Riu Arecas

We've stayed at the Riu Arecas many times over the last few years. We stayed here this time for 9 nights half board (breakfast and dinner, drinks not included) We like the hotel, it has a good feel to it in general, with a nice crowd (we've never seen so many people dance at a Riu hotel) The size of the dance floor is far too small, and also entertainment finishes FAR TOO EARLY at about 10.30pm... with absolutely nothing on after this... which is ridiculous. Entertainment should be on until at least 11pm please (suggestion... if noise to the nearby rooms is an issue then pull the glass doors closed after the entertainment finishes and have some music on until midnight so people can dance) It's a very busy & often full occupancy hotel, which must be a great plus for Riu Hotels & Resorts. We've love the adults only concept. The cleanliness of the hotel everywhere is very good. The food is always good and "some" of the staff are helpful and friendly. Nice enough rooms & bathrooms, the colour palate is very "brown" Brown tiles everywhere, brown curtains, brown (wornout) furniture (see photos) We would say the rooms would now benefit from a small refresh/change of curtains and furniture maybe. The chance to go to visit either the Neon or White party (depending on your length of stay) held at the Riu Buenavista every Friday night is a nice option also. Overall a good hotel, great location and good food, lots of options at the buffet. The Spanish Restaurant is a nice touch too if you're bored of the buffet. 'Andrew' on the front desk is exceptional, so friendly & excellent customer service. Our main observation is that the sunbathing terrace by the infinity pool at the beach area needs some parasols (there aren't any) Also, some of the woven/wicker/Tiki parasols at the beach need some attention/maintenance, many of them are worn out, see through & not effective as a sun shade (see photo) At the main pool areas (nearest the hotel) the concrete flooring is all broken up/degrading & very gritty (see photo) this also needs attention/maintenance. Many of the retractable sun canopies/pergola style sun shades are broken/aren't retractable with a cord/pulley (a member of staff can only operate them) how ridiculous... again, maintenance issues. WiFi is TERRIBLE. Disconnected CONSTANTLY. Reserving of sunbeds here at this hotel is in absolute FULL FORCE, Sunbeds being reserved from about 7am, very selfish of other guests. Here are my pointers both positive ✅️ & negative ❌️ Great ✅️ ✅️ Clean throughout. ✅️ Great Housekeeping (Everything is always restocked & cleaned) ✅️ Large rooms ✅️ Comfortable beds (shame there is no duvet though) ✅️ Great bathrooms (water restrictors on taps is annoying) poor water pressure ✅️ Fantastic food selection (albeit a little repetitive) ✅️ Good bar service and great drinks ✅️ Great refurbished Gym/Fitness centre ✅️ Good swimming pools, temperature good (Warm enough to swim comfortably) However, there are MANY negatives I have listed regarding the two main pool areas at this hotel (see below) ⬇️ ✅️ Some staff are very friendly, 'Pilar' is lovely, also 'Clara' & 'Jaqueline' in the buffet. Also 'Laura' excellent ✅️ Excellent Bar Service ('Paloma' is exceptional) ✅️ Great location ✅️ Pool towels (pool towel exchange open all day) ✅️ Lovely atmosphere throughout ✅️ A great 4 star rated option ✅️ Great value ✅️ Riu Class Diamond status recognised ✅️ Excellent Reception/Front desk team (Andrew is exceptional) ✅️ Dining options of main Buffet & additional restaurant ✅️ Adults only ✅️ Safe in room included ✅️ Entertainment very good. 'Comical Symfunny' by George & Claudia were excellent. Maxband were Excellent (lots of guests dancing) Abba tribute... really good ✅️ Visible Management most of the time Needs improvement ❌️ ❌️ Entertainment finishing at 10.30pm is ridiculous... far too early. Should be on until at least 11pm ❌️ WiFi kept going off CONSTANTLY & disconnecting (especially within room) ❌️ Horrid, worn brown towels in bathrooms (white towels are the industry standard for bathroom towels) ❌️ Furniture in room is poor/worn badly ❌️ Water pressure really low in bathrooms on sink and shower taps... "restrictors" have been installed resulting in poor water pressure ❌️ Beds in room should have duvets, not blankets ❌️ Air Conditioning & fans need to be left on in the gym as it was always very warm ❌️ Gym should remain open until 8pm (7pm is too early as guests were still wanting to use it at 7pm) 🏊‍♂️ Main two swimming pool negatives 🏊‍♂️ ❌️ Sunbeds being reserved from about 7am, so all the popular places around the pool are taken by the same selfish guests ❌️ Not enough Sunbeds at the two main pools & this should be increased as around 20 more beds could be added at the ends of each pool ❌️ No toilets at one of the pool areas (the one to the right hand side) as you walk down ❌️ Constant scraping noises from people pulling Sunbeds around the concrete (this includes the pool staff at the pools at around 5pm/6pm) ❌️ No inflatables allowed in swimming pools ❌️ Sunbeds at infinity pool on beach need parasols ❌️ Grass/Tiki style parasols at beach area... some of them require replacing/maintenance as they're worn out and not effective as a sun shade ❌️ Main pool areas have broken, degrading & gritty concrete flooring at the poolside ❌️ Many retractable Canopies/pergolas around the main pool areas are broken/don't work with a cord/pulley (a member of staff can only operate them) Quite frankly unacceptable Suggestion for management...add a sunbathing terrace above the pool bar to alleviate the sunbed space problem (Riu Papayas have done this on two unused roof areas) so maybe you should consider doing this here at the Riu Arecas. Also another toilet block desperately needs adding to the pool to the right hand side.

Very good hotel with an excellent choice of food at both breakfast and evening.The rooms were cleaned daily and were comfortable, we had booked a pool view room but wouldn’t say it had the best view of the pool areas but had a nice sea view. All the staff were very friendly and always smiling. Entertainment was the usual hotel cheesy acts but didn’t bother us as we went out most nights. The hotel is quite a walk from the main hustle and bustle of Las Americas and Los Christianos and a taxi worked out at about €15 each way.

Overall, we had a pleasant stay and the staff were extremely helpful and friendly throughout. The service was outstanding, and the boys on reception were especially helpful assisting us with accessing a hotspot and mobile data for our Kindle. The fish dishes served during the week were delicious, and the fresh fruit was excellent. However, there were a few areas that need improvement. The towels really need upgrading as they were thin and threadbare. The pool sun loungers were uncomfortable and would benefit from cushions. Unfortunately, one member of staff at the pool was rude to my partner when returning the pool towels. Our room was also too close to the evening entertainment. As we do not drink or attend the entertainment, we would have preferred a quieter room. In addition, more English TV channels would have been appreciated rather than the large number of German channels available. Despite these issues, the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff made a positive difference to our stay.

What can I say, this is a lovely place to stay. Says it all when there are so many repeat visitors. The staff are friendly, the food is amazing, so much choice. It’s great that you cannot put your towel on your chosen bed before eight in the morning, stops all those who feel the need to get up at silly o’clock and then not even use the bed. The entertainment on the whole is great, loved the husband and wife who had great voices and made their act a comedy one. Duo Max were good tho it would be nice if they had done a different set of songs, saw them three times in our stay. The waiters and waitresses work so hard, never went without a drink for long. Shout out to Franco (bar) and Leaany (Restaurant) but all the staff are great. Sandra our chamber maid did a stirling job, she organised all our toiletries etc and kept our room lovely. Tip, use the Slar further down the road, cheaper than the one just opposite, but you can get a great coffee at the pizza place next door. We will be back for sure

Just come home after 4th time here. It ticks many boxes for us namely the food is excellent, it’s immaculately clean, staff are fabulous. Little things make this place: towel racks on balconies, lifts are quick, plenty of sunbeds. The inside area is tranquil to sit after breakfast, no pool games or loud music. Drinks are reasonably priced, you get great quality wine too. It’s near La Caleta that we adore and there is a small Spa supermarket half way down the hill where freshly baked croissants are available yo buy for lunch time. Also there’s a fridge in the room for milk and there is lovely shower gel in the bathroom; the shower is powerful too and regulated. Safe is now free as are pool towels. Pools are not ice cold and have beds in them so gently easing in for a swim is hidden if you cannot face leaping in! Cleaners are amazing, work so hard and the restaurant staff are brilliant. Bar staff too are a joy. The only negative for us is the 70’s/80’s extremely old fashioned intrusive entertainment singers who frequent the stage bar area from 9 til 10.30pm, so would choose a quieter room next time. And they are VERY loud ! Thank you. Thank you for a wonderful time.