The Riviera Resort & Spa Hotel

, Mellieha, Malta
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The Riviera Resort & Spa Hotel

, Mellieha
4 star

Rooms: 250

Marfa - Mellieha - Mlh 9069 - Malta Hotel Website | | 21525900
635 Traveller

Reviews - The Riviera Resort & Spa Hotel

1/10
Do not go there
Submitted by: D Smith in 30/10/08
  • Age Group: 41 - 50
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Family Traveller
Having arrived at the hotel, we were looking forward to our stay. Our room was pleasant, but very warm so we turned the air conditioning on and went down to dinner in the Sol e Mar Bistro to be greeted by an off hand person saying have you booked? There were about 15 people in the place, it was empty. Our meal was very mediocre and the chicken was like leather. Having gone upstairs very tired, our room was even hotter so we had to open the door to the balcony. The noise from the bar below kept us awake until the early hours along with the fishing boats. In the morning, I went and informed reception that my air conditioning was not working, the reply was that they switch it off on the 1st October and would not switch it back on until next year!!! I asked to change rooms and eventually paid £150 to move away and to a bigger room that was not like a sauna. Even then it was still extremely hot at night which meant keeping the balcony door open thus allowing mosquitoes to come in and still have the noise from the street and boats, it was very uncomfortable. I complained to the manager who gave some feable excuse about if he turned the air con on, it would be hotter!!
The facilities were ok, but the outdoor pools were sub zero, the indoor pool was nice apart from being salt water. The bars were understaffed and on a number of occasions one person was covering the upstairs and downstairs bar at the same time!! The Hola beach resembled a large play pit with little or no sand no access to the sea unless you wanted to jump onto the rocks from its jetty (the Ramla bay next door had a very nice small beach) The fat controller who was sort of in charge seemed to go around grinning at most people and trying to chat the bar staff up and would not comment to any of my complaints.
We had another meal in the Bistro in the vain hope that it would be better but alas it was worse it took 45 minutes to arrive and one meal was pork which was unchewable. and the steak was not much better.
Last but not least, the lifts, these seemed to work when they felt like it and could be heard from every room within 50 yds of the lift shaft the noise resembled the calling of a bull elephant. We were 4 rooms away and they kept you awake until finally they stopped but started again at around 7.00am. Breakfast was exactly the same every morning with one exception of fried tomatoes on one morning the same sausages bacon eggs (probably what hadn't been used the day before the odd bit of fruit was on display but rarely.
There are a number of very nice beaches close by, Golden Sands is probably the best as the beach at Melliah is a bit like Brighton. Hiring a car if you are unfortunate enough to stay at this hotel is a must.
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10/10
Great 3 weeks
Submitted by: Irene in 10/10/07
  • Age Group: 60 +
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Retired
My husband and I booked 3weeks at the hotel to celebrate our 65th /70th birthdays and our 45th wedding anniversary, we had flowers wine & a fruit basket from management& staff, we had a fantastic holiday, the staff from cleaners to the manager were very helpful and kind, we look forward to visiting the Riviera again in the near future.
9/10
Wonderful
Submitted by: Karen Coe in 25/08/07
  • Age Group: 41 - 50
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Family Traveller
Malta is a beautiful place to visit. The Riveria Resort was a wonderful: the hotel was very clean, the restaurants were very good, and the staff friendly. The pool was also very good. Would definitely recommend. Holiday tips: Trip to Blue Lagoon was marred by being over-crowded and human faeces in the crystal waters. Would recommend trip to Mdina (we visited the dungeons!) Valleta, Ta Qali craft centre, Gozo, Plazzo Parisio (in Naxxar). ENJOY!
8/10
Quiet location/hotel
Submitted by: Steve in 26/05/06
  • Age Group: 41 - 50
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Family Traveller
Me & the old woman wanted a relaxing 7 night break without the kids. The hotel was very quiet, only entertainment was a bloke playing the piano some evenings. Our room was excellent and the food was good, the hotel generally was very clean. The weather wasn't the best while we were there but the indoor pool was okay for a swim before dinner. We only met one other English couple in the hotel most were German or French - not the friendliest. We had a car to get about (lots to see)but would have been quite happy to stay around the outside pool if weather had been better or go to one of the two best beaches on the island, one just 5min away (Mehelia) by bus (bus stop 200Mts from hotel) the other 20min car ride/or longer by bus. Staff were excellent (especially the two fella's behind the lobby bar).
8/10
Lovely quiet hotel ....
Submitted by: Julie in 16/05/06
  • Age Group: 41 - 50
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Family Traveller
We have just returned from our first trip to Malta and stayed at the Riviera for five days. This hotel is in a quiet location with outstanding views across to Comino and Gozo. The sea is a beautiful crystal blue, not like here in the south of England!!! If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing break this is the place for you. Don't go if you want noisy evenings with entertainment -this is definitely one for relaxation and to de-stress!! You can walk to the ferry port to catch the ferry to Gozo easily and a trip over to the Blue Lagoon on Comino is a must.... a bit of paradise with its crystal seas, a bit like the Caribbean.... Paradise Bay is also a must but this gets busy at weekends with locals .... the bus service is great and the old ex-army buses are so quaint ..... all in all, the hotel was spotless, the service faultless and the Maltese are all very friendly. We even had a guided tour of the island on our way to the hotel from the taxi driver at no extra charge!!! We would definitely go back again - and it was VERY hot even in May ....
8/10
Good hotel for those wanting a peaceful break.
Submitted by: Linda in 03/11/05
  • Age Group: 51 - 60
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Mature Couple
A lovely hotel for couples looking for a quiet, relaxing holiday. Not suitable for families or people wanting entertainment or exciting night life. Excellent situation for walking and peace, but excellent public transport within 5 mins of the hotel. The staff in every department: reception, bar, restaurant etc were all friendly and helpful. The food was plentiful and of good quality and variety. Although there were a few minor points which could be improved eg lack of staff to tidy, serve and clean up the pool deck areas, the eleven days we spent there were very pleasant, excellent value for money, and we would certainly go again.
10/10
Great family holiday
Submitted by: Sandy Lawson in 22/06/05
  • Age Group: 41 - 50
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Family Traveller
Me, my husband and our two kids joined my parents for their Golden wedding anniversary. We booked two rooms for 7 nights directly from the Riviera website and to our surprise got a beautiful suite sleeping 4 and a room with sea view for my parents. My parents even got a cake and champagne as a gift from the hotel manager. The hotel is very clean and of superior class and the staff were all extremely friendly and helfpul especially when my 5 year old got a a slight temperature and a doctor was called in. The area is quite isolated but the public transport was well scheduled for the village and towns.There are sandy beaches in the area and boat rides to Blue Lagoon and Gozo Islands from the Resort. Food was good and the buffet breakfast and dinner were just what we needed. Chicken nuggets and pasta were offered to our children when they did not want to try out some of the maltese dishes on the buffet. The Riviera is great for families, but not for teenagers, and very romantic for special occassions. They organise weddings by the pool and on the beach. My husband and I hope to go back again, maybe for our own anniversary.
9/10
Will definitely return
Submitted by: John Mcguire in 21/06/05
  • Age Group: 31 - 40
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Business Traveller
We spent a few extra nights after a 3 day conference and it was all worth it. Best place to relax and unwind. Situated next to the sea facing comino with a lovely small beach with palm trees a 100 yards away. Food is great especially the Bistro, definitely beats a few good restaurants that we visited on the island. Staff is great. We had a countryside view which was great enjoying the magnificent sunsets over a nice bottle of wine. The seaviews were all taken but nevertheless view was much appreciated. Great indoor pool and tried a couple of spa treatments. It is really a great place to relax. We shall definitely go back.
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Historical Traveller Reviews of The Riviera Resort & Spa Hotel

Mixed impressions but worthwhile overall

from Adjutant
My wife and I were here for a week in Feb 06 (which included "Carnival"); not a bad time to visit Malta if you can live without the beach (as Canadians, any place without snow was shirtsleeve weather for us). First time visit. Mellieha - where the hotel is - could be Brighton, which surpised us. Staff were generally agreeable but surliness seemed to be the norm outside the hotel, and tourist ripoffs abound; shop carefully. We were in the time share units which are on the top floor, and they are excellent - immensely spacious, well appointed, very comfortable. No kitchen though. Hotel was in good repair throughout (so far as we could tell), but if you're travelling in the winter months, expect many of the otherwise-enticing facilities to be shut down for the season. And then there's the food: we ate two meals a day in the dining room. Buffets all. Breakfasts weren't bad - good variety of hot and cold. Dinners were quite uneven, ranging from terrible to satisfactory - but they are attempting to cater to a wide range of nationalities and while the food at dinner was pretty underwhelming, you won't go hungry. You can purchase Internet access by the hour from the front desk, although the "business centre" is an alcove on the mezzanine dominated by unsupervised children playing video games. Lots of Internet caffs in the area however. Only a block from the bus - Malta's busses are an experience - which will connect you to anywhere on the island. We'd stay there again, but opt out of the meal plan. Place is packed most of the time. Great for families, not so great if you like a serene environment.

Isolated and disappointing

from kjkent
We stayed at the Barcelo Riviera Resort for a week. Things got off to a bad start when, having travelled all night, and readily agreed to wait until 2pm for our room (we know they need time to clean etc), we returned at 2 and were sent packing again by a really rude receptionist.

The room did not have the advertised sea or countryside view, but judging from the complaints of the woman next to us at reception, we got off lightly with our ground floor pool view.

The reception area was very ornate and appropriate for a four-star hotel, and what I saw of the spa was also good, but the pool area and the exterior of the building were getting pretty tatty as the season drew to an end. The room was clean, and adequately furnished, but the air conditioning was completely ineffective. We had it on full the whole time and it could only reach our desired temperature of 20 degrees shortly before sunrise. I would hate to have been there at the peak of summer.

Breakfast was poor. The buffet area was badly laid out and congested, and the food lacking in flavour (there was more water than egg in the scrambled egg). This poor standard carried through to the restaurants in the evening. And my pet peeve: menus with seafood dishes marked as vegetarian. The pool bar, where 'happy hour' began at 8.30pm, regularly shut up shop at 8.

But what was most disappointing was the standard of service. The first encounter at reception set the standard. When the service was occasionaly friendly, it was slow or confused, and more often than not it was the worst of both worlds.

Finally, if you want to avoid the crowds, then this area fits the bill. There are two hotels (the other looked much better!), and everything else is a bus ride away. There is good access to the boats for Gozo and Comino. However, the beach is small and not particularly nice, and we had to take a bus journey to get a decent meal.

great week

from martindeann
first time to Malta and hotel was great and peaceful. service was excellent and rooms were clean. lovely seas and view of gozo....will be returning.

Great

from FelicityWat
Great Service. Excelent atmosphere. Relaxing views.....must try the spa! perfect birthday present.

Spent a week in the tranqulity of the surroundings. not many shops in the area. no husle and bustle. Food is great.

Booked a country view room and when we got there we regretted not having booked a sea view as the view is to die for. nevertheless the country views are lovely.

A car is a must to get round. Must also take a day trip to gozo.

good food but expensive drinks

from zorex
I was spending my summer holiday in this hotel with my wife and my 11 years old daughter. I'm 33 and my wife 36. We asked for an extra bed, and we received something strange like a bed but broken. Other tourists from our group doesn't receive this extra bed in the room so we were lucky. The food is good, and a lot...but beverages are very expensive if you don't take all inclusive so take care!!! It was very quiet and we appreciate this because we were searching for relaxing hotel, no loud music during the night. A good choice for family holiday. The hotel employes are nice and very polite. The underground pool is better than the outdoor pools. No beach, no sand, and take care with the sea-bath. Don't go into the sea because there are a lot of jelly-fish and it's quite nasty!!. Overall a good holiday, so I recomend this hotel.

Forget the beach

from A TripAdvisor Member
The hotel is in the process of having a new floor added - it's in the final stage of the 'fixtures and fittings' kit out - and they must be behind schedule as they are working from 6am to past 6pm Monday to Saturday. This spoils what is otherwise a good hotel in a great location. Service is hit and miss - served unchilled white wine and met with a scowl when asked to chill it!

Forget the private beach mentioned - only operates July & August. There is no sand and is just a dusty scrub land with a few palm trees. The water is all but inaccessible due to a drop to the water's edge and an exposed telephone cable running across it. During our stay a digger was parked on it most days.

Unsuitable for anyone with walking difficulties

from A TripAdvisor Member
We have just returned from 3 weeks at the Barcelo and although the hotel itself is more than adequate the position is unsuitable for anyone with walking difficulties, the nearest bus stop is up a very steep hill. There are no bars or shops within miles so a bus journey or hired car is a necessity. The food left a great deal to be desired breakfast was fairly good but they only seem to be able to do scrambled eggs, no fried eggs or omelettes. Dinner varied between moderately good and inedible, the best meals were at weekends when the locals came for weekend breaks. We cannot complain about the service as all the staff were very helpful and friendly and we had a ground floor room with a fantastic view over to Gozo.

just what we were looking for

from juliandavies
just spent a week in malta ,we really enjoyed our stay,the rooms were ok ,breakfast was good and varied we did not eat in the main restaurant but had two excellent meals in the bistro , the steak was too die for.
the indoor pool was cold and my daughter braved the outside pool.
there is work extending the resort which was a bit dissapointing but did not rally interupt us but we were on the ground floor which is recommended.
the views from the hotel were excellent although other reviews said it was quiet a car is a must great scenery the red tower is a must and a visit to gozo the restaurants in the village were expensive but value for money try the hilltop and the xi xtaba. i recommend the hotel but dont ask for a morning call we just caught our plane thanks reception

save money go somewhere else

from A TripAdvisor Member
We booked a short notice break for 7 days over the New Year period 27/12/05 to 3/01/06 for some rest. The other reviews of this hotel do not convey that the area has Nothing no shops, no restaurants, no choice, no buses, no options no nothing you are isolated from the world. This hotel is a 3 star thinking along 2 star lines no way does it qualify as 4 star. The stairs to reception are steep with no disabled access. The rooms are basic we paid for a seaview and were very happy with the view of Gozo and the fishermen on the jetty. We watched the funeral boat with the priest that was the highlight of the week. Breakfast is dire, dinner is worse than canteen grade, staff need to go back to training school. Bistro food is very good but extra cost. Spa is good the Staff are professional but they are let down by the Hotel. No way would we go back.

Great Value, great holiday...we loved it

from A TripAdvisor Member
At first we thought the location was a drawback as all advertising on Malta is based around St Julians and Bugibba area. Believe me we were more than glad not choosing the latter two areas as St Julians is good just for an evening visit to restaurant as it is so commercial and dirty and Bugibba looks like a deserted 'Las Vegas'.
On the other hand Marfa & Mellieha still have charm, open surroundings, beautiful countryside ideal for long walks close to the shoreline breathing clean fresh air. Weather was great and we managed to relax and sunbathe on the pool deck. It was so relaxing, just what me and my wife wanted. Service is quite good, breakfast is ample and varied. We booked on half board, buffet dinner was also good. The hotel offers the opportunity for half boarders to dine at the Bistro were an allowance is deducted from the food bill. We loved it there the food is excellent and topped any restaurant we visited on the island.

We managed to book some spa treatments at the Spa. Prices are reasonable, the treatments were great. we really enjoyed it. We upgraded to a seaview, the view was breathtaking, were we enjoyed a couple of nightcaps in the balcony. There was a conference going on and as I am in the same line of business I couldn't help but check it out, I must say I shall definitely include this hotel in my potfolio.

It was a pleasure staying there and definitely will not be the last. Keep it up guys!

Top Local Tips for Mellieha

Malta and Gozo Get the bus to Valletta which is a very interesting place. Or Hire a car (they do hotel delivery) and get the ferry to Gozo and travel around this gorgeous island and when you have the car back in Malta check out the popeye film set esp. if you have kids and even if you don't.

Rent a car if you're staying Renting a car would make the holiday a lot more pleasnt if you wanted to get around and get a better feel of the life on the island.

learn from experiance Try "Billys" - very good prices for car hire & reliable taxi service. Take trip to Gozo by ferry. Costs 10MLA for car/driver & 3 passengers return. Azzure window is great. Mdina is worth visiting. The Arches restaurant has a great menu.

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Other names for The Riviera Resort & Spa Hotel

  • the riviera hotel
  • riviera hotel mellieha
  • Address: Marfa - Mellieha - Mlh 9069 - Malta
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"Do not go there" - D Smith

"Great 3 weeks" - Irene

"Wonderful" - Karen Coe

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