Riviera Suites — Hotel in Sea Point

The hotels location is amazing. Mojo market nearby. Promenade and park nearby. The hotel rooms I got was amazing. Great size balcony. Bathroom needs attention. Water keeps blocking. A separate shower would be preferred.

On arrival the oven was filthy. After complaining a few times the oven got cleaned eventually. This was a big issue for me as it is self catering unit and I needed the oven the first day. I must add Mr Faheem was on duty and he arranged for me the use of another rooms oven. Well done and a big thank you for going out of your way Mr Faheem.

The aircon and tv remotes didn't work. But this was resolved immediately when brought to attention of the manager. Thank you to Mrs Charlotte the manager on duty.

There is not enough parking on site and I was not told that I need to book in advance. Have to park on the road.

My major issue is the lack of cleaning services. On arrival I was told no cleaning on weekends. I was duped. It turns out they only clean on a Monday. They will clean on request on a Wednesday apparently. That means during my 7 night stay they clean only once. I think that is total nonsense. This is peak December holiday, not off peak. No information was given up front about this. It should be emailed to all guests prior to arrival and it should be included in the envelope pack on arrival. (The envelope had nothing important besides a key to room and some specials to the spa). I am totally disappointed as I did not come on family vacation to clean the room myself and do dishes as I could have rather sat at home in that case or booked another hotel. If Covid is the reason for this lack of service, at least give the guest the option of cleaning services. If no cleaning is done a broom/mop would also be helpful.

The two staff members I dealt with were very helpful. I guess certain things are beyond them and the First Resorts Group need to change some things re: parking and...

There's parking for 6 cars, when we parked in a bay that didn't have a name on we were told it was in fact reserved. When we asked when a bay would be available we were told they not sure. Surely you know when guests who have reserved the parking are leaving? We had to park across the road away from the hotel.

When we got to our room, there was half a bottle of water still in the fridge from the previous guests, that wasn't removed. Ice trays were half empty. The bath which serves as the shower as had stains in the bath. So no chance of us wanting to take a bath as it just looks dirty. The coffee sachets provided were also not full, only 3 sachets. In the other room there was 6.

The TV, there are 20 channels all of which consist of only SABC 1,2,3 ETV and 1 sport channel. You'd expect the TV to atleast be a smart TV which can accommodate the likes of Netflix or DSTV.

Loadshedding kicked in, and there are no rechargeable lights or flash lights available. Room is pitch dark. Wifi also stopped working due to loadshedding

A heads up, the pool is indoor and heated, so don't expect to cool off in the pool on a hot summer day.

The coffee shop took over an hour for 2 coffees and 2 croissants to be sent to the room.

Not sure what daily entertainment they talk about, as we missed the days outing to the spice route as it wasn't communicated to us, and it would have only been availabe to us if we were 4 people, and when asked what else was happening the week it was said we can catch the red bus and that's about it.

Apart from that, the bed was very comfy, the suite was neat and tidy except for the bath.

We booked in Monday, and are leaving on Friday. Review...

DO NOT BOOK A STUDIO APARTMENT HERE! We booked for a week in April 2017 and they stuck us in a dungeon that looks out to a wall a meter away, with a covering overhead that makes it so dark we needed the lights on to read a book at noon.

The pictures of the studio apartment show bright sunny rooms with comfy chairs. They do have studios like that, but there is also the chance you end up like with a depressing interior unit like this. Bright rooms? No, so dark we were surprised the sun was still up when we'd leave. Comfy chairs like in the photos on their website? No, we just have the two dining chairs at the table by the door.

Variations in room quality/format are expected, but to have this extreme from what they show on their room photos is unacceptable, this space should be rented as a different category budget room where they make clear you're staring at a wall and will be in permanent solar eclipse.

On the positive side, the staff here is wonderful. They are friendly, helpful, and every interaction was positive. It isn't the staff's fault that the hotel rents out a room that nobody would be happy with. The hotel is also in an excellent location with easy access to public transportation, restaurants, and the water.

However if you're considering booking a studio here, ask yourself IS THE RISK THAT YOU GET PUT IN THIS DARK DEPRESSING ROOM WORTH IT? It's your vacation, and you could be unlucky enough to get this room like we did, there are dozens of other options to stay nearby that might not be renting out spaces like this.

(photos enclosed of fabulous views from bright...