Riu Costa Del Sol

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8297 reviews

• 

  Very enjoyable holiday, great value for money.

  We had a very comfortable and relaxing 10 day holiday at this hotel. The position suited us very well for days out (we hired a car) and it was a pleasure to get back to this hotel in the late afternoon/evening. We also spent one or two very pleasant days reading and sunbathing round the pool. We had a lovely room (1316) with a nice balcony with a sea view. We found the food excellent and great value for money, I do not eat meat but do eat fish but there was tons of choice for me in all three restaurants - I would be hard pressed to think of something that was not on the menus either for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The entertainment in the evening was a bit mixed but always entertaining. The young animation team - bless them! - gave it their all and we have paid a lot more to see a lot worse in theatres in Britain, we enjoyed it. The staff were great, efficient and kind. The maids need special praise, and we so appreciated the wonderful towel arrangements they made. The drinks were fine for us - all the wines particularly the cava and beer were good. Cocktails could do with improving, just too much ice and need a straw but plenty of other choices of spirit which were fine - brandy measures in particular were great! Also appreciated the olives and peanuts available at all the bars. All in all a great stay and we would return.

  Mar 23, 2026
• 

  7 nights in the sun

  Second visit to this well run Hotel .Welcomed at Reception by very friendly staff and were told our room was ready (at mid-day. Rooms large and comfortable ,lovely bathroom, and nice balcony overlooking pool near Pepe's snack bar. Although this is a very large Hotel grounds, lounges rooms etc. are all kept immaculate with friendly staff in all areas. We find the main restaurant too large and busy, so we use the Spanish and Italian restaurants, plenty of choice but would have liked more fish to be served. Lucky to have sun all week, plenty of sun beds available. Entertainment room got very busy as evenings were quite cold, not a lot of people sitting outside. Two brothers singing and Elvis were very good as were the staff.Some drinks could be improved, red wine too cold.

  Mar 22, 2026
• 

  Never Again

  Our recent stay at Hotel Riu Costa del Sol was extremely disappointing from start to finish. On arrival, although our room was ready, we were given a room with two single beds facing a building site — not ideal for a married couple. After requesting a change, we were moved to a ground-floor room that was in serious need of updating, with a partially painted ceiling and an overall dark, dull atmosphere. Simple requests, like asking for extra towels, felt like an ordeal. The hotel advertises premium branded spirits, but in reality only basic options like Gordon’s gin and standard vodka were available. There were no familiar bottled beers such as Heineken or Coors — just two local beers on tap, which we found unpleasant. Wine was also served from taps and was of poor quality, with no bottled option available. Cocktails were limited to just a few choices and were pre-made from taps rather than freshly prepared. Prosecco was only served by the glass, and when we asked for a bottle to share, the bar staff refused. The food was another major letdown. While “show cooking” is advertised, you are limited to whatever is being served — you can’t request alternatives. Breakfast lacked basic options like traditional sausages, replaced instead with chicken sausages. The overall experience felt more like a budget holiday camp than a quality all-inclusive resort. The Pepes food bar was particularly poor, with cold food left sitting out and flies around it — completely unacceptable. Although most staff were generally polite, they seemed reluctant when asked for anything extra. Breakfast service was inconsistent — coffee was brought to the table, but tea had to be poured from dangerously hot teapots that were difficult to handle. At dinner, all restaurants offered the same repetitive selection, with nothing that stood out. In the end, we chose to eat out most of the time and even brought takeaway food back to the hotel. Snack options were very limited — peanuts and olives were available, but no crisps or ice cream, which would be expected at an all-inclusive, especially for families. Other issues included leaking roofs and consistently cold food. Overall, the hotel felt outdated and lacked atmosphere — more like a retirement facility than a holiday destination. We were so unhappy with our experience that we changed our flights and left early. We would not return and would not recommend this hotel to anyone. If you are looking for a true all-inclusive experience, we strongly advise staying elsewhere.

  Mar 22, 2026
• 

  RIU, never fails in excellence! Have a great stay!

  Well what can I say? It was the absolute high standard class of hotel you'd expect from a RIU hotel. I have no criticism whatsoever about this hotel. The room was excellent and clean, the beds big and comfy, the bathroom clean, and modern. All kept immaculate by the very hard working maids. There are ample bars, and ample swimmer pools, no scrum for the sun loungers, always plenty around the 3 pools. The food was excellent, plentiful and varied for all meals. if you wanted a cooked breakfast you can have one, pancakes, cereal and a plethora of differing fruits. That much choice that it really was difficult to choose. Great entertainment by the entertainment team and in general very friendly and helpful staff from reception to the very team that prepare and keep clean the outside areas. One thing I did find was if reception was getting busy, they'd have more staff made available to lesson any wait. I was grateful to the bar staff who had to put up with my terrible Spanish, but everyone speaks English very fluently, but I feel at least trying to speak Spanish is polite, but the staff will always ask in English if it's not quite correct, which helps enormously. I do hope these positive comments are passed down to each and every member of staff, they really worked hard to make our (me and my wife) stay excellent.

  Mar 19, 2026
• 

  Great trip will definitely return

  Great experience & Service stayed here for 10 nights, I had a room in the family section (Block 5) on 3rd floor over looking pool. This was a lovely room with a small lounge area with a sofa that converts to a bed and a large TV, then a large separate bedroom with a large comfy bed. Lots wardrobe space in both bedroom and lounge area and plenty of draw space. You have a separate toilet and bathroom with a large walk in shower. In the lounge area there is also a fridge and tea & coffee facilities including a kettle and tea, coffee, powder milk & sugar replaced daily. The lounge has a lovely balcony and nice view over the pool. I was in room 5356 with was very handy for the lift and I didn’t have any noise issues. Maids came daily and room was kept spotless. There are 3 restaurants and I used all of them plus there is a Pepe fast food area close to the family area pool which has a selection of cold sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, fries and chicken nuggets. The main restaurant for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner was always good with a nice selection of food there is always something you can enjoy. The main restaurant can get busy at certain times but is managed well by the excellent staff. The Italian restaurant is also very good, there are 2 sittings and has to be pre booked. Starter & deserts are self serve buffet style and main course you choose from a menu and this is bought to you, and all the food here is delicious and well worth a visit. The 3rd restaurant opens later for breakfast, offers a buffet lunch, and late afternoon snack service then in the evening offers local and Spanish cuisine and has to be pre booked. This restaurant also has a lovely outdoor dining area with great beach & sea views, the main restaurant also offers outdoor dining too. There are plenty of bar areas and all offer a great selection of both branded international drinks (you have to ask for the brand you want eg Gordon’s, Smirnoff etc) and locally produced alcohol and a good selection of cocktails. If you ask at the bar they will also give you a selection of olives or Nuts but this isn’t advertised so just ask and they are included with the all inclusive package. I would recommend downloading the Riu App as this is great to pre book the speciality restaurants and you can also see all the entertainment programme and also order any extras you may require in your room such as extra pillows, towels etc. Location wise you walk straight out of the hotel and you are on the sea front and can walk all the way along the front to Benalmadena which is a lovely walk, the beach is directly in front of the hotel and you can either walk or catch the local bus into Torremolinos itself. The local train station at La Colina is about a 10 minute walk slightly up hill from the hotel but an easy walk and you can catch the train to Malaga, Plaza Mayor shopping centre which is worth a visit Overall I had an excellent time here and would definitely recommend this hotel.

  Mar 17, 2026