My Love Letter to the Rivera Resort

Summary:

• Good pick for upscale, refined atmosphere with minimal Disney theming
• On the more expensive side, but lots of amenities to match the price tag
• Check out Topolino’s Terrace for a nice sit down dinner. Great special occasion pick

Overview  

My favorite resort on Disney property is hands down the Rivera Resort. It is themed to the French and Italian Rivieras. This hotel has a more upscale vibe to it. There is subtle Disney theming in the art work, etc., but overall feels like the hotel could be picked up and moved to somewhere else and guests wouldn’t think twice about it. The hotel is smaller and quieter than many other of the deluxe hotels and vacation club hotels, giving it a chill vibe.

Rooms  

The Rivera Resort is a vacation club hotel, so all the rooms have things like a microwave, toaster, fridge, silverware, plates, etc. I personally find this as a benefit because we like to eat a simple breakfast in our hotel room, and having these makes it easier.

I’ve stayed in a Tower Studio and a Deluxe Studio. Both have a small balcony.

The Tower Suite is quite small, but it can fit two adults comfortably. The bed/couch is built into the murphy bed in the wall, so if you want more space during the day you can easily roll it up.

The Deluxe Studio is more your typical hotel room with a bed, couch, table. There is also a murphy bed over the couch, and a single pull-down bunk. These rooms can easily fit 5 people.

While the hotel is quite nice, it does come at a higher price tag. Rooms here run on average $500+ per night.

Dining  

I’m pretty impressed with all of the Rivera’s restaurants. They follow the same theme as the hotel; the Italian and French Rivieras so lots of focus on those types of cuisines.

One of my favorite restaurants on property is here; Topolino’s Terrace. This is a sit-down upscale restaurant with a seasonally rotating menu. Every time I’ve eaten here, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I’ve eaten at all of their restaurants and really enjoyed Bar Riva. The restaurant is fully covered, with comfortable seating, so was the perfect mid pool day break for my group. The grilled vegetable pita was very tasty as well.

Additionally, the hotel has a quick service restaurant (Primo Piatto) and a coffee bar (Le Petit Café). It’s a fun space that does double duty as a coffee bar by day, wine bar by night.

Amenities  

The biggest amenity of this hotel is that it’s attached to the Skyliner. This makes getting to Epcot and Hollywood Studios incredibly easy. Buses are required for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.

Because the Rivera Resort is considered a deluxe vacation club resort, it also gets the perks of early entry, as well as extended evening hours.

The hotel has two pools, a gym, and additional activities you can do for a fee.