Name: Hotel Riu Cabo Verde - Adults Only - All Inclusive
Address: Cabocan Lote A2, A3, Sal, Sal, Sal, 4111, Cape Verde
Rating: 9

Shopping on site

24-hour reception

Smoke-free property

Gift shop

Garden

Terrace

No elevators

General

Room service

Rooms

Accessibility features

Wheelchair Accessible

Wheelchair access to restaurant

Accessibility

Laundry

Dry-cleaning

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Cafe

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Multi-language staff

Languages Spoken

Sun Deck

Recreation

Parking

Parking nearby

Pool facilities

Next to the beach

Pool and beach

Beauty and wellness

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Temperature control for staff

Personal protection equipment for staff

Extra decontamination measures

Temperature control for guests

Personal protection equipment for guests

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the hotel

Amilcar Cabral International Airport

Rabil Airport

Hotel Riu Cabo Verde - Adults Only - All Inclusive

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kitchen

Wow!!! We had a wonderful holiday. All the  hotel staff are amazing nothing too much trouble they are always happy to help, advise and have a laugh with you.

 The food is lovely with lots of choice through out the day. The Entertainment team work so hard to get everyone involved and create a wonderful atmosphere around the pool and on the beach and in the evening. The Spa is definitely worth a visit. 

The beach is beautiful water is a lovely temperature to swim so clear we had a couple of red flag days but still padded. The beach is very clean. 

The hotel is constantly been cleaned and maintained. Our room was cleaned everyday. We also got a beach view that was absolutely stunning.

Mini fridge restocked whenever requested for soft drinks, beer and water. 

We can't wait to be back !! 

Wonderful holiday 

We absolutely loved our time here and did not want to come home!!! The staff are so friendly and kind and happy. The dancers at the entertainment on a night are so much fun and encourage everyone to have fun too. We enjoyed the food and cocktails in the various different restaurants and bars in the resort. There could be more sunbeds around the pool to avoid any issues but we didn’t have problems once we knew how it worked. Very clean rooms. Lots to do. Highly recommend! I also recommend if you are going on any trips to go with the locals who are just near the beach next to the resort! They will not hassle you at all, but if you are wanting to do trips they will be amazing with helping you!! Prices are significantly lower than going with tui and it is the exact same experiences, if not better as the locals know the areas the best!! We went on numerous trips with Prince tours who is absolutely amazing. He promised us a lot and that is exactly what we got amazing memories for a lifetime. He is qualified and knows what he is doing. Definitely support the locals for these trips they are the same trips for cheaper and you are helping the locals! We did the horse sunset riding, fishing trip and turtle nesting and they were unforgettable experiences with Prince tours (one of the local trips).  Amazing.

Lovely resort and local trips

All of the statements made in this review are my personal opinion and do not reflect what other people think and does not intend to give this hotel a negative reputation. 

Rooms
We stayed in Room 4105 which was in a great location close to the pool, beach, pool restaurant and pool bar and just a short walk to the entertainment, promenade buffet restaurant and other speciality restaurants. Our room was adequately sized with a clean bathroom, soap, shampoo and body wash were provided. Our mini was stocked with full fat soft drinks, tonic water, still and sparkling water, beers and various spirits, we however we did have to request coke zero as this wasn’t in our mini bar, however this was easily resolved in the RIU app. The general cleanliness of the room was to a good standard however there are definitely some areas that need fixing ie the toilet roll holder was not secure to the wall properly, the mirror was what we believed chemically damaged (See photos) and the A/C was covered in marks we did wipe it as we were concerned it was mould however it may just need a revamp. The TV although we don’t usually watch it only had maybe 2 channels available it would’ve been nice to have been able to watch the olympics but that was just my personal preference. Overall the rooms was a decent standard and the beds were comfortable.
Pool
The pool is definitely in need of some tlc and possibly a deep clean, the bottom of the stair railing was fully rusted, the jets on the bottom had black muck around them. The sunbeds what a nightmare - this is something that seems to have been a long term issue, for the first few days we managed to get 2 sunbeds on a morning however by day 3 it was almost impossible to get a sunbed with people reserving beds for hours on end but not using said beds and never seeming to appear until late afternoon, some even reserved bed the night before around 10/11pm at night, i witnessed people reserving multiple beds with one towel or using water bottles to reserve beds (see pictures. The selfishness of people to do this, this is definitely something that needs fixing whether they’re timed ie if left unnattended for more than 30mins items will be removed and a charge to collect your belongings with be required. The sunbeds should be first come first served and by that i mean when you’re ready to use them you can have one but you shouldn’t be able to put towels down and simply leave them all day. 
Restaurant 
My partner and I are both vegetarian and this was very much stated upon booking however there wasn’t really any mention of it throughout our stay. The labelling had a tendency to be me misleading ie foods with meat labelled vegetarian ect my partner accidentally ate pepperoni due to this miss labelling (see photos) We alerted reception on day 1 of the mislabelling as in other hotels including RIU we have usually informed reception and they have resolved the issue however possibly with a drastic language barrier they basically just said tell the restaurant then handed us cards which said vegetarian on them. Which wouldn’t have solved the miss labelling issue and it wasn’t just vegetarian food this was also with meat too labels were constantly in the wrong places, and things like deserts and sushi weren’t labelled at all.  This isn’t just a dietary issue it is also a huge allergy risk! For the vegans and people who can’t have dairy the only dairy alternative was soya milk which as much as it is great that there’s an option i personally don’t like soya milk but thankfully i brought a small carton of oat milk with me but i definitely think the hotel could provide a second alternative as this could also link back to allergens.
Bar/Drinks
I personally struggled to find a drink i enjoyed, i tended to stick to amaretto and coke zero as i wasn’t a fan of the cocktails as there wasn’t much variety , i definitely think they should take a leaf out of the RIU tequila in mexico book as their cocktails were unmatched. The actual bar staff were great and always had a laugh with you. 
Birthday
I celebrated my 24th birthday on this trip but was fairly disappointed, this was mostly due to miscommunication but could’ve definitely gone better. My partner had planned a surprise with the TUI rep to set up a table for us and make a small fuss over me to celebrate however upon arrival to the restaurant we didn’t see any table set up so we headed outside and sat down to eat thinking that there wasn’t anything happening and that they had possibly forgotten to sort anything for us, after we had had our mains we decided to switch to a table inside as we were too hot outside and sat down and shared a dessert, as we got up to leave we spotted a table nicely set out with flowers and a bottle of champagne and were very confused how we hadn’t seen it as soon as we walked in, we walked over to the table and tried to read the sign but there was no indication as to wether this was meant to be the special table for us or that we had coincidentally found somebody else’s table so we spoke to restaurant management with very little english and explained that we had already eaten and didn’t realise the table was there for us as nobody had said anything not even messaging my partner the table number but that we would like to take the champagne with us, we were then led to reception who asked us our room number and name then said yes you’re fine and that was it, the restaurant manager said that next time to tell restaurant when we get there however with it being a surprise my partner didn’t tell the staff as he thought we’d spot straight away, anyway we got the bottle and would simply recommend anyone planning a similar surprise make sure you tell someone or atleast find out which table will be set up for you as i had one very disappointed partner as his plan failed :(( 
RIU party 
We got to do the White party during our stay having done both neon and white in the past and i have to say this one was definitely up there with the neon party in mexico, they had everything going on from people on stilts, robots, lazers, dancers, singers, balloons, you name it they probably had it, it was such a great night and honestly the drinks weren’t too bad either. I’d recommend the RIU parties to everyone of all ages and abilities as it is truly fun for all. 
Entertainment 
The entertainment is joint with the RIU funanan so expect children at the entertainment even though you’re staying in an adults only hotel! We only attended the entertainment twice and although it wasn’t to our taste i think a lot of people did enjoy it. I personally liked playing kahoot the most and i definitely think bingo should be part of the evening entertainment and not just the pool entertainment. The evening entertainment is fairly loud and can be heard from block 4 but we were so drained every night it didn’t really bother us. The entertainment team (RIU fit/fun) were incredible they all had a smile on their faces and they can move!! Their dancing was unmatched and was some solid pool entertainment and i genuinely think they truly love their job, they’re also all so funny and can have a great laugh with everyone. 
Staff
I think in terms of staff it depended on the department, reception staff were nice and friendly however i do think the language barrier was a struggle and yes i should probably learn portuguese but when being in such a customer facing role i think their english could be better. The cleaners were very quiet and reserved but did make our bed lovely for my birthday with a sweet love heart(see photos) they also said hello which was nice, i know their job must be a lot of work and very tiring so it’s understandable that they’re quiet. Bar staff were very friendly and chatty and you could have a good laugh with them. Restaurant staff were friendly but some were more chatty than others, we found the inside staff were a lot chirpier than the outside staff. Lifeguards were lovely and were always happy and smiley and kept everyone safe but were also on the ball when a dad and two kids managed to sneak in to the pool this issue was swiftly resolved. Security did what they needed to do and it was reassuring seeing them around.
Toilets
The main toilets in reception were clean and spacious they have showers available to guests that are wanting to freshen up after checkout. The pool toilets however were tiny you basically had to wedge yourself in the cubicle in order to close the door, the disabled toilet was slightly better. There was always soap in atleast one dispenser however i think this needs checking more regularly along with the handlers don’t all work but there’s no paper towels so you have to dry your hands with toilet paper which then in turn rips in your hands as it’s cheaply made, this also happens when wiping other areas too.
Sickness
We had heard about this hotel having sickness, now i have visited 3 RIU hotels now and it’s probably just bad luck but we always catch something, we prepared for the worst having experienced gastroenteritis in another RIU back in april this year(2024) we had silica gel, and paracetamol on hand however luckily we didn’t catch gastroenteritis or food poisoning as others had said but instead we caught COVID, we’ve spent 5 of the 7 days with this illness and by the sounds of it a few others caught it too. We’ve not let it stop our holiday and chose not to waste the over £2k we spent on the trip cooped up in our room as we knew we wouldn’t get compensation even if we did! (I’m aware this is controversial) However now that we are home we are still suffering but atleast is wasn’t gastro! 
Waterpark
There is a waterpark available to use by RIU guests that is situated about 10 minutes walk from the RIU cabo verde. We walked all the way to the waterpark to be told we couldn’t have anything on us but there was nowhere to lock our belongings away safely so we walked away, this said items were our phones, goggles and glasses(which we can’t see without), we would’ve been willing to lock everything else away as we understand their safety regulations however when you require glasses in order to walk upstairs or walk anywhere for that matter it’s a bit unfair to discriminate and say we can’t wear them. The slides did look fun but to be honest there wasn’t much to it for adults that’s is anyway.
Beach
The beach was beautiful but be aware in order to access the beach you will have to pass through a bunch of people selling tours, on our first day we were greeted by a lovely guy whose card we did end up getting who was offering a 5 hour island tour which did sound amazing however my partner who has IBD would’ve struggled with a lack of toilets so we didn’t end up booking, they accept payment at the end of the trip rather than the beginning, if i can find the card i will add it to the pictures as i do believe this guy was genuine and had we not fallen ill we probably would’ve booked a different trip with his company. We weren’t really hounded from then on and we’re always greeted by the original guy when walking to the beach, he even wished me a happy birthday. I believe he had an orange shirt on which said Junior on it. If we ever do come back and if he is there I would likely book with him and genuinely respect the hustle on the guys on that board walk.
Mosquitoes
We arrived in full force prepared for them, we had bands, sprays and Reppelent balls all over our room and balcony, my partner who usually get targeted only got bitten twice the whole trip, i didn’t get touched thankfully, I would recommend however the spinning fly deterrent for your table at meal times it definitely saved us a few times, but id honestly say to take mosquito reppellent and bands as a precaution and be aware that the wasps were actually a bigger problem for us over the mosquitoes. 
Summary
Overall i don’t think we would return to this specific hotel but would 1000% revisit the island and others too and possible other RIUs in the area. Be prepared bring mosquito repellent, cold and flu medicine, painkillers, gastro medicine and milk replacements. Better to be safe than sorry.

Beautiful Hotel but got COVID :((

Stayed at the Rio Cabo Verde ...the hotel is spread out in lovely gardens , The rooms are in 5 blocks which are from reception to the beach area. The pool is in 2 sections with 2 pool bars 1 which is a swim up bar (nice) ....The bar staff were very attentive shout out to Alex and Kleiton,  the food was plentiful and loads of choice from the main restaurant  to the one near the pool (which doubled up for late breakfast and lunch and speciality restaurant at night ) there were 2 more speciality restaurants the Gastro one and the Italian one ...only did the Gastro one which was lovely ( the banoffee pie was a let down though) The animation team worked their socks of  shout out to  Aleida, Djemila and Valeria, the holiday wouldn't have been the same without you and all the games we played (and won) . the bar staff at the beach were really nice too .The lobby bar was a nice escape and served everything you wanted ...there was even a coffee shop with nice little pastries (that were available on the buffet)  Sadly no waiting on staff can get a mention as I found the plonk yourself at a table and wait for a server a little off putting ( when you could get one ) all in all there was no management or maitre'd in charge ....same in the buffet ...difficult to see what the options were as often the labels were wrong . The evening entertainment I'm afraid not to my liking it joined with the sister hotel the Funana and this being family just didn't work for me ....too big and not cosy enough ... poked my head in the disco one night it was loud but looked ok. All in all a nice hotel but not that memorable

ADULTS ONLY ESCAPE

Very surprised by the positive Tripadvisor scores before we booked as it’s really not good at all. Well overdue refurbishment, tired and pool in need of retiling (and a clean). Sunbeds broken and mouldy- some transferred mould spores onto your towel 😟 we suffered terribly with mosquitoes so do go prepared! And ++ travel tummy trouble, advise you skip the salads and ice in drinks.
So not worth 5 star or 5Ts or even 5 pom-poms, cannot recommend

In need of TLC

We had a fantastic time,rooms were spotless,the food was amazing, vodka gin were good,entertainment was brilliant,I would recommend this hotel to family an friends,the staff worked so hard,can’t understand the other negative reviews.thankyou Rui we had a brilliant time 

Cabo Verde amazing

We came here with eyes wide open, we had read many bad reviews but we have wherever we have stayed. We always go with a clean sheet and judge for ourselves..  

We have stayed in quite a few RIU hotels all around the world and enjoyed them all……. Then we came here…

What we liked:
The hotel, although quite dated was clean and well kept, the gardens were not attractive to walk through as it was just parched sand apart from a couple of areas around the lobby area where it was grassed.  

The rooms were ok, not five star but not bad.  The rooms were in blocks, we were in block 4 (room4135).  A good location for the pool and beach..

The animation team were great, they worked hard but never pressed people to take part.

The pool area was ok but I wasn’t comfortable being in the pool where the bar was, people were in there for hours  without getting out so in my head it was a giant toilet.  Sunbeds we’re difficult to get as they were reserved early on, it was hotel policy that sunbeds could not be reserved but it wasn’t policed.   They also ran out of pool towels on a couple of occasions..

The beach was fantastic, we loved it.  It was red flagged for the first three days but after that it was fine to go in for a swim.  The beach bar was a bit scruffy so we took our own drinks to the beach.  The only complaint of the beach I had was that many  people used it as an ashtray, pushing cigarette ends into the sand.  It is a beach where turtles come to lay eggs, I thought people would have a bit more respect.

Local Tours
We had an island tour which we arranged with Elvis who hangs out on the beach. We had an excellent day, Harry our guide was great fun, he even arranged a birthday cake for me in a bar in Espargos.  

Things we didn’t like.
As hard as I tried to be nice to all the staff most of them were quite brash and unhelpful, particularly in the main restaurant.  The gardeners were ultra friendly and so were the animation team..

Main restaurant.
Our first impression was things were ok but on the second day I was served raw pork.  I don’t mean rare, I mean raw.  I brought this to the attention of the waiter who just smiled and took the plate away.

The third day I was served undercooked chicken.  I reported this to the reception who told me one of the managers would contact me, I also reported it to the TUI Rep who said he would chase it up and get back to me.  No one came back to me and on the fourth day I was served a chicken breast that was so raw, it bled into my plate when I cut into it.   I demanded t speak to the manager who saw me and basically said they cook so many meals every day they can’t all be perfect but he would investigate.  I never heard from him.  Again I spoke to the TUI rep who basically tried to fob me off with free trips.  I didn’t want any form of compensation, I just wanted to see the problem fixed. It’s a five star hotel and raw chicken should not be an issue.

On two occasions I had to clear a table and get my own cutlery and crockery and set a table, again this is not acceptable in a five star hotel. The waiting staff we happy to stand by and watch me do it..

At breakfast, they ran out of eggs one day and when I asked the chef if it would be long before more eggs were cooked he shouted “NO, NO MORE EGGS”. Threw down his tools and marched away to the surprise of us all in the queue..

The food was of poor quality and I never felt confident eating in the main restaurant.

Local town, Santa Maria.
We went down by taxi on our second day after breakfast. €5 taxi ride which was fine. As soon as we got out we were approached by a man trying ever-so hard to be friendly,  We passed the time of day thanked for the offer of a tour  but politely declined.  He didn’t take no for an answer and became quite aggressive, blocking our way on the pavement. To cut a long story short, the police came to our rescue and took him away.   We had a walk down by the pier which was good, bought a few nicknacs the returned to the hotel.   We never went there again.

Overall
We made the best of the holiday, if it wasn’t for the beach we would have had a really miserable time.

We won’t go to Cape Verde again, we won’t stay in a RIU hotel again and we certainly won’t use TUI again.  The representatives there were not interested in helping us.  When we got back they called me offering me £45 in compensation, I declined and asked them to put pressure on the hotels food managers to get it done right or someone is going to get really poorly.

It’s very rare I give bad reviews but this is an exception it was a two star restaurant in a three star resort.

Not a great experience 

A great week, can't fault the hotel at all apart from the room towels which are a tad thin.   Staff 8n all areas are friendly, polite and contribute well to a great experience.  Food was good and choice plentiful.
We  were here for Christmas, fizz at breakfast onChristmas Eve but not on Christmas day was Confusing, but overall a great holiday - best of all, the cats roaming around lovely stuff.

Happy Christmas 

We stopped at the Riu Cabo Verde in December 2023. It was the first time in CV.
The hotel exceeded expectations, with friendly staff , good accommodation , and outstanding quality food and a great entertainments program. 

Above expectations

Lovely hotel no problems with food poisoning as others had previously mentioned. Food , drinks, accommodation all spot on. Local drinks were very nice and not watered down, we took our own duty free but no need to use as the hotel drinks were lovely. Mini bar stocked up promptly when refils ordered on the app. Plenty of subbed as every day and beautiful well kept grounds. The only downside was the meals very only lukewarm even when we went at 6:30pm when the main restaurant opened for evening meals. Other than that we would definitely return

Hotel Riu Cabo Verde - Adults Only - All Inclusive

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