Riu Palace Nautilus

The Update to the hotel has been very well done. The Hotel is in a good position on the seafront promenade. Room are clean and spacious with toiletries and bathrobes. Mini fridge in the room and also an iron and ironing board. The staff are friendly and efficient. Food and drink was very good. Glass of Red €4 and water €3. We were not very impressed with the Krystal speciality restaurant as we preferred the previous Ole restaurant before the refit. Using the RIU app is the best way of communicating while in the hotel. The only downside side was our 3 hour wait for the room as we arrived around 11am.

Stayed in this hotel for 10 nights and loved it. The best thing was the staff, everyone we met was helpful, friendly and hardworking. They seemed to enjoy their jobs. The standard of cleaning both in the guest rooms & public areas was excellent. The bar service in the main bar & in the pool bar was great, the waiters were very good humoured & efficient. The buffet service in the main restaurant was also excellent and we really enjoyed the food, there was lots of choice with new things on the menu each day. The soups were particularly enjoyable. The buffet area could get crowded but the quality was the same whatever time you got there so we went an hour after opening in the evening to avoid the early rush. There was a bit of a clamour for tables on the terrace at breakfast & dinner but if you didn’t mind waiting the staff did their best to clear tables quickly to accommodate. There is a small fancy restaurant that you can book for no extra charge. We ate there once. The decor & ambiance was lovely & the service excellent but we found the menu very limited and disappointing eg there were 4 choices of starter of which 2 were fish/ seafood & of the 4 main courses 2 were beef. The food was too rich & not to our taste. The lemon meringue dessert was delicious though! As far as I know the menu didn’t change during our stay. The restaurant has potential to be very special if they rethink the menu. As it is, I would not eat there again. Facilities wise, we didn’t visit the spa or gym as our weather was perfect & we enjoyed swimming in the fabulous outdoor pool every day. The sun beds are very comfy and plentiful. There was a daily exercise session in the pool which was very popular & good fun. The evening entertainment was quite enjoyable but not the best . We did enjoy the Elvis tribute though. The guest rooms which have recently been refurbished were roomy and tastefully decorated with large modern bathrooms. There was little noise from other guests or from outside & the beds were very comfortable. Managers were highly visible throughout our stay & were interactive with the guests & the staff. Reception staff were always very helpful & efficient. Location is good, right on the promenade between Torremolinos & Benalmadena with plenty of shops, restaurant, bars to visit & a good beach. It is an adults only hotel which suited us fine & seems to cater well for people with limited mobility so attracted an older clientele. All in all I would recommend this hotel & would not hesitate to return.

All staff excellent, rooms spotlessly clean. Food options offered a good selection. Confusion due to dress code and entertainment. Dress code non existent, don't waste your money on buying new clothes. No one bothered when t,shirt shorts and flip flops worn by guest. After being told strict dress code advised. Entertainment average but again confusing! Acts not on as advertised also ones that turned up were outside which caters for around 80 people and turned cooler around 9.00pm whilst there is an excellent stage and seating area inside.

The RIU Palace Nautilus is a truly beautiful hotel and, in many respects, one of the nicest places we have stayed. The hotel itself is immaculate, with stunning gardens and greenery that are meticulously maintained, creating a relaxing and luxurious atmosphere throughout the property. The rooms are amazing, spacious, comfortable and spotlessly clean, with housekeeping maintaining exceptionally high standards every day. What really makes this hotel stand out is the staff. Across the hotel, the team were wonderful: kind, caring, attentive and always happy to help. From reception to housekeeping, the level of customer service was outstanding and genuinely deserving of a five-star rating. The pool area was another highlight, with plenty of sunbeds available and no need to queue or reserve beds early in the morning, which made for a far more enjoyable and stress-free holiday. Unfortunately, our experience in the restaurant was a major disappointment and significantly impacted our stay. Our son has coeliac disease, and the hotel was booked specifically because we were assured that gluten-free catering would be available. We notified the hotel a week before arrival, informed the check-in staff when we arrived, and repeatedly spoke with the maître d' and chefs throughout our stay. Despite this, the level of understanding and service regarding gluten-free requirements was woefully inadequate. The chefs escorted my son around the buffet on several occasions, but he was left completely unsure about what was and wasn't gluten-free. Despite my ability to communicate the issue in Spanish, it often felt as though our concerns were falling on deaf ears. When we asked if the fries were gluten-free, we were simply told no. When we asked if some could be prepared separately in the kitchen, the answer was again no. Breakfast was particularly frustrating. On one occasion we requested gluten-free pancakes and were told they could be made. However, it took around 20 minutes for the batter to be prepared, by which time my wife and I had already finished breakfast while our son had not even started. Even more concerning was that the pancakes were then cooked on the same grill as the regular pancakes, defeating the purpose entirely due to the risk of cross-contamination. Similar issues occurred throughout our stay. Fresh butter was provided when requested, but when we asked for a portion to be cut from a new block, it was sliced using a knife that had been used for everything else. Food items were frequently mislabelled, leaving us with zero confidence in the safety of the buffet offerings. As a result, we felt we had no choice but to eat out for most lunches and dinners. Overall, this is a beautiful hotel with excellent facilities, immaculate rooms, stunning grounds and some of the friendliest and most attentive staff we have encountered. Were it not for the restaurant's complete failure to cater safely and confidently for a guest with coeliac disease, this would have been an easy five-star review. Sadly, while the hotel itself deserves five stars, the restaurant experience falls far short of that standard and would make us think very carefully before returning or recommending the hotel to anyone requiring a strict gluten-free diet.

A beautiful hotel in a prime location. Rooms were spacious and comfortable and the twin sinks were appreciated. We were greeted warmly on arrival with a welcome cold cava. The bar staff were incredible. The food in the restaurant was good quality but this is not the hotel for you if coeliac. I booked this hotel in good faith as five stars should mean impeccable service for everyone but this was not the case. I’ll start with the positives there was gluten free bread and a separate toaster was available at breakfast. Having lived gluten free for twenty years I understand our responsibility to communicate our needs clearly. I emailed the hotel a week before our arrival and advised of our needs when checking in…. When entering the dining room we advised the restaurant manager and although their response was positive unfortunately this did not translate into actions. My Spanish is not brilliant but I know enough to say”apto para Celiacos” and to ask wether “sin gluten” despite this we were confronted with so many obstacles: The chef marched us around the pass in a brisk manner advising each item yes no no yes yes so quickly we couldn’t keep up so this was unhelpful. The signs above the food didn’t marry up or contradicted what the chef advised so we couldn’t rely on them. At breakfast we requested gluten free pancakes and the batter was made up and then cooked on the same griddle as the gluten containing pancakes!!!!!! Unfortunately there is a very clear lack of knowledge re cross contamination. Our son lost confidence and this made our meal times miserable, we consequently chose to eat out in local restaurants who were very obliging. Disappointing…