Spent a girls weekend at the Riviera Hotel on Belgrave Road, Torquay, Devon, England.
Costs £129.00 per person for 3 night stay including breakfast and dinner.
We booked an out of season winter break which is why it was so cheap. Not a bad price although parking isn't included and comes in a whopping £7 for each 24 hour period!
There is some free on street parking between 6pm and 8am IF you can find a park. We were in the smart and still only managed to get a place once!
The hotel itself is very old and tired with multiple levels that make it exhausting just getting from reception to our room and back again! They are in the process of "upgrading" the rooms and for a staggering £30 each you can have an acceptable room - surely that should be offered as standard?!
We had booked 3 twin rooms and they were all very different in accessibility and layout although they all came with a bath AND a plug which is rare these days. The bedding was clean but the carpet wasn't and there were numerous maintenance issues like wardrobe doors that hung down, broken tiles, no loo roll holder, one room had a bed shoved up under the eaves which meant you banged your head every time you got up and most worryingly a phone that didn't work - thank goodness we didn't have an emergency!
Except for a waiter who accidentally dropped a stack of knives and forks down my back at the end of our dinner service without apology and being unable to get someone to bring us a cuppa with our breakfast, the staff were really helpful and friendly. The food was pretty good particularly if you eat meat - which I don't and therein lies the problem. HUGE choices for meat eaters with one choice for veggies and I was unable to find a designated vegan option - it was just have potatoes and veg! which was very uninspiring and more so at breakfast with no alternatives to the meats associated with a full English and nothing continental so it was cereal and toast every morning which was kinda like being at home!
They did make a nice fresh salad but the portion was tiny and so by the last night I was ordering 2: 1 for my starter and one for my main! Again no vegan option it was either meat or cheese or quiche so I had just the leaves & greens etc. I know we're in the minority but it would have been nice to have seen a commitment to lessening their carbon footprint and offering a few plant based alternatives.
The hotel has a small pool and a Jacuzzi with designated changing rooms. No lifeguard you must take responsibility for your own actions which I think is the way it should be - this was a nice bonus to chill out and relax in, particularly if the weather is against you.
The evenings entertainment was comprehensive and there were no children (I don't know if it's an adults only hotel, just this weekend or just a coincidence? But it was great not to have to dodge kiddies!)
Once the dinner service is out of the way there is a "just for fun" quiz, paid for bingo (£5 for a book of 3 tickets for 3 games) a tribute act (we had Rock Stuart, RobHe Williams & Neil Diamonte!!!) and then a disco of sorts (unfashionable music played until the wee small hours) none of it disturbed us as we were the last room in the place and therefore very very quiet.
The hotel is located just a 2 minute walk from Torre Abbey, the beach and promenade, the Grand Hotel and train station.
It took us about 15 minutes to walk to the centre of town and cost £3.80 to take a taxi back at 2 in the morning.
There's plenty to do and see in this wonderful wide world for minimal costs and we're sharing our version of it with you right here.
Stop by again soon for the next trip, tip, recipe or adventure.
Peace☮ & Love💟
Team Patti
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