"Disastrous "5-Star" RIU Boa Vista (£3.6k Wasted): Leaking Ceilings, Cockroaches, Fly-Ridden Food & Mis-Sold Tours"
Tours
Do not be fooled by the "5-star" rating or TUI's marketing. We paid £3,600 for a single week away, expecting a luxury flagship RIU package in Boa Vista, Cape Verde. Having stayed at top-rated resorts around the world, this was by far the dirtiest, most misrepresented, and worst-managed hotel we have ever experienced for that kind of money.
Transport & Arrival Disruption
Our trip started with an out-of-pocket early-morning taxi expense to make our scheduled 9:00 AM flight, only to face a 3+ hour departure delay. TUI offered zero food or refreshment vouchers during the wait. Our return flight to London was delayed on the tarmac with no apologies or explanation, wrapping up a total journey disruption of nearly 5 to 6 hours.
Unsanitary Rooms & Severe Maintenance Issues
Ant Infestation: Our first room had an active ant infestation crawling across the bedding, floor, and furniture.
Leaking Ceiling & Structural Water Damage: After moving, our second room had a continuous air conditioning leak coming directly through the ceiling. The ceiling plaster was literally peeling away, leaving active pools of water on the floor.
Cockroaches: Because of massive structural gaps around the exterior doors, we had 5 to 6 large cockroaches entering our room every single night. When we complained, staff didn't clean or spray the room—they simply left a can of toxic insect spray on our table for us to deal with it ourselves.
Filthy Room Condition: Curtains throughout the room were visibly torn, discolored, and covered in filthy stains.
Disgusting Buffet Hygiene & Poor Food Quality
The main canteen dining area was an absolute health hazard. Hygiene controls were nonexistent, and open food stations were swarming with flies. Opening or moving items at the cheese counter caused a swarm of 10 to 20 flies to disperse across the food. To make matters worse, the cooked food was consistently poor quality and routinely served burnt—nowhere near what you expect when spending £3,600 on a holiday.
Mis-Sold €200+ Dune Buggy Tour
We paid over €200 for a TUI-promoted Dune Buggy excursion that explicitly promised a full lunch and refreshments. Instead, we were handed just one small bottle of water each for a 4-hour trek in the desert. When we arrived at the designated restaurant stop, no food was served or even prepared.
Hostile Staff Conduct
My partner and I were subjected to aggressive, rude, and threatening behavior from a lifeguard at the waterslides. We logged a formal complaint with on-site TUI/RIU representatives immediately, but it was completely ignored with zero follow-up or apology.
Final Verdict
When we complained post-holiday, TUI denied everything, falsely claiming "no leaks occurred" and "no issues were reported." We have time-stamped photographic evidence of the dead cockroaches on the floor, the peeling water-damaged ceiling, the ant trails, the ruined curtains, and the poor food quality. This property falls dangerously below basic health and safety standards. Avoid this resort at all costs.
