Hotel Riu Ferrara

If you are thinking of booking this hotel just be advised that the beach directly outside is closed for a number of months. There are lorries & diggers moving the sand (an EU funded project) and the beach is taped off for most of the resort - also not making for a great view when you stop for an ice-cream/coffee. We got by because watching diggers is fascinating for a toddler ! On the plus side the hotel has a great pool area and there wasn't really any disturbance from noise. We found the hotel staff were friendly & efficient and the apartment very clean.

We really enjoyed our stay at the RIU Ferrara hotel, it was a good hotel in a good location, excellent facilities, spotlessly clean with some very good staff. However, if we were going again, we would book "room only" or at a push - "Bed & Breakfast only". There are ample cafes &restaurants within close proximity on the seafront which are open all year round where a good-value meal (both breakfast & dinner) can be obtained. The Chinese nearest the hotel was particularly good (2-3minutes walk) and had many regular British customers on the day we tried it. What can I say about the dining facilities? To describe them as "a rugby scrum" would not do the scene justice. Tables are packed in so closely together that couples might as well be sharing a table for four with the next couple at busy times. The "eat all you want" buffet involves people trying to get there through the narrowest of gaps, and some go back repeatedly for more food. Sadly all nationalities seem to confuse quantity with quality and are satisfied (acting suspiciously like greedy pigs!). We found that despite the "wide choice" this was not really the case and several items (or similar types of items) were repeated several times. For instance, one night the cold buffet had a lot of seafood on it and there was poached fish on the carvery and fried fish on the hot buffet - not much choice there if you don't like fish! The other thing was that the food was not of very good quality at times, one night I had a rib steak which was just full of gristle, and it was the best of the bunch I could pick, so heaven help the rest. On another night I had a lamb chop and they all had plenty of bone and no lamb! They simply do not use good ingredients - you should see the excuses for bacon & sausages on the hot breakfast! Another couple of points I should mention, again both about the catering staff. We were told that we had to choose the 6pm or 8pm sitting for dinner and present ourselves to the head waiter on the first evening to be allocated a "good" table which would remain ours for the entire week. Not knowing the routine, we followed another family into the dining room on our first night about ten minutes before 8 in the hope of getting a good table and being comfortably seated in time for our meal. The Head Waiter, (who is called Pablo), has to be one of the most miserable and rude people we've ever come across in a hotel. I don't know why people with his attitude go into the service industries as they have no idea what customer courtesy is about. He snarled at us, pointed to his watch and said "not 8pm, you go". When this family looked at him in surprise, he ordered them (and us) "out, out now!". I witnessed him throughout the week and can honestly say that the only time I saw him be nice or smile was when he was collecting tips. Well you can guess how much we left him! The other issue was that on the very first day at the poolside bar, I ordered two soft drinks in plastic cups to take by the pool. The barman obviously knew I was a new guest and not that familiar with the money and took my new, crisp 10€ note and gave me the change from 5€, therefore pocketing a full €5. It was not until much later that when I packed up to go to my room and looked at my change and my receipt that I realised what he'd done and by then the poolside bar was closed. I don't think for one minuite that it was a genuine mistake, he is used to the money and handling it and he seemed to be looking at me as if he was hiding something (in hindsight) whilst presening my change & receipt. This coloured my judgement of the bar staff from then onwards - but it might be just one bad egg, but you should always carefully check your change - particularly if you are served by a rather tall guy with a bald head. Perhaps the above sounds like a right whinge, but our stay was mainly enjoyable. They do need to sort out the dining facilities and food quality to meet my expectations for four stars on that front. The one or two staffing issues may happen elsewhere, but again, at that sort of standard, the staff should be above all the rudeness and sculduggery as people will reward them with praise and tips when it's due. In short, I would recommend this hotel for a quiet, relaxing holiday in the out of season periods for couples. Not certain if it might be a bit too quiet for families due to not being in a town. But I'd say give it a go room only if you can.

I stayed at the riu ferrara with my boyfriend for a week, we got a cheap deal as the hotel only cost us £103 for a studio which is very spacious for us 2, the kitchen would be better if they put a microwave, kettle and toaster in as we was self catering but we hired a toaster for 20 euro, but i was on holiday and who wants to be cooking.We stayed in room 2405 which had a sea view but also the view of the car park, the balcony is very big just like the rest of the room. As we had a late flight comin home we still had to be out of the room by 12, but the said we can book this courtsey room for free which you get 15 mins each to go and have a shower and change, which i found very good. Getting to the hotel: As we never got transfers to the hotel we got there by a bus. There is bus stop outside malaga airport where you collect the number 19 bus to malaga bus station for 1 euro which only takes 10 mins, then you get another bus (which is a coach) to torrox costa which drops you off at the hotel for only 3.33 euro which takes about 1 hr and 15 mins and is very cheap compared to a cab which is 70 euro... Resturants -- Bars: The Hotel Buffet at night i found a little expensive which was 25 euro pp so i never tried that but seemed to be very popular with others but the snack bar does lovely food for lunch. the bar inside the hotel is lovely to have a few drinks b4 you go up2 bed, Mattias is the most loveliest wattier i have meet, so helpful and friendly but then again so is all the staff there.There is a lovely chinese resturants called "Ying" just to the left of the hotel on the beach front They are very friendly and welcoming. Most of the resurants shut early round 6ish but that maybe becoz of being in the low season. there is several supermarkets outside the front of the hotel but i would recommened the "supersol", it does more english branded food but just a slightly dearer in price. Nerja: You Must Go into nerja as it is lovely, and has a better beach, shops && resturants there aswell. you get the same bus you did from the airport in to nerja for only 90 cents just outside the hotel. We're already lookin to go back very soon.

i'm a travel agent who got this for my wife and i and two friends for just £160 each with flights on a self catering basis we liked the hotel very much,grounds pool area,lobby,staff all great but from a 4 star hotel i would expect to have more than 2 cooking rings in the kitchen......ie there was no oven or grill,no kettle,no toaster,no iron, which although they had some at reception they cost a 20 euros deposit for each item along with 20 euros deposit for beach towels! (i have been to 2 star studios that had better kitchens) we booked a studio but got a one bedroomed apartment as i showed my travel agent i.d which is a very spacious unit! resort ok, a few things closed but we all completely relaxed and weather was amazing for janaury (i got burnt) all in all i'd go back for the price away from the crowds! but come on riu get the kitchen sorted no point doing self catering unless you can cook something!

I stayed at this hotel for 3 nights with my dad and we had a fabulous time, the location was perfect for us, only a few minutes drive to nerja and lots of cafe/restaurants along Torrox beachfront. The 2 bed apartments are spacious for 2-4 people but would be cramped for maybe 6, but our apartment was clean and comfortable. The Kitchenette is only sufficient for preparing cereals, sandwiches and maybe an easy pasta meal but with no oven or chopping board we were slightly restricted to what we could cook. The hotel staff were fantastic and helped us with anything we needed. The pool area is especially nice with comfortable sunbeds and a huge pool!!!!

Torrox Costa: Riu Ferrara ``Fantastic`` Date 4/11/2007- 11/11/2007 Reviewer. J.Fielding(85). Clitheroe. Spent one week at this hotel,booked because of the excellent reviews on this website, and really enjoyed the whole scenario , hotel, staff, food and accommodation. Went with my son (42) daughter in law (38) granddaughter(3) and grandson(1) who also enjoyed the holiday with daily temperatures of low 70`s (just nice and cosy). Hired a car for the week and visited Granada, Ronda, El Chorro, Benalmedina but did not manage to visit Gibraltar, (will do so next year). Food in restaurant is buffet style, quite varied dishes, piping hot, and an excellent carvery which varied with ham, pork, lamb and veal, eat as much as you want. As this was my first holiday abroad since 1985 ( due to losing my dear late wife) I really recommend this hotel if you do not want hectic nightlife.

My wife and I booked this hotel online for 3 nights in mid-October based upon Trip Advisor reviews. We initially booked an apartment as it was the only option that did not require a complete meal plan. Single rooms required the meal plan. Upon arrival we found the unit unattractive and worn. Switched to a Jr. Suite for only an additional 15 euros and found that we did not need to take the meal plan. Apparently the meal plan requirement was only an online requirement. The Jr. Suite was a dissapointment. It was small and also worn but at least it had a view of the pool and beach. The bed was like sleeping on a board. One of the most uncomfortable I have ever slept on. The shower alternated between comfortable and scalding without any advance notice. The pool area was large and attractive but loaded with flies. There were flies everywhere! The hotel is located on the beach with only a promenade separating it from the ocean. The sand is a kind of gray/black that unfortunately looked dirty instead of appealing. There did not appear to be any bellmen as we had to carry our luggage from the rather distant parking area to the entrance. The front desk was helpful and courteous. The Torrox area is much closer to Nerja than the maps presented; probably 5-6 kilometers. Nerja is much more attractive. The Riu Ferrara is a 35 minute drive from the Malaga airport. We stayed in Benalmadena last year at the Aleysa Playa and loved it. This was a much bigger resort that looked impressive but lacked refinements. You even had to pay for your room safe and leave a 10 Euro deposit per each threadbare pool towel. Hallway lights turned on by motion sensors so ahead of you it was dark until the last minute. I definately liked the area between Benalmadena and Marbella better than this. We will be very reluctant to choose this hotel chain in the future.

My wife and I are just back from a lovely quiet week at this hotel in Torrox Costa. Booked hotel on strength of reviews here on Tripadvisor and were not disappointed. Reception - Friendly and efficient, we arrived at around 10am and although check in is officially 3pm, were given our room immediately, not something we have often experienced. Only problem we had during our stay was a room safe which did not want to open, within minutes of reporting this a maintenance man was there to fix it. Room - Sea view, nice balcony, very clean - cleaners usually in and out whilst we were at breakfast. Double doors to corridor so very little noise from outside. No kettle so if like us you like your tea, bring your own. TV mostly German and Spanish channels, being sad we always travel with a small DVD player and a supply of CSI DVDs, so did not worry us much. If you miss your sports small bar/restaurant nearby, Lord Bensons, has Sky, watched rugby world cup final there, also does nice food, had snack lunch there a few times. Small fee to use safe. Hotel - Nice looking, clean, good size bar areas, good service, nice staff, prices reasonable. Deserves its four star rating. Pool - Large, clean, plenty of sunbeds but still difficult to get one after around 11am, pay 10 euros in reception and you can get clean towels daily, on last day leave back towel and get your money back. Cushions - help yourself. Restaurant - Allocated a table for the week, outside less crowded, food not at all bad for a buffet, but not sure we would want more than a week of it, waiters excellent. Beach - Go out of back gate across boulevard and you are on it, grey sand but clean. Gym - Can not comment, go away to relax not get fit. Entertainment - Not really our thing, we tend to make our own. Was an act in main bar each evening but did not pay much attention so can not comment on quality. Area - Quiet, mostly Spanish & German restaurants and bars but found them welcoming, attempts at their languages appreciated. A few small shops and a couple of supermarkets nearby (and a plethora of estate agents) market on Mondays, no hard sell. If travelling on your own, German sounding travel agent just off boulevard at opposite end to hotel, can arrange city trips. Local bus can take you to Nerja (10 mins) or Malaga (around 1 hour), be careful signs not tourist friendly, we ended up waiting on wrong side of road when going to Nerja (big market on Tuesday), hilly but worth a wander round.

We stayed in this hotel for 10days and having already stayed in a Riu hotel new what to expect. Clean and friendly staff and meals are always lovely. So much to chose from you can very easily put weight on. Plenty of sunbeds which you could not book by putting your towel on as witnessed the staff removing them on several occasions. No much about in resort but there is a weekly market worth the look and a long promenade great for walking along to work off the extra calories from dinner. Entertainment staff were great during the day and did most of the night time entertainment also. Not great but very well done. Found a great little bar call Luan next to the hotel where we found a few of the bar staff go to after work. Owner looks a bit like George Clooney if your a fan. all in all we had a great relaxing holiday and would recommend this to anyone who is wanting just that. No good if your wanting nightlife and lots to do because there isnt any.

This was our third visit to the Riu Ferrara and by far the best. The staff can t do enough for you, and they always have a friendly smile for everyone.We got a self catering room this time which was a nice surpise, as we were staying half board, so the extra room was great as there were three of us staying. The food was lovely and very well presented. We will defianately be booking to go back again. Thank you for a lovely week.