Hotel Riu Buenavista 4*

I always join the Facebook groups of hotels I'm visiting for the best tips to get the most out of my holiday but the group I was in for this hotel all appear to be on commission and furiously defend any criticism or feedback. To the point where people were abusive when I suggested there were things that could improve. Clearly not anything to do with the hotel of course but just a cautionary tale. Riu Buenavista is beautifully located, incredibly clean and staff are pleasant. The soft drinks, spirits, beer, wine and coffees are lovely. Our 2 bedroom room was huge, the shower was lovely, it was cleaned very well and the air conditioning works well. There isn't a huge amount to do in the area but there is an amazing, well lit path hugging the coastline which was brilliant for morning runs and evening walks. The views are beautiful. The pools are clean, the Titanic pool is well heated, the pool towels provided are large and soft and there is a small but decent gym. We took the public bus to the market in Costa Adeje, went to Siam and to Mount Tiede. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay. However...the bathroom towels are tiny and as rough as sand paper (why when pool towels are so lovely?!), we only had two chairs on our terrace (our room could accommodate 6 people!) and they didn't bring us more in spite of asking, the cocktails are from a premix machine and pretty sugary and the food isn't very good at all. One guest suggested (with strong language!) I should 'pay for 5 star then' but I've stayed in many 4 star hotels, some of them Riu, with far, far superior food. This is the most disappointing Riu I have stayed in. Hygiene isn't an issue as far as I could see but variety and quality were. Overcooked meat and pasta, the same dishes on rotation (the only hot pudding I saw was tinned fruit they heat up and call flambe and the other desserts were tiny, synthetic cream cakes that all tasted the same), speciality restaurants just a worse version of the buffet and also, still a buffet. Breakfast was OK, the pancakes were good and the donuts were nice, the juice is truly awful. You can get a decent salad at lunch and you won't be hungry at dinner, it just isn't very nice. The other issue is the sunbed wars, worst I have ever experienced! We get up around 6am to run before it's too hot and the first day, we were shocked at how many sunbeds were reserved. All the best spots are gone by 7am, almost all the sun loungers were gone by 9am though staff worked hard to bring more out and move them around if needed. I, shamefully, found myself on the last day joining in, just to have one day in the prime spot at the Titanic pool! If you've booked, you will have a great holiday, if you haven't a d nice food is an important part of your holiday,maybe look elsewhere.

We stayed for a week with a toddler during school holidays. Hotel was lovely and clean, in a nice location. Quite hilly so do bare this in mind. All staff were friendly. Standard room was big enough for a family of three and travel cot provided was perfect for a toddler with a nice mattress and pillow given for comfort! Bathroom clean, only complaint was that the glass meant the bathroom light was visible in the room itself, so not able to shower once toddler asleep. We were on a fairly high floor and did have to wait a while for lifts at points as there are minimal available Restaurants were repetitive but as expected from an all inclusive. The themed restaurants allowed for a break from the standard options, not à la carte but able to choose from a buffet style like the main restaurant. The Italian was our favourite. Plenty of pools to choose from and we were able to get sunbeds even in afternoon although less choice. All pools salt water so do be careful with re-creaming after using them. Children/baby pool was perfect for us. There was a small playground also in this area with a slide, swings and rockers that was better for older children but toddler still able to make use. The area around the children’s pool/playground is very rough concrete which left our toddler with cut knees on a couple of occasions and I’d definitely recommend use of water shoes. We didn’t make use of any of the activities but the mini disco was fun of an evening. Two nights of our stay this was in the children’s pool which did seem a bit strange. The white party was also good even for children. No issues with noise during evening entertainment despite being in a room overlooking the stage. Local area had things within walking distance. We walked to playa de ajabo both along the sea path and the roads. Road easier with a buggy! Also the shopping centre just up the road with the restaurants was lovely; shops, supermarket to buy snacks and a soft play which was shaded for an afternoon play. Burger King also has a small play area and there are some arcade rides outside. We hired a car and paid to park on site, never an issue getting a space but parking in certain spaces can be tight. Used this to visit Aqualand, jungle park, monkey park and a volcano viewpoint. Overall we had a lovely stay. Good value for what you get and a nice atmosphere with children. If I could change anything for the better it would be some activities/play equipment aimed at younger children and an on site shop.