Great Location! Nice Price!
During a recent trip to Lake Erie/Presque Isle, PA, my husband and I along with our 16 yr old daughter and 12 yr old nephew, stayed at the Riviera for 5 days from June 15th to the 19th and we were very pleased! The room (18) had one queen bed and one double bed, air conditioner with remote, a desk with a chair and very large wall mirror behind it, a small nook area with a table and 2 chairs, a small dorm-sized fridge, a 4-cup coffee maker (with a complimentary pack of coffee, creamer, sugar and cups replenished each day - they even cleaned out the pot/machine daily!), a wall mounted tv with extended cable and remote, free wi-fi, very reasonable phone rates, a nightstand between the beds, a small closet, and a full bathroom. The owners were very nice as were the clerks. We had a small gift bag waiting when we arrived with samples of toothpaste, Aleve, granola bars, lotion and a few other items in it. There is a complimentary ice machine and coffee maker (if you want more coffee!) outside of the office along with 50 cent soda and gourmet coffee vending machines, They have a nice-sized heated outdoor swimming pool which is open daily until 9:30pm (no life-guard...swim at your own risk) during the summer season, a small picnice area around the side of the motel in a tiny yard where there is a barbecue grill, and electric hook-ups for fisherman's boats to recharge. And if you plan on going to Waldameer Amusement Park/Water World Water Park during your stay, the motel is almost directly across the street from the back entrance (Rainbow Gardens entry) to the park....as a matter of fact, you could walk across the street and up a small driveway and be at the park in about 10 minutes or less! AND the motel has an agreement with the park that if you buy your tickets through the motel office, you get $4.95 off of each ticket if you purchase the one for entry to both parks (making them only $18.00 each!). There is a small superette directly across the street that has pretty good wings and a few grocery/personal/toiletry items, and is only about a 5-10 minute drive away from several family restaurants/bars, banks, various shops, the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, bait shops, and the entrance to Presque Isle. Downtown Erie, the Bay Front, Erie Casino, the Maritime Museum, the Erie Zoo and other attractions are all within 15-35 minutes drive. The room was cleaned nicely each day. The reasons I gave it only 4 stars for service is one night housekeeping forgot to give us 2 rolls of TP and we almost ran out of the one roll we did have before the office opened in the AM - rooms: my pillow was a little on the lumpy, probably seen it's better day side (though they would have replaced it if I had asked....but hubby traded me...lol), and there wasn't enough space to put clothing seeing as there were no dressers and only a handful of hangers in the closet (I suggest bringing a few of your own if you are staying more than 2-3 days or have more than one person in the room) Sure, there are other more modern chain hotels in the area that offer similar prices and include a small continental breakfast daily, but all in all, our experience was very positive and this is a great place to stay - the owners and other guests were friendly and social, the location can't be beat, and there is a family-type atmosphere throughout (though some of the rooms DO have heart-shaped jacuzzis in them for a romantic get-a-way ;o). Tips: Great Italian place to eat: Valerio's. Great breakfast: Taki's.