Hotel Riu Cabo Verde 5*

I'm hoping it was just our room, please don't book, absolute sticking hole!!! I'm not the kind of person to write a review but I fell I have to. The smell of damp/ammonia is unbearable... The mold, stains, damp in the room is unbelievable, if you leave it like this your bound to get poor reviews. Rubbish from previous guests, we've been here 4 hours and found 3 cockroaches. Please do not book this filthy hotel.

Whilst we did enjoy our holiday, we unfortunately did not feel that the hotel was 5 star, more like a 3. Positives: -The room was clean, spacious and the beds were very comfy. The mini bar was also well-stocked, and the maids did a fantastic job of cleaning the room. -The grounds of the hotel are maintained well, and they clearly look after the many cats there! -There was a good variety of drinks available. -The beach is lovely once you get past the sunbeds which look a little tired. - We enjoyed going to the coffee bar. It is one of the only places with air con (bar the buffet) and had desserts which were kept in a fridge away from flies, unlike the buffet. Areas which didn’t feel like a 5 star: - Whilst the buffet did offer many options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it was near enough the same every day, no theme nights. It was clear that many things, such as the vegetables, were frozen and not fresh. There are also no options to have things like pasta, omelettes or pancakes freshly cooked for you which we have experienced at other 5* hotels. - Our family were very hot on hygiene, using hand sanitizer frequently and only using bottled water, but all of us still experienced upset stomachs whilst at the hotel. Whilst we can’t guarantee it was from the food, this is the likely source. Flies were constantly all over the food and nothing was done to prevent this. - The pool area was quite unclean. The sunbeds were stained and the pool itself was quite murky. A plaster was left by the pool in the middle of our holiday and was still there when we left. -Whilst the entertainment team did work very hard, we were expecting a little more from the entertainment for a 5* hotel. We still managed to make the most of our holiday and have a lovely time. The hotel could easily be a 5* if the above things were addressed. It is not a bad hotel at all, but if you are looking for a 5* experience, unfortunately we personally did not feel we experienced this.