my husband and i had stayed in this hotel in january so knew what it was like when we returned in october with my parents who are in their 70s and our 16 year old daughter the rooms are very clean and the food is very nice it does seem to cater very well for the older generation but was good that no children running around though a bit boring for the 16 year old the location is ideal as it is on the flat with shops and bars directly opposite the staff were all very helpful and pleasant we didnt see much entertainment and my parents wouldv'e rather it began earlier as after walking about all day 10 oclock was late for them i would visit this hotel again it also has a television room which you can smoke in which was very handy and my husband didnt have to stand outside

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.