Hotel Riu Cabo Verde — Hotel in Sal

Our honest holiday review – Riu Cabo Verde Adults Only Hotel, Sal Island. (our opinion only - like everything … you’ll need to make your own mind up). ||We recently stayed 14 nights at the Riu Cabo Verde Adults Only Hotel on Sal Island, around 20 minutes from the airport. The hotel is well located – just a short taxi ride (5 euros) into Santa Maria.||HOTEL & GROUNDS|The surrounding area is barren and full of debris, which actually makes the Riu Cabo Verde stand out more, as it looks quite grand against such a stark backdrop. Check-in was smooth and only took about 10 minutes although we did notice on some days this was taking longer due to volume of guests arriving at the same time. We were greeted with non-alcoholic cocktails and offered help with our luggage. The staff were friendly, spoke excellent English.||ROOMS|Our room was in Block 1, which was close to the restaurant, lobby bar & reception area. We were a short walk from the pool. (5 minutes) and beach (6 minutes). At night the walkways were poorly lit.|It’s worth noting that there are no lifts in any of the blocks (that we were aware of), so if you suffer with mobility issues, I would strongly recommend requesting a ground-floor room in advance if you haven’t already. ||Inside, the room was spotless and modern, with a huge bed, double sinks, a large shower, good air-conditioning, and even optics (gin, vodka, whisky & rum) plus a stocked minibar (restocked daily). There was a safe, plenty of plug sockets, and USB ports. The only downsides were:| • Noise – Due to the closeness to the main reception & restaurants we could hear guests dragging suitcases on the tiled floors at all hours.|Overall though, the comfort and cleanliness were excellent.||BATHROOM |Spacious, with two sinks, large mirrored wall, hairdryer, a good shower, and strong water pressure & seperate toilet.||FOOD & DRINK|The food was genuinely excellent. The variety was great, changing every few days, with international choices including Chinese dishes, sushi, and themed nights. Breakfast went until 10:30, then the pool snack bar opened with what was essentially another buffet. Drinks were high quality too, with wine, sparkling wine, spirits, cocktails, and large bottles of water available.||The à la carte restaurants| • Steakhouse – good food | • Italian – good food & more enjoyable due | to dining in an air conditioned room||There was another restaurant which we didn’t use. Found it easy to book through the app although some guests found it difficult. Available was limited and you were not able to book too far in advance.||Bars were plentiful, well stocked, and relaxed, though we would have liked more consistent background music in the lobby and around the pool to lift the atmosphere.||Pools & Beach|There were plenty of sunbeds early in the morning, though by 10:30 most were gone. Towels were often left on loungers for hours despite signs saying this wasn’t allowed. The loungers themselves were fine, but the padding was grubby.||The two saltwater pools were clean and a good temperature, with showers around the pool to rinse off. The pool bar was fun at first but became off-putting later in the day as people stood drinking in the water for hours, which left a smell. Entertainment around the pool was hit-and-miss and very limited.||The private beach was a big plus – free loungers and towels were included, and the beach bar was part of the all-inclusive. The beach was stunning but no snack bar and closest toilets back towards the hotel. Plenty of sunbeds and palm trees for shade. Water gorgeous!!! So scenic and white sands however the sea was very rough due to the wind.||The entertainment in the evenings was not great. Almost every night there was some sort of show which was usually a dance show or karaoke. This didn’t go on for long and most entertainment started around 9pm and was done by 11 pm. There is a club on site however, this wasn’t open every night. The hotel really big up there once a week party - either white or neon on a Friday but the music wasn’t our era & definitely not the party they advertise on the big screen all week.||Most evenings the lobby, the reception area and the lobby bar (inside and out) was busy with couples playing cards or just sitting around. No music and a bit boring. Never seen so many people use the lobby and reception area before for their night time entertainment space. This area was very warm with little or no ventilation.||SERVICE & FACILITIES |Housekeeping was excellent – our room was cleaned daily with fresh towels each day. Groundskeepers were visible, trimming palms and tidying. Wi-Fi worked well across most of the hotel and pool area.||EXCURSIONSE|We booked a “9-in-1” excursion for €40 per person, but it ended up costing about €60 each after all the additional entrance fees and lunch. We were told about some of the additional costs but not all - we pretty much paid to enter every single sightseeing spot on top of the €40. We booked with Horilla Tours who I would recommend. The tour guide was very knowledgeable & informative The shark experience was the highlight.|(WhatsApp: +238 9506652|Facebook: Horlla tour |Trip advisor: HORLLA)||If you do want to try excursions, I’d recommend booking through the locals (situated outside the hotel grounds to the beach).||OVERALL IMPRESSIONS|The Riu Cabo Verde Adults Only Hotel saved the holiday – clean, comfortable, with excellent food and drink, and staff who were professional and welcoming. However, it really needs more consistent entertainment and activities, as there is very little else to do on the island. While the value for money was good, and the facilities were high quality, the lack of atmosphere, scenic views, and things to do means we wouldn’t return to Sal Island.||NOTE|A lot of flights back to the UK are late afternoon / evening flights. There is a good size changing area with showers & towels that guests can use if they want to stay and catch the last bit of sun before they travel home or you can keep your room on, however it does cost €10 per person per hour per room (price as...

Bad: The pool is always crowded, there are not enough sun beds for the amount of people at the hotel, which is a shame as they have such a huge area, they could expand the pool area or build another pool. We are non smokers, there is a designated area in the reception bar area, but because of the layout and its location, the whole of the reception bar and quiet seating area in the reception area it all smells of cigarette smoke - The pool area has no designated area and most of the pool area smells of cigarette smoke. There are not enough Parasols around the pool, we counted fifteen and there are no parasols on the beach. There are only four toilet blocks in the whole of the complex for public use and none of these are on the beach. The hotel says do not reserve beds at pool, they come around at 8.30 and collect up any hotel towels on the sunbeds (But no evryones, they are selective) They also do not touch personal towels, so it took us four days to get a sunbed as everyone puts their own towels/ bags / clothes down, some we saw on the beds for three days, so if you arrive at pool after 9am, forget getting a sunbed. The maintenance / upkeep is very poor. Whilst we were there they tried to mend our toilet seat three times and that took the intervention of our holiday company. They fixed the leaking toilet cistern, but even in the public areas the toilet doors do not lock, the hand dryers work for two seconds, the hand rail into the pool is loose, there are tiles missing from the bed sun loungers in the pool. Every meal time it was comical, as nearly every table was banging their salt cellars on the tables and walls, the salt will not come out, they have put rice in to keep the salt dry, but I think their crystals are bigger than the holeas. You would think that being a salt producing island they could sort it? You selected the seats yourself in the dining room and it is really surprising how so many tourists will take a table set for four or six, when there are only two of them, meaning when they leave the staff have to reset the whole table, causing them extra work, because of the inconsiderate tourists. ON The Beach? You have to walk a short distance (50 Metres) between the hotel grounds to the beach, which is crowded by local sellers selling their goods (I thought I was back in Tunisia). Our holiday company didn't inform us that there was a tourist tax of 35 euros for the two of us. This was after the airport tax, which luckily for us was in our holiday price. Mosquitos, the place is covered in them, on the beach, in the rooms, in the grounds, around the pools.

Good: The staff are excellent. The food is Fantastic. There are plenty of daytime activities supplied by the Rui entertainment team. The grounds are kept immaculate and they have an army of grounds staff working all day, everyday. They are beautiful. Only drinks available before 07:30 in morning were in your room, with creamer not milk. Our rooms were cleaned daily and the cleaning staff were remarkable, they even made us shapes from the blankets and towels on our anniversary day and the hotel supplied some lovely sparkling wine. Taxis are cheap (5 Euro to Santa Maria) Weather is 26 Degrees centigrade the whole week (May 25)

As you can see our experience was varied and each person is different, if you smoke and do not get bitten by mosquitos, like battering on the way to the beach, the place will be ideal for you. However as many people have stated about the star rating of the hotel, the public areas I would say meet 5 star status after being to many five star, but the bedrooms look like a revamp has been tried, it was a poor attempt with large gaps around doors letting mosquitos in, toilet seats not fitting right, shower hoses leaking, sink plugs do not work, the painting is unbelievable as its all over everything I think except the walls, partas of the walls are smooth other parts are like smooth artex, our power socket didn't work, the corridors are dark and scratches over all the walls, definitely not five star in the...

9/10

This was my first time to Africa, let alone the Cape Verde Islands... and this hotel set the standard pretty high!

When we arrived, the hotel staff kindly took our bags to our rooms and as we checked in, we were treated with a citrus-y drink following our 6 hour flight from Manchester.

We were then given the chance to dine at the main "Promenade" restaurant, where a kind waitress greeted us and asked for our drinks. This approach to us was consistent throughout our stay, including waiters, cleaners, reception staff, bar staff etc, happy and accommodating.

The next morning, we found our spots by the pool and throughout the day, the animators were lively and fun. On occasions, during the lunch hours, a group of animators would perform a dance routine for the guests lounging by the pool bar. It was spontaneous and enjoyable to watch.

There's also a choice of three speciality restaurants that guests could book as many times as they wished. We went to Sofia (Italian) a couple of times, which was pretty good but my personal favourite was the Kulinarium (Gourmet). When you stepped in you were given a glass of champagne and as soon as you sat down, an appetiser for you and your guest. This took the top spot for me due to the variety of dishes.

The beach is only a stone's through away, with clear waters, smooth sands and a turtle hatchery - where you can "adopt" a turtle.

We also attended the "White Party" on Friday, which was really well choreographed and catered for, with guests from both RIU Cabo Verde and Funana given white balloons to dance with.

Linking to the last point, we stayed at an adults only hotel, which meant that asking for alcohol was not an issue and was always provided in the minibar (it's a fridge really) in your room.

The room we stayed in was also very spacious, with a balcony and the option to have air conditioning or a fan operating to keep your room cool.

Feedback: If you're a light sleeper, take ear plugs with you. If you want the room to stay cool during your sleep and your drinks cold throughout the night, wear them. Depending on where are you are staying, you could be in earshot of the evening events in the main stage area. They say the curfew is 11pm local time, but they rarely finish by then. Use bottled water where you can. The water has different bacteria to UK, and we were advised to use bottled water when brushing your teeth. That being said, when asking for water at the pool bar, the bar staff pointed to a water dispenser. After pouring my drink, the water had bits of leaves and dirt in the cup. Whether this was the cup or water, I don't know. The room needed a bit of an update... we noticed dry paint falling from the walls as doors were being shut but the room next door.

Other things:

When walking along the path to the beach, you will encounter lots of sales reps (not from the airline company or hotel). They'll give you cards and try to lure you to buy trips across the island and other activities. If this not your thing, keep your head down or pretend not to understand them. Similar to the above, but in Santa Maria. If you walk along the high street, there are tonnes of these people trying to befriend you and sell God knows what... what makes this worse is that you don't know if they are a sales rep or some bloke. RIU Cabo Verde hire 3rd party security. At the time of our stay, we caught one member of security explicitly filming my partner and I with his phone. He tried to cover it up when we caught him, by putting the phone to his ear, but we recognised his phone was still on camera mode. The good news is that, when we complained to the hotel, the hotel staff (specifically the cashier) dealt with my complaint professionally and understood we were not complaining about the hotel, rather the security. He said he would raise this with his manager, who would speak to the security company. The Cape Verdean cops will occasionally drop by, providing further...