even charged. We were also not charged for a coffee pot and mug our toddler broke. The drinks at the bar are pretty reasonably priced for hotel pool side drinks (around $ 7 each.)
I think so long as you’re not expecting a 5 star resort, for the rate we paid, its a great place to stay!

I had the most wonderful stay at the riu hotel. The staff was incredibly attentive. Every time we called room service, they arrived with in 5 minutes. When we arrived & departed we were assisted with our bags as well as hiring a cab. We had an incredible view from our partial ocean view room. We did not expect to have the amazing view we did. We felt like it was a full ocean view.
The hotel is right on the beach & is generous with towels at the beach & pool.
Shortly after we checked out, I realized I left something in my room. The hotel was super fast and with in 10 minutes located my belongings & held them for me at the front desk. Now if that doesn’t prove honesty/​trust in the room service staff, I’m not sure what does.
The reasons I am not giving this hotel 5 stars is because I felt it could be a little cleaner & less noisy (they were doing construction across the hall as well as at nearby hotels that made my experience not as relaxing as I had hoped). We could hear noise from the construction on our balcony as well as on the beach. Another reason is that we were told our room had a refrigerator, but it was not cold enough for perishables.
Overall, I highly recommend this hotel. We truly enjoyed our stay & would love to stay with you again!

Wir haben im September 2013 Urlaub in Miami South Beach verbracht und sind auf Empfehlung ins Riu gegangen.
Das Riu ist ein mittelgroßes Hotel. Wir haben ein kostenloses Upgrade beim Check In erhalten und somit ein Zimmer mit Balkon und Meersicht erhalten. Wir wurden im Hotel sehr freundlich empfangen was sich auch über den ganzen Aufenthalt bestätigte. Alle waren sehr freundlich. Das Zimmer war sehr groß und mit zwei Doppelbetten und sehr sauber. Die Poolanlage war für uns ausreichend, da wir zum Baden immer ins Meer gegangen sind. Am Pool haben wir auch mittags immer Liegen mit Schirm bekommen. Am Meer kann man sich Liegen separat mieten. Man bekommt aber am Pool Handtücher die man mitnehmen kann. Somit benötigt man nicht unbedingt Liegen. Wir hatten HP und das hat sich richtig gelohnt. Das Essen ist echt der Hammer. Sehr viel Auswahl und es schmeckt echt super lecker. Jeden Abend gab es ein Motto der Küche. Also echt eine Empfehlung. W-​LAN ist in der Lobby kostenlos, womit man im Net surfen kann. Wenn man auf dem Zimmer oder am Pool Net möchte, kann man günstige Pakete an der Rezeption kaufen. (1 Stunde ca. 6 $)
Das Riu liegt in der Collins Avenue. Es liegt nicht direkt im Mittelpunkt des Geschehens. Die Shoppingmeile Lincoln Road oder der Ocendrive kann man mit dem Bus oder Taxi in wenigen Fahrminuten erreichen. Der Bus kostet 2 $ und das Taxi ca. 8 $. pro Fahrt. Man kann natürlich auch laufen. In der nähren Umgebung gibt es einen kleinen Supermarkt und kleine Restaurants.
Während des Aufenthalts wurde neben unserem Hotel gebaut bzw wurde das Nebengebäude renoviert. Da kann natürlich das Hotel nichts dafür und uns hat es nicht wirklich gestört. Also wir können das Hotel nur weiter empfehlen und würden es auch wieder buchen.

Bevor wir in Ft. Lauderdale aufs Schiff gestiegen sind, haben wir drei Nächte im Riu Hotel Florida Beach verbracht.
Das Hotel ist älteren Semesters, aber renoviert und modernisiert.
Das Hotel ist bei deutschsprachigen Gästen sehr beliebt.
Entsprechend gab es auch Misch– und Vollkornbrot, was sicher eine wichtige Info in Amerika sein kann :)
Die Zimmer waren riesig und renoviert. Einzig das Bad versprüht noch 80er Jahre Fliesencharme.
Die Lage ist einfach perfekt!
Man hat direkten Strandzugang und vor dem Haus fährt sowohl ein Linienbus als auch der Hopp on Hopp off Bus ab. Vom Hotel aus kann man aber auch zu Fuß bis zur Lincoln Road laufen. Zugegeben, man ist zwar auch mindestens 30 Minuten unterwegs, aber für einen Abendspaziergang sehr nett.
Die Rezeption war flink und freundlich. Die Bedienung im Restaurant war ebenfalls zügig und nett.
Wenn man dann noch die Preise vergleicht, dann ist dieses Hotel wirklich ideal für einen Miami Urlaub.
Sehr zu empfehlen!

Excellent boutique hotel situated right on the boardwalk on Miami/​South beach. Very elegant and scenic views on the ocean side of the building. Private entrance to boardwalk, full bar with food near the pool, the bartender was amazingly sweet, she thanked us for every single drink.
Towels for the beach available, cozy palmtree shaded area inside the walls of the resort, wonderful buffet and waitstaff.
Can’t say enough good things, asked for upgrade and got it.

The hotel just had a renovation and I’m glad it did because the rooms came out nice, very clean and they smell good. The staff is very fiendly.
The only thing I didn’t like was that the walls are paper thin. But even with that I would stay here again.

For my Birthday I wanted to stay a few days in the beach buuut I was in a budget. All the places that I was looking at basically started at $ 300 a night WITH ocean view. So after weeks of trying to find the three B’s (Bueno Bonito Y Barrato) I decided to stay at Riu…
When I arrived the staff attended me instantly I only had to wait a few seconds and my room was already available. The room was clean and the view was wonderful! Did I mention the location was perfect? It is right in the center of Miami Beach so I was in walking distance of all the major roads, it wasn’t on the busy part of the road so you don’t hear loud annoying music while you are sleeping (The the small hotels in Collins & 7^th).
The staff members were extremely nice and helpful too! The bar in the lobby was super cute too! There are a TON of places to lounge around in case people are sun sensitive (one of my best friends breaks out in red if she is outside for too long =/​) I had a bite at the alligator bar, it was a bit expensive BUT its expected especially in Miami Beach.
The palms hotel is next door so if anyone wants to go to a spa or have a mani or pedi while at the beach they can make an appointment and not worry about the drive.
The BEST part was the price. I was here for 3 nights and 4 days & the total came out to be $ 400!

Direkt am Strand gelegen und dazu auch noch in SouthBeach hat es eigentlich schon die beste Lage die es in Miami gibt. Der Strand ist Wunderschön, das Personal und der Service sprechen alle Englisch, Portugisisch und die meisten auch Deutsch alles in allem ein wirklich schönes Hotel ca. 5 – 10 min. Fußweg am Meer entlang bis zum Ocean Drive.

Stayed here for a bachelorette party weekend with seven other girls and had a great time. It is definitely NOT a party hotel, however it was a perfect location close to South Beach and had all the extra’s we were looking for. Beach access, pool, pool bar. The staff was great, making getting around easy, and providing us with great hot spot tips.
I agree with other Unilocalers in that, the décor is very dated, but we weren’t in Miami to hang out in our hotel room, so no big deal. It did the job.
I would stay here again.

Auf jeden Fall gutes Preis/​Leistungsverhältnis. Die Einrichtung in den Zimmern ist alt aber sauber — und das ist mir viel wichtiger als Schnickschnack und dreckig.
Aus meinem Zimmer (5. Etage) hat man eine gute Aussicht aufs Meer. Neben an ist eine Baustelle. ist aber nicht in Betrieb. Die Angestellten sind bisher alle sehr freundlich. Das Frühstücksbüffet ist sehr reichhaltig — sehr empfehlenswert.
Eigentlich ist WiFi nur in der Lobby (gratis). Ich hatte aufm Zimmer auch Empfang.
Bis zur Partymeile/​Shoppingstreet sind es 13 Straßen. ca. 20min Spaziergang.
Der Strand direkt am Hotel und ebenfalls sauber.
Der 5. Stern fehlt wegen der etwas in die Jahre gekommenen Ausstattung. Ich kann das RIU nur empfehlen.
Nachtrag:
Vom Hotel wird eine sehr empfehlenswerte Bustour mit Tony angeboten. Ein unbedingtes Muss — er ist ein alter Miamianer und weiß viel zu erzählen!
Nachtrag nach der Reise:
Mittlerweile ist WiFi nur noch für eine Stunde alle 24h gratis. Das nervt und ist auch nicht für den E-​Mail-​Empfang geeignet. Der Premiumzugang kostet 40Dollar für einen Monat (für 2 Wochen gibts nicht).
Mein Aufenthalt war im großen und ganzen sehr angenehm.

Auch wenn es schon 10 Jahre her ist, dass ich hier gewesen bin, habe ich immer noch nur positive Erinnerungen an das Hotel.
Das Hotel liegt direkt am Strand und hat eine sehr schön angelegte Poollandschaft.
Die Zimmer waren in der Tat schon im Jahre 2001 ziemlich altbacken, ich habe allerdings in Amerika die Erfahrung gemacht, dass dies in allen mittelpreisigen Hotels der Fall war.
Was mir an diesem Hotel besonders gefallen hat: Ein riesiges Frühstücksbuffet war im Zimmerpreis mit enthalten, eine Seltenheit in den USA.
Das Frühstück bot Front Cooking mit frischen Eierspeisen und eine tolle Auswahl aus frischen Früchten.
Ein kleines Manko: Wir hatten ein Zimmer mit Meerblick, das konnte man auch sehen, leider wird an der Hotelseite morgens um 4, 5 Uhr der Müll ziemlich lautstark abgeholt. Der Spuk war aber auch innerhalb von 10 Minuten vorbei.
Bei der Lage und dem Preis finde ich dies verzeihlich.
Ich würde dieses Hotel jederzeit wieder buchen und auch weiterempfehlen!

Ein altes Hotel aus den 60Jahren. Es liegt sehr ruhig aber dennoch zentral direkt am Strand.
Die Zimmer sind recht renovierungsbedürftig, dafür ist das Personal aber super nett. Die Leute dort sehen nicht alles so verbissen und sind recht angenehm. Sauberkeit und Service waren top.
Doppelzimmer: Umgerechnet ca. 180 Euro!
Fazit: Die Hotels in dieser Gegend sind alle sehr teuer. Es gibt sicherlich bessere Hotels, aber in dieser Lage kosten diese auch wesentlich mehr. Wenn es geht kommen wir gerne wieder.

Die Hotelanlage ist im gross und ganzen sehr nett. Direkter Zugang zum Strand und eigener Pool gehören zu den Ausstattungen. Das Frühstückbuffet bietet für nur 12 $ reichlich viel!
Am Abend ist das Preis Leistungs Verhältnis schlecht.
Das Valet Parking ist nicht mein Ding. Die Jungs, welche das Auto parkieren, verstellten immer den Sitz, die Spiegel und das Radio.
Leider war es während meines Aufenthaltes etwas Laut wegen der Baustellen rund um das Hotel.