Hotel Riu Funana 5*

We stayed here for the first 2 weeks in August. Arrived on a Friday evening and was really impressed with the grand reception area who dealt with us efficiently. We found our rooms, upstairs in block 9 easily and were glad to find the aircon was on. This stays on all the time without having to have the key in the wall. We were a party of 5 so had 2 rooms next to each other, one with a 3rd temporary bed. Rooms are spacious and beds were enormous. There is a mini fridge and water in the rooms. Room design is a little dated but all ok. Bathroom contained handwashing and shower gel. There the main buffet and and a smaller buffet by the pool open at lunch times. There are 3 restaurants that can be booked and believe these are unlimited. These are the Mandalay (-Asian buffet) the steak house and kulinarium (fine dining, sort of). All three of these were nice. The main buffet is big and always had grilled meat and fish, several pasta dishes, pizzas, burgers and hot dogs (at lunch times) and a range of rice and meat dishes along with assorted vegetables. There are also always a wide choice of salads, and fresh fruit. Breakfasts had pastries, yogurts, fruit, cooked breakfast items, pancakes, and lots of fruit. I found at all times there was plenty of choice. The animation team and entertainment team are really good, there is a party night every Friday alternating between neon party and white party. These were great fun and family friendly.lots of activities each day were available at the pool and the staff there were a lot of fun Pool area was well maintained although there was always a bit of a funny smell around the pool bar. Pool towels were always available, sunbeds were in short supply if you didn’t get up early. The water park was good and only a 2 minute walk from the main pool. Beach was about 10 minute walk and was nice, and lots of shade available there The drinks at the bar were good, a range of cocktails and local spirits always available The staff at the hotel were all very friendly and worked tirelessly, particularly those on bars and in buffets. Would definitely consider staying here again if I went back to Sal

A great hotel and resort! My 15-year-old daughter and I stayed for a week at an all-inclusive resort and had a great time. The resort and our room were clean and comfortable. The staff are super friendly and helpful. The pool is split into two sections, and the first, which is adjacent to the stairs, is the quieter one. The second has the pool bar, so busier, and the loungers at that end go quickly. You will need to get up early each morning to reserve your spot, or you'll run the risk of either not sitting together or not getting a spot at all. The beach is a 5-minute walk from the hotel and is gorgeous; I highly recommend a visit there. If you are looking to book tours or trips, I highly recommend using the locals who are on the approach to the beach. Yes, they are salespeople BUT they are respectful, and if you say no, they will leave you alone (we are lone females and felt very safe). Also, if you book with one, the others respect the contract and will not try to convince you to use them instead. Plus you only pay on the day so if you change your mind, no stress ;). I highly recommend Solomon and his team from A Tours No Stress. We did the island tour, which lasted around 6/7 hours, and we saw everything the beautiful island has to offer. The Salt mines, the Bracona Blue Eye spectacle, yellowfin sharks, Salt Baths- the lot - it was an amazing day, one of the best we had. Hotel Riu Funana has lots of food options, which seemed to run all day every day - you will not go hungry! Our favourite was the à la carte restaurant Kulinarium - the food was fabulous, and the ambience felt very high class. My daughter loved the Asian Mandalay, and we both loved the Steakhouse at Mambana. You should definitely recommend a meal at all three. I wish we had booked Kulinarium twice; it is very popular and gets booked up quickly. During the day, there are lots of activities and entertainment for you to enjoy. I can't speak to what happens for little children, but around the pool there is water aerobics, water polo, plus other non-water-based activities. Lastly, the Friday Riu party is epic; I felt like I was in Ibiza! Such a good, fun night. All in all, Hotel Riu Funana and the team there go out of their way to make your holiday fun, safe and memorable for all the right reasons. We can't wait to go back again!