Riviera Resort & Spa

2 readers found this review helpful

Just got back from a week's stay at the Riviera. We are a young(ish) couple, at 30, and we enjoyed our stay immensely - many of the beautiful photos on this site are true reflections of the hotel; it's an extravagant looking place with a cosy feel to it, an excellent spa/gym/sauna area and a lovely open pool area. The rooms were functional, comparable to a 3 star hotel in the UK and always clean. There were only 2 English-speaking channels on the TV but luckily I didn't go on holiday to watch TV in my room! We had a "country-view" room which had a view of the side of rural Marfa ridge, which consists of small fields, farm buildings and the Red Tower at the top. To the left, you could actually see the water of Ramla Bay and, if you leaned over, the open sea so it's almost a sea view anyway.
With regards to some of the "unfriendly" staff comments, I'd say that they are no more unfriendly than any other cross-section of service staff in Europe (although they were always polite and courteous) but they are human, afterall, and they are at work. In the absence of the simpering, patronising "have a nice day" culture of service staff in America, for example, you only have to make a bit of effort yourself to engage them in conversation and you'll find that they are helpful, friendly and have a great sense of humour. If you expect ridiculously subservient, sycophantic robots you should not go to Malta; the people have different personalities which are rich and varied which makes the place a truly European (and rewarding) experience.
The hotel is a little isolated which during the day is not a problem due to the good transport links with the rest of the island but at night could be a little frustrating if you fancy stepping out for a late drink. We solved the problem by getting a cab to Mellieha which has a few late bars, but St. Julians/Paceville could also be an option, albeit a 40-minute-each-way journey.
Food-wise, the Riviera has 2 restaurants open in May - the Mirasol and the Sol E Mar. The Mirasol had decent enough buffet-style food and the Sol E Mar was an excellent continental-style restaurant, offering a selection of world-wide dishes. The Lobby Bar is quite simply a lobby bar but the Charley Noble cocktail bar was a cosy place with cheesy local music in the club style with great cocktails (in fact, Janelle and Christian, two staff members, came second and third respectively in a recent local competition between hotel bar staff in the area, including Hilton staff) and a relaxed atmosphere.
In summary, this hotel is in an exclusive location, is quite posh-looking but a little isolated for folk wanting to get a late drink. I'd definitely go again.