Hotel La Rivera

June '24. I’d happily come back to this friendly family hotel near the center of Las Arenas. The rooms are comfortable and the shower was lovely. Breakfast is continental, which isn't really my thing, so I brought my own Alpen. Their toast was tasty, though, and the juice and fresh fruit were lovely. The Madera cake was dry and could use strawberry jam.

The staff were really friendly, and the hotel has character, with a beautiful lobby. It's well placed near cafés and restaurants, and my room was clean and spacious, with a view through the buildings. The place is very clean for a two-star hotel. The traditional furniture was nice, though the bathroom felt dated. It had a bathtub and bidet. The heat was a real problem. It was 30 degrees the day I arrived, and the room felt like an oven. There was no air conditioning, and the only cooling was a noisy fan without a guard. It caught my hair as I walked past. There were lots of windows, but no breeze that night. I was thinking of leaving the next day even though I had already paid, but the weather cooled to 19 degrees, so I stayed. With hot weather like this, the hotel probably needs air conditioning in the rooms. Noise was another issue. You could hear outside sounds and people using other bathrooms, which was embarrassing. Parking isn't provided either, though you can stop in front of the hotel for 15 minutes. Breakfast wasn't included. I tried it the first day and was disappointed, so I cancelled it for the second day. It was served at the table: fruit, tea or coffee, a few pieces of bread, a packaged cake, tomato, butter, jam, and artificial orange juice. I would have expected eggs or cheese. The hotel isn't wheelchair friendly. It has a small elevator, but you have to climb several stairs to reach it.

The room was clean, the mountain view was nice, and the staff were very friendly. The mattress and pillows were much too firm for me. Breakfast cost 6 euros per person, but we found it disappointing and only went once. It was mostly carbs, with yogurt as the only protein option. I'd suggest getting breakfast at a local café instead.

We had a nice stay. The staff were very friendly, and the rooms were clean and pleasant.