We stayed here for 4 nights (23/10/12-27/10/12) The hotel is a short walk from all the shops/bars/restaurants in the area! But you would be crazy to eat anywhere else but la riviera! The food is amazing, and there's loads of it, so make sure you have a light lunch :) Vincenzo is a sweetie, he's extremely helpful! Theres loads to do in the surrounding area as well and As you can see from the other reviews its clean, welcoming, comfortable etc. it's a "perfect place to stay" ;)

La Riviera is convenient to get to as it is a 4/5 min walk up the street directly opposite Montecatini Terme station (beware: Montecatini has 2 stations and the Centro station is further away). The hotel is about a 8/9 minute walk up a straight road to town centre.Montecatini is convenient for travel to Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Viareggio by train - which is a very cheap way to travel and avoids the dreaded ZTL (no cars here zones in Florence and Pisa). If you get car hire I suggest you look these ZTL zones up in detail, as failure to comply will be very expensive. Lucca is a lovely place not to be missed and make sure you go up to Montecatini Alto.Have a coffee before you go as Montecatini Alto prices are 3 times what you would pay in Montecatini Terme.For toilets in Montecatini Alto ask for the key from the funicular railway attendant at the top.La Riviera is clean and comfortable and what it lacks in modern up to date bedroom furniture is more than made up for by the excellent food and welcome. Take the evening meal option as it is inexpensive and very good in quantity and quality ( seconds are available, even having a second (different)starter that you hadn't ordered!).Simple, not particularly expensive, ingredients but cooked to perfection by Antonella. I am quite fussy about food but I was impressed.The house wine is ok but it only costs 7€ a bottle or 1 and a half € a glass. Vincenzo will chat to you in English or Italian and this is a pleasurable change from places where they don't seem to have time for human contact. You will no doubt already know that Florence (and Pisa to a lesser extent) are much more expensive for hotels than Montecatini, so using the cheap trains and using Montecatini as a CENTRALLY PLACED base is a good idea. Also recommended is the confectioners Giovannini just off the main square (Piazza del Popolo) where you will get a BRILLIANT ice cream.(although Vincenzo said La Goma was an even better ice cream parlour, though I find that hard to believe).Admire the window displays at Giovannini's and you can have a good inexpensive coffee there (though there are only 4 seats and no tables!) as it is only really set up for people who want to stand and have a quick coffee. The automatic ticket machines in the stations are easy to use and take cash or credit card or both.You can choose your language before embarking on the ticket purchase process. Don't forget to validate your train ticket by having the date stamped on it at the small machines dotted around the station. You then have 6 hours to use it. Checks we found to be infrequent but I think it is 40€ each if you get caught (not recommended!). There are also buses from Montecatini Terme station to various locations eg Florence. I believe the journey time is not much different to the trains and is probably a bit cheaper.

My first time in Italy was Easter 2012 and La Riviera had very good reviews and was reasonably priced. I took a chance and was thoroughly impressed. The hotel was spotlessly clean, the service was second to none, very polite and attentive, especially during meals, and was ideally located just a short walk from the main square and train station. The food was excellent and just kept on coming, and I have a big appetite! The owner, Vincenzo, clearly prides himself on giving an excellent service throughout the stay and made us feel more than welcome. I intend to return to Italy next year and will definitely be staying at La Rivieria.

Montecatini's jewel of a hotel! Our stay at La Riviera topped off our trip to Italy with its welcoming owner Vincenzo making us feel very much welcome at his hotel. The atmosphere is warm and friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Our room was excellent and the food was a perfect authentic taste of Italy with plenty of it, along with the wine! I would definitely recommend this hotel to couples and families who are visiting this part of Italy for its ideal location - with the train station being in walking distance, the local facilities in town and its lovely parks for those after dinner strolls.