Hotel Riva Del Sole

"Riva del Sole" hotel is a great facility located in Giovinazzo, literally 10m from Bari International Airport (BRI). Beyond the main hotel structure, the site is also hosting private residences for local / international owners, within the same premises. We stayed at the facility as "base" to visit the region from Trani to Polignano a Mare, from Bari to other nice small towns in the area. While the buildings might have a certain "age", the management and the facility team works hard and put effort in maintaining clean, organized and in order. The rocky beach is a 5m walk from the main hotel reception, and - as per the local coastal area of Giovinazzo - rarely offers sand but nice rocks with transparent water: the hotel beach team has build a pedestrian pathwalk and ladder down to the water to facilitate walking and diving in the sea. Very efficient and diverse organization on the beach, with shaded beds, cabins, bar with music and serving also lunch, a nice small restaurant. Amazing buffet breakfast, with high quality local food - including fresh mozzarella, ricotta and focaccia - espresso, cappuccino, yogurt. Nice and professional personnel always available. Fast WLAN internet access, outdoor swimming pool and good organization for entertainment at the facilities. Free parking and 24/7 security is included and supporting.

Rooms appear a bit "old-fashioned" and not spacious, suggest a renovation especially in one of the 2 x buildings. We travelled with 3 x teen-aging kids from abroad, and with an extra-bed together with large suitcases... no space left to walk or "live-in".

Nice place and accomodating. Had little late afternoon treats handed out at the beach area that we are not typically used to. We got an unecpected Italian airforce flyover which was nice to see them out. This was last major day of the Italian vacation which I assume was the reason. 8 to 9 jets lasted a good 20 minutes.

Ok my only small issue was the actual beach area. We are accustom to sandy beaches and this is more rocky but as we travel most of sothern Italy this seems to be somewhat typical. So just not prerpared for the rock. Not really the resorts issue as they did try to outfit the area best they can for general access to the waters. Other than this whole place was great

Direct beach connection and actually their own beach. Surveillance on the beach that made me feel safe and I didn't mind leaving my stuff when going to the water. The staff is quite friendly. My room was facing the pool and the music was laud (there are speakers with the same tracklist 24/7). I asked them to turn it off and it was no problem for them. The facility has everything needed (except for the gym that was missing). There is a great restaurant on the beach (bit expensive though), a bar where the offer is great (sandwiches, sea food, chips, drinks, etc.) and a pizzeria separately. The room price contains a spot on the beach with chairs and beach umbrella, but it is not nominated (unless you pay one more extra). Breakfast was enough and tasty!

Windows are not closing tight, I've heard the music from outside and the cleaning routine every morning at the pool. The cleaning was not 100% but it was ok.

just a few minutes from beach (going through or around the villas), lots to do at the hotel so if you're only staying a couple days you really don't need a car or to even leave the area. hotel shuttle was included (if selected at specific times) very friendly helpful staff. big breakfast included.

I accidentally selected the pay later option, which charged me $30-40 more. and priceline is getting harder to find hotels that are cheaper to book with them than the hotel itself. but that's all more about the booking process. the hotel itself was great.

The room was very spacious. The hotel offers transfer to Bari airport. The drivers at the airport transfer were kind. The pool is not crowded.

The breakfast is good but it is absolutely the same every day. On Saturday evening there was a concert in the beach area and tourists who did not have a reservation at the restaurant were not allowed to walk in the beach area. We could not make a reservation because the places were insufficient compared to the number of tourists who had accommodation.

Great hotel for a family vacation. Very helpful and friendly staff, lots of activities (especially for younger children). With the room booking you get beach chairs included. There are (although maximum 6 at a time) free bicycles to use for a 2 hours excursion. Staff is cleaning and preparing the hotel and beach every day with great motivation and dedication. While there is a very nice beach restaurant and pizzeria at the beach of the hotel, there are great restaurants nearby at St. Spirito (https://www.ristorantecarnivora.it) and Giovinazzo. In case the bus is not available, the hotel shuttle would bring us to these nearby cities and pick us up for a small fee.

The hotel is a bit remote so you need to use the bus or bicycle (for 2 hour usage maximum) to visit the nearby cities. This is however not a real problem given the different options (e.g. bus or bicycles). We would have appreciated a small shop at the hotel for getting basic supplies such as water and sun cream.

Breakfast was fine and tasty. Staff were nice and helpful. Restaurant by the beach has a beautiful view to the see and also serve a good Italian meals. I would recommend this resort to anyone who want to spend a time with just chillin by the sea and enjoy good meal.

To use the outside pool you need to wear a cap. The beach is rocky one, so you need to be more carefull. There is no grocery store near to hotel.

Quiet location but easy access by local bus to the nearby town of Giovinazzo and to Bari . If you want to make the most of touring Puglia, having a car is a definite advantage. Staff were very welcoming and helpful and the facilities were excellent although from June onwards ,if you opt for an apartment, there is charge to use the private beach and beach club facilities. This charge did not apply to us as we were staying in the hotel itself. We had only one very, very slight issue which was sorted out immediately. We would definitely consider a return visit.

The breakfast area had a lot to offer and tasty. We thought the room was very nice, the area by the beach was excellent and so was the pool. All in all the facility and the amenities were great!

There wasn't an option for an everyday meal, it was either very expensive seafood (very good!) or just simply pizza. It also would have been nice to have the hotel bar open since there is such a nice outdoor/indoor seating area.

Breakfast was served with a great variety of choices, the room was very nice and comfortable with great air-conditioning, the staff was really-really nice and helpful all the time. The swimming pool and the beach nearby were perfect for a relaxing holiday.

The hotel is a bit far away from everything, almost in the middle of nowhere, but they offer free bikes to reach the neighbouring towns and a bus goes just in front of the hotel to Bari. It's quite different if you go by car (and there were plenty of parking places).