I had the pleasure of saying the Disney’s Riviera Resort the day that it opened and I stayed there for four nights. It is now one of my favorite resorts.
We were in a 1 bedroom villa. The room had a separate bedroom with a King Size bed and a walk out balcony. There was a 2 room bathroom. One side had a soaking tub and a vanity and the other had a shower, toilet, and another vanity. It was very convenient for two adults to be able to get ready at the same time.
Like the other deluxe villa resorts, the room had a full washer & dryer and a full kitchen with cabinets filled with dishes, cutlery, and cooking needs. The dining table is very spacious and it faces the main TV so families who like to eat in their room and watch TV at the same time can do so using the dining room table.
One of the newest aspects that we saw was that the pullout bed, normally found in the deluxe villas, was not a sleeper sofa, it was a Murphy bed that pulled down right over the sofa. The living room also has a pulldown bed that is located under the TV. The hotel did have some issues with this bed as one detached from the wall when an adult was sleeping on it but within a couple of days they came and made repairs to all of the rooms to address this. Notices and phone calls were sent the day after the incident occurred. I was very pleased with the way that Disney addressed this challenge even though the issue did not directly affect us.
The dining in this hotel is absolutely delectable. We ate lunch at Primo Piatto, the quick service restaurant. I was very pleased to be able to order grilled shrimp off the kids’ menu for $7.99 (Pricing may change). The shrimp was delicious and it came with two fruit cups. I loved that lunch so much that I ate lunch there another day with a friend. We also had dessert at Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera. The service was impeccable and the dessert was delicious. We even ordered their bread before our dessert as it looked delicious. They make their bread at the restaurant and it is served with two different kinds of olive oil. Both are delicious. The dessert was AMAZING! I had the Fruits of the Forest dessert. It is Black Current Mousse< Blueberry Sorbet, Macerated Berries, & Hibiscus Cake. It was one of the best desserts I have ever had. My friend had the Pistachio Mousse, which I tried a bite of and that was delicious as well.
On two subsequent trips, I was able to have a full dinner at Topolino Terrace- Flavors of Riviera. We were celebrating my husband’s completion of running his first marathon. We each had the Filet Mignon, which comes with Truffled Mashed Potatoes, Charred Torpedo Onion, Forest Mushroom Puree, Vinaigrette. The steaks were cooked to perfection and the other foods were delicious as well. I had the same dessert again and my husband had the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake. We each tried both desserts and both were delicious. I also was able to take advantage of the character breakfast, the food for breakfast was not your typical character breakfast. It was a set price for the character breakfast but had a regular menu that you could order what you wanted and it was table service, not a buffet. They also had a delicious assortment of pastries at the table. We were visited by Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, & Daisy Duck. All were dressed in the best French attire. This restaurant is definitely in my favorites list.
There are a lot of great features at this resort. There is a cute game/ reading room off the lobby as well as a little café for your morning coffee and pastry. There was definitely a line there every morning. The Resort has a main pool and a quiet pool. They have a Bocce Ball court and a very large outdoor chess board that you can play.
One of the best features is that this resort is very conveniently located near two stations for the Disney Skyliner. One goes to EPCOT and the other to Hollywood Studios. We were able to walk from our room, to the Skyliner, ride to Epcot, get a picture with Minnie Mouse inside Epcot, walk to Mexico, have a snack, walk back to the Skyliner and we were back in our room an hour later. That is how close of a walk it is to the Skyliner. Honestly think that the walk is shorter than some of the walks to bus stops at some of the other resorts.
This resort is a must do for me and I am looking forward to staying there again in the fall.
Lynne Macolini is co-owner of Coasters & Castles Travel, a full-service travel agency that specializes in Disney destinations. Reach her at info@coastersandcastlestravel.com.
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