Riu Costa del Sol

We just returned from our vacation at the Riu Costa del Sol hotel. The descriptions are very different from the reality. The rooms are dirty and not cleaned, and the hotel grounds are not impressive. The food is varied but of very poor quality. There's a daily fight for sunbeds every morning (7 a.m.). The beach is public and not conducive to sunbathing. Most importantly, we were robbed at this hotel, so I don't recommend staying there. It was our worst vacation yet.

Our room was on the third floor with a sea view. Room was spacious, clean and comfortable. Food was brilliant and there was something for everyone. My partner and I usually go out for food during the evenings but we honestly didn’t need to! Pools were big but busy which is to be expected for it being the summer holidays. The main entertainment was fab however it doesn’t start till 9:30pm which can I think is quite late for little ones. My only notes were that there was no games in the big pool only fitness around mid day. It would be nice if they could do water polo or valley ball in the afternoon as this is only done in the small pool at the back of the hotel and we had to walk to the back of the hotel to change our towels. It would be nice if we could do this with the lifeguard at the big pool.

This is a review from a full time wheelchair user and a Daughter with coeliac disease. Firstly we’ve had a fantastic time as a family met some great people . The hotel is clean and most of the staff go above and beyond. In my wheelchair I could get everywhere very friendly barring the beach volleyball court but hey oh have you ever seen a wheelchair beach volleyball player 😂. There are 3 pools and two of them have working pool hoists , bear in mind that this is a fun hotel so the pools are really not for swimming in as there is to much fun going on , giant crocodiles , ducks and sharks as well as flying balls . The restaurants are typical of RIU something for everyone, I found the main restaurant very busy to get around but I managed without running over anybody’s toes. The adapted rooms are ok , in fact if you transfer to the toilet they’re great but very tight if you use a commode/shower chair over the toilet. Reception staff are really friendly and helpful just ask . Accessible taxis are easy to order and there are plenty of them. Now if you are Coeliac don’t worry just be wary , there is a good selection of gluten free pastry, bread and buns , you can ask the head chef to show you around to explain the signs showing what you can and can’t have . But do I trust the signage well the answer has to be no , one morning I asked for gluten free pancakes for my Daughter , they had separate mix ready 👍but then went and cooked them where the other pancakes were being cooked thinking just scraping the hot plate was enough, they don’t have a separate fryer for chips just any frying pan they have hanging around even though you have a gluten free toaster. So just keep an eye on things. Would recommend this hotel yes I would to young family’s not really a couples or families with older children unless they just want to play in the pool and sunbathe on the plenty of beds around the 3 pools . Accessible room 3029 is noisy but near the restaurants and main pool , doesn’t get any sun and looks out over building and trees full of parrots. Taxi to Torremolinos €8 Taxi to Malaga €10 We have a few days left so will add more when home .

I had a very disappointing experience at this hotel. The room was not clean when I arrived, the bathroom had an unpleasant smell, and the bed was uncomfortable. The staff were not very friendly or helpful, and it took a long time to resolve even simple requests.

The hotel was very clean, and all of the staff were friendly, welcoming and helpful throughout our stay. The entertainment was good. Unfortunately, there were several areas that let the hotel down. The main restaurant/canteen was far too small for the number of guests, and the layout simply doesn’t work when the hotel is busy. It felt overcrowded at peak times. We also found the food disappointing and ended up eating out every evening except one. During our stay, we only had breakfast and lunch at the hotel on one day. The pool areas were also extremely crowded, with many guests reserving sunbeds before 9am, making it difficult to find somewhere to relax. Finally, the drinks selection was very limited. Most drinks were served in plastic cups, and for a four-star hotel we expected a much better range of cocktails and premium drink options rather than mainly pre-mixed iced drinks. There wasn’t even an Aperol Spritz or Hugo Spritz available, which was disappointing given how popular they are. It’s a good base hotel but wouldn’t return as have paid not much more for other 4 star hotels which provided a better holiday overall.