Golden Strand resort sits between two expensive high-rise hotels: Trump International and Aqualina. This five-story older hotel with studios up to two-bedrooms is complete for the vacationer. The rooms are dated, and they probably need attention, but they are clean. Cost to stay there is most likely one-third the cost one would pay for Trump or Acqualina. All units have a kitchen, and most have a view of the ocean.

The resort has a restaurant and an outdoor bar/lounge at the pool. The outdoor pool is very large and is heated; there is a spa with massage/treatment rooms, a sauna, a fitness facility, and a steam room.

The beach is beautiful, the water easy to enter, and the resort provides comfortable chairs and umbrellas to use on the beach. The location of Sunny Isles Beach is wonderful; many restaurants and shopping nearby.

Check out their web site. It is very informative and gives you a really good idea what to expect. I would recommend a stay there for a couple or for a family.

I have stayed here for 15 years as my in-laws own timeshare weeks. I have used their unit, which is a great unit in one of the newer buildings, and I have traded my own time share points and rented in other years, and occasionally we have ended up in the original building which is clean and okay, but certainly pales in comparison to the newer ones in unit size and comfort.
The resort is located right on the beach and has a nice pool. The restaurant, which is great for lunch at the pool, does not have the best quality food, but the service is quick and friendly and the lunch specials are very reasonably priced. They have a cute little playground in the sand at the beach if you are traveling with kids and in school vacation weeks it is definitely a family style resort. The one and two bedroom units definitely give you a lot of space for an entire family and it is nice to have the full kitchen when traveling with kids.
Other great things about the location is you can walk to restaurants, coffee shops and stores, you are a quick drive from the Aventura Mall which has a great movie theatre, quality shopping and good places to eat and it is easily accessible from both Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports (about 15 minutes to FLL and 30 to MIA). As it is located on Collins Ave. traffic can be busy in the area and it is not a quiet location.
Overall, it is a very good place to stay for a family vacation in the Miami area.

I stayed at the Golden Strand over thanksgiving holiday, and enjoyed it thoroughly. While it is not a high end resort like Trump Tower or Aqualina, I really felt like family by the end of the week. The resort staff are wonderful, all very friendly and helpful. The resort is extremely clean, including the rooms themselves, as well as the public areas. While it may be a little dated, it has flat screen TVs. I stayed in one of the villas right on the beach, and it was great to just walk out the door and on to the beach! The villas have big kitchens, and the master bath is incredible with a whirlpool tub and separate shower. Ceasar, the beach attendant was very friendly and made sure we had pads and towels set up every morning. One of the other reviews mentioned that there were no new towels available for the bathrooms, but all you have to do is walk your dirty towels over to the laundry facility and get new ones. Took about five minutes. They also have a small area to do your own laundry which was great. The lady at the spa was equally friendly and gave me a great manicure! The resort also has an area where you can grab a book and a little workout area on the second floor above the spa. There is also a small park and volleyball net right on the beach, as well as shuffleboard and a ping pong table by the pool. The reason for the wristbands is to ensure that only resort guests use the property. The Azzura restaurant is good, but a little pricey. Good value for lunch, though. There is a great italian restaurant down the street called Timos, and if you have a car ask the front desk for directions to Anthony's for some great pizza, or to Mo's diner(or Deli?) for great deli food. The portions are huge! There is also a great Mall close by, The Adventura. The Hialiah Race Track is also close and there are several Casinos, including the Hard Rock a short drive away. All in all, I loved my stay at The Golden Strand and would definitely go again.!

If your not going to stay in South Beach then Sunny Isles Beach is a very good location to access the Miami area. Plenty of restaurants and services in the immediate area surrounding the Golden Strand Resort. As stated the pool and beach is a plus. The kitchen, living room and bedroom in the unit I stayed in was furnished with what I consider the bare necessities, period! All of the funiture should be replaced to enhance the stay of their guest. The rooms were clean even though we experience ants in our kitchen. Again, the place was clean. Expect a charge of $20 for parking and $10 per day for a resort fee.

Why did I rate it a three? For the beach, pool and cleanliness. Take out one of the aforementioned reasons and we're talking a rating of 2. Would I stay here again, probably not due to the out-dated furniture and bare necessities provided by the resort. This location is surrounded by millon dollar + condos and very upscale timeshares. The Golden Strand is caught in a time warp