The location is great - at the cover of Lincoln and Collins, and right next to the pedestrian mall. However, for the price that you are paying, it wasn't a great deal. Overall a decent hotel, nice, but not the luxury that I'd expect from the Ritz. And the restaurant was just so-so, and the one by the pool I might even say just plan bad good. Rooms are spacious, fairly decorated. If you are on a lower floor, there is a nice terrace over looking the balcony. There is beach access , however you need to walk across the pool and down stairs and over another restaurant/bar area, but it's not too far. There is umbrella/cabana rental, but be prepared to pay more on top of the exorbitant hotel room price. I don't know if this is a widespread Miami or South Beach thing, but on the weekends, there was LOUD, no, VERY LOUD music playing until about 1 am. Even with ear plugs in I could not sleep because it was so loud. So why wasn't I out partying? I was there with my family and little kids.

I was hesitant booking the Ritz-Carlton because there were many bad reviews and because of its high price rates, I still went ahead and booked it because we wanted a five star hotel on south beach.
We were all delightfully surprised by the warm welcome, the attention, the number of people taking care of us, the attitude …, it seems the management also read the bad reviews and made changes.
The location is one of the best on South beach; the views are beautiful especially watching the sunrise (you have to pay extra for such room view). It has everything around it; shops, restaurants,
The Concierge of 3 people at a time really tries to accommodate your every request and is very helpful if it is your first time in town. The service at the pool is top notch; the waiters at the restaurants are warm and welcoming. The hotel is very clean.

I just finished an outstanding 5 day stay at the Ritz Carlton in South Miami beach.
I have previously stayed at the Mandarin Oriental,Delano and National as well as Loews and thought that this hotel was much better than all of the others.
From the moment I checked in,I was greeted warmly with no request too small or complicated to address.
I was upgraded to a poolside Lanai which was terrific and was nicely furnished with a great view and a large marble bathroom with fabulous amentities.
The poolside services were great and chaises were very plush.
I did not have any complaints whatsoever and as I am an exteremly critical traveler who spends many nights each year in some of the finest hotels,worldwide,i can say with comfort and confidence that I highly recommend this hotel.I am plannjing to return next month for a week to enjoy the same experience and this will be my new south beach hotel of choice.

Marcos, the Concierge, gave us great dinner recommendations. The lobby is art deco and beautiful, and yes, they did upgrade us to a suite when they found out we were there for a special occasion. However, the food was a major disappointment. The first day, we had lunch at the Dilido Beach Club, and everything we had was awful. We ate breakfast the next morning next to the pool, and the omelet looked and tasted odd.
The pool area leaves much to be desired, not just because the hotel is a Ritz but also in comparison to its competitors like the Setai and the W. The pool itself is good but the surroundings - just concrete and ugly room with terraces on either side.
On Sunday, when we asked for a late check-out, the front desk said no, so we asked to speak to the manager. We only wanted to stay one hour. No one ever called. When we checked out at the original time, we did happen to see the manager who said he never got the message and also said no. That was the first time we had ever asked for an additional answer and had received a negative response.