Hotel Riu Touareg - All Inclusive

“AMAZING HOLIDAY”

Stayed at the RIU for 11 days and wow what a holiday! This hotel has breathtaking views along with excellent staff that can’t do enough for you. The food is a buffet and the amount of food you can choose from has enough for every single day. DONT BELIEVE THE REVIEWS ABOUT THE FOOD. There is so mu... more

Stayed at the RIU for 11 days and wow what a holiday! This hotel has breathtaking views along with excellent staff that can’t do enough for you. The food is a buffet and the amount of food you can choose from has enough for every single day. DONT BELIEVE THE REVIEWS ABOUT THE FOOD. There is so much variety. All the staff are incredible, they have so much fun whilst doing their job. They will never stop smiling which also highlights the amazing charisma this hotel has. From the complex you are a 2 minute walk from the beach which has lovely golden sand and blue water. The perfect walk for the morning. We booked some amazing excursions from here which included stargazing, a sunset dinner and a tour of the local village life. Cannot fault this holiday at all and everyone at the RIU hotel. Great entertainment at night and changes every night. Lovely outside bar and swim up bar. A fair few a la carte restaurants that you have to book into and all of them were lovely. I had my anniversary and birthday here and the staff took the time to decorate tables and bed. Even on the excursions the hotel made sure they knew about it and make a big fuss which was amazing. Overall I would give this a 5 star and would recommend anyone to come here. Don’t believe the negative reviews that people are saying. This is one of the best holidays we have ever had and would definitely come back again.

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“Great for families”

We last came to Boa Vista in 2011 and stayed at the Karamboa which was the only hotel at that time. They were training the staff for the newly built Touareg and we decided that we would return. Just took us 12 years to do so lol! We booked with Tui. Firstly the airport. We travelled out on a Tues... more

We last came to Boa Vista in 2011 and stayed at the Karamboa which was the only hotel at that time. They were training the staff for the newly built Touareg and we decided that we would return. Just took us 12 years to do so lol! We booked with Tui. Firstly the airport. We travelled out on a Tuesday. We left Gatwick 40mins late but time was made up so arrived on time. There was already a large Air Portugal plane and another Tui plane from Stockholm that had arrived shortly before us and I could see from my window the queue for passport control. It was horrendous. It didn’t look like anything had improved over the 12 years since our last visit. Be warned, you will be standing in direct sun before you get to the covered area. We were in this queue for over an hour. I’d like to know where the government is spending the airport tax that everyone pays to visit Cape Verde. It’s not being spent on the airport that’s for sure. It takes about 45mins to get to the hotel and most of the road conditions are good. Check in at the hotel was busy. Best to do the Riu online check in before hand as there is a separate queue for this which will get you through quickly. The hotel is massive, set out in blocks surrounded by several swimming pools. You will do a lot of walking! The grounds are beautiful and well maintained by a bevy of gardeners, constantly trimming,mowing and general tidying. All the staff were great. Friendly and engaging. Waiting staff in restaurants always had a smile and quick to take drink orders but you could also help yourself at the dispensers too. Plenty of food choices, the Pizza section was always busy. We enjoyed the Asian restaurant best and managed to get booked in twice over our 2 week holiday. Drinks, we stuck to wine, beer, sangria and we liked the coffee liqueur for evenings. A lot of the cocktails were sugary. Sun beds, yes you have to grab early if you want a particular spot. The parasols are the fixed bamboo style. Probably due to the winds. Due to previous skin cancer I can’t sit out during the middle of the day but I did manage to find a spot that shielded me from the sun 11-3 but I had to get it bagged by 7.30am! There are plenty of beds though and also on the beach too. Cats, we like them and took some cat biscuits out with us that my two turned their nose up to. There were several that had their favourite spot and were usually around in the evenings when it’s cooler. They were a bit sceptical at first as mostly they get fed fresh food but soon adapted. The young kittens were cute, I mostly fed them although they all seem in good health they wouldn’t bother you if you’re not a fan. Evening Entertainment, some of the shows we had seen before but the team work hard to entertain us. White Nite/Neon Nite @ The Karamboa, we went to both. Free transfer takes about 40mins. Book via Riu App. Both nights were awesome! Thank you Riu for providing this. They don’t do this in the Senegal yet. Homeward bound, the airport was worse. Long queue to check in with an even longer queue for security leaving little time to grab food/drink before boarding. We made some rolls at breakfast to take with us as we left hotel before lunch. I’ve given this review as a 4* rating for the following reasons:- Many rooms need updating. Room towels poor quality More toilets needed around pool areas. Only I spare plug socket No sparkling wine available except in adult only area and at breakfast on Sundays. This has been fully available at every Riu we have previously stayed at. We love Riu but this hotel is too big with too many families who think it’s acceptable to dine in speciality restaurants with young children and babies having a tantrum and throwing food around while other diners are trying to enjoy a nice meal! Adult only for us in future.

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“Not 5* luxury”

Not 5* - The food was repetitive, and most dishes were tasteless. The beer is watered down, or it's a very low %. The hotel, during the day, is not suitable for kids. There is no shelter from the baking sun. The pool parasols cannot be moved as they are built into the ground. If you have a crawli... more

Not 5* - The food was repetitive, and most dishes were tasteless. The beer is watered down, or it's a very low %. The hotel, during the day, is not suitable for kids. There is no shelter from the baking sun. The pool parasols cannot be moved as they are built into the ground. If you have a crawling baby then reconsider this hotel as all the floor surfaces are hard. There are NO places for your child to crawl around without the fear of them cracking their heads open. The bedrooms are dated and the toilets stink of sewage. The kids pool area / play area is again open to the baking sun. The hotel needs to consider putting sun shades / sun sails above the play area. The slides for example can't be used as they're metal and too hot. Positives - the pools are big and the hotel is spotless thanks to the cleaning staff. All the staff work tirelessly and are very polite.

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