Hotel Riva degli Etruschi

I booked this because I needed to stay near my son’s tournament, and my expectations were low. We got a superior hotel room, but it was quite old, and the little houses looked funny, more like a summer camp. That part didn’t impress me. The service, though, was a lovely surprise: the staff were friendly, accommodating and willing to help sort out any problem. Each room had its own beach space, which I liked. The hotel grounds in the forest are huge, so we rented bikes and my daughter loved that. The food was another nice surprise. There wasn’t a massive choice, but it was all delicious and there was plenty for different needs, including several kinds of pasta, healthy options, protein, vegetables and fruit. We had breakfast and dinner included. It was a really relaxing stay, and since we only slept in the room, its age didn’t spoil our short visit. For a longer stay I’d probably want a more modern renovated room, if those exist. There was one hot water issue, but it was fixed right away.

This unfortunately didn’t feel like a four-star hotel to me, more like a campsite with apartments. The resort is huge and the beach is beautiful and generally clean, but some parts are run down and need renovation. Without a car or other transport, you’re basically stuck there. Our first double room was old, damp and musty, with lots of mosquitoes. We even saw little bugs crawling on the table beside the bed. The staff kindly offered us an upgrade to a newly renovated bungalow, which was much nicer and more comfortable. The main restaurant, All’Orto, was cramped and disappointing. The food was often overcooked. At breakfast there was no sparkling water, the tables and chairs were often dirty, the bread was hard, and if you didn’t get there early, much of the food was gone. The gym and sports facilities also looked old and clearly needed renovation. The staff were friendly and helpful, especially when they arranged the room upgrade after we reported the bugs. Still, having to pay extra for beach towels felt frustrating and unnecessary at a hotel of this category. We also found the evening shows questionable. On our first night there was an “African Night.” The “Afro show” seemed to use cultural symbols, clothing and performance styles without meaningful historical or cultural context, and it didn’t seem like people with a genuine connection to that culture were involved. It felt like the culture had been reduced to tourist entertainment instead of being presented respectfully and authentically. We found that quite shocking.

We came hoping for a relaxing family holiday, but the stay became stressful and uncomfortable. Mosquitoes were in our room from the start, and all of us, including our young child, got lots of painful, inflamed bites. We couldn’t sleep properly. We also found a small insect in the room. We couldn’t tell for sure whether it was a bed bug, but it was alarming. The hotel eventually moved us to another room after we reported the problem, but the same thing happened again. We were still getting bitten and couldn’t rest. We contacted Booking.com several times for help and to ask about changing our stay. They said they would contact the hotel and get back to us right away, but even after we followed up more than once, we heard nothing. That made the frustration worse. We felt abandoned by both the hotel and Booking. The holiday was disrupted and physically uncomfortable instead of relaxing. There was a serious mosquito problem, no effective solution from the hotel, and no timely help from Booking. Our vacation was ruined. We would never come back or recommend this place to anyone who cares about hygiene, peace of mind and customer service.

The beach is lovely, and it’s great to have a quieter one to go to. The resort is in a beautiful location, and the staff work really hard. The animators are friendly and great. Our family has been going for many years, though the villas need upkeep and it’s frustrating that when you call to arrange things, you never really get to see your villa in advance. Internet is only available near the restaurant, which isn’t ideal for everyone. MAGU pizza at the restaurant is excellent and worth trying. The bar staff could use some improvement. Some seemed to be training and weren’t quick to get up to speed.