Hotel Rivazzurra

The helpful, friendly staff are the best part. They make you feel at home, and it's clear they care about keeping the place tidy and clean. Otherwise, the whole hotel feels trapped in the 1970s, from the floors and doors to the fixtures. Some updates have been made for guests with disabilities or mobility issues, but little else seems to have changed. The air conditioning barely gets cool, and the beds are box springs. The so-called double is two mattresses pushed together. On the plus side, the shower is fairly large and the mini-fridge was empty. At the restaurant, the food was good, but the service felt like a colonial summer-house canteen, with large groups of guests. Breakfast is only continental by name: the buffet is limited and low quality, from watery juices made with fruit syrups to cardboard-tasting pastries. The fruit in syrup deserves a mention as a summer classic. Restaurant hours are very strict, and if you miss them, there's nothing left. If you'd like to travel back to the '70s and '80s like Martin McFly, this is the place for it.

The staff were young and friendly, the food fairly good, and the hotel is only steps from the beach. Our double room was relatively spacious and had a balcony. But parking was small, paid, and confusing to reserve. Even though I booked a month and a half ahead, they hadn't held a space for us, so we drove around the avenue for an hour hoping to find somewhere to park. The room we got at first was rundown: old furniture, a broken wobbly shower that wouldn't close, and a folding bathroom door that didn't shut properly. The sheets were dirty too, which we discovered before the bed had been made. We reported it, and they changed the sheets, but we had to stay in that room until the next day. Then we were moved to one with newer furniture and a bathroom door that closed. The beds were extremely uncomfortable in both rooms, just two mattresses held together by one sheet. With the number of guests and the COVID period, another sheet would've been nice. The hotel is a long way from Viale Trieste's main street and the city center. They have four bikes available, and we used them on two evenings. The week's stay wasn't especially expensive, but I wouldn't return. I hate leaving a negative review, but I couldn't help it.

The staff are friendly, and the rates are affordable. The place is reasonably clean and a little dated in style, which is fine. My room had air conditioning, a ceiling fan, and a handy small fridge. The bathroom shower had strong water pressure and no visible limescale or dirt, plus there was a heated towel rail. I also had a comfortable little balcony, about two meters by two.

The owners are friendly, the buffet breakfast is good, and the rooms and tiny bathroom were clean. Still, the towels were really old and worn, and the nightly room rate feels high for the condition of the rooms. It needs a renovation. Come on!