Out of curiousity, I was reading the average/below average reviews written for the Riv before I composed this, as I was quite pleased with my stay. Keep in mind, a majority, if not all the motels in Wildwood are 45+ years old. If your looking for the 5 star quality of today's mega hotels, you'll be hard pressed to find it in this town. The building thinking was different then. They tried to get the most out of the piece of real estate as they can to return a profit. Some when designed, didn't offer pools, perhaps as an alternative to keep costs down for some families. With that said........set realistic criteria of what you actually need. Mine changed after the rugrats grew up and flew the coop. I would like to say my evaluation is more like a 4 1/2, or 4 3/4, but listed a 5 due to strong points outweighing the few flaws that will be mentioned here.

I have been continuously vacationing in August in Wildwood for the past 23 years, attending May and September car events on and off for the past 15, and did another 10 year stint back in the 60's and 70's when mom and dad was paying the bill. You can see some of the recent reviews of places I stayed at that I listed and others that I didn't due to the time "window" being too far out. I'd be more than happy to give you my 2 cent opinion on the others if you wish to contact me.

Granted, the Riv doesn't have the largest rooms in the main building. If you have several kids, make this known to see if they can accommodate you with proper lodging in their "satellite" buildings. However, I just about gave up on staying in WIldwood with all the bs the lowlifes and inner cities of Philadelphia, NY and whereever bring to what were once decent motels in town. Sure the Riv's management have a set of rules blatantly spelled out for behavior on the property, but you know what?, I had one of the most enjoyable, comfortable stays in Wildwood in a long time. I stayed in the crest (with many civilized guests) last year, but felt like a fish out of water, not having "amenities" at my fingertips. At the Riv, your about a 1/2 block from the boardwalk. Yeah, the beach is one of the widest I'm aware of, but blame Mother Nature on that. The water once did go under the ride piers, before the water parks were built behind the piers. All the guests on the property during my 7 night stay were civilized, well behaved, cordial. Strange that has to be mentioned, but I had enough of the chairs in front of my room missing the next morning and basketballs bouncing all over the place at other motels I previously stayed at in Wildwood.

Ok, a few suggestions for improvement if the management is reading this. Not sure if they will fit, but I'm use to a queen bed. I did ok with the double but when I inadvertantly pushed the wife off the bed in the middle of the night, I ended up sleeping by myself as she took the other bed and wouldn't let me in for the rest of the stay! The motel has speakers throughout the exterior of the property to offer "music?" since the boom boxes are not allowed. Initially a good idea, but it was quite loud if you tried to read and concentrate on a book, and not everybody can agree on the same music (if that is what is being played). The music(?) that was being inflicted on me was giving me strong urges to go rob a liquor store. OK, I wasn't going to do a robbery, but you know where I'm going with that. My suggestion to management: save your money on the satellite radio your planning on unless you can have something that fits your age genre (mostly middle aged when I was there) of your guests, or nothing at all. Nothing wrong with quiet. Having heated water in the whirlpool area would be a nice addition, but not worth faulting.

The place has a great sundeck off the third floor that few seem to be aware of. Reg and Beth are great people that are more than accommodating to make your stay pleasant. Always seemed to be a maintanence person on the grounds attending to the property. Maids who did a wonderful job on the room. In summary, the place has some flaws, but judging with my criteria standards, the positives that are on my list far outweigh the negatives, and that ultimately allowed me to have a most enjoyable stay close to the activities the city has to offer.

I'm curious: Maybe they should play that 1964 hit "California Sun" by the Riviera's over their speaker system. And it would be great to see a '65 Riviera parked in front of the motel. I wonder if they ever had a Riviera club stay there?

My husband and daughter and I stayed at the Riviera a few weeks ago. This was the third time we have stayed at this motel over the past 5 years or so and it is hands down the best of the motels in Wildwood we have stayed at. The room was very clean, when we asked for extra pillows, they brought them right up. The pool was clean and the office staff was very helpful. Lots of couples and families - not a rowdy crowd. :-)
The location of the motel is perfect - just across the street from the boardwalk. Plenty of restaurants in walking distance.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that the room was a bit cramped space wise and there were no on-site bbq grills. I definitely recommend this motel and will most definitely be staying there again.

We absolutely love this place. Front desk was helpful in every way. Our room was a mini suite but there was nothing mini about it except maybe the price, The pool was very clean with lots of pool side loungers to lay-out on. Clean, affordable and a one minute walk to the boardwalk. We will be back :)

Everything in these reviews are true. Did a last minute hurrah before school for the kids and this was a perfect choice. Cleanliness, location, parking, nice pool....where to stop?!? The staff seemed to be always on the move and very attentive