Riu Palace Boavista - All Inclusive

Just home from a week at RIU Palace boa vista . I have been very nervous for this trip , considering all the news coverage about illness & travelling with two small boys , my main concern was that anyone would be ill & ruin our time together or even worse still end up in hospital. I had contacted the hotel before leaving (& TUI) & asked for an update on what they do to prevent illness & never did get a response . However upon arrival , the meeting on the morning made us all feel at ease as they explained everything food wise is cleaned in filtered water & all ice is made from bottled / filtered water . I started to relax a little ! On our first night at the buffet i was completely overwhelmed with choice & the fact that they so confidently served things like sushi & soo much raw & cooked fish, it all looked fantastic . But generally The things you know you should generally stay away from at a big buffett anywhere in the world incase of illness . Never the less we ate freely & had no worries at all. The main concerning thing for us was the ammount of Flies in the buffet, & actually in the food . I have travelled through 10 countries in Africa on a bus backpacking & whilst i fully appreciate it is Africa & The sheer volume of flies maybe couldn’t have been helped. I do believe that more could be done to protect the food in the buffet . It was soo off putting & just unbearable to sit outside with all of them around us. There was some hard core Riu boa vista returning fans who were very well prepared with fly deterrents with them & spinny fans on the table , i wish we had thought of this too! The main thing for me was going to put yoghurt in my bowl in the morning & finding dead flies all within the yoghurt , & at every meal time there was dead flies within food . i truly think something else could be done to help . The staff are just unbelievable & do everything & anything to help & are so friendly, genuinely can’t fault them . The pools & hotel were very busy when we were there, but we still managed to get a sunbed each day, even if it wasn’t exactly where we wanted we were pretty chilled & just moved wherever there was space . The party pool as we liked to call it was always soooo busy with people enjoying their holiday & using the pool bar kids around & all. We found the pool with the built in sunbeds the most family friendly one throughout the day. One thing i’d love to highlight as it was a huge highlight of our stay here in August was the baby sharks & turtles you can see first thing in the morning. Each morning on the beach we got up at 6am & went to see what we could see. Absolutely fascinated to learn that this beach & bay was a well known nursery for Hammerhead sharks , reef sharks & some others. We saw absolutely tons of baby reef sharks & 3 hammerheads , countless turtles in the water ! it really was a highlight . One day we walked down towards sal rei & came across some turtle markings on the beach where they had come ou

Me and my friend returned 10 days ago from a lovely, relaxing week at this hotel. Rooms spacious and comfortable with a fab shower, iron, safe, kettle, fridge with drinks and optics. There is a hairdryer in the bathroom but it kept cutting out after a minute or two. We rang reception who told us it was normal for the hairdryer to stop after 2 minutes and restart later…bring your own if you can! Bars, restaurants, pools, and outdoor spaces clean and well kept. Beautiful beach with plenty of sun beds, the sea was calm enough to paddle in most days but does get rough. The weather was hot with a strong breeze, perfect for us. The donkey that visited us on the beach each day was an added bonus. Food was good with lots of choice at the buffet, and the à la carte restaurants gave good service and lovely food, but limited menus. There is a menu for cocktails and drinks but if you ask for something else they will make it if they can. The margaritas were very pleasant. Evening entertainment was the usual offerings, we went to the white party at the Karamboa and that was a nice change. There is a shop onsite, nice stuff but expensive. As we didn’t venture out I bought my souvenirs from the airport, which turned out to be cheaper than the hotel shop. We had a really nice stay at the RIU Palace and would definitely go back at the right price.

We had an amazing 11 nights at the hotel Riu palace Boavista The hotel is beautiful, the rooms were spotless, the gardens well maintained and the beach is absolutely stunning with soft white sand and clear blue water. The staff were friendly and always happy to help which made the stay even better. There was a great choice of food at the buffet, so we didn’t venture into the speciality restaurants we were happy with what was on offer each day for breakfast lunch and dinner times. We never struggled to find a sunbed round the pool or on the huge beach, and the entertainment in the evenings was very enjoyable especially the ABBA and Rock band shows, the dancers worked really hard and each night came talking to the audience which was a special touch. However there were two negatives that I feel should be mentioned, the first one is the Neon and White parties that are held at the Riu Karamboa a short five minute walk away from the palace, although the atmosphere is fantastic the drinks and service in this hotel are disgusting, this hotel needs to get its act together and provide a better service and better drinks. The second negative is if you don’t want to be surrounded by smoke, you’ll find it hard to get away from it, although smoke isn’t allowed anywhere that is undercover part of the entertainment arena is outdoor so the smoke drifts into the under covered area, also if you want to sit on your balcony keep your fingers crossed you don’t get a smoker who is in a room nearby, when I mentioned it at reception they said I could change rooms but we were near the end of our holiday so we didn’t want the upheaval, keep the smokers in a block on there own then everyone will be happy. We even enjoyed watching cape Verdi in the World Cup during our stay and the great atmosphere made it even more special. Overall it was a fantastic holiday, if you’re looking for somewhere to relax with great food, excellent service and a gorgeous beach I’d highly recommend the RIU PALACE BOAVISTA we are already thinking about booking again. ,

Repeat customers, and we will be back again! Food: Fabulous, plenty of variety still at the buffet. Fries no issue at all, we had fly fans and didn’t use them. Used them more at home in the UK! Noticed a slip in standards when the place staff started to go on holiday, and Touareg staff started coming over to work. Evening waiting staff stood around chatting at the buffet tables rather than clearing tables, and preparing new tables. The chefs on their phones. Drinks: Slight change since we visited 3 years ago. Sadly can’t make particular drinks anymore due to time and cost efficiencies. Still good and plenty of choice. But top service and hospitality from Anderson, Bruno, Hernany, Rito on Grogue. And thank you to Natzia, Rovaldo, Bruna and Kristian in Ponche. These guys keep the atmosphere upbeat and work tirelessly in the heat to make sure you have a good holiday. Rooms: Typical Riu Palace, large shower, same layout. Sparklingly clean. Just noticed some wear and tear with furnishings looking tired in some places (arm rests/tiles/grouting). Not sure if short staffed or the maids need to fit more into their shifts, but we did find the maid didn’t leave towel art or flowers on the bed compared to our prior visit despite tipping and giving chocolate. Great sleep and felt refreshed! Grounds/garden: Spotless, well kept and pristine. So much hard work goes on behind the scenes. Lobby area/coffee bar: Very clean still, and same layout. Very friendly reception team. I would just encourage that the rugs in the reception area get replaced, they are quite old and are starting to smell, which was noticeable whilst having coffee on the sofa and arm chairs. Glad that we timed our trip to see friends who normally work here. Shout out to Vania for her amazing hospitality, and bringing such joy and care to her work, ensuring everyone has a fun holiday. The customer is at the heart of everything she does. We will be back, and hopefully leave it not too long this time!

Fantastic holiday from start to finish. Yes there is not much to do. I went for the Easter holidays with the intention of resting. The staff are all lovely, from the waiters, maids and bar staff etc. The hotel is immaculately clean, yes there are flies but I found eating inside helped. When I first arrived, I worried about my health as I am expecting. I noticed the food hall was swamped with flies but this only happens if it is ridiculously warm and Thank God it didn’t occur again. I did purchase fly fans. Wash hands thoroughly and regularly and use hand sanitiser and you should not be sick. Please do not let the media put you off a fab holiday as it almost did me!

This was our 1st visit here. We were worried about the health issues in previous reviews. We needn't have worried, the hotel is spotlessly clean. The staff are so friendly and helpful. The grounds are amazingly clean and maintained. The room we had was on the ground floor and was in an ideal location for all the amenities. The bathroom was amazing with a shower, big enought for 12 people. The room itself was large and kept very clean by the maid. The food was amazing and plenty of choice. There are three other a la carte restaurants that are well worth a visit. There are 3 pools open to everyone. (Two with swim up bars)We used the one on the RHS as all the action happens there. The beach is lovely and long, but the sea is often too rough to swim in. The many bars serve perfect drinks including cocktails and I can honestly say i never had to wait long for service. We met lots of lovely couples. We will definitely be returning.

Once again a brilliant faultless holiday! Been here six times. Staff are truly amazing and can't do enough for you. Food always good but even better this year, and they've brought back the fish and meat nights where you can choose what type of meat or fish you want, how thick you want it and have it cooked especially for you! Hotel and room absolutely spotless! Every member of staff is happy and want to make your holiday great! Most of the staff have been there years and know us now, which is so lovely, especially with the amount of tourists they have every year! Would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone! Love it!

Having read many reviews of the hotel I booked my holiday. The six hour flight is an endurance test but the airport is small and as a result on the coach to the hotel 20 minutes after landing. Worth saying the transfer is just a 4 minute ride airport to hotel. Check in on line is worth it, but keep in mind if you arrive on the TUI 12.55 arrival your room will probably not be ready till 3pm so not much point on rushing around. The hotel is spacious clean and very well staffed. All the staff speak as you pass them and the buffet staff are excellent. Both the pool bars are well staffed and a pleasant way of spending an hour overlooking the beach and palms if you want to escape the pools, as other people have said there are children at each of the three pools so it can be noisy. The rooms are large, kept clean no issues. The main Buffet Africa has superb choice of food, I enjoyed the fish and carvery offerings in particular. However small gripe, the scrambled egg was always runny and the bacon seemed to have been incinerated . Otherwise all good and the range of fresh fruits great. The evening entertainment I often saw them rehearsing in the mornings they clearly enjoy their work. I very much enjoyed my break, not an insect bite thanks to the mosquito spray and bracelets from Amazon. Make use of the hand hygiene sprays when you see them and you should be fine, backed up with frequent hand washing. I intend to revisit the hotel next year, enjoy your own holiday.

We came for 2 wks at Easter this is one of the best places we've visited , all of us have had so much fun from start to finish. The staff at this hotel are what make the difference they are so kind and always greet you with a smile. The cleaning staff are honestly the hardest working people I've seen they are none stop and this is reflected by the cleanliness here. There are sanitising stations at all bars and restaurants. The food here was amazing I normally live on pizza when on holiday, but I never had to eat it here as there was so much choice the meat was outstanding ( I don't eat fish so can't say about the fish) we did the Asian & steakhouse , steakhouse for us served the best steak we've had in any all inclusive hotel, Asian wasn't for us but that's only personal choice. Drinks were also great and plenty of choice. Evening entertainment for us was a bit of a let down yesterday they do shows but being there 2 wks we saw them both twice and most of the time the backing music was so loud you couldn't hear what the singers were singing. Beds were also great and we slept very well. Again thank you to all the staff that made our holiday so amazing until the next time.