Riviera Hotel & Holiday Apartments

This friendly, family-owned property’s white exterior is understated and blends in nicely with surrounding buildings in its quiet, mostly residential area. Inside, the modest lobby has low ceilings, wood paneling, and brightly-colored busy carpeting. A set of matching orange furniture adjacent to the registration area provides a comfy place to sit. Fun and relaxation are the themes here, especially in a lively bar area set with lots of sofas, a dance floor, and a game room. This busy but relatively quiet hotel is a popular destination for weddings and other social events, including reunions. Group tours also book here, but mostly in the summer months when the outdoor pool and nearby beach beckon.

The Riviera sits between two quiet, mostly residential streets that lead down to the waterfront, which is only four minutes away on foot. The Alum Chine Beach is an eight-minute walk, and the Bournemouth Pier and beach are roughly a 25-minute walk along a sandy stretch of beach. There are only a couple of restaurants within five minutes on foot from the hotel, but Westbourne and its many restaurants are only five minutes away by car. Bournemouth city center and the Bournemouth International Centre can be reached in approximately eight minutes of driving. The Bournemouth train station is a 10-minute drive, while the airport is 21 minutes away. New Forest National Park is around a 25-minute drive. 

The hotel consists of two buildings. The main building contains 69 guest rooms and the annex that’s a short walk away houses 12 apartments with fully-equipped kitchens, dining tables, and sofas in separate living areas. The main building offers several room types, from small Single Rooms to spacious Family Rooms with a double bed and a twin bed. While some minor differences exist, the decor is similar. High ceilings and generously-sized windows help prevent the traditional and somewhat bland rooms from being gloomy. The walls are painted light beige and solid carpet is either light blue or beige. White linens are accented by bed throws in earth tones, and the matching wood furniture has a light finish. Standard amenities include coffeemakers, flat screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi. Please note that the rooms have no air-conditioning. Bathrooms also vary in size. They include shower/tub combos and nice white or light gray tiling. Some rooms have small balconies and beautiful ocean views.

This mid-range hotel near the beach offers many amenities, including indoor and outdoor pools as well as an indoor whirlpool. Open seasonally and not heated, the outdoor pool has covered tables surrounding it on the pool deck. The Coast Spa offers a range of body and beauty treatments including massages, facials, and nail services. It also has a lovely relaxation room. The fitness center has three pieces of modern cardio equipment along with free weights wedged into a cramped space. The Cunarder Conservatory Restaurant serves modern British fare including both full English and continental breakfast buffets, for an additional fee. Room service is available 24 hours. The Bridge Bar & Grill serves light fare like homemade pizza for lunch and dinner. It also serves afternoon tea and coffee drinks throughout the day, and its game room includes billiards and ping-pong tables. The hotel has various several spaces for events, with the largest capable of holding up to 160 people. Wi-Fi and parking are free, and valet dry cleaning and laundry services are available. Pets are welcome with a surcharge in certain guest rooms, but furry friends are not allowed in any of the apartments.