Hotel Riviera

Very quick transfer from airport to hotel. Lovely hotel and very clean. Great food with lots of choice each night.
Benalmadena is a lovely resort and lots of places to eat and drink.
The only down side to this hotel is that it was very much an old persons hotel, so we did feel a little out of place.

This is the 2nd time we have stayed at this resort, the first time at the Siroco Hotel.
The Riviera Hotel is well worth it's 4* rating if just for the food alone.
Our room was situated on the 2nd floor (208) at the far right hand side of the hotel and we had beautiful sea views from our balcony. Although the room needed a bit of a face lift it was spotlessly clean, with clean towels every day and clean sheets every other day.
The Hotel overall was very clean and well presented especially in the public areas and all the staff were very friendly.
The food was absolutely excellent both at breakfast and evening meal with a Gala evening on Fridays, the ladies received a red carnation and the gentlemen received a cigar and we were served with a glass of champagne at our table.
The hotel is in an ideal location in the resort, just a short stroll to the beautiful marina with it's shops and bars. We can recommend a walk in the opposite direction to the windmill island cross over the road a short walk up the hill to the park, take some bread to feed the fish, ducks and terrapins ect, it makes a lovely evening stroll and there are benches to have a rest and take in the views.
We would also recommend you use the public transport to get around it's much cheaper than taxi's especially if you have trip to Torremolinos 1 Euro each way per person - 8 Euro by taxi.
We would definitely stay at the Riviera again.

Buffet was lovely, loads of choice and very tasty (found that buffets in the past have the same taste no matter what they are but not here).
It was a struggle to get a sun bed by the pool unless you got up at the crack of dawn! but there was plenty of beds in the gardens.
The location was excellent, right on the beach and about a five-minute walk from the marina.
Apart from the hotel I would recommend a snack bar called Palm five for lunch, excellent value, delicious food and very friendly service. Turn right from the gate to the beach and it is about a five-minute walk.
I would also recommend buying any trips that you want to go on not from the rep but from a place two minutes from the hotel. Much much cheaper for the same places and you get picked up from outside the hotel.
The shop is across the road from the hotel and about two minute in the direction of the marina.
Overall a brilliant holiday if you want to relax and have some sun!

Hotel itself was nice, clean, and we had a great sea view on the 8th floor at no extra cost.
Next to main road which could be noisy. Fresh linen and towels every day. We were told you were not allowed to reserve sunbeds, but you try and beat the wrinkles to them.
This year was the first for adults only. It was strange not having children around but nice and relaxing. The hotel appears to cater for the older generation, judging by the numbers there and the music played. No place for the younger generation looking for action.
The food was not up to a 4 star rating. Salads were ok if you liked everything smothered in mayonnaise and sauces. Plenty of choice if you like the same things every day.
Reps were useless. When we reported a major incident involving a young couple next door they did little to help. They also left my cousin who needed assistance at the airport and his wife, who had to pay for a taxi to the hotel themselves.
The reps explanation was they assume everyone not on the bus, makes their own arrangements, even though they did not confirm they were on the bus.

This is a superb hotel, although the decor is a little dated the hotel is very clean and the food is top class, the variety of well presented and tasty foods will appeal to all tastes and diets.
The staff are very friendly and so efficient in a most professional manner.
The beach and promenade are well below the hotel and can be accessed via steps or a lift.
A trip to Gibraltar is a must, a day out to remember... don't forget to take a camera!
This is not a hotel for anyone under 16 and caters for a more mature person.

1 reader found this review helpful

My husband and I have stayed at the Riviera a few years ago and enjoyed our stay just as much as before.
The staff throughout the hotel were friendly, helpful and polite. Nothing was too much trouble. The hotel was very clean.
We requested a high floor a few weeks before the holiday and we were very happy when we were given a corner room on the 8th floor. Wonderful views!
The food was excellent. We thought we may eat out a couple of nights for a change but we were very happy with the quality and choice of food available, both in the evening and breakfast, so we ate in the restaurant every night.
The house wine was also very good and very reasonably priced (the same price you would buy a bottle for in the supermarket here).
The entertainment was quite good. Drinks in the bar were the same price as the local bars. There are some nice little bars in the square below the Triton Hotel if you want a walk after dinner.
The residents in the hotel were a mixed age range, from girls on hen weekends, birthdays, etc... to couples of all ages.
Sunbeds were readily available, although it was difficult to find mattresses for all the beds. However, we didn't have a problem either in the morning or in the afternoon if we had been out during the day. The weather was a fantastic bonus.
The only criticism was that we forgot to take towels for the pool and reception did not hire these out. Luckily we met a couple who live a few streets from us and they had brought 4 and only used 2, so we borrowed those which we can return easily! Also it would have been nice to have a fridge in the room.
I would highly recommend the Riviera to anyone looking for a relaxing break.

1 reader found this review helpful

Great hotel, position and views are excellent although it’s on a busy main road. Directly above promenade and close to marina.
Food selection and quality are about as good as I've ever tasted anywhere and all the staff I encountered were helpful and friendly. The outdoor pool area is fine but the indoor pool area needs a facelift.
During my stay the entertainment was excellent but admittedly for the over 50s, mainly good singers and dancers and yes the occasional flamenco. If the clientele changed to mainly young folk I'm sure the hotel would provide for them.
Overall an excellent hotel that I would recommend.

1 reader found this review helpful

The Riviera was great, and the food was so good! The entertainment wasn't that good, and they should make the Jacuzzi and indoor pool easier to find even though it's tiny. The outdoor pool was good but freezing and the location is great because it's right on the beach, with a supermarket opposite. There were loads of cafes and restaurants to choose from, and the hotel staff were really friendly. Apart from having to use the bathroom across the hall because of a leak in the room below, and all the lights blowing out because of someone plugging in a kettle, the Hotel Riviera was great!

The hotel Riviera was great but it was rubbish entertainment.
We had to go out every night and we went over the road 2 Buzby's fun bar it was great. The beach is beautiful but when we went the sea was really rough and jelly fish were getting washed into the shore and massive fish.
All the Spaniards was really kind. The hotel Riviera is a must see.

1 reader found this review helpful

Me and my boyfriend stayed at the Riviera hotel in April 2006, firstly, both me and my boyfriend were only 17 and 5this hotel is definitely not for young adults or young children. It was full of elderly people, which is not a bad thing, but due to that, everything is based amongst the elderly.
I absolutely loved the food, the hotel had a bit of everything for everyone’s tastes which I loved as I am a fussy eater.
The location was quite poor as it is quite far from any decent shops. The good thing though was the fact that the hotel was right on the sea front which meant you could nip back and forth from the beach to the hotel if you needed to.
The night-time entertainment was poor also. Due to the fact that the hotel was full of pensioners the entertainment was almost ballroom dancing every night, however, me and my boyfriend decided to go and watch on the last night of our stay, and it was actually quite funny to sit and watch elderly men try and impress the ladies. We wished we went more often after that :)
Staff were extremely friendly people especially the bar staff, they couldn't do more to help!
Oh one more thing. The lifts don’t always work, very often the lifts break down or get stuck on a certain floor, but its not all that ad if you can walk up the floors. It doesn’t take too long and we were on the fifth floor, we used to race each other but that’s considering we're young.
The hotel Riviera was a nice and pleasant hotel to stay in but if you're looking for something a bit more exciting I would consider staying somewhere other than Benalmadena as it is a quiet place full of elderly people.