Riviera Hotel

we have just come back from a holiday in costa brava, santa susana. we were stayin in the hotel riviera. the place itself was fine but the hotel is another matter. we were half board but had to eat out all the time as the food was atrocious, animals wouldnt eat it. the cleanliness of the rooms was not great either, i bought bleach myself for my sink. the entertainment was hopeless. if i go back there i wont be staying in that hotel and wouldnt recommend it to anyone.we stayed there from the 20th of september to the 4th of october 2007

The hotel isn't bad for a 2 star. Rooms - quite clean, balcony, small toilet - only problem was air con wasnt powerful enough even at highest setting so it was stuffy at night AND walls are very thin!! Food - first night, food was awful, but it got better - loved the fruits at dinner time - would NOT touch the soup! - breakfast - i wanted fried eggs, but had boiled eggs the whole week i stayed there - fatty bacon Do not eat at the bar outside the hotel - awful and expensive Lotsa shops and markets around hotel. clubs are okay. Beach is a short walk. We had fun for the money we paid.

My boyfriend and I stayed at The Riviera for a week at the end of September. I knew from reviews not to expect much but stayed hopeful all the same. The hotel is very clean and has a great pool area but the food was Bad Bad Bad!!! Breakfast was ok but it was the same thing every morning. Buffet choice of bacon, eggs, sausage, ham, cheese, cereal (horrible cheap variety which had gone soggy and warm milk to go with it - yuck!). Dinners were awful and if you have the chance to pay a little extra for half board - don't! If you enjoy watching TV in the evenings before bed then you best learn Spanish or German. Of 13 channels only 2 are English speaking - Eurosport and CNN! If you are staying at this hotel as a couple make sure you ask more than once for a double bed. I had requested this twice through the travel agent and still we had to push two singles together. Also ask for a poolside view as we were facing directly onto another hotel - not the best view! As for the resort itself, Santa Susanna is a Saga holiday / family holiday resort, and all of the entertainment in the area is geared towards an older more family based crowd. There are no restaurants as it is mainly fast food places with pictures of food which have lost their colour in the sun. Everywhere is the same unfortunately. We only had 2 nice meals (which were costly) at the Mercury Village Resturant and at the Casa Nova Restaurant, which is further down the road in Malgrat de Mar. Beach was nice, a bit stoney tho - whatever you do - dont go down there at night time as there are some nasty people wandering around!!!

just came back from stay at the riviera,after reading other reviews we were worried about what we had let ourselves in for ,but we were greatly surprised when we got there,hotel is nipping clean rooms were tidied every day,staff on the whole were very helpful apart from one or two in the dining room ,but what the hell we could be just as awkward as them so we just got on with it ,pool area very good,bar staff very good ,entertainment so so but you can go into any hotel for other entertainment,food was a bit dodgy but always somethimg you could eat,[pasta was great].The only down side to this holiday was the beach its man made so keep your eyes on the kids as the sea has strong currents also a big drop before you actually get to the sea,Three British Pubs Drunken Duck The Ship and the Station all great .If you fancy a walk out in the evening the stalls along where the market is held is good for buying your gifts as you are not getting jostled and harrassed in the heat one of our party even booked for next year for a family holiday, we were there for 5 days and really enjoyed our stay. I ,also recommend a massage on the beach from the chinese girls I felt great after.If you are looking for a cheap but pleasant place to stay this is it .

I've just got back from staying at the Riviera hotel with my boyfriend. Overall, we enjoyed our stay but there were a few problems that really need sorting out. The main issue was the food - although we knew not to expect gourmet cuisine, we were expecting more than chips every night. The meat was so fatty that you could only get a few bites before having to give up hope! The soups all looked like dishwater and werent too appetising to smell either. There werent always signs to say what each thing was and the caterers spoke no english. The other problem with the dining room was the huge queue - even arriving at 6:30 meant we had to queue. There didnt seem to be enough room for all of the guests either. The other complaint was the maid service. It was nice to find that the bins were emptied and towels changed every day but they didnt actually knock before coming into your room which was very inconvenient a few times. They also spoke no English so it was pointless asking them to come back later. The location of the hotel was excellent. The hotel was only 10 minutes walk away and the shopping area was within easy walking distance too. The bars and restaurants were very affordable and served lovely food. Despite there being minimal entertainment at the hotel, next door's hotel was very entertaining each night and much nicer to sit at the main bar instead of the pool bar. We enjoyed our stay on the whole but I dont think I will be revisiting the Riviera hotel any time soon.

Have just returned from the Riviera Hotel in Costa Brava yesterday and thought I ought to do this Hotel some justice! Booked this holiday without knowing anything about the destination or Hotel.. We were just looking for a cheap holiday and for what we paid weren’t expecting much.. We were pleasantly surprised! We arrived late about 11pm on Monday 10th of Sep and were expecting to be shoved in our room for arriving so late but staff were very polite (but obviously was a struggle to get them to understand you) We were shown about the Bar and Pool area and shown where we would need to come for our breakfast the following morning! Our room was on the first floor with balcony over looking the pool area - which was a good start for us. Bedroom's were simple (wardrobe, drawers, tv, vanity unit) but all were extremely clean! Bathroom although still simple was ideal for a quick shower and out in the morning! Can't complain about the maid service either - clean towels, bin emptied and bed's done every day) The one thing I had noticed about reviews for this hotel was the food.. and we thought that the food was great.. Although there wasn't much variety for breakfast we had a roll with butter, sausage, egg, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, or a choice of cereal or hams and cheeses. For tea each night for starters was a different soup and bread roll or choice of salad, and was a meat or fish dish to suit everybody (with chips every night!!) The pool and sunbathing area was also great.. But was a bit of a struggle to find yourself a sun lounger if u went down after 11 as all of them had been taken so you'd be better off leaving a towel on a sun lounger before you go for breakfast! Or just pop over the road to the gorgeous beach and pay 4 euro a day for a lounger! The actual destination of the Hotel in Santa Susana was also great for us - we weren’t looking for a place buzzing with night life but just wanted a mixture of pubs and clubs and that’s what we got! One club to the right of the hotel called "Qk Disco" which is open until 5 and Tropicana club which is just a 3min walk from hotel! Santa Susana is full of little pubs - but we found ourselves most evenings in three British pubs "The Drunken Duck" Run by Phil Jo and Jordan from Newcastle, "The Station" and "The Ship". It is also chocker block of all kinds of restaurants and cafés at low prices - so even if the food is not to your liking it won't cost much for you to grab a bite to eat out of the hotel! Entertainment at the hotel wasn't great and was the only thing we thought that could have been better! Not good for a large family with children although the children kept themselves amused in the pool or games room! If you’re a couple looking for a cheap holiday like we were then this is the place for you!

Just returned from a one weeks stay at this hotel with full knowledge about the hotel food. Unfortunately the reviews are true. We tried to eat there but gave up after 2 days. The que starts at 6.30 outside the dinner hall and when you finally do get in people are pushing and shoving in a mad rushed panic to get some food as if they haven't eaten for a week! There are no signs telling you what the food is so we ended up sticking to chips which ended up cold by the time you find a table. The breakfast is slightly better the ques arent as big and there isnt as much rush but there isnt really much choice. We went to this hotel purely because it was cheap (cheaper than some self catering holidays) and took extra money for food. Our room was ok - basic and clean but dont think I could stay for 2 weeks! Our air conditioning wasnt working when we arrived but it was fixed straight away. It switches itself off when you open the patio door which was very annoying as you cant get the benefit of outside air and air conditioning to keep the room as cool as possible - it was one or the other! You have to pay 20 euros for a tv remote or the tv wont work - we werent told this and it took us a good hour of fiddling with the tv to go down to reception to advise them that it wasnt working and this was then we were told we had to pay for it (although you get it back at the end of the week). The pool area was the best bit of the hotel and i have no complaints about this area. It opened at 9am which gave everyone a fair chance of getting a lounger (other hotels that we have stayed at people get up at 7 to get one) and we found that going down between 9 - 9.30am is early enough to get one easily. If you are unlucky and dont manage to get a lounger there are lots of seats around the pool which will do if you are looking to sunbathe. There is a bar that opens during the day which was great and it played music all day. The entertainment at night was ok we went to most of the shows, and stayed there for most of the nights. This was our second time visiting this resort at a different hotel and we will not be returning to Santa Susanna. Once you have been there once you have kind of seen it all. We ate out mostly at the ship (across from hotel) and the Drunken Duck (round the corner). The Drunken Duck was a great place to go with a great atmosphere and they played Hollyoaks & Corrie!!

Riviera Hotel is a 2 stars hotel maximum. We are absolutely convinced that all the positive reviews are not written by tourists as we did not meet a single person satisfied at least 50 % of this pitiful hotel. We have not noticed any single thing to save the hotel bad image. Everything was a disaster. Rooms: small, ugly, the sheets and the towels were not changed at all during a 7 day stay; the bath does not have a sewerage system, a mouldy smell that we could not get off all the vacation. The promissed fridge is a sweet dream. The receptionist was even surprise by our inquary regarding this matter. The TV is available only after paying a guarrantee deposit of €20. You are not even informed about this by the receptionist, as this is probably one of their first surprises. You enter in the room, you are disgust by its apparence, you open the windows as quikly as possible becouse the smell is too heavy and then after adjusting oneself with the offered condition, off course you lay down and try to swich the TV. Surprise!! No remote control!! - remember, you are in a 3 stars hotel !!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the confidence that they have in their own clients. A deposit for the remote control !!!!?!?!?!? The area is noisy anyway, but the disturbing part is that the hotels walls are so thin that we hear everything on the entire floor. We were unfortunate to have some noisy teenagers as neighbors and at 3 o’clock we tried to call the reception to calm down a little bit the spirits. The room phone was not dialing any number!! We asked afterwards, internal free calls are not possible. If you go with the gang, this is annoying. Never sow something similar even in a 2 star hotel. In the room, there is no instruction for using the phone. You must ask the receptionist how the things are working…. Food: a nightmare. What else can I say? We did not have a decent meal in this hotel in 7 days. Beside the fact that is not diversified, the food is looking graceless and disgusting, not well kooked and tasteless. There is an automat machine for beverages – all are artifially made and very sweet. The coffe is not an option as it has a strange taste – better not even try it. Even their own traditional food is awful. They are in desperate need of a chef. The staff is ok, they are trying the best but they are short in number. You will have the surprise of being served by the receptionist lady!!! Even more diturbing is the fact that you must stay in line 10-20 min. with a ticket in your hand like in a charity canteen. The shocking part is that you pay for this as you were in a 3 star hotel!!!!!!!!!!!! Above all, you are not allwed to take your „charity” on the terrace (not even the a coffe) and inhale at least the frech air. In the basement the heavy smell of the disgusting food is not allowing you stay more then 25 min, couse is practicaly suffocating. Receiption, staff: acceptable. They are trying the best, the problem is that the hotel is not a 3 star and their efforts can not make up this very disturbing fact. The bottom line is that I am strongly not recomending this hotel, it does not deserve the money. I do not know how it got 3 stars. It’s a pitty, especially for foreiners becouse it leave them with a shadow image about the beutifull Spain. Our vacation was somehow saved by the visiting tour we made in Barcelona and a one day cruise along Costa Brava coast. The nicest site in Tossa del Mar. Go there directly, but if you choose Santa Susana/Costa Miresme avoid Hotel Riviera. Its your vacation, is your money and you deserve more.

Myself and my boyfriend stayed at the riviera for 3 nights for a cheap break and found it perfectly adequate. rooms are a little small- but we werent in the room much at all! check in was quick and the maids came every day and hotel was clean and centrally located! on the down side the view could have been better as we were looking straight into alother hotel- so never really opened our curtains. the pool was nice but full of children and most of the sun loungers were taken up all the time- so we went to the beach witch is a 2 minute walk and is lovely ( shingle sand though) theres a nice bar on the way to the beach called 'the ship' which does english food and drink and is very reasonable!! we stayed half board but didnt eat in the hotel at all- as we dont like being tied to eat at certain times- so i cant comment on the food. the resort is quite quiet with very little bars- its very family orientated and quite alot of germans go there. so it was a good break but i would not go back the same place.

I am 25 years old and went to the hotel Riviera with my boyfriend in August. I was looking for a bit of comfort and quite a modern hotel so we decided to go 4 star. I was very dissappointed when we first arrived, the hotel foyer had old chairs that were falling to bites, and the decor was like something from Charlies Angels. The hotel rooms were basic, the bathroom had holes in the tiles. I didnt really like showering in the bath either because the bath tub was scrapped near the plug hole, and looked unclean. The carpet on the floor was also brown and very old and worn. The restaurant didnt have a great deal of selection, the choices most nights seemed to be either red meat or salad. The ice cream was nice, but anyone can buy that in. the cakes tasted funny, they looked nice but didnt taste that way. The pool was very nice to relax around during the day, but unfortunately 90% of the guests were over 60. Some of these guests told me they have been going to the hotel for 30 years and think it is lovely. I dont know whether standards are higher in the younger generation, or whether your eye sight goes when you get to 60 but I wouldnt describe the hotel anything like lovely. The best thing about the hotel is the location, its right on the beach, I cant believe Thompsons being such a good company gave this hotel a 4*, when it should be a three. If you want 4* go to the Triton, its right near the Riviera, my partner and I went to have a look at it, its wonderful and definately a 4*.