Grand Hotel Riviera - CDSHotels

We stayed at Grand hotel Riviera for 9 nights. We had 2 rooms side by side and travelled as a family of 5 (children aged 11, 14, 15). The hotel was perfect. Brilliantly located with a beautiful outdoor pool and private area on the beach front. Both with lifeguards.
Most staff (restaurant, reception and housekeeping) were so accommodating and friendly, speaking excellent English.
Taxis in the area are extremely difficult to get and expensive. We were lucky to find a fabulous Italian gentleman, on the Internet, who we communicated with through WhatsApp. Hotel transfers were cancelled on two occasions which was disappointing.
This area is an unspoilt gem and I would highly recommend for anyone seeking a quiet, relaxing and authentic Italian vacation. The beaches are beautiful and while busy, never overcrowded. The sea is so clean as is the whole area in general. I would not hesitate in returning here.

Fantastic hotel. Staff were always very attentive and showed genuine care for their guests. The pool is surrounded on one side with pine trees and views of the sea on the other. There was a lifeguard at both the pool and at the 'beach' which made us feel very safe. Food was delicious and I would definitely recommend eating there, lots of choices and variety. Dinner under the stars was an experience in itself - BBQ outside. Caters for gluten free diets and staff went out of their way to try to accommodate a dairy allergy in our party. Housekeeping did a great job within the rooms, the floors always smelt lovely of lemons! For children they provide cots, highchairs, baths, changing tables and will provide baby food all on request. There is a little play area and a kids club.

Super location overlooking the sea. A 5-10 minutes walk to Santa Maria or Santa Caterina, both of which have lovely sandy beaches if you're not feeling the rocky beach outside the hotel. The hotel also provides tours to Nardo and Gallipoli for a reasonable cost.

5 day stay felt like home. Well organised,friendly staff and accomodating from reception to bar tender ...great food...only had breakfast and suppers and both were perfect. For supper different theme every night with live music. great location, clean rooms....surpassed my expectations. Felt safe.

Very good hotel, in central location to explore the beautifull beaches of the Nardó and Ugento coastline. We were on half board and the food was excellent. The staff was very attentive, especially Alessandro, who welcomed us warmly in our native Portuguese.

Highly recommend hotel for Puglia west coast.
Except of the rooms which are a little small and dark, everything else is exceptional good. I would highly advice the half board as the dinner on the beautiful terrace always was delicious and showcased a great variety. Even after 4 nights we were still looking forward for dinner. The service is really great overall! Especially also the young lady at the reception did a tremendous job and was always super welcoming and friendly.
I loved the beach facility at the rocks straight in front of the hotel as it is great for swimming and snorkeling (take bathing shoes!). The little town of Santa Maria Al Bagno is nice and has a great walking area along the coastline. Overall our favorite spot on the 10 days trip through Puglia.

We spent the second week of our honeymoon at Grand Hotel Riviera, after spending the first week at another CDS location. The hotel was wonderful, and we had a great time swimming in the sea, eating all the great food, and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. We especially enjoyed the dinner under the stars, which was organized outside on the terrace. We will definitely plan to return!

Beautiful hotel with friendly staff. Everyone is helpful. The hotel is located across the ocean and walking distance to Santa Maria al Bagno. The food is decent. Our favorite day is the dinner on Thursday (on the terrace with great food and a live band). Some rooms with ocean view have a fantastic view. It was overall a great vacation at the Grand Riviera!

We had a very enjoyable stay at the hotel, and it definitely surpassed our expectations. Every member of staff was friendly and helpful, and we were impressed with the level of service. Especially enjoyed the poolside lunches. Good location between 2 settlements. We would advise mosquito repellent for the evening if leaving the hotel!

Had a fantastic week here. A great location, only a couple of hundred metres from the restaurants and bars of Santa Maria. But why, when we carefully hang our towels up each day for re-use are they always replaced (sometimes twice a day!). And it would be nice if the rooms had real glasses, not plastic disposable ones!