Riu Costa Del Sol

RIU Costa del Sol – August 2026 We stayed at the RIU Costa del Sol for one week in August 2026, in room 5244, right at the back of the hotel overlooking the pool and Pepe’s snack bar.

🛏️ The room

The room was very clean and well laid out, with a lovely big shower and a separate toilet. The maid came very early each morning and did a good job cleaning, although there were no extra little touches.

It was my son’s birthday while we were there, and unfortunately there was nothing from the hotel to acknowledge it. We’ve stayed in other RIU hotels where they have made a real fuss of birthdays, so this was a little disappointing.

You get a pool towel card, which you take to the towel point by Pepe’s snack bar, and you can change your towel every day. One big positive is that there are no real sunbed wars — we always managed to get a sunbed. However, some guests did put towels down and then disappear for hours, which was frustrating.

🍹 Bars & drinks

The bars were really good, with lots of choice and quick service. The cocktails were lovely and freshly made using the machines. My favourite was the Vodka Sunrise. 🍹

The bar staff were friendly and very quick, even when it was busy.

🍽️ Food – the biggest disappointment

Unfortunately, this is where I feel the hotel lets itself down.

The food in the main restaurant was very often lukewarm or completely cold. There was plenty of choice, but temperature was a real problem for us.

The speciality restaurants were also disappointing. Having stayed at other RIU hotels, I expected something much better, but the speciality dining here was basically just another buffet.

Pepe’s snack bar was much better. It’s small, but the food was fresh and served warm, which we really enjoyed.

The Spanish restaurant is open during the day for breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks. Again, unfortunately, we found some of the food to be lukewarm.

🏊 Pools

There are several pools, but they are all fairly small. They were fine, but they did get very busy and packed at times.

📍 Location

The location is excellent. You can walk straight down to the seafront, with lots of bars, shops and places to eat nearby.

We tried quite a few bars during our stay, but one of our favourites was a little place called Tutor Rose English Bar. It had lovely English food and was run by really friendly English people. 🇬🇧

⭐️ Overall

Overall, we really liked the RIU Costa del Sol. The hotel itself is clean, modern, the drinks are great, the staff are quick and the location is brilliant.

But for me, the food is what lets this hotel down. The temperature of the food in particular really needs improving.

The Food was rubbish like a canteen ,Ate out most nights even avoided lunch some days so we spent quite a lot on food ,Sunbeds too close to one another hated it,drinks watered down also don't listen to Tui when you book it's a Fable to get you to spend your money.

This will be a strange review because we were booked into this hotel for 11 nights but had to go home a week early because of a family medical emergency, but I will give my opinion based on what we experienced in the short time we were there.

We travelled with tui for 11 nights first thing I'm going to cover although not part of the hotel is the airport arrival. If you have walking difficulties then please book assistance because you have to walk for miles treacherous the first security check. Then another long walk to actual passport control. Queues are massive and a nightmare. Then get bags and another long walk to coaches if you have a transfer.

Now the hotel upon arrival it looks really nice and arrival in reception is was not disappointed. Check in was smooth as silk and although we arrived before the official check in time and expected to be sitting for a while, we were checked in straight away and our rooms were ready. Reception staff very helpful and friendly. Score out of 5 4.5

Rooms were clean and a good size. Two good sized single beds pushed together and plenty of storage. Bathroom nice, big shower with good sized sink, toilet and bidet. Rooms cleaned every day, beds made, fresh towels daily. Score 4.5

Pools. We only used 2 so I can only comment on that. They were the main pool and sherry pool. They are a good size 1.2m deep and clean. Plenty of sunbeds but if you want a specific spot you need to get up early to put towels out as people were up as early as 6am reserving beds. The sherry pool has the snack bar which is ok but will cover that in food. Although the main pool should have a snack bar as well. As this is a family hotel expect a lot of children in pool with balls and inflatables. So if this is not for you then choose adult only hotel. Score 4 .

Food. Snack bar has the usual, burgers, hot dogs, chips and other nibbles on the whole not bad. Restaurant is the typical all inclusive fair, plenty of choice even for picky eaters but not always the hottest. Beat meal of the day is breakfast, but that's just my opinion . Score 3.

Bars. There are numerous bars around with very friendly staff. Local spirits other than a few named brands,they gave a cocktail list but if you want something and they have the ingredients they'll make it no problem at all. They also have peanuts and olives another bar as well. The pool bars open at 10am but they gave a self service area with soft drinks, beer, and wine which is available from 9am. Score 4.

When we had to come home the reception staff were very sympathetic and got us a taxi to the airport, not really much else they could do, so a big thanks to them.

Overall a great hotel realistically a 4.5 in my opinion although I gave it a 4 at the top. This is because a few little things means it can't be a 5 but there isn't an option for 4.5