Day two of our Olympic Peninsula vacation started out poorly. One of the reasons we picked the hotel we did, the Riviera Inn, was that it advertised continental breakfast as well as a “family” suite – and with as many people in our group, we needed a number of beds. It’s easy enough to get something in the kids and get on the road this way rather than having to load up, find a restaurant, then get going again. With small children, it’s about momentum.
I awoke, and went to the lobby to get a cup of coffee. In-room coffee makers are becoming more and more common (thankfully) but this was an older hotel in an area that wasn’t known for its booming economy. I didn’t have a problem with going to the lobby to get my coffee, but I did take issue with the fact that it wasn’t warm. Then I got a peek at what passed for a continental breakfast. You know those pastries that come individually packaged at gas stations that have been marked down because nobody buys them? That’s all there was. No fruit, no cereal, no juice, and only one (literally) of these pastries. It was clear that I needed to get something else.
Thankfully, there was a small refrigerator in the room, so I went out in search of a grocery store. It took a while, but I found one, purchased some cereal, milk, juice, bowls, and spoons. It also happened to have a Starbucks, so I was quite happy to obtain some caffeine for both myself and Laura.
Upon returning to the hotel, breakfast, or some semblance thereof was underway, and showers needed to take place. There was no bathtub in this remodeled (perhaps in the 80s) bathroom, only a shower stall. There was, however, no hot water. I let the water run for a while, but it never actually warmed up. I went to the sink, and got hot water right away. I went to the front desk and mentioned the lack of hot water, and was told there was one hot water heater for every 4 rooms, and maybe somebody took a long shower. I was also told that other people have stayed for multiple days and never complained. After being directed to give it some time to heat back up, I returned to my room and relayed the information. We decided to attempt bathing again in the evening upon our return.
When we did return, the shower water was still cold, and the following morning it was cold again. Several times we tried out the shower and each time we did not receive any hot water. The attitude of the staff was rather blasé about this, which was annoying. We did the best we could with the situation (washcloths, sink, soap) but having a shower would have been nice. Having a semblance of food in the morning as advertised would also have been appreciated. And I know I’m just finding things to pick apart, but they didn’t restock the cups in the room when they cleaned that day, so the following morning I had to go to the front office to obtain some for our juice.
The Riviera Inn in Port Angeles, Washington is not recommended.