Hotel Riu Touareg - All Inclusive

First of all TUI should maybe stop marketing this as a perfect winter getaway for January sun. It’s very windy, and it’s a cold wind too. When the sun does come out it’s around 22/23, very cloudy and unpredictable. Red flag beach so couldn’t go in the sea at all, all week, so if you have older kids who love to swim they’ll be disappointed a bit. Now the hotel. 5 star reception, looks amazing when you first arrive. 5 star staff, from the cleaners to the gardeners all lovely conscientious kind friendly people, who work tirelessly to make sure that guest are happy. Cannot fault the staff at all. Gardens are immaculate, toilets and restaurants are cleaned endlessly. 4 star food, absolutely nothing wrong with it, but a bit repetitive. I’m a vegan and my partner is vegetarian and we didn’t struggle at all. You’ll never go hungry as loads of restaurant and opening times, pretty much all day. Rooms now, 2 star at best ! dodgey plugs, broken furniture, we could honestly pee quicker than the shower !! No slippers/robes ( this is rated as a 5 star remember!) not even a magnifier mirror, no where to sit in the room not a single chair, tv not working, we never wanted to watch it, but wouldve been nice if we wanted to, very substandard, uncomfortable bed rubbish pillows that need chucking! Awful smelly sewer smell in the toilet. And smelly spare blanket! We were told it’s undergoing full refurbishment in April, so maybe worth a visit in a year or so. l hope they increase their prices for the refurb as l feel this will deter the chavs that this hotel seems to attract, you know the ones, think they’ve got a great all inclusive deal at a 5 star, trough on the table with manners to match, a bungee chord attached to every bar, and have a vocabulary of swear words used at every other opportunity,those type!! Sorry RIU Touareg we won’t be back.

A relaxing week in the sun. This is the first time we have visited Cape Verde. January weather was warm, but the wind helped it not to feel too hot. Some cloudy days, but still plenty of sun for sunbathing. It is advertised as a 5* hotel. This unfortunately I would have to disagree with. It didn’t have the high standards I expect from a 5*. Staff - helpful and friendly. Always with a smile. Although the maids could be very loud in the mornings from 7am. We stayed in the adult area section, which was quiet and tranquil - which is what we wanted, we didn’t really go to the other pools, as happy to laze in the sun where we were. Evening entertainment a bit hot and miss. Rooms - big and spacious. Clean and tidy, yes the decor is a bit tired, but they are going to start a refurb soon. Not so keen on the openness of the bathroom, no door for shower, so very open. Ok for a couple, but for others sharing would not have felt comfortable. Food was plentiful. The lamb was delicious, so tender. Main buffet area was busy and there was a lot of choice, but could get a bit samey. But this is usual for all-inclusive. Had 4 other restaurants to choose from. We got into the Asian one, this was delicious. Even though in the AO room, we were unable to book their exclusive restaurant. While this didn’t make a huge impact for us, it was something that we missed out on, Before we went heard lots of horror stories - bed bugs, flies, food hygiene etc. got to say we didn’t experience any of this. No bed bugs. Yes there were flies, but they are everywhere. Not enough to cause a problem. I avoided the fresh salad and fruit, due to possibilities of using unclean water, but we didn’t have any upset stomachs. There was a kettle in your room, but if you are a tea /coffee drinker - I would advise you take your own. Can get milk from reception bar. Would I visit again - yes. For what we wanted it was ideal. With a freshening up and a lick of paint I am sure it will be wonderful.

Some negatives, some positives but overall, had a lovely week long holiday at RIU Toureg. Positives: Staff: All are friendly, you can see they work all hours yet all very polite, bar staff especially. Grounds: The grounds are well kept, clean and tidy, can often see the gardeners early on maintaining the grounds, the paths are well kept, everything is clean and tidy. Beach: The hotel is directly on the beach, its stunning, golden sands and lovely views, although we were here in January which was quite windy so unable to go in the sea due to the red warning flags on the beach. Entertainment: The team do their best, it's probably what you can expect from a budget overseas all inclusive holiday, different shows each evening in the main theatre, bit of karaoke afterwards in the bar next door (although this is laid out like a theatre with rows of seats rather than clusters of chairs and perhaps a dance area) also a 'nightclub' not much of a club but somewhere to have a dance if you wanted to. Drinks: Drinks were ok for an all inclusive, beer, long drinks (rum, vodka, tequila etc) with mixers, there's 4 or so cocktails included too and a variation of coffees. Bookable Restaurants: After reading other reviews we learnt to book these onsite restaurants asap so we did so on the riu app after checking in, we dined in: Asian: Our favourite of the bunch, range of sushi, chicken, rice dishes and more of a restaurant feel (although it is buffet style self service) Boa Vista: Listed as a 'traditional' cuisine, it's very fish based with your starters being buffet and main course being a small selection of either 2 fish dishes or mixture of meat skewers. Italian: Thought the food was similar to that of the main buffet restaurant but better surroundings. Negatives: Security: Hate to write this but we had money stolen from our safe, we had a weird issue where after venturing out on day 2, we returned to be unable to open the safe, although we set the code, it kept giving us an 'error' message, we went to reception who sent a fella out to fix, he didn't seem to be surprised of the error, just reset it and off he went. Because we waited in for the chap to come fix it we were now little late to get out so in a rush we left the safe open. When we realised the next morning, the safe was open and also there were 30 euros missing, we only brought 100 euros in cash just for tipping the staff and of course debit cards, so realising there were only now 70 euros and we'd not spent anything yet, someone had clearly helped themselves to 30 euros. My guess is they thought if they take just a little, perhaps we wouldn't notice, as all the jewellery, ipad, macbook was left in the safe - but we did notice because we hadn't spent anything. Really frustrating but was it our own fault for leaving the safe open... possibly, but equally, the room was locked so safe open or closed, how did they get in... Food: Main Restaurant / Poolside Restaurant The food isn't bad, but it's not great either, its budget all inclusive style buffet, sort of random meals thrown together, rice, chips, odd chicken dishes etc.. however, it's not often warm and the flies in the main restaurant and poolside restaurant make you uneasy. Breakfast is a bit chaotic, everyone under your feet, rushing to grab food (probably before flies do ha) but its fine, you won't go hungry here but also won't feel like you've dined well. Like i say - its budget all inclusive, keep that in mind and you'll know what to expect. We had a good week, the room was a little dated but cleaned daily, power shower, we stayed in block 2 on the top floor, i can see why its needed a refurb. We did venture out and do a couple of experiences, sunset dinner and quads - both were really good and was also good to get out the hotel for a while as its pretty remote.

As a family group we have stayed at this hotel for about 6 years and always enjoyed our holidays. This year has been different, we understand that the hotel is going to be refurbished this April for about 6 months and can only hope that thing will be different. The main buffet restaurant has been a let down, The first three days we were there the food labels remained unchanged from breakfast through lunch then on to dinner. Presentation dishes were constantly empty with the staff just shrugging when asked for refills, frequently some of the food was only just warm. One young lady was cutting a joint of meat with what looked to be no training or experience. One good point was the girls who look after the tables, they do a wonderful job and mostly with a smile. Minestrone soup, onion soup, picadillo soup and vegetable soup all the same colour and what looked like the same ingredients (all tasted ok and hot) Bread rolls were constantly running out and could take up to 20 minutes to get replenished. Cheeses and other cold dishes were covered in flies. The honey dispenser was brought out in the morning with little or no honey in it. For the amount of problems in this area I can only assume that there is no supervision, never once saw the head Chef walking around. The Italian and Asian restaurants could do with a little variation in the menu, as they don't seem to have change in all the years we have been coming. The weekly local themed dance around the hotel by the entertainment team plus local support was sorely missed, why was this stopped, all guests seemed to enjoy the dances. The themed night at the Hotel Karamboa was again well supported. The public area toilets were always well looked after but even this has gone downhill, Cleanliness was lacking, no toilet rolls or soap on occasions and as most of the hand dries didn't work why couldn't paper towels be supplied. The bar staff and reception also do a good job. Why has a beautiful and popular 5 star hotel gone downhill so badly. The best I could give this hotel now is a 3+ star rating. Pull your socks up Riu, you have some good staff there, support them.

This was a last minute Holiday, we flew with TUI. The flight was excellent, great team of guys looked after us all the way The hotel is overlooking the ocean but it's the only thing there, however it's like being in a small town so it's not an issue unless you want to go sightseeing, there's another hotel to go to and they have a. bus. The food was really good, however we had to go to the buffet every night as all the other restaurants were fully booked (it was new year so was v busy.) The rooms are what some would say a bit outdated, however I thought they added to the charm, they were clean and well set out our balcony overlooked the sea. The staff were great really laid back and very efficient, make sure you leave them a top because they are worth it. One issue was that we wandered into the adult only by mistake, the area was empty so we thought it would be ok. I decided to go to reception and ask for an upgrade, I was told it was 18 euro a day which I thought was fair as you also got premium drinks. I went back to the pool and my wife was surrounded by 3 big security men, then a Gardner who was watering the garden came over and told them to back off, big thx to the gardener, I wish I'd took his name he was a really nice guy. We gathered our things and started to walk away when he got verbally aggressive and I had to tell him to go away, not a great start to my holiday but I let it go because I don't need grief on my holiday. I had to say this because several other people o met had the same experience. In addition and I don't hold the hotel responsible for this but my teenage daughter was offered cocaine on several occasions at the hotel bar area where there are many families with teenage children, I must emphasize it was not the staff they were brilliant. This needs to be policed better and is the only reason I would not visit again, maybe it's a sign of the times but it's still unacceptable. However big thx to the security guard for escorting my daughter back to her room safely.

Fabulous hotel. The food is really good and plenty of selection. The staff are very friendly and hard working. They keep the hotel extremely clean. We’re still here for another week and can highly recommend it Our only complaint, which isn’t really the hotel’s fault, is people get up as early as 5.30am onwards to put towels on the sun loungers.

We went in the adults only section, we went here when it first opened with our kids, really enjoyed this visit, wasn’t our first choice but can’t really fault it, food is good, plenty of choice, room in block 1 was nice, floods in the hall a little when it rains, but we just put towels down stopping it getting into the room, cats everywhere, four poster bed stank of cats pee, had to ask staff to wash it down, my main gripe is the female staff using the disabled toilets all the time, had to complain as my wife was waiting desperately in her wheelchair outside, don’t know what they were doing in there, as they were in there ages, use the regular toilets, think they were on their mobile phones as they had them in their hands when they came out, management needs to sort this out! But great staff other than that,

When we first looked at coming to Cape Verdi for our first time ( booked it just before Christmas) we were alarmed at some of the very bad reviews. We were torn between Tenerife and Cape Verdi , The girl in our local TUI shop had just come back and reassured us that the hotel was really not as bad as some of the reviews. So I will do my best to address some of the issues raised . Location, Island is lovely breathtaking beaches , the hotel is quite remote nothing in walkable distance. The hotel is a bit tired and accommodation blocks not maintained well, saying that our room was spotless, door was very stiff shower sprayed in any direction it wanted. You can’t drink the water out of the tap , so you get supplied with bottled water (same as Spain) so not a big issue. Bed is very comfortable and huge . Our Maid cleaned our room to the highest standard . Our balcony was nice but it was in a position where it caught the wind so we did not make much use of it . Food, All restaurants are buffet and typical of type of budget all inc you get in Spain . Food is Luke warm at best , plates are cold . We overcome this by using the microwave to heat stuff up . Pizza bar was good and the ice cream was good quality. Food overall would be between 2-3 stars Flies Yes they is a big problem with flies on food , I found it quite off putting and tried to wait until something came straight off the grill so the flies did not get a chance to. We found it worse at breakfast . Bars and drink Just the same as Spanish budget all inc the beer is harsh and only 1 type available, my Wife drinks whiskey and was quite happy with what they were serving . Pools , the outdoor areas and pools all look amazing (bloody cold though) Beach , just perfect golden sand . Sea Forget it .. it’s Red Flag to dangerous to swim and even paddling you can feel the undercurrent. Don’t let your kids anywhere near the sea . So to round this up I feel we had reasonable value for money, but if you are expecting Riu normally high standard you might be disappointed

Great hotel. Plenty of options of food. Staff brilliant. Can’t do enough to help. À la carte could be better still buffet . Would go again

They are 4 star hotels, and this is a 3 star. To mirror the other reviews, the rooms are tired and worn. Broken furniture, rusted metal etc. But I understand they are doing a refurb in April. Food/drink= 3/5 the same selection every night, at the food halls. Quite bland and unappealing. Flies all over the food, in the main buffet hall. Food covers would easily fix this. The restaurants are marginally better. The alcohol tastes bad. No flavour and little effort put into preparing beverages. If you're not a beer drinker, expect watered down alcohol Staff= 3/5 most are very pleasant and smiley but there are some who seem to hate the guests and are very unhelpful, like the beach towel staff. The kitchen staff begin their breakfast prep at about 5am and do not pull any punches when it comes to noise. Loud clattering of plates and cutlery, with shouting thrown in for good measure. Make sure you have your earplugs! Location=4/5 the location of this hotel saves it. The beach is lovely and expansive. Though I would avoid coming between Jan and April, as it is ridiculously windy which makes it difficult to enjoy anything, with sand in your mouth 😅 Cleanliness= appears clean, for the most part, but the beach towels are stained with make up? Blood? Fake tan? I don't know but it seems to be on most of the towels. I would not return