Hotel Riu Karamboa 5*

Location is exceptional, atmosphere is fantastic too, evening shows are great too. It was great value for money and was very clean too. The staff cannot do enough for you and very polite during our stay. My only negatives are; to make it a true 5 star accommodation it needs to sort the old equipment out in the gym, The treadmills are not fit for purpose whatsoever and the AC within the gym was non-functional to the point where running outside in 27 degrees was cooler than doing so in the gym. Also, buffet meals get very boring and repetitive for lunches and evening meals as only allowed to book the 3 premium restaurants once in during a 7 night stay. Was not impressed with the dessert Kulmarium Gourmet restaurant, it was still frozen when presented to us and even when replaced it had ice inside it - albeit less than the 1st serving. Also no tables to put drinks by the sun lounges. Would I still recommend and stay here again, yes 100% and hope they take my criticism as a positive and make some adjustments.

Our first time to Cape Verde and it certainly won’t be our last. Our first impression was just how big the hotel was, we were initially a bit worried but soon worked out that there is a central hub with reception area, restaurants, bars and entertainment venue. Then the pools , snack bars are mirrored on either side, so you don’t actually need to go all over the hotel, everything you want is on one side or the other. We did not use the speciality restaurants as we were perfectly happy with the quality/selection of food at the main restaurants. Despite the size of the hotel, we never had to wait for a table, neither did we have to wait for food to be replaced in the serving areas , something we have experienced in other hotels, having to wait for food to come from the kitchen. All food tastes are catered for and they appear to cater for vegan/vegetarians etc. The waiting staff were friendly and welcoming. They would bring drinks however there are a number of self service areas within the restaurant for soft drinks, tea/cofee, wines and even a beer pump, which pleased my husband ! The rooms were kept clean although did in parts seem a little dated. The minibar replenished on alternate days. Evening entertainment: there is the “ white and “Neon” Friday party nights which seemed very popular. I am of an age where that sort of thing no longer interests me, but that is my personal choice, it’s there if you want to have fun. I was happy playing cards in the lobby bar while sipping cocktails. While we were there England were playing in the World Cup. The hotel very kindly opened up the evening entertainment venue as the sports bar would not have accommodated the number of people. Something they didn’t have to do , but my husband and I appreciated the fact we could watch on a big screen with all the bars open. So well done to the hotel for that extra touch. Daytime entertainment was very good, lots of activities going on. I loved watching the water balloon fight in the pool, never seen so many people throwing water bombs, it was a sight to see and great fun. The pools and surrounding areas were spotless, sun-beds readily available , beach was popular so sun-beds often gone by late morning. We found the swim up bar a bit noisy at times, when people sit in there drinking all day it can occasionally get a bit rowdy. That is my personal opinion, we didn’t use it but others may enjoy that sort of thing, we all have different ways of enjoying ourselves. Got to mention the ladies who clean the toilets by the pool, they are there all day constantly cleaning. I have never been in such well kept toilets and consider myself quite well travelled. They even left animal towel art and fresh flowers. All of the staff were friendly and helpful, a credit to the hotel. I have only ever returned to the same hotel once before, I like to experience different places. But I would certainly return here. Very enjoyable holiday, would definitely recommend going to the Karamboa