Hotel Riu Palace Boavista

Hi all, Honest review here, from a families point of view with 2 adults, a fussy 21 and 12 year old daughters, who have all been to the Sanis, Lopesans, Atriums etc I had read all reviews prior coming and all the negativity regarding illness at the start of the year. Not going to lie but i was in 2 minds whether to cancel. That's where it all ends, as walking into the hotel my mind was put at rest. From the outset, the staff work tirelessly in keeping the whole hotel clean. The gardens are maintained everyday. The walk ways are disinfected daily. Our bedrooms were fine and the bedding, towels and soaps were topped up daily. There was a mini bar in our room with beers, water, tonic plus soft drinks, and optics with vodka, gin, whiskey and rum hanging above.....always nice to have a little livener before going out for the evening. The room even though could do with a minor update, it was still really nice. Pools and small waterpark are all really nice and there are swim up bars also. Pool staff are all really good, and all entertainment were really good also. In honestly, all the staff were great from start to finish My wife and eldest went to the Neon/white party at the neighbouring adults only hotel (short walk away) and had the best evening dancing. Okay, so the flies - I read reviews saying they were all over the food by the thousands. Absolute rubbish, yes there are flies as you are on the tip of Africa, but not like the biblical plague. There are airconditioned areas for breakfast and dinner which from what we saw were pretty much fly free. When you sit outside i would recommend fly fans (we took 2 and only used them for lunch, and still didn't really get pestered). We did see a few flies in the cold food, but as i said, you are in an extremely hot country and you're pretty much in Africa plus the staff work hard to keep everything clear. We have fussy children and they didn't have a problem, so do not let other comments put you off. If you lived through a whole world shut down of Covid, you can live with a potential few flies....feel privileged to even be there. Coming onto the beach, the water can be slightly choppy and wear water shoes as there are a few rocky parts,...other than that, golden sand everywhere and just like the Caribbean. Walking out onto the beach, turn left and keep walking...you feel as if you're getting nowhere and in the distance you will see another town, but all off a sudden out of nowhere, you will find a bar on your left.....a little gem of a find and you'll know what i mean when you get there.....apart from the fantastic outlook, the cocktails were amazing. You do have some seller on the beach outside the hotel, but security are good with them and just say No Obrigado (Means no thank you) and they pretty much leave you alone. Recommend you learn the basic hello, thank you and good day in Portuguese or Creole....they really appreciate this and will engage even more. Tours - we booked all through Get your guide. We did the sand dunes, sand surfing, shark spotting (yes we got to see a couple of sharks) and turtle watching. We booked an evening excursion to see turtles laying their eggs, and we got the privilege of holding a hatchling....total bucket list stuff. Turtle season for babies and laying eggs are at the end of August/ early September, so we felt very fortunate to be there. Everything is all inclusive, some hotels say all inclusive but when you get there, there is sometimes an extra for premium stuff, but this hotel is actually all inclusive of everything, so just relax. Big question, would i go back - Yes, was a great place, the entire islands moto is no stress, and that was exactly what it was. All the best and NO STRESS

We arrived at the Rui Palace Boavista on the 13th August, upon arrival we were greeted with welcome drinks and a reception team who were polite and beaming with smiles. The receptionist who served us was very knowledgeable explaining where all the facilities were which included restaurants, bars, pools, onsite shop etc. our room wasn’t ready until 3pm and was shown where to get a bite to eat and drink whilst waiting. Check-in was smooth and our suitcases were dealt with by the helpful waiting staff who attached labels of our pending room to be delivered when the room was ready. Once checked in we made our way to the African restaurant which is the main buffet restaurant. Upon entering we were greeted by the amazing waitressing team who were on hand for drinks orders, etc. The waitressing team throughout our stay were attentive, remembered each guests drinks order before they ordered, they took the time to get to know guests individually which added to the great level of service my family and others experienced. The selection of food from the buffet restaurants to the specialty restaurants were really good. Great selections, spoilt for choice there was something for all types of appetites. Before walking into the restaurants there were designated area to sanitise guests hands, which I felt was needed as some guests although the hotel advised guests not too would feed the cats that were within the grounds. The cats were never in areas where guests were they usually stayed within the gardens. Due to the hot climate flies were an issue within the buffet restaurants, however within the speciality restaurants was less due to the design of the hotel. The staff did over and above to deal with the issue, fly fans were put near food that were semi covered however throughout our stay we noticed they covered all the areas they possibly could and tried to lock the electrical doors to stop flies getting into the buffet areas etc. we ate at all three speciality restaurants which were Krystal’s, Chinese and steakhouse. All three were exceptional our favourite was the steakhouse, we ate there quite a few times, even our son who is fussy had no issues dining at any of the restaurants. After having a bite to eat and exploring the hotel, our room was ready, we were on the second floor and our suitcases were brought to the room by a lovely waiter. The room was spacious, clean and enough room for two adults and one child without feeling you were on top of each other. The bathroom was massive and the shower was gorgeous with a seat inside, the decor was light and the artwork within the room added to the decor. In addition to this, throughout our stay the housekeeping staff were exceptional. We either spoke to the housekeeper who knocked each day to see if our room needed to be clean or my husband would request for the room to be clean through the Rui app. The minibar selection was decent and replenished every other day or you could request it to be restocked through the app. We had our room cleaned daily and the housekeeping again were exceptional, we tipped every other day due to the exceptional service they provided. We found throughout our stay there were plenty of sun beds, no issues getting one the beach is opposite the pools which was handy and provided picture perfect views. The vendors on the beach were nice and if you wasn’t interested they would leave you alone we never had to repeat ourselves which was nice. The beach was clean, the hotel had security overseeing the beach and lifeguards. We were informed due to strong currents in the sea to adhere to the flag system. The red flag means no one should enter the sea as it could be dangerous, a yellow flag meant to enter the sea with caution and a green meant safe to enter. The majority of our stay the flag was yellow the waves are strong but myself and our 12 year old son were fine. The poolside areas were clean and so were the pools. The housekeeping team were everywhere cleaning throughout the day. The two family pools were huge plenty of space for everyone as well as the adult only pool. The bars were located near all three pools although there isn’t any waiter service, walking to the bars were not far away. We found the entertainment team hilarious especially precious and Junior who went around both pools to get guests involved in the daily activities. They kept the guests entertained, especially children of all ages. We found a bar staff member Fredy and Anderson very attentive and willing to have a conversation about anything and they always remembered our drinks order. The activities were good our son partook in the beach football and bingo which he enjoyed. We enjoyed the evening entertainment, the entertainment team should be proud of the amazing talents they are. They made the guests feel special also got the children involved which I found lovely. The sports bar was a hangout for teenagers due to having a pool table and a football table which they took turns, our son with supervision spent many nights with the friends he made. Overall we had a fabulous time and would like to thank everyone who made our stay so special. We would also like to thank the spa team as they provided an excellent service for myself and my husband we would recommend the Cape Verde combination massage. We would also like to thank the on-site shop team the were all lovely and always ensured they were stocked with items guests might need. We miss Cape Verde already and would definitely recommend this hotel. We read the reviews before coming and were worried however our worries were unfounded upon arrival due the exceptional service provided. The only criticism we had were the sun loungers and tables need replacing as well as the canopies and parasols as they have seen better days. Besides this we enjoyed our two week vacation at the Rui BoaVista and met some lovely people throughout our stay. Thank you to the Rui Palace Boavista the hotel was alway immaculate and clean. The staff were amazing and because of this we will return.