Rio Park

"Myself and my mum have just returned from a 4 night half board stay at the Rio Park..it was lovely and clean, staff were friendly, foot was plentiful and a good variety. Pool was maybe a tad small for the hotel size but plenty of loungers etc overall a lovely break at a decent hotel which was quite central.."

"Well what can I say about this hotel one of the most filthiest, dirtiest,hotels we have ever stayed in lack of cleaning throughout the hotel was non existent the restaurant was so dirty floors not cleaned ,tables dirty from the night before and the windows well you could not see out of them for dirty finger and hand prints everywhere food covered in flies we eat in there once and never again so busy and overcrowded .our room was so dirty they had to come and paint it there was what can only be described as someone opening a can of coke all over the wall surely that should of been seen to before we were given that room ,dirty headboard curtains hanging of the wall the bathroom shower was filthy we had flies come up from the sink plug hole and the shower we had to cover them every night the maids cleaning is shocking .food and popcorn on the stairs for 3 days before it was cleaned the pool was dirty overcrowded standing room only , cigarette butts everywhere and that's only the start of it this is definitely not a 4 star it's 2 star at best we will not return how can they class this as a 4 star is beyond me "

"The hotel itself is situated in a perfect location for those that want to be close enough to walk to the beach, to walk to the market, to walk to old town. As we had a toddler who would often like a little walk and then jump into the pram for a bit, my wife and I found this hotel's positioning in central Benidorm ideal. The hotel's services and amenities are great for what you pay. The deal we managed to secure with TUI was brilliant for us. We had a double room that was equipped with a pull down sofa. When the sofa was pulled down, it was quite a tight squeeze at first, but once we unpacked and put the suitcases away and out of sight, the room was exactly what we needed it for. The balcony was big enough for us to hang our towels out to dry and for us to sit on whilst our baby napped in the room. In terms of the decor of the whole hotel, Rio Park may need to up their game slightly to ensure they keep their 4* rating. When compared to the look of the rooms, bar areas, foyer, etc, of other 4* hotels in Benidorm, the design and decor falls short. However, as mentioned, we got a really good deal, so expected this level of furnishing style and look. I read online that people were moaning about the lifts. Sometimes they are busy and take a while to arrive, sometimes they are not and are readily available for use. As we were situated on the 1st floor, we found no issue at all. The transfer time to the hotel was 45 minutes, however, many of the people on our flight were all staying at our hotel so the whole coach had one stop and that was Rio Park. I really liked that as it meant were weren't stop start travelling around the tight streets of Central Benidorm. Saying that, most of the bus ran to the reception desk to check in straight away, forming a massive queue. However, we opted to have a look around and had some food and drink at the pool bar. The pools were great. A good size and a lovely temperature. My daughter and I spent a long time moving from the main pool to the splash pool. If you are particular about where you want a sunbed, and have a specific spot on poolside where you want it based, you will need to join the queue before the pool doors open. However, if you are not that way inclined, at any point in the day you will not struggle to find a sunbed and chairs whilst you enjoy poolside. The evening entertainment was good, we never saw many of the later acts, however the show schedule was packed all week. The team that lead the 20 minute mini disco were great! I also read online that the food was 'disgusting' or 'inedible'. That is utterly nonsense. My wife and I have travelled the world and the food at this hotel did not dissapoint. In my opinion there was something for everyone, whether that be in the morning for breakfast or in the evening for dinner. The themed nights were excellent, such as the TEX MEX night. The ribs were fantastic and the chilli and nachos were definitely worth a mention. Furthermore, at Breakfast on Sunday, you had the option to help yourself to some cava. We loved that. There was a deal advertised that if you paid €5 per adult and €2.50 per child you were given a wrist band and were entitled to 3 drinks each with dinner. We chose to go ahead with this option and it was brilliant. It was so worth it. Again, I'd read online that multiple people were moaning that you had to queue up at the bar to get your drinks. So what? Never at anypoint did I enter the queue with more than 4 people in the queue. A special mention must be given to the female member of staff behind the bar in the restuarant. She made the whole bar experience quick, easy, and without complaint. A few negatives of this hotel would be that when there were people chain smoking on their balcony (with their balcony door obviously open) the smell would travel through the corridor and would affect the smell of our room. This was dissaponting. Furthermore, the fridge in your room is kept at such a low setting that it would prevent you from actually keeping any liquid at a cool or cold temperature. Finally, your towels are not changed or replaced everyday. Even when leaving the used and wet towels on the bathroom floor, they are not renewed or replaced until after a few days. Overall, we paid less than £1000 for a family of 3 for 7 nights half board. In my honest opinion, for that price, this hotel was well worth it. If the same deal for the same price came up again, we would snap it up."