Grand Hotel Riviera

I spent 9 days at the Grand Hotel Riviera on my honeymoon and LOVED it! The hotel exudes luxury, class and elegance. The hotel is absolutely beautiful with a gorgeous marble foyer, and stunning views from the restaurant, bar and balcony over the ocean and with Mount Vesuvius in the background. I stayed in a front sea view room and loved watching the sunset from our balcony. The room was large, well decorated and gave a very luxurious feeling. It was a nice quiet room and romantic atmosphere. The "private beach" was what made the Riviera a COMPLETE stand out! Wow, just wow! There is an elevator leading down to a large promenade, where you could soak up the sun, have drinks and snacks served to you, and take a dip in the ocean. Not all hotels in Sorrento have beach access and it is definitely worth staying at the Riviera if you love swimming! I didn't even need to try the large pool because the beach was so, so good! Even in the first week of October, the weather was perfectly warm and great for swimming. The included buffet breakfast was a complete treat. There was a huge selection of food and drinks to choose from including sparkling wine, and a chef cooking eggs to order. The coffee was great and the staff were very attentive to ensure all the breakfast tables had fresh linen after every use. The staff were dressed in suits and were very professional and friendly. We only ate in the restaurant one night but it was delicious! The bar has a great cocktail selection. There was no better place to drink a margarita and watch the sunset over Mount Vesuvius. The concierge were really helpful and all staff spoke excellent English. They assisted us in booking a private olive oil tasting nearby and helped us liase with our other pre-booked tours and transfers. The location of the Riviera itself is great. It is only about a 10-15 minute walk into the heart of Sorrento. There are so many great restaurants within a 5 minute walk of the hotel. You really do feel like you are right in the middle of the town, without any neighbourhood noise. I will definitely stay at the Riviera again if I ever am lucky enough to return to Sorrento. It was a beautiful place and made for my dream honeymoon.

The hotel had great service and a very beautiful view of the ocean. The Beach was calm and relaxing. We ate at the hotels restaurant and it was delicious every single day. Highly recommend to eat at the restaurant. Only negative is that we had an ant invasion in our room on one of our last days but the reception handled it pretty good

We spent a week here at the end of October on half board. We were in room 226 which has a partial view of the sea. The view from the main hotel terrace,across the bay of Naples to Vesuvius is stunning & it may well be worth paying more for a room with that view. The highlight of the hotel was the "beach". This is a set of pontoons out at sea accessed by a lift, lots of sun beds & a feeling of being on a cruise ship without the waves. The swimming was wonderful; we were blessed with lovely sunny weather so we swam everyday. There is a nice little bar, with a charming man in charge who provides free towels, chilled glasses of local wine & lovely Caprese sandwiches( at a price of course!).The staff are very friendly & helpful. Particular mention to Ciro, on the reception desk who arranged our trips to Capri, Positano, Amalfi & Ravello. Special thanks to Alessandro who took us to Capri, on my birthday. He was the perfect guide, there when you needed him but giving us plenty of time to do our own thing. Going up on the Cable car from Anacapri was magical. You can escape all the other tourists & appreciate the great natural beauty of this area. The food in the hotel was fine. It took us a couple of days to get breakfast right...my mint tea caused some issues. Omelette chef was good & buffet was varied. The dinner menu is displayed the evening before; first courses & pastas were very good. Main courses a bit disappointing, especially the meat. The fish was better & there were always 2 different fish choices. There is a desert trolley but for me the ice cream was a star performer. We had a wonderfully relaxing week here & would return