Riu Buenavista

Went as a family of 3 with an 8 month old on our first holiday! Was a great week. Pros: - On average, good entertainment with good production - we enjoyed the quiz’s most nights and the weekly RIU party on Fridays is mega! (Loud though so be warned!) - Really friendly and helpful staff - not a single bad experience across the week. - Good pools! (5 of them) - Well kept grounds and public spaces (i.e toilets) are kept really clean which is great to see. - Good ‘snack’ food and drinks for poolside which are help yourself. Burgers/Hotdogs/Chips and all the trimmings. With Amstel and Cruzcampo Radler on tap. - Great bar service throughout the week, could tell a couple of the staff were new-ish and they were great. - No smoking around the pool which is a bonus. - Is a big hotel but never felt too busy. Cons: - Lack of coffee! Only instant sachets in your room, and only place to get one before 10am is the main lobby bar. Only serve filter at breakfast. - Food options: breakfast (and main buffet in general is lacking abit) - always the same and not much for younger kids (we just wanted some varied fruit for our son). It was very hit and miss, some nights brilliant, some very lacking. Themed restaurants are all buffet. Although Italian and Asian meals were good and can book multiple times. - No water in rooms, have to pick up from main lobby. - No shop or additional amenities on site - Definitely have to have towels out reserving sunbeds by atleast 8am to get half decent spots! - VERY hilly, struggle with a pram up the hill that runs the length of the hotel, if you have mobility issues it may be a problem!

Hotel Riu Buenavista A lovely Riu hotel of high quality, that was refurbished about 3 years ago. It caters for about 1500 residents, so very big. Beware if you have mobility difficulties, the area in and around the hotel is very hilly. The hotel itself is on hillside leading down to the promenade. There are steps and ramps going down to different levels of accommodation, swimming pools, restaurants and bars. Staff: I must compliment the staff, very helpful and courteous. These people really make you feel welcome and are a bonus to having a great holiday. The Climate: the weather was perfect in early June warm in the the day 28°c and lovely and cool in the evening with a nice breeze. Accommodation: The bedroom we had was immaculate containing everything you would expect: Air-Con with ceiling fan, a free security box, walk in shower, en suite washroom and toilet, tea and coffee making etc., There were 2 USB charging sockets at side of the bed. Restaurants and Swimming Pools: There are a choice of 5 swimming pools, many bars and snack bars throughout the facility. There are 4 restaurants including a Grill, Italian and an Asian, you can visit the specialty restaurants as many times as you want during your stay if there’s availability. All the drinks we tried were good but were local brands, the draught beer was Amstel. Free bottles of water are available from the Lobby bar, just help yourself. One slight disappointment was the quality of the food, pretty basic all inclusive fare, some days better than others, again this is subjective. As in most all inclusive holidays the buffet meals get a bit repetitive. If you like an English fry up breakfast then you will be happy, Nice eggs of your choice, unsmoked bacon, good baked beans, grilled tomatoes plus all the other accompaniments, the sausages looked like boiled hotdogs but tasted nicer like a pork sausage. In the Lobby there’s a late night snack bar serving from 11pm, burgers, hotdogs and sandwiches. Tip for lunchtime: we found the Atlantico Restaurant better than the Yaiza restaurant at lunch, quieter, less hustle and bustle and better food, just a little further to walk down the ramp. Entertainment: The entertainment was very good starting at about 7.30pm with live music, followed by children’s entertainment Kahoot, after 9pm the main act performed the evening finishing with karaoke or music. Once a week on Fridays they have a party night alternating between a White and Neon themes, great fun for all ages. One disappointment about the entertainment was the early finishing time, most nights about 10.30pm which on holiday is early. On previous visits to Riu hotels they usually finish with a DJ playing pop music until after 11pm. Some of the evening entertainment was as follows. An Acrobatic Troupe Comical “Symfunny” husband and wife duo Michael Jackson Tribute H.A.L.T a tribute to the Earth A Karaoke night. An Acrobatic Circus. Overall a great hotel and holiday ideal for couples and families. I would thoroughly recommend it, good value for money.

We arrived late evening and were pleasantly surprised at the size of our room on check in which had 2 large bedrooms and large balcony. The room and hotel itself were spotless and general setup of the hotel well laid out with plenty of pools around the hotel to cater for everyone. The food was of good quality for a hotel of this size for all inclusive. In addition to the main buffet restaurant there was also 3 themed buffet restaurants which you had to book (Asian/Grill/Italian). There was also the option of having breakfast at Atlantico offering a quieter alternative over the main restaurant. Service from the staff on the whole was very good especially given how busy the hotel was. There were a few times when plates weren’t collected etc but understandable given how busy it was. The main highlight of the week was the hotel entertainment. The effort and energy the whole team at Riu Buenavista put in, made for some great evenings & nights, from the mini disco which our 18 mth old loved to the Neon Party on our last night. The only slight negative we experienced came on our check out date as we were unable to secure a slot for the courtesy room after being badly advised by a member of the reception team the day before checkout. Overall we had a lovely stay at Riu Buenavista making some great memories with our little one. Would certainly recommend this hotel and will be back in the future.

Everything was perfect. It was my birthday whilst staying at the hotel, the staff left a bottle of champagne and a birthday note which was a nice touch. We ate at three locations and all were lovely with plenty of food and choice, however this didn’t stop everyone darting around. The only thing that let dinner down was that whilst eating at the grill house, there was also a hen party which made it a bit boisterous. You did not have to queue much for the drinks and there were plenty of choice. There was plenty of entertainment throughout the day at the pool as well as on the main stage in the evenings. Although we did not get a late check out we were given a courtesy room to shower. The hotel was very clean throughout and all staff were friendly and helpful as well as hard working. The rooms were large and spotless. If you want a lounger next to the infinity pool, I would suggest setting your alarm for 6.45 as by 7. 15 they are all gone. The hotel is only a short distance from a pebble beach, which if you enjoy snorkelling you will see lots of fish. Look out for the canary damsel as I was lucky enough to see 2. There are shops close by should you need anything, my partner forgot his phone charger and we were able to get a new one. Considering we were all inclusive, we did not get bored or fed up of the food as there was just so much to chose from. The burgers from PePes were amazing. I would stay at this hotel again and would recommend to anyone.

Really good hotel. Very well set up with plenty to do. Kids club was a hit with the kids which then gave us a few hours off throughout the week! Staff were fab and the whole hotel is spotless. Location isn't great but if you are looking for a holiday to stay in the hotel then it's perfect. We went to Adeje one day on the bus which was £8.50 for 4 of us and a taxi back was £19 if you did want a change. Me and my wife have been to loads of Riu hotels including a few palace's and the food and drinks here were very good. Plenty to choose from and something different everyday. Were the drinks/cocktails abit weak? Yes, but were there drunk people making a nuisance of themselves? No. We did have one issure, Raw chicken, twice! Once from the main buffet and the other from the Grill restaurant. It's a large, busy hotel and cooking for the amount of people is not an easy job but this definitely needs to be addressed by the hotel. It wasnt just slightly undercooked it was completely raw in the middle on both occasions, luckily we cut meat up for our young children and noticed it before eating it but this could easily ruin someone's holiday. I know hearing the words 'raw chicken' isn't great but this can and will happen in any large all-inclusive hotel. Would I stay here again? 100% but I would check the food is cooked before eating! Fantastic holiday and other great experience at a Riu