Hotel Holiday World Riwo
Hotel Holiday World Riwo is a four-star all-inclusive on the seafront strip of Benalmadena Costa, in Malaga province on Spain's Costa del Sol. It's one of three hotels in the Holiday World Resort complex, themed as a tropical jungle with wooden walkways, dense planting and a small lake, and all its guests share the resort's Beach Club, a water park of nine pools, a wave pool and water slides. Families come for that shared water park, the Mini Club and a sandy beach about 350 metres away.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who it suits, what the all-inclusive covers and the facts to skim first.
Holiday World Riwo suits families who want a resort built around water play. Its own grounds are modest, a single pool and tropical gardens, but every guest gets free entry to the Holiday World Beach Club, a shared water park of nine pools, a wave pool and slides, and that's the real draw. The theming sets it apart from the whitewashed hotels along this coast, with wooden walkways, dense planting and a small lake through the grounds. It sits at a mid-range price and a mid-range standing on the review sites, so it's a well-equipped family resort rather than a luxury one, and the Beach Club closes for winter, from November to March. You'll get the most from it in the warmer months, when the water park is open and the Mini Club and evening shows are running.
Best for
You want a big shared water park with nine pools and slides, a tropical-themed resort, and all-inclusive with the Mini Club and Beach Club entry folded in.
Maybe not for
You want a quiet boutique hotel, a luxury standard, or the water park open in winter; the Beach Club closes from November to March.
Best ages
Toddlers upwards get the most from it. The Mini Club runs from three and the teen Zone from twelve, with a splash zone for little ones; under-threes have a cot but no club.
What stands out
The Beach Club water park shared across the resort, the jungle theming with its lake and walkways, and six family room types up to a bunk-bed suite for six.
What to check
Whether a Health Club session is included on your booking, and your room type, since sizes and sea views vary and rooms are allocated in advance.
Where is it?
On the Benalmadena Costa strip in Malaga province, on Spain's Costa del Sol, about 20 minutes from Malaga airport.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where it sits on the Benalmadena coast, how the wider Holiday World complex fits together, and what the all-inclusive does and doesn't cover.
Holiday World Riwo sits on the seafront strip of Benalmadena Costa, in Malaga province on the western Costa del Sol, about 9 miles (15 km) west of Malaga city. This is the busy beach-resort part of Benalmadena, not the inland old village of Benalmadena Pueblo or the commercial centre at Arroyo de la Miel further up the hill.
The Riwo is one of three hotels in the Holiday World Resort, alongside the Polynesia and the Village, with the Casamaïa Apartments and a shared Sports Centre on the same site. The reason to stay at any of them is the shared Beach Club, and a free shuttle bus runs between the three hotels on a regular schedule, so a family in the Riwo can use the facilities across the resort. Some listings market the hotel as "Affiliated by Meliá", which is a booking arrangement through Meliá's platform rather than a sign that Meliá runs it; the hotel is operated by Hoteles Holiday World.
What sets the Riwo apart from the whitewashed hotels along this coast is its theme. It's built as a tropical jungle, with dense planting, wooden walkways and swing chairs through the grounds and a small ornamental lake, Riwo Lake, crossed by those walkways. There's a Chill Out area of sofas and swing seats for sitting out, and a novelty surf-style photo spot the hotel calls its buggy. The resort mascot, Kanu, turns up around the hotel and the Mini Club. The Riwo holds Family Friendly Company and EFR Community marks and is set up as a Bike Friendly Hotel, with cycle storage and a repair space.
What's in, what's extraThe all-inclusive package
All-inclusive is the standard board, with a minimum stay of three nights. Check-in is from 2pm and check-out by noon; the all-inclusive runs from noon on your arrival day, even if the room isn't ready yet, and ends at noon when you leave. Every guest wears an RFID wristband as an access pass, on a €25 per-person deposit that's refunded when you go.
What's included: buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Kiara restaurant; Spanish alcoholic drinks including named premium brands, and filter coffee; daytime snacks at the bars; free entry to the Beach Club with lunch and drinks at its La Cabaña snack shack; minigolf and table tennis; the Riwo Mini Club and the teen Zone; the evening shows; the resort shuttle; and pool towels on a deposit. If you'll be out at a mealtime, reception will make up a picnic breakfast or lunch when you ask in advance.
What isn't included is worth knowing before you go: bottled water, since tap water and filter coffee are the included drinks; espresso and speciality coffee; isotonic drinks; ice cream; and packaged snack bags. The Beach Club VIP area, the inflatable rings there, the summer sports Campus, spa treatments and the indoor car park all cost extra too.
Every restaurant and bar
The buffet, the two snack bars, the Beach Club shack and the Select dining lounge, and which of them the all-inclusive covers.
The main restaurant is Kiara, an international buffet open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with themed evenings through the week, including Mexican and Italian nights. Meal times shift with the season and how full the hotel is, so check the current times at reception when you arrive rather than working to fixed hours. The buffet is the practical choice with young children, since they can pick freely from whatever's laid out and there's no separate sitting to book. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-free and allergy options are available, and the kitchen keeps an allergen book, so flag any dietary needs to the dining staff. Within Kiara is the Nakuru lounge, a private dining space kept for guests in the Select rooms.
For snacks and drinks through the day, the Chic Bar is the year-round spot, serving light bites like sandwiches, burgers, hotdogs and fruit from 10:30am to 7pm, then cocktails and drinks from 7pm to midnight; anything after midnight is charged. In high season a second bar, the Isa Lei pool snack bar, opens by the pool for the same daytime snacks and drinks, and outside the busy months the Chic Bar covers that on its own. Down at the Beach Club, the La Cabaña snack shack does lunch and drinks that are included for all-inclusive guests, though doughnuts and packaged snacks there are charged separately.
From June to September, all-inclusive guests can also go to the evening shows at the Polynesia and Village hotels. The package covers drinks during the show only, not a full meal, and you book a place at Riwo reception before 5pm on the day.
Eating with young children
Kiara's buffet is the fallback for a toddler's timing: no reservation, no set sitting, and children choose from what's out. The hotel doesn't list a separate children's menu, so the buffet spread is what they'll eat from. If you're heading out for the day, ask reception the evening before for a picnic breakfast or lunch, which is included, so a missed mealtime back at the hotel doesn't mean paying twice.
Rooms and suites
Every room type and who it suits, the hotel pool and the shared Beach Club water park, and the beach along the front.
There are six room types, all of them suites of one kind or another. The table shows each with its published size and how many it sleeps; the guidance after it is which suit a family with a baby or toddler.
| Room | Size | Sleeps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select Sky Suite | 70 m²+ | 4 adults + cot | Frontal sea view, pool and sea-view terrace, hydromassage bath, an in-room Bluetooth speaker and a safe; full Select benefits |
| Select Unique | 70 m² | 4 adults + cot | Sea views; full Select benefits |
| Select Novu | Not published | 4 adults + cot | A gamer suite with a PS5, Alexa and two smart TVs; full Select benefits |
| Junior Suite Side Sea View | Not published | 4 adults + cot | Two 1.2 m beds plus a sofa bed; side sea view |
| Junior Suite | Not published | 4 adults + cot | Two 1.2 m beds plus a sofa bed |
| Family Junior Suite | Not published | 6 adults + cot | Bunk beds; the highest-capacity room |
Every room takes a cot on top of the sleeping numbers shown, so the maximum is four adults and a cot, or six adults and a cot in the Family Junior Suite. An older DinoWorld Junior Suite was dropped in the 2024–25 refurbishment, so ignore it if you see it on an operator's listing.
The hotel publishes floor areas only for the two larger Select suites, at 70 m² and over; it doesn't give sizes for the Junior Suites, so we can't state them. For a family, the choice runs like this. The three Select rooms are the top tier: the Sky Suite and the Unique are the sea-view suites at around 70 m², and the Novu is a games-themed suite with a PS5 and two smart TVs. All three come with the Select benefits below. The two Junior Suites each have two 1.2-metre beds and a sofa bed, enough for a family of four, with the Side Sea View version looking out along the coast. The Family Junior Suite is the one for a bigger family or several children, with bunk beds that suit two children sharing and room for six in total. Under-twos sleep in a cot, free on request, which you arrange in advance by email or phone; rooms are allocated by the hotel before you arrive rather than chosen on the day.
The Select benefits, shared by the Sky Suite, Unique and Novu, are the private Nakuru dining lounge in Kiara, a separate Select Room lounge for sitting out with a coffee or a snack, VIP access to the Beach Club, two pool towels a day without a deposit, a pillow menu and premium bathroom toiletries.
Pools and the Beach Club
The Riwo's own grounds have a single outdoor pool with a solarium and, in the high season, the Isa Lei snack bar beside it; the hotel doesn't publish its size, depth or whether it's heated. Inside the Health Club there's a heated indoor pool, but that's a quiet wellness pool rather than one for children to play in.
The water play is at the Holiday World Beach Club, a shared complex of more than 30,000 m² a short shuttle ride away, and it's the reason most families pick a Holiday World hotel. It has nine pools, a wave pool, water slides with rubber rings, a hydromassage area and a dedicated splash zone for young children. It opens daily from 10am to 6pm, but only seasonally, from 1 April to the end of October, so it's closed from November to March. Standard all-inclusive guests get in free, with lunch and drinks at La Cabaña included, while the VIP area is for Select guests only. A non-guest can also buy a day pass, around €10 for an adult and €8 for a child (last checked 2025). Inflatable rings are hired there for a charge with a deposit, and pool towels for standard guests come on a €15 deposit with a €1 charge to swap a used one. Through the summer the Beach Club also runs Summer Nights, ticketed afternoon and evening events.
The beach
The nearest beach is Carvajal, a sandy Costa del Sol beach about 350 metres from the hotel entrance, reached on a flat, straightforward walk along Avenida del Sol. It's a typical developed-coast beach, with beach bars and restaurants strung along the front within about half a mile (1 km) of the hotel.
Babies and toddlers
The Mini Club and the baby kit, everything to fill a resort day, then the town and days out beyond the gate.
For the youngest, the hotel provides cots free of charge for under-twos, arranged in advance by email or phone, and high chairs on request. It doesn't list bottle warmers or sterilisers, so pack your own. There's no club or organised programme for under-threes, so babies and young toddlers stay with you; changing facilities are the usual sort found in the pool and public bathrooms.
The Riwo Mini Club takes children from age 3 to 13, with ball pools, slides and adventurous play led by the mascot Kanu, and it's included in the all-inclusive. The age is worth a check if you have a 13-year-old: the hotel's FAQ gives 3 to 13, but its facilities page says 3 to 12, so confirm it at booking. The hotel doesn't publish the club's hours or its staffing, so ask on arrival. A separate Kinderzone area adds entertainers and a themed children's minigolf alongside the club.
In summer there's more for older children. The Summer Campus runs coached sports for ages 4 to 13, from soccer and basketball to modern dance, though this one costs extra rather than being part of the all-inclusive. The Zone is a teen space for ages 12 to 17, open 4pm to 11:30pm from May to September, with games consoles, arcade machines, a chill zone and a music room, and it's included in the package. Pets aren't accepted beyond assistance animals.
On resortThings to do
On the resort itself, minigolf and table tennis are included, and you pick up the minigolf clubs and balls at reception. There's a Fitness Centre with sea views as part of the Health Club, and the resort has a shared Sports Centre too, though the hotel doesn't detail what it holds. As a Bike Friendly Hotel it has cycle storage, a repair workshop and a bike-cleaning space.
The Riwo Health Club is the hotel's wellness area, with a heated indoor pool, hydromassage beds, a Turkish bath, a sauna, a jacuzzi and the sea-view gym. It's open daily, 11am to 2:30pm and 3pm to 7pm, with the last entry at 5:45pm and sessions capped at an hour; you book ahead on the hotel's Health Club line and need a bathing cap, towel and flip-flops, which you can buy there. Whether a Health Club session is part of your all-inclusive is unclear: the Riwo's own all-inclusive material describes one 60-minute session per guest per stay as included, while the general resort FAQ says the circuit is free only at the Village hotel and charged at the Riwo. The two haven't been reconciled, so confirm it when you book. Children can use the Health Club at set times with an adult, though some of it may not suit them. Treatments are separate, at the Hydros Spa a few metres from the hotel, which has a minimum age of 16; its prices and menu aren't published.
Evenings centre on the Outdoor Auditorium, with nightly dancing, magic and family shows whose schedule is at reception, and there's a Recreation area with pool tables and arcade games. From June to September you can also use the shows at the sister hotels, as covered above. Beyond the resort, the hotel points guests to activities around the Costa del Sol without listing specifics.
Off resortThe area and days out
Benalmadena Costa is a busy, well-developed resort strip with a long seafront promenade, the Paseo Marítimo, running along the coast. The nearest draws for families are close by: the Benalmadena Puerto Marina, a large marina with restaurants and things to do, is about a mile (1.5 km) away; Tivoli World, an amusement park, is around 1.5 to 2 miles (2 to 3 km) in Arroyo de la Miel; and from the same area the Teleférico cable car climbs to the Calamorro summit at 769 m for the views. Further out, the Cercanías C1 train from Carvajal station reaches Fuengirola in about 20 minutes, a larger town with the Bioparc Fuengirola zoo and more to do, and Malaga city in about 35 minutes for a day out.
Loves and gripes
What our research suggests families rate and what to weigh, the journey in and the weather by month.
What families rate, and what to weigh
There's less independent guest feedback for the Riwo specifically than for many resorts. On TripAdvisor it sits at around 3.5 out of 5, a mid-range score, neither poor nor outstanding. The Holiday World resorts as a group get warm general mentions from parents, usually for the shared water park.
What families rate
- The shared Beach Club water park, with nine pools and slides, the main reason to come.
- The tropical theming, its lake, wooden walkways and planting, unusual on this coast.
- The range of family rooms, up to a bunk-bed suite that sleeps six.
- Warm general word about the Holiday World resorts from parents.
What to weigh
- A mid-range TripAdvisor score rather than a top one.
- The Beach Club is a short shuttle ride away, not on the hotel's own grounds, and shuts for the winter.
- Everyday extras like bottled water, ice cream and speciality coffee aren't in the all-inclusive.
- Whether a Health Club session is included isn't clear-cut.
Getting there and when to go
Most families fly into Malaga-Costa del Sol airport, about 20 minutes away by road, roughly 9 miles (15 km). There's no automatic hotel pick-up, but you can book a transfer to collect you, and a taxi from Benalmadena town is around €15. The resort is easy to reach without a car: Carvajal station, about a 20-minute walk, is on the Cercanías C1 line, which runs to Malaga in about 35 minutes and Fuengirola in about 20 and connects the airport itself, and the Avanza L-302 and L-304 buses stop at "Rotonda de los elefantes, Benalmádena Costa" by the hotel. If you do drive, there's a free outdoor car park for guests, an indoor car park for a fee, and EV chargers on site.
The minimum all-inclusive stay is three nights. Peak family season is June to September, with July and August the busiest and hottest. May and October are quieter shoulder months, with warm days of about 20 to 24°C and lower prices, though the sea in May is still cool, around 18°C, and the Beach Club runs only from April to the end of October.
When to goWeather, month by month
Benalmadena has a Mediterranean climate: hot, dry summers, mild wetter winters, no frost and an annual average around 19°C, with the resort claiming some 300 days of sunshine a year. The hotel is open year-round, though the Beach Club water park runs only from April to the end of October. The table below gives long-term monthly averages for the area. High summer is the driest and sunniest, with August the warmest month and the warmest sea at about 24°C, and the best swimming weather runs July to September. Winter is the wettest stretch, December most of all.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17° | 8.5° | 62 mm | 5 | 16° |
| February | 17.5° | 8.5° | 56 mm | 5 | 15° |
| March | 19° | 10° | 66 mm | 5 | 16° |
| April | 21° | 12.5° | 41 mm | 4 | 16° |
| May | 24.5° | 15° | 23 mm | 3 | 18° |
| June | 28° | 18.5° | 4 mm | 1 | 18° |
| July | 30.5° | 21.5° | 0 mm | 0 | 21° |
| August | 31° | 22.5° | 3 mm | 0 | 23° |
| September | 28° | 20° | 25 mm | 2 | 21° |
| October | 24° | 16° | 61 mm | 4 | 20° |
| November | 20° | 11.5° | 77 mm | 5 | 17° |
| December | 17.5° | 9° | 88 mm | 6 | 16° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer.
Practicalities
Entry and health for UK visitors, the services on site and the questions families ask most.
UK visitors can travel to Spain without a visa for stays up to 90 days in any 180-day period, on a passport issued within the last ten years and valid for at least three months after you leave. For health cover, carry a GHIC or EHIC for state healthcare on the same terms as locals, with travel insurance on top; the emergency number across Spain is 112, the equivalent of 999. The FCDO updated its swimming-safety advice for Spain in 2026, so check the gov.uk Spain travel advice before you travel, especially with children in the pools and the sea.
On site there's a self-service laundry with washing machines and dryers, open around the clock, with tokens and detergent from reception, and a Shopping Riwo shop for toiletries, snacks, drinks and souvenirs. Free WiFi runs throughout all the hotels. Late check-out is available until 4pm for an extra charge, subject to availability and asked for 24 hours ahead; on the day you leave you can also store bags in the luggage room and extend the all-inclusive for a fee. The currency is the euro, and English is widely understood at the resort and around the tourist area.
The questions parents askQuestions
What are the check-in times, and when does the all-inclusive start?
Check-in is from 2pm and check-out is by noon. The all-inclusive doesn't wait for your room, though: it starts at noon on arrival day even if the room isn't ready, so you can eat and use the resort straight away, and it runs to noon on the day you leave.
Can we get a cot for a baby?
Yes, cots are free for under-twos, but they aren't automatic. Email or call the hotel in advance to ask for one, since rooms are set up before you arrive rather than sorted out on the day.
What ages does the Mini Club cover?
From three years old, so a baby or young toddler isn't catered for by it. The top age is the bit to look at twice: the hotel's FAQ says up to 13, but its facilities page says 12, so if you have a 13-year-old, confirm it when you book.
Is the Health Club session included in the all-inclusive?
It isn't settled. The Riwo's own all-inclusive information lists one hour-long session per guest, while the general resort FAQ says the wellness circuit is free only at the Village hotel and charged here. Check exactly what your booking covers before you count on it.
Can we manage without a hire car?
For the basics, yes. A transfer or a taxi handles the airport, the Avanza L-302 and L-304 buses stop right by the hotel and Carvajal train station is a short walk, so town trips and the beach are easy. A car is only worth it if you want several separate days out along the coast.
What isn’t included that we might expect to be?
The everyday extras catch families out: bottled water, ice cream, speciality coffee and isotonic drinks are all charged, along with the Beach Club VIP area and its inflatable rings, the summer sports Campus and the indoor car park. Tap water and filter coffee are the included drinks, so budget a little for bottled water with young children.
See more Holiday World Riwo photos
Open the Holiday World Riwo photo gallery →Useful links
- Holiday World Resort: the resort's own site for rooms, what's included, the Beach Club and the children's club. The full address is Rotonda de los Elefantes, Avenida del Sol, 195, 29630 Benalmadena, Malaga, Spain, and reservations are on +34 952 57 97 57. The official site moved from holidayworld.es to this holidayworldresort.com address in April 2025. An older listing may still show the previous domain.
- GOV.UK Spain travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Costa del Sol with little ones: our guide to the wider region, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 16 July 2026.
