Riu Costa Del Sol

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8255 reviews

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  No frills hotel overall

  This is a large hotel, and while it is very clean and the rooms are a good size, the Christmas experience was not what we expected. One negative was the number of children with very little parental supervision. At meal times, children were running around the dining area, which made it feel chaotic. Entertainment was extremely limited, with very little happening during the day or in the evenings. Seating in the common areas was also limited. There was an activity involving bow and arrow being played in a walkway, which seemed dangerous and poorly located. For a Christmas stay, decorations were very minimal, which was disappointing. Additionally, water was not offered with meals, which was surprising... especially as the water jugs were there, but it just wasn't offered. Overall, the hotel has good cleanliness and room size, but the lack of atmosphere spoils it. Some maintenance needs to be carried out on rooms also. Ours had tiles cracked & coming away from the wall (which were sharp) and my bedside light broken & hanging down. The room I was allocated, I didn't feel was worthy of my Riu Class Gold status, it was on the ground floor & right down the end of the hotel. The brown bathroom towels are horrible, thin and cheap. The pool towels are also of poor quailty & difficult to locate, the towel hut opening times are very restrictive & really far from the main pool area. This hotel is certainly not geared up for a winter holiday. We have been to many Riu Hotels, and this is the first time we have not found the Hotel up to the usual Riu Standards. A noticable point as well is we have not seen any visible management around in the five days we spent here. A very disapointing Christmas break.

  Dec 29, 2025
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  Large Hotel with an extremely mediocre offering

  Here’s my clear, balanced review on Hotel Riu Costa Del Sol. The rooms at RIU Costa del Sol are nice, modern, and comfortable, which was one of the few positives of the stay (minus the quite disgusting & thin, brown bathroom towels) White towels are the basic industry standard & indicate Cleanliness. Another positive is, the hotel is Spotlessly clean throughout, I will say that much. Unfortunately, the hotel itself is far too large and poorly designed to cope comfortably with the number of guests it attracts. With 621 guest rooms accommodating approximately 1,400 guests when full (including the many many children) the hotel feels overcrowded almost everywhere. The design is especially unsuitable for colder weather, with large open areas that feel cold and uninviting with zero atmosphere. The bar by the reception is horribly laid out, making it awkward to access and unpleasantly busy. Not enough suitable seating, poorly designed with a open, uninviting & uncosy feel to it (& quite strangley situated in the same area, by the front desk area) Entertainment was terrible, amateur and the area provided for it is completely unfit for purpose — cramped, badly arranged, and lacking atmosphere. It can't accommodate the volume of guests staying at the hotel (only around half of the guests) Some guests can only be forced to sit outside in the freezing cold and behind the glass, as there is lack of space indoors. Even if there was decent & an engaging entertainment schedule of an evening, there wouldn't be the space to be able to watch it anyway. The main dining area is also very cramped for the volume of guests. While the food itself is just OK (often just warm) mealtimes are stressful and uncomfortable. You never get shown to a table. Most occasions, you don't often even get offered a glass of water with your meal at breakfast, lunch or dinner (they have jugs of water at the clearing in stations, but you don't get offered any) Juice is from a machine, there is no fresh juice. There is no coffee made from actual beans, just coffee from a machine (which is disgusting) also the pots of coffee are horrible. There are lots of children throughout the hotel, which adds to the overall noise and congestion. The Christmas Gala Dinner was nothing special and lacked any real festive atmosphere. For a hotel of this size and reputation, it was extremely disappointing. I certainly wouldn’t stay at this hotel over the Christmas period ever again. There wasn't really much suitable to entertain adults I'll be honest. There is no disco or nightclub after hours, nothing. So at 11pm on Christmas day (for example) we found ourselves at a loss as what to do with ourselves once the poor entertainment had ended. Quite shocking & very poor for such a large & sprawling resort. The gym is OK... not really large enough for a 621 bedroom hotel with around 1200/1400 guests. Overall, despite decent enough rooms and borderline acceptable food, the hotel’s excessive size, poor layout, overcrowding, weak entertainment, and disappointing Christmas offering make it hard to recommend. This hotel is two previous hotels, that have been renovated into one large hotel (without enough thought and consideration for space & a decent layout) I reiterate...We would not return to this hotel over the Christmas period in the future, if at all to be honest. As Diamond Riu Class Holders, our least favourite Riu Hotel by a mile.

  Dec 29, 2025
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  Excellent hotel, great location, definitely recommended!

  This was our first all inclusive experience, so we weren’t sure what to expect. The hotel is lovely, the hotel staff always have a smile on their faces. A special mention of the live performers who went above and beyond to keep the children and guests entertained! They were with guests on Christmas eve, on Christmas day and so on, but we didn’t see a single grumpy face. We had a side sea facing room and were very happy with our choice. We could see the sunrise from our room and also had a view of the infinity pool. The room was very close to the restaurants and the reception. We opted for the indoor pool for swimming as it was heated and loved it. During the special visit from Santa on Christmas, all kids got presents which made them very happy. It was a nice gesture on behalf of the hotel. We would love to visit again!

  Dec 25, 2025
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  Review of RIU Costa del Sol

  This is a pleasant hotel overall, but the rooms are in need of refurbishment. The general hotel areas are well maintained, the staff are friendly, and the food selection is acceptable. We have stayed in several RIU hotels in Spain, Tenerife, and Mexico; however, after experiencing Elba, Princess and Atlantica hotels, RIU Costa del Sol does not meet the same standards. We stayed in Room 5048, which is spacious, clean, and has a comfortable bed. The room features a separate toilet and shower area with double sinks. On the downside, the toilet flush sticks and requires adjusting to stop the water running, the shower is very weak, the bath towels are small and thin, and the TV would not turn off. There was only BBC News available anyway. The room also has just two power sockets. There is a kettle with two mugs and two glasses, but no tea or coffee provided. When I asked about this, I was advised to collect it from the bar myself, though there was no milk available. The view from our room was of a concrete walkway (the top of the walkway wall), which we would not recommend. We stayed here a few years ago in a room above the restaurant, which was much nicer. While you don’t go on holiday to spend time in your room, it is missing some of the thoughtful touches expected of a four-star hotel, such as complimentary refreshments and better bathroom toiletries. The pool areas are attractive, but the daytime Pepe food offering is very basic. Other hotels provide a wider snack selection, often with a café offering salads, rolls, and lighter options alongside fried food. Drinks are mostly local brands. Interestingly, other nationalities seemed able to request branded vodka or Scotch whisky, but when I asked, I was told these were not available 🤷‍♀️😂. Overall, we would not choose to return to this hotel. As a final note, Málaga Airport was chaotic on arrival, with biometric systems not working, very long queues, and minimal staff support

  Dec 23, 2025
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  Great hotel

  We stayed here in early December and had a lovely time, with regards to the comments about the Spanish guests it was funny to discover the bar staff aren't too keen on them either, I said to one barman, bit noisy aren't they, he looked to the heavens and said they have to be out by 3pm on Monday he described them as Spanish people with not much money who are there on weekend offers, so it might be better going Monday to Friday

  Dec 21, 2025