Raffy Family & Bike Hotel — Hotel in Diano Marina

Stayed for four nights in Aug 2016. On arrival the receptionist helped with booking in and spoke some English. Room was clean and bed was good. Balcony was overlooking the pool thankfully, as some rooms overlook a busy road and train track. We booked as it was advertised as a family friendly hotel, but we struggled to see how it was different. There is a kids club at night, but the meals for half board don't start until 7.30 and our children go to bed then. From our balcony, we saw other parents use this, but their kids looked exhausted and ready for bed when being dropped off for the kids club. Why are the evening meals not offered earlier? We only booked B&B thankfully and ate out in the town every night around 6. Major negatives are the swimming pool is too deep for a child friendly hotel, the kids club is not clearly explained and therefore we did not take advantage as it is unclear how it works. The walls are paper thin and you can hear lots of noise from corridors and other loud, inconsiderate families. On our final night (as I write), there is a music evening with a live band on the roof terrace. Great we thought. But not when you still have it playing until 11.30pm at night and the music travels around the hotel into every room. Why would a child friendly hotel have very loud music playing until late at night? When my partner went to ask when the music would finish as we couldn't sleep, reception was not manned and she had to wander the hotel looking for staff. She did find a waiter who said he went to find a receptionist but she never turned up. My wife did eventually find the receptionist up on the terrace, enjoying the music! There was no apology for not coming to speak to her at the reception desk as requested. |During the day the bar is unmanned and yet again you have to find someone to serve you. Very strange. The hotel does provide free buggies and baby food at breakfast, but this does not make up for the very poor noise control. We booked a family hotel not tickets to a music venue! There is no personal touch or a feeling that the staff want to get to know you, a shame as you get this for free in many Austrian hotels. I would not stay again or recommend this hotel to other families. To use the beach you need to pay 23 euro per day to guys at the private beach nearby and also parking is not free in busy months, but is free in quiet times. Is the Raffy taking advantage here? My advice would be not to bother, stay in the next resort of Andora, we drove there and it looks miles better. The Raffy has a lovely web page, but we felt it was not child friendly to us. We have 2 toddlers. |Our son said he liked the other hotel we stayed in on our trip (near Lake Como), where the owners took an interest in him and gave a much better...

We have visited twice with children 8 years old and younger. The mini club is always a big success for the children, but the hours are limited to afternoon and again after dinner. We adults enjoy the menu selections (breakfast & dinner) but the children generally do not eat the dinner options. If you will be visiting from the USA, consider staying at the adjacent Hotel Helios where breakfast is available until noon. Otherwise we had trouble with jet lagged children finishing breakfast before 10am at Hotel Raffy. Laundry service not recommended - clothes arrived back damp 3 days later. Bar/aperitivo service is spotty at best. No bartender on the job prior to dinner service starting. Maintenance of the facilities have been a constant issue during both visits - leaky ceiling in the hotel bar, clogged toilets, low water pressure, dead lizard on balcony at check-in (taken care of immediately however), missing drain covers in sink/bidet/tub, WiFi service out (in 2023), etc. Lots of small issues. Reception personnel seem to try their best and still miss the mark. The room bill always seems to have mistakes, and they neglected to tell us there was a shuttle service to the train station and were unable to book a taxi. Overall if you shrug it off, the kids love...

Very good 3 star family hotel. The food is good and the staff is very friendly. There is a nice pool with a little garden where the kids can play. Also indoor there is a kids playroom with animators, a leisure room with TV, computer, couches, table, books... where you can spent time together with other visitors, while the kids are playing. Also there is a sort of veranda with football table, and an outside relax area. Furthermore, there is a bar, lounge at the reception and a big sun terrace with a beautiful view (sometimes, on this terrace there is a barbecue with music).

For the kids there are a lot of activities, not only inside the hotel, but also small excursions.

The rooms themselves are modernised (air conditioning, bigger TV, new paint, Wi-Fi...), and have a great balcony.

I made multiple new friends in the past in this hotel (Italians and Belgians), and hope to go back as soon as possible. This is the most cozy/lively hotel I know (I visited already multiple 3 and 4 star hotels, but this hotel has the most 'familial' ambiance, with a lot of things to do, especially if you compare it with most of the other 3...