We stayed at the Riu Florida Beach hotel while attending the nearby Yacht Show. We were prepared for the worst, based on other reviews, but were pleasantly surprised by the reasonably good experience.

Positives: Beautiful pool area with easy access to the beach. Friendly valets and maid service, with OK front desk staff. Good location for visiting the yacht show (Walking distance). Food/wine prices were surprisingly modest for a hot vacation destination.

Negatives: Room was passable, but sheets were coarse, carpet was matted, and there was no iron or ironing board (but there was a holder where one might've been). The restaurant sufficed for one meal, but it lacks atmosphere.

There's definitely a European feeling to the way the hotel's managed. They call themselves a 4-star, but there's no way. Priceline gives them 3 stars, which is accurate.

Overall, it's a good bet for a budget-conscious traveler (relatively speaking, for this expensive area), who wants the location, but I wouldn't make it a destination in and of itself to enjoy.

I booked through a travel agent who assured me that our room had a balcony and sea view, when we arrived and checked in (all the staff are cuban so helpful if you speak spanish!) we found when we got up to our room that it was the size of a matchbox and could just about see the sea with no balcony. I went down to the reception and ended up paying moe for a better room but I didn't mind as we ended up with a great room, lovely balcony and fantastic view of south beach. The pool area is cramped and as I'm not really a beach person i didn't want to venture out but...wow.. South Beach is straight out the back of the hotel with Carlos' Hut supplying loungers, a bar, umbrellas, all at a price..but what a great location. I spent everyday on South Beach watching the posers and loving it. In the evening its a nice walk up the boardwalk to go out for dinner and get into the nightlife. For the ladies like myself though, if you're out clubbing, get a cab, those heels won't make the 15-20 minute walk from the nightlife. To see the Art Deco its about a 20 minute walk in the day and really nice. The hotel is well kept and the buffet breakfast is fabulous, no matter how hung over i always made it down for breakfast!! all in all a good hotel.

If you read some of the reviews on this hotel you might have second thoughts about staying, but please don't be put off by the negative comments as this hotel is great and excellent value for money!

We stayed at the Riu Florida Beach from 06 - 16 February 2008 (this was our second visit in just over one year to the hotel) and we could not fault a thing. The rooms have been recently refurbished and ours was clean and spacious. The breakfast was great with plenty of choice including fresh fruit, cereals, pastries and a selection of cooked items (bacon, eggs, sausages etc.) should you want them.

The pool and garden areas were always clean and tidy and there are plently of sunbeds to relax on and soak up the sun. The pool itself is a good size and great for cooling yourself off, but I am not 100%sure whether it is heated - this is not a real issue if the temperature outside is in the high 70's or low 80's.

From reading previous reviews you might think that some of the staff are rude, but during our stay we never came across anyone working at the hotel who was not courteous and polite. In fact all the staff (from reception, housekeeping, the waiters and the pool attendant) were very friendly indeed.

OK, one of the lifts was out of action for most of our stay, but this did not really cause us any inconvenience even though our room was on the 9th floor - we just used the stairs. It was a good way to work off the breakfast in the morning. I understand if you are old, infirm or have young children this might cause difficulties, but most people are just lazy and given the option of walking or using a lift they would choose the lift all the time.

The location of the hotel in my opinion is also great. It is not in the middle of the action, but close enough should you want to sample the famous Miami nightlife. Ocean Drive is a pleasant 40 minutes stroll away along the boardwalk and Lincoln Avenue approximately 30 minues. You can of course always use your car or take a taxi, but what is the point as you can hardly soak up the atmosphere by sitting is a air-conditioned box!

The beach where the hotel is situated is wide, the sand is clean and unlike parts of the beach towards Ocean Drive it is not crowded. Having said that, the beach as a whole is excellent and great for walking on.

Overall, I would recommend anyone to stay at the Riu Florida Beach Hotel. It might not be in everyones opinion Four Star, but I have certainly stayed in Five Star hotels around the world which do not come anywhere near the standard of accommodation and service offered by the Riu.

After reading lots of reviews for this hotel, we were dreading our 3 night stay here. This was the last part of our 2 week holiday in Florida and were worried it would ruin our entire holiday.

We need not have been concerned!!

Upon arrival, we were met by the valet parking man who was very polite and helpful. He took the car and parked it safely.

Check in was smooth and easy and very helpful. We had never been to Miami before and didn't know where anything was. We were given a map and advised on where to eat out and drink. Ok, as the reviews say, only 1 lift works, but it wasn't a problem.

The rooms are clean, the breakfast is superb (fresh made omelettes!!) and the pool is a lovely place to be...especially when you are drinking cocktails in the evening!!

The hotel is right on South Beach, and it's about a 15 minute walk along the boardwalk to the main areas. Alternatively, there are loads of buses which cost $1.50.

It may not be a 4* hotel, but I would certainly go there again