Hotel Riu Atoll

This was our second holiday at Riu Atoll and we loved it as much as the first visit. The island is the prettiest that we've visited, with breathtakingly beautiful views. The staff are fabulous, nothing is too much trouble for them. At the Sunshine Pool Bar, we always felt welcome and got consistently great and friendly service from Rumesh and Roshan. Jess was brilliant as ever, and was so good with our twins. She and they remembered each other from our last visit. Nico, Supon and Singha were great too - all of these bar staff feel like friends and will make you any drink that you ask for, if they have the ingredients. Our room was always immaculate with lovely towel animals from Damith. He was friendly and helpful if we needed anything. A special mention to Nandana, who always checked in and had a chat, on this and our last visit. Food - the buffet was brilliant, with so much choice at each serving. We ate far too much as it was all so delicious and tempting! The chefs do an amazing job here, providing a great variety of dishes. Phillipe always welcomed us at the buffet and restaurants, the rest of the staff were great too, in particular, Suarez, who always joked with the children and chatted with us, Rahul, Yoosuf and Deep were all lovely, helpful and welcoming to name a few of many. Susie was also so friendly and helpful, nothing was too much trouble. These guys all work so hard to make sure we have a great experience, and they succeed. The Steakhouse and Italian restaurants are a real treat. Its nice to be served your meal and the food is so good. The steaks are tender and well cooked. The lovely lady who wears traditional dress at the steakhouse is a great team member too, who we've met on both visits. The reef is a delight to snorkel, though we had some days where the current was strong, so had to take care. The end of the island where the reef and sand bank are is stunning. we walked there almost daily, to see the beautiful views (and burn off some of that fabulous food!) Evening entertainment is very good, we especially enjoyed White Night and Flower Power Night. We're not so fussed on karaoke, but appreciate that others like it. We also enjoyed the pop up bar on the beach by the buffet. This was really nice for a change and the lady who sang had such a nice voice. More of that would be good. If we could make any suggestions it would be to have the Sunshine pool bar open some evenings as a quieter option. A small pop up bar at the reef end during the day would also be a welcome addition as if you are visiting that end of the island there are no options for refreshments. Well done to all of the Riu staff who helped make our stay such a good one!

The best barmens ever! Jessica, Roshan and Rumesh