Riu Palace Boavista - All Inclusive

We visited end of October beginning of November. I was really worried about our holiday after all the poor reviews and if I could have cancelled I would have done, however we had no issues at all. We found the hotel an excellent all inclusive hotel, the beach and pools and swim up bar are all gorgeous. We didn’t enter the sea and normally we prefer the beach to poolside. However, the sea is quite dangerous here with strong currents and rocks under the water, this wasn’t an issue as we used the beach and then went to the swim-up pool to cool down. The bars at the pool are lovely. There are absolutely no issues with getting a sun bed or a seat in the bars. The hotel is quite spread out so it never feels especially busy or crowded or full of children. The food, we mainly ate at the main buffet restaurant Africa and found this good. There’s a massive choice of food but I mainly stuck to the food under heat lamps as I was concerned about stomach problems from previous reviews. We didn’t have any issues with sickness or stomach problems (although we took lots of wet wipes and cleaned our hands after selecting food, just because lots of people all use the same food tongs). We went to the Japanese restaurant twice which was nice, I found the food ok, but my husband loved it. We didn’t really do the evening entertainment, mainly because it felt quite uncomfortable from other guests smoking, we sat inside but the fans seem to drag the smoke in. We went to the white party next door and that was such a good night, would highly recommend. My husband loved the sports bar next to the evening entertainment (there was no smoke in there) and lots of football on so he was happy. All the staff from restaurants, bars, cleaning, spa, reception all excellent. We did have couples massage and then went into the jacuzzi which was lovely. The only negatives about the hotel, I did not like the room, it was at the side/back of the hotel and felt damp and musty to start off with. It was ok after a couple of days and did not spoil our holiday. Also we went for my 50th and asked for some special requests which were not referred to at all by the hotel, again didn’t spoil our stay. All in all an excellent hotel but probably not 5 star, not really the attention to detail and is getting ready for a refurb in the rooms. Still thoroughly enjoyed and probably would return.

Not a 5* hotel We stayed at Riu Palace Boavista for 10 nights and unfortunately had a disappointing experience overall. On arrival, after traveling all night, we were told to wait three hours for our room, with no drinks, snacks, or assistance with luggage offered. Our first room was filthy: blood on the curtains, a sofa covered in stains, dirty bedding, shower tiles falling out, and an empty mini-bar. After complaining, we were moved to a cleaner room, which was much better, but still had issues: a loose shower door hinge, a crack in the balcony glass, and no sea view. The food was nice with lots of variety, but the cocktail menu was poor, and there was no dedicated gluten-free or dairy-free section, which could be limiting for other guests. Many sunbeds were grubby, with holes, stains, and peeling paint, and the mini-bar was often not replenished, requiring us to request water most days. There were lots of flies, understandable given the climate, and the walk from room 2035 to the beach/lift was long. We were told by other guests and family staying there that standards at the hotel have dropped compared to previous years. On a positive note, the staff were fantastic. The animation team (JJ, Junior, William, Nadine, Riccardo, Stacey and Stefanie), bartenders (Bruno, Djorge, Hermany, Fredy), and restaurant staff (especially Jose) were attentive, friendly, and professional. The entertainment shows were brilliant, and the beach is stunning. Neon party and White party were very good , we also booked quad biking and a boat trip and was great fun. Overall, while the natural beauty and staff are excellent, the poor room standards, maintenance issues, lack of guest care on arrival, and general drop in hotel quality made the stay difficult to enjoy fully. That said, we would consider returning to the hotel if standards improved and we were offered a better price, as the location, staff, and beach are truly excellent.

Good points - beautiful Beach and great staff (apart from the one who very rudely demanded a cigarette whilst I was sat on my own) There is nothing outside the hotel and so A week was long enough ! Bad points- Buffet offering covered in flies so we opted for the ‘restaurants’ on site - Steak house was not good - surf n turf was tiny and my husbands veal was inedible. Japanese restaurant was the better of the three options. The restaurant Krystal !!!! expectations far out weighed the reality. (See photos) Even the waiting staff laughed at what we received !!! The entertainment was repetitive and not very exciting. To top it all off, my husband ended up with a severe stomach upset and is still not 100% after 3 days at home.

We stayed at the Riu Palace May 2025 just before the May half term and it was lovely. We stayed all inclusive via First Choice and couldn't fault it. I can see why many of the patrons we spoke to have visited multiple times. As a parent of young children it was perfect. HOTEL - The hotel is situated only 5 minutes from the airport so getting the transfer coach isn't a problem as there are no other drop offs. You could also opt for a taxi which was 10 euros. The architecture of the hotel is beautiful with a large atrium/reception featuring 2 of the á la carte restaurants and a coffee bar. The rooms branch off to the left and right and has multiple floors with a lift. It's not large or overbearing which is nice. There is main avenue that runs down the centre straight to the beach and pools - lanes branch off to the main buffet restaurant, spa, entertainment bars etc. The resort feels small and intimate but never cramped. The paths were all smooth and level which was great when travelling with a pram and mobility scooter. It was refreshing to see all different disabilities enjoying the resort - it says a lot. We had a ground floor room with a balcony. The room is spacious with a sofa bed converted for our 2 children. The bathroom is huge and the rainfall shower was amazing. If we were to return we would take a 1st floor room as we had a slight ant issue, and neighbouring room (which had the rest of our party in) had a few cockroaches. This is to be expected in a wild environment, but maybe a 1st floor room would put the wildlife off a bit. We even had a crab wander into the balcony. :) POOL & BEACH - There is one large pool (with half submerged sun beds) and two swim-up bar pools either side. The great thing about the pools if you have children is that the pool is all one depth so my eldest could stand confidently and work on her swimming skills with ease. The raised platform by the sun beds was great for my toddler to paddle too. There are plenty of beds around the pool, though I would recommend ones under the retractable canopies for shade if you have little ones. There are umbrellas and trees if you are more of a sun worshipper. I think the reason why families love Cape Verde so much is because of the consistent weather. The wind from the sea turns the 40+ degree African sun into a comfortable high 20s. So, you never feel hot and uncomfortable - but you must use factor 50 because it is very deceptive. The beach is beautiful, with soft sand and palm trees. The water was permanently a yellow or red flag due to the wind and strong currents. You can dip your feet but not swim. Be careful of the undertow with little ones. If you get up early you can see the sea turtles swimming about. DINING - There are 2 buffet restaurants (a main one and mini one by the pool), plus 3 á la carte, bookable restaurants - of which we tried the Japanese and Gourmet. All the food was delicious and varied. Yes there was allocated stations within the buffet but there was

Just done 10 nights with my wife and 3 kids (18, 17 and 16). As many have posted it is a lovely resort. The staff are brilliant, it’s kept very clean and the food is really good especially the Japanese restaurant. But the buffet is equally good. We found the pool to the far left as you head down the best pool. Less young kids and a bit quieter. Having said that they have signs saying no children at the swim up bar yet kids are allowed to sit there. Would I return? I don’t think so and the only reason is down to the flies and mosquitos of which there are loads especially after some rain. Of course you can’t do much about nature but putting a fly spray can in each room would be a nice touch. Often we asked for one but reception said they don’t hand out cans but will spray the room but sometimes they didn’t. Similarly in the evenings have candles (citronella candles) that repel the mosquitos. Having to fork out €15 for adequate bug repellent twice (as there was 5 of us) is a bit annoying. So my advice to anyone going is take fly spray with you and loads of repellent. You will need the latter day and night. Otherwise chilling out on the sunbed is not relaxing cos you are constantly swatting the very fast flies away. It sounds petty but this is the only reason I would not go back. I’ve been to loads of places where there are flies and mosquitoes but not on this level and the hotel should try and do little things to alleviate the frustration of them because talking to many guests this was the number one issue. Some guests had mozzie bites on their face for goodness sake. Having said all that if you are prepared with spray and repellent then there is nothing stopping you having a lovely time.

First time we’ve ever stayed in a Riu Palace hotel. Best decision we ever made. Hotel was beautiful. The staff went above and beyond during our 2 week stay. Big shout out to Kevin from the entertainment team. He was brilliant! Everyone said “hello” or “good morning”. Even the cleaners. Room was cleaned to a very high standard. We had a sea view room which I highly recommend. The view was beautiful. There’s optics and a mini bar in the room which can be filled anytime by requesting it on the Riu app. The shower in the room is amazing. Massive shower head above plus an additional hand held. The hotel grounds were immaculate. The gardeners were out everyday. There’s an abundance of sunbeds, so no more getting up a 5 in the morning to reserve one. Pools were spotless and spacious. The beach is literally on the doorstep and is golden sands, palm trees and blue water. Food was really good, they did a roast dinner while we were there and it was delicious. They do water sports at the hotel and we did the snorkelling trip. It was amazing, seriously good and I would definitely recommend you try it. It was €35 each. All in all it was an exceptional holiday. The Riu Palace was the best hotel we stayed in and it was definitely the best holiday we’ve been on. One last thing……. Don’t be lazy, be crazy, the time is now! (You’ll see)!