| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Nigel & Wendy Nash from Worcester travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Thomson
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2008 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Having read the previous reviews after we had booked our holiday, we were a little concerned as to what we would find. We expected all OAPs and zimmer frames littering the lobby - it's nothing like that at all.
Yes, because it caters for adults only it attracts a greater quantity of elderly guests than you would normally see. When we were there, I would estimate that around 50% of the guests were above 55 years, the remainder being about 35% between 40-55 with the remaining 15% below 40 years. We're mid forties and took our two boys with us - they are 21 and 19 and they enjoyed the hotel.
Admittedly the entertainment wasn't to their taste because the Hotel caters for the majority, but with Robbie Williams, Buddy Holly and Elvis tribute acts mixed in with Flamenco and show dancing, the Riviera try to mix the offerings - we enjoyed the entertainment most nights.
The one issue we had with the entertainment was that it was only really on between 10 - 11 o'clock. There's either bingo or a quiz each night before the show, but nothing afterwards - everybody either goes out to the local bars or goes to bed. We asked why they don't put on some dance music or disco afterwards, but on the night that they did try, everybody still left the room at 11 o'clock.
Teresa, who runs the evening entertainment and daytime animacion was excellent. She couldn't get enough support for most events though. The range of activities from mini golf to table tennis, rifle shooting and darts etc was probably a bit too strenuous or boring for most guests.
Whilst the rooms we saw were all good quality,they can vary greatly due to their position. Some are next to the busy road and some have no privacy because they are at the same level overlooking the patio or sports areas.
We had 2 excellent rooms, both at the sea end of the hotel on the 5th floor with impressive views of the beach.
Whilst the location can't be faulted, it's right on the beachfront, it's also set much higher than the promenade. The restaurant, lounge, pool sports areas are all on different levels. Even with lifts provided we still seemed to be continually climbing stairs. Therefore, access to could be a bit of a problem to some parts of the hotel if you can't use stairs.
The rooms were cleaned and towels changed daily and the staff throughout the hotel were very friendly.
The food was excellent quality, with lots of choice in the evening and regularly topped-up. Even at the busiest times it didn't take long for them to find a table.
Thomson Excursions - We went on 2 excursions: A "Blanket Trip" and a day to "El Chorro" in the Spanish Lake district.
The Blanket trip, if you've not been on one before is a "free" trip to Nerja, Fuergirola or Torremolinos which you pay for by sitting through a sales presentation for woolen blankets. My advice would be to book a taxi for you trip or use the buses that stop outside the hotel. You holiday time is too precious to spend sitting in a room for about 2 hours confronted by a well presented, but still heavy sales campaign.
The El Chorro day out was not the best excursion we've ever been on. It starts by delivering you by coach to the public train station in Malaga where yo hang around for an hour with "free time to explore". This is before the shops open and there is nothing to do. You then get on a public train where Thomson have allocated a carriage for your partys use so you don't have to mix with the locals. You then travel in the train to a little town in the middle of nowhere. The jouney lasts about an hour and the scenery is mainly fields of crops, industrial parks or 11km of tunnels. When you get off the train we were met by the coach that dropped us at the train station earlier. He then took us to a restaurant via a high speed drive through the reserviors for lunch. We then got back onto the coach and returned to our hotels. My son said it's the most expensive Pub Lunch he's ever had.
In summary, we were very happy with the Riviera Hotel and will probably return in a couple of years.
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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s from midlands travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Portland Direct
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2008 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: The Hotel is in a ideal location although there is noise from the main road that runs through Benalmadena which you can hear from your room and if you are a light sleeper may disturbe you at night (think it could be quite a issue in summer months when it is busy).
The Hotel mainly caters for the 60+ age group and hubby and i were the youngest in the Hotel i believe, although this didn't worry us has everyone was very friendly and sociable!
The hotel itself is very clean and the maids change the linen and towels quite frequently.
This Hotel is ideal if you have a mobility problem and you can get to the beach via a lift hence no walking down steps!
Food was good although the second week was repeated!
If you are considering this Hotel then do so you wont be diappointed!
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JB from Yorkshire travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Thompsons
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2008 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed at the Riviera for 28 nights from mid Jan to mid Feb, and had a great time.
The hotel is run exclusively for Thomson bookings and is therefore 100% British. An added bonus was that there were no children allowed in the hotel. Most of the guests were of the 55+-age range, so I’m not sure it would have suited younger people, particularly if they do not like ballroom dancing, which is done on some afternoons and some evenings during the winter months.
The Hotel has a great location about 5 minutes walk from the Marina. It is situated on a busy road, which is great for shops, bus stops etc, but does mean that there is some road noise at the front of the hotel.
All rooms have a sea view. One side of the hotel gets morning sun, with views over the pool & marina. The other side of the hotel has sun from about 11am and looks out towards the west.
The rooms are fine, typically Spanish hotel type, but have everything you need. Another bonus with the guests being all-British is that the TV has a good selection of English channels, including BBC1 & ITV3.
There is an internal lift from the reception down to the outside promenade, which makes it very easy for anyone less mobile to get down onto the long flat promenade on the sea front.
Food in the hotel was excellent, again probably because they are catering for an all-british clientele, and ran on a two-week cycle, with a gala dinner once a week…as good as anywhere we have ever stayed, and has something to suit everyone. We did not hear anyone complaining about the food for the whole time of our stay.
Entertainment was also good by Spanish standards. Sure, there is the usual flamenco show once a week, but generally the entertainment was above average with some good singers & comedians. I good indication of the quality of the entertainment was the fact that lots of people came in from outside, because ours was better than the stuff going on in their hotel. The management try to stop this, and on several nights stopped outsiders coming in before 9pm, particularly on the 3 nights a week when there was a happy hour between 7.30 – 8.30.
We have read in some reports that the staff were not helpful or polite, but from our experience everyone was fine, and very friendly.
To sum up:
Food….great!, could not be faulted.
Entertainment….very good, compared to the usual Spanish hotel.
Rooms…Again good, but you need to decide it you want sun in the morning or afternoon.
Position….good, although some guests might not like the fact that there is some traffic noise.
Would we go again….defiantly yes!!
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steve & joan from manchester travelled to Riviera Hotel with
thomsom
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: First time in mainland Spain. What a hotel to try first time, everything clean everybody was polite.
First floor bedroom overlooking the pool and the sea.
Towels changed everyday except Sunday, rooms cleaned and tided every day.
Food was excellent service was even better, breakfast time more than enough tables for everyone all reset and cleaned after eating. No rush and no fighting for tables, evening meal enough to suit everybodies choice, again no waiting for tables wait at the dining room entrance head waiter then shows you to your tabel--- no fuss.
Remember gentlemen must ware long trousers.
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M. Turner from Somerset travelled to Riviera Hotel with
independent
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2006 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Arrived early at 10.15 in the morning and they had our room ready in 15 minutes and on entering we were pleasantly surprised by it's size and decor, as there had been major refurbishments in the winter (even the beds were comfy).
Found the hotel in general to be very modern and clean, food good and excellent views from the dinning room as were the views from the terrace and swimming pool area (looking over the beach and towards the marina). You also have access straight on to the promenade though the hotel gardens via a private gate which is great as the hotel main entrance is onto a busy road, and I would imagine that if you had a room at that end of the hotel you would get a lot of traffic noise.
Must say 90% of guests were the over 65s when we stayed (the first week in May) but we found everyone to be friendly including the staff. Must also say that the TV had a good selection of English channels even BBC 1 so watched neighbours a couple of times before going down for our evening meal but the wife wouldn't let me come back early to watch match of the day lol.
All in all we had a very enjoyable week at the Riviera Hotel.
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derek & Lesley from weling Kent travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Portland
on a couples holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff |  | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: The hotel is a bit dated by normal standards.
The food was very good and the staff at dinner were very good as were the pool staff.
the main bar was very poor when all the staff did not seem to understand if you wanted anything other that beer or coffe. i feel that the hotel was more for the over 60's.
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Norman from Elstree travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Portland
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2005 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Thoroughly enjoyed our first stay in the Riviera.
Had a free upgrade to a Premier room with a huge balcony overlooking the beach. Food was excellent with a big and varied choice.
Very clean, in an excellent position & plenty of sunbeds around the pool.
Would definately go again.
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Jenny german from Derby travelled to Riviera Hotel with
portland
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2005 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Although the accommodation is somewhat dated it is both clean and comfortable.
The menu range is fantastic and the food is well cooked and presented.
The pool area is well kept and there are plenty of sunbeds around the pool and in the terraced gardens.
There is direct and private access to the beach from the gardens. There are a number of steps through the gardens but there is also lift access for the less mobile.
Parking at the hotel was both free and good. There are also bus stops close by.
There is a massive bar area and the evening entertainment was excellent.
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Alan Swift from Sutton-in-Ashfield travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 3 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2004 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was very clean in general with the exception of the cutlery/crockery in the dining room which was not always thoroughly washed.
The food was adequate although not exceptional.
The hotel staff were, on the whole, ok with the odd sour face here & there!
Entertainment was mediocre but the bar atmosphere was pleasant & relaxing.
The hotel would be good enough for a return visit but we do not tend to go to the same place twice.
The tour company reps,Lucy & Zoe, were very helpful & pleasant.
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Lynsey from Leeds travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Thompson
on a friends holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2004 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel is in a brilliant location overlooking the sea. We couldn’t have asked for anything more. The reps Zoe and Lucy and amazing and provide loads of information about places to visit and eat. If you tell them the kind of day or evening your looking for from lively to a more tranquil relax, they will recommend somewhere to meet your needs. The food is lovely, and plenty for everyone and there is always something for everyone. I did find a cockroach in the ladies facilities near the dining room, which was reported and dealt with.
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Graham Davies from Ebbw Vale travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2004 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: My wife and I first stayed here in June 2002. We enjoyed it so much that we decided that we must do it again.
Some things seem to have changed but make no mistake, it is still a really good hotel.
Cleanliness is still really good as a rule, but my only real complaint about it, is that my wife found a cockroach in the ladies toilet by the dining room. A nice lady we met up with said she also had to get reception to sort one out in her room (5th floor).
Maid on our floor was a real diamond and worked her socks off (gave her her a large tip before we left).
Dining room was excellent and the food is as good as I remember it being last time.
Staff are always helpful and speak excellent English. At 3 in the morning someone had their TV turned up full so I asked reception to sort it out. He phoned the room but there was no answer, but 5 minutes later a security bloke went up and sorted it out (very quiet in that room for the rest of the week).
The Masseur (Daniel from Denmark) was brilliant. I had a groin strain and the wife was ill too. After a visit to him (he also does room calls), we both felt 100% better.
Kids spoilt the use of the whirlpool bath by throwing bubble bath/shampoo and stuff into it. It made a mess and caused problems, so they just shut it down which rather spoiled it for those of us who enjoy using it.
In the lounge area where the internet is, there were a few occassions where there were four or five foul mouthed youths (aged about 8 to 13) being disgusting and disruptive. Their mother witnessed me telling them off and said nothing to them even though she'd witnessed their language.
We were told by the reps that the hotel will be shut for renovations, but they don't know when. This is good news, as it needs it. Even the superior room that we stayed in looked in need of a face lift, and the same goes for the outside paintwork.
We will return to this hotel once it's had it's face lift, but to avoid the problems that stopped this from being a great holiday, we will go during the school term.
It's starting to look more three than four star at the moment, but the place is still well worth a visit.
Nice surprise with the television, I could watch S4C if the olympics got too much of a bore.
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Anne Kelly from Edinburgh travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Thomsons
on a singles holiday.
There were 6 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2004 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I could not have asked for a better hotel, the food, staff and cleanliness were brilliant, i would definitley return and recommend anyone else to go here.
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degs from Eastbourne travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Portland
on a singles holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2004 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This hotel is one of the best we have stayed in.The food is plentiful and with plenty of choice even the fussiest of eaters are unlikely to go hungry. The rooms are quite spacious with a couple of small arm chairs and an average sized balcony.Try and get a higher floor if possible, people going to the pool walk right alongside your balcony, whilst on the other side, your view is mostly blighted by the top of the indoor pool.The staff are really friendly and helpful,we had 2 small problems with our room and both where sorted within 10 mins. we didnt think much of the entertainment though, the usual naff flamenco dancers etc.
The hotel is in a great location overlooking the beach. You can reach it via the steps or the lift, which takes you down to promanade level, then through a private gate and a few strides and you are on the beach.
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C Wainwright from Leeds travelled to Riviera Hotel with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2003 |
rated the Riviera Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: A fantastic hotel which was immaculate and well furnished. The restaurant was one of the best we have had the pleasure to eat in with plenty of choice no matter what time of the evening you dined. The entertainment was very good and there were plenty of seats for everyone in the bar area. The gardens and swimming pool were exceptionally well kept and all guests used the private entrance at the back of the hotel to access the resort area. We will certainly go back again.
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