"Great value, good food and overall a fantastic holiday."
I stayed here for a week’s holiday with a friend and both had a fabulous time.
The hotel is around 30–35 minutes from the airport, which made the transfer quick and easy.
The reception staff were always very helpful. We had a few questions throughout our stay and never had to wait for assistance. We also needed to call reception from our room on a couple of occasions and someone answered immediately.
Our room was spacious, comfortable and well equipped. There were plenty of coat hangers, a fridge stocked with soft drinks and water (soft drinks replenished every two days), a large balcony, a safe, air conditioning and a ceiling fan. We actually found the fan was more than enough overnight. The bathroom was also well stocked with toiletries, which was a nice touch. Our only minor observation was that there wasn’t a dressing table or conveniently placed plug socket in front of a mirror, so using hair straighteners or curlers meant trailing the cable across the room. It certainly didn’t affect our stay, but it’s something worth mentioning.
As we had a late-night flight home, we also made use of the courtesy room before leaving. This has two showers, towels, toiletries and hairdryers, making it easy to freshen up before travelling.
Around the pool there were plenty of sun loungers and umbrellas. Some guests did reserve loungers from around 7am, but even if you arrived later there were still plenty available. The loungers were also very comfortable. Considering the size of the hotel and the number of guests, there was always plenty of space.
There is one large pool and one slightly smaller one. During the busiest parts of the day they were well used but never felt overcrowded. Aqua gym took place twice a day in the smaller pool (around 11am and 4pm for approximately 30 minutes), which was good fun.
Music was played at various times throughout the day, with quieter periods in between, so there was still plenty of opportunity to relax. We found it a little loud at the beginning of the week, although the volume seemed to be reduced later on.
The hotel is right next to a public beach. It looked lovely, although it did get quite busy, so apart from dipping my toes in the sea we didn’t spend much time there, although I’m not really a beach person anyway. There’s also a public promenade outside the hotel, which is perfect for a pleasant walk along the seafront.
The food was excellent. The buffet offered a huge choice at every meal, with plenty of freshly cooked dishes, salads, cheeses and desserts. Breakfast and dinner are served in one restaurant, while lunch is in another, and both have indoor and outdoor seating. We never struggled to find a table outside. If you get hungry between lunch and dinner, there’s also a snack area serving crepes, waffles, desserts and other light bites.
We used the Riu app to book the à la carte restaurants and ate at Crystal and the Steak Restaurant. Both were excellent and, importantly, still included as part of the all-inclusive package with no extra charge. Crystal was particularly impressive from a décor and atmosphere point of view.
The staff throughout the hotel were friendly and welcoming.
If evening entertainment is the main priority for your holiday, this may not be the ideal hotel. There was entertainment every night, and it was perfectly enjoyable and varied, but it wasn’t a standout feature of the resort.
Overall, we had a fantastic holiday. Although this is a large hotel, it’s clearly designed to accommodate the number of guests staying there. At no point did anywhere feel overly crowded, and everything was well organised. We’d happily return.
