Barcelo Riviera Resort And Spa Reviews

coach transfer to hotel was efficient although this hotel is at the end of the island so we were the last drop off. Arrived in plenty of time for supper though. Room clean and an excellent view of the sea and other islands - gozo and comino.
Food (breakfast and supper) is plentiful, varied, hot, and well displayed buffet style. Something for everyone and be prepared to try new things.
Restaurant is busy at the weekends as it is open to the public and it is very popular with the locals for family celebrations.

Entertainment is virtually non-existent during the winter months but that did not bother us greatly.
If you are happy to ride public transport don't bother with the expense of hiring a car for the entire week. Bus stop is only two minutes walk from the hotel, buses go into valetta about every 20 mins and takes about 45 mins - 1 hour depending on the route, very cheap.
Gozo ferry is about 15 mins walk and again very cheap and runs regularly. Buses meet the ferry on both sides if you can't manage the walk or have too many bags to carry.
Spa facilities are good and some are free to guests - indoor swimming pool, gym, jacuzzi. Some maintenance to pool was taking place on one morning of our stay so the spa had extended it's free service to include sauna, steam room and jet pool as recompence.

We have stayed at this hotel twice, both times in january (2004 and 2005). We cannot fault it and plan to return during 2006.

We stayed at the Riviera Resort for 3 weeks over Christmas and New year.
We were very pleased with the hotel, accommodation and food.The staff were friendly and helpful.The view from the Lobby bar of Gozo and Comino is wonderful.We did not hire a car but found the buses convenient ( watch for the Gozo ferry coming in and walk up the hill to the bus stop, 2 minutes from hotel).
Bus rides can be quite an experience, sometimes you wonder if you'll live to see another day, but it's all part of the Malta experience!

Valletta is well worth a visit (we made several) the War Museum,where we left some artifacts from my father's War time days on Malta, the people there were so interested.
Mdina is beautiful.In fact we thoroughly enjoyed Malta and couldn't think why we haven't been before.

Some people found the Hotel too remote, but it was exactly as Sunspot described.If you want a place where you can wander into other bars and restaurants then this is not the place for you, and this may be more of an issue in the warmer (hotter!) summer months.It is quiet and appeals to an older crowd.The entertainment over the festive time was a bit limited for some, but we found it OK.It is not the Costas in Spain or has endless days of sun in the Winter.However the winter is the time to go for sightseeing, the summer would be too hot to see as much as we did. For the amount we paid for our holiday it was excellant value.It would have cost considerably more to stay at some of the 5 star hotels around St Julians and Sliema.The weather was fine but take some warm clothes.
DO NOT got to Popeye Village!We went as a joke, but found it depressing!It is time Anchor Bay was returned to it's former glory or Popeye Village needs a huge injection of cash to bring it up to some sort of standard in these days of ";Disneyworlds";.

Looking forward to returning to Malta.Would return to this hotel or may try the Hotel Waterfront in Sliema.

The hotel is on Marfa Bay and overlooks the islands of Comino and Gozo. It really does have some lovely views so make sure you book a sea view room, you won't regret it!
The hotel is very clean and the staff are friendly and helpful.

When we arrived at the hotel we noticed that it is very remote but didn't think this was a problem as all we wanted was a relaxing 10 days in the sun. Be prepared though, the nearest village of Melleiha is 6kms away and certainly not walkable. We decided to hire a car for the majority of the holiday which was a god send really. We had to get rid of the car though the last few days due to freak weather, it was no longer possible to travel around the island without getting stuck in floods!

We did book on half board but I strongly recommend that you don't as the meals are the worst I've ever had abroad. The choice was extremely limited and everything seemed to be water logged. We ended up just having continental breakfasts and eating out at night. The waiting staff were a nuisance. They seemed to be circling ever ready to pounce the second you put your cutlery down. Most annoying. Not at all a relaxing dining experience. We did try the A la carte restaurant for the last few nights when we were minus the car, and I have to say the food they cook is absolutely superb!

The hotel really is not a 4* in our opinion. It was basic compared to other hotels we have stayed in of the same rating. The rooms were quite spacious but had very little furniture, and no comfortable seating at all. We honestly agree that the only reason it is rated a 4* is due to the Spa which apparently they have spent alot of money on. It is nice but quite expensive I thought.
We would not go to this hotel again as we found it not up to standard and a little too far out for our liking, it's also a bit too expensive for drinks etc...

Overall, we enjoyed Malta but not this hotel. We agree that it is very overpriced for what you get. Sorry!