ClubHotel Riu Vistamar

6 readers found this review helpful

we have just returned from our honeymoon and i can not fault this hotel in any way the bar, waiter, reception and maid service are the best i've had anywhere, the food is lovely well cooked and there's a wide range at ever sitting for even the picky eater there are the healthy option or you can have a proper blow out with pizza and chips the waiter service is excellent always eager to please.the pools although a little cold where well kept, clean and tidy with the food and drink very near to enjoy during the day of relaxing. we had an amazing veiw from our room of the beach and at sun set we could see tenerife,so romantic.they were very clean and ideal with a fridge so you can keep your free water (collect from reception)cold or take a few drinks back at night to your room and keep them cool. this hotel and resort is ideal for the couple looking for a romantic getaway or the family who just want sun, sea and sand. the more lively couple who enjoy clubbing at night would prefer traveling to puerto rico at night lots of bars and music to enjoy but as we were all inclusive we couldn't see the point of going out and paying for our beer although we did travel to puerto rico a couple of days for shopping and it cost us around 4 euros each way i wouldn't recommend walking back,the hills are so steep. we didn't see many children there but we did go after the easter break so most children were back in school, ideal for us. there is a childrens club and games held through the day to keep the kids quiet, we're going back next year and taking the kids with us can't wait.

4 readers found this review helpful

Canteen like food, overcrowded and noisy.
There is clatter of cutlery and crockery at all times and make you feel you are in a the kitchen at all times.Food is mostly fried from frozen, no much choice.
Drinks are far low than descent ,watery wine and smell of cellar at the restaurant.
Pools are located above the ground level and reception where petrol fumes of arriving and departing busses are polluting the air. Pools are not very clean and water is rather murky from the sun lotions. Need to go to the pools early by 8.00 am if you want to find space.
Rooms are clean but outdated and tired, need to freshen up. Walls are paper-thin and need to sleep with year plugs.
Guests are left to find their rooms by themselves and no help is provided by the staff. Constant rattling of suitcase wheels are to be heard at any time of the day and night and make you feel like you are in a busy bus station.
To visit the man made beach below the hotel need to go on the bus. Have to look out for your belongings on the beach .If you want to use internet need to pay -2 Euro for 15 min

22 readers found this review helpful

As my wife and I walked into Reception we both said it felt like coming home. The staff, whether Reception, Restaurant, Domestic or Entertainment are great. The same staff are in the Hotel from year to year and people come back as guests year after year and that has to be an indication of how good the Hotel is. There is more food and drink than you can shake a stick at whether in the Restaurant or at the Pool and the quality is excellent. The only thing we would like to see is that the Infinity Pool be more Adult friendly and if children do come up from the lower pool they should be accompanied by an adult as stated on the notices. We'll be back next year, in mid March as usual, and we know that we will be made as welcome as ever.
John and Helen Stratton
Colchester
England

26 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from a week at the Riu Vistamar with my girlfriend. We booked it up for a quiet relaxing week in the sun - exactly what we got.
The hotel is spotless and of a very high standard, the food is great (try the Chinese speciality nights-awesome) staff are excellent
One thing to note though is the hotel as you will have read is on a hill, and what a hill it is - i asked my tour operator for a 5th floor room twice before i left as i wanted to be close to everything but the hotel didnt receive any request from Thomsons, if you want to request a certain room e-mail the hotel direct, they said this happens alot - we ended up in room 49 on the 1st floor (we were actually one floor below the 1st floor) and it was possibly the furthest room/floor away from everything - we had to walk about 100 yards to a lift then get a lift (which sometimes were too busy and we have to climb the stairs) up nine floors to the pool and eight to the resturants - can be a bit anoying if you forget something when you get to the pool
apart from that everything else was great - the hotel staff are superb, very friendly and will help you with anything
You get unlimited bottles of water from reception to take to your room (which have fridges) and you also have beach/pool towels that you change at the pool every day which also was a nice extra
I would highly recommend this hotel but before you book note it is built on a cliff (as with most of Gran Canaria), if you have a fear of heights it may not be the place for you as the walkways, pool etc are very high with sheer drops at all sides
The views are stunning - if you can get a room over looking the beach, the higher the room the better

12 readers found this review helpful

the hotel is set on 9 levels....
top level...swimming pools
8th level...reception
7th level...restaurant..although you have to go to reception on the 8th and walk down a level
6th level...shop and staff
5th to 1st level are the rooms
what no one tells you is that the lifts are always breaking down, so please bear this in mind before you book this hotel...it is not for the faint hearted.
the staff are great it is not there fault.

40 readers found this review helpful

This was really one of the best hotels that i've ever stayed in. There was a fantastic selection of food on offer, with themed nights during the week. The hotel was really clean, in fact the cleanest one i've been to. There was only one slight negative (if you can really call it that) and that was that at the time we stayed they were building in the reception area, which at first concerned me as i thought there was going to be a lot of noise, but we didn't hear a thing from it. The hotel is located on the top of a cliff and it is quite a steep walk up to the shops behind (about 15 min walk), however there are free buses to the bottom of the hill where the beach and other shops are located.
Best things about the holiday:
- Choice of food
- Weather
- Views from hotel
- Atmosphere and cleanliness of hotel
- Basically everything
Worst things about the holiday:
- NOTHING

22 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from a week here. We booked this holiday for a nice relaxing break. It was lovely I would definitely recommend it again. We chose this hotel after reading some of the reviews on here.
The Hotel is great. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The facilities are good and every where is very clean. The pool is lovely and not too hard to find a lounger even later on in the day. The hotel has everything you need really and it is very easy not to need to leave the hotel complex.
All the rooms have a sea view although we were put on the lowest floor and it was restricted by the netting and bits. However I did ask to move and it was not a problem - no questions asked. I would recommend floor 5. Speaking to others there they emailed in advance so would do that in future. The rooms are a good size and very clean and tidy and reasonably modern.
There is a free courtesy bus down to the Amadores beach which is really helpful. The beach is nice and there are a few shops there too.
The evening entertainment is actually ok although a little cheesy at times. We were all inclusive and there was always food an drink available. The food is good - I am a picky eater but I found there was still enough variety although beware that not all the food is labeled. The daytime activities were good - lots of games and kids stuff and little comedy sketches now and again. The entertainment team work very hard
There is a nice coastal walk into Puerto Rico beach and harbour which only takes about 30 mins. A taxi only costs about 3- 3.50 Euro. The area was pretty quiet and I think they are not getting the tourism they used to. As a result you do find the shops are keen to give you a good price! We only saw 1 time share place but we were told they had just shut a load down. So we weren't hassled too much.
The downsides would be that it is down a steep hill but its only 5 mins to get to the top! The lifts were very busy at breakfast and dinner times. There are a lot of Germans and other nationalities in the hotel so food, entertainment etc is aimed at them a lot although it it didn't affect our enjoyment.
I would definitely go back again - the other hotel I would consider is the Gloria Palace, there is 1 either side of the Riu and we are told they are also very good.

18 readers found this review helpful

I booked this holiday because I was in need of a relaxing break, it did not disappoint. I loved this hotel! The room was really nice, everyone gets an ocean view and balcony because it's built down the cliff.
The staff were really really friendly. The guys on reception are so smooth talking but they will do everything they can to make sure everything is perfect for you. The maids are really friendly and they always made our towels into some cool animal on the bed. The chefs and bar staff were lovely too. Always smiling, nothing was ever too much trouble.
The facilities were great. The pools were amazing. My favourite was the top infinity edge pool with fabulous views out to sea and over towards Tenerife. That cascades over into the lower pool down near the kids play centre and the bar and cafe. There are courts above that for tennis, volleyball, boules etc.
The food was really good. Ignore people who complain about burgers and pizza. Yes you can get them but you can also get tasty local food too. This place caters for everyone.
You can get a free bus down to the beach and back throughout the day or get a taxi to Puerto Rico and take the glass bottom ferry to nearby towns. Just order a taxi at reception and it will be there in 5 mins or less. I recommend the Bluebird ferry as they hand out sangria once they get underway (inclusive in your ticket price).
Puerto Rico itself is a bit garish and tacky. Great if you want the stereotypical brits abroad type of holiday but otherwise I'd just use it as a ferry port.
I recommend Areguinguin for a short visit, lovely little fishing town. Walk along the beach and peruse a few shops before having a beer (Tropical is the local brew) on the sea front.
I also recommend Mogan. This place is so beautiful. It's quite small but very pretty. I recommend the La Lonja restaurant on the front by the Marina. Their tapas is a little pricey with the current exchange rate but it's soooo worth it! They also sell a really fresh sauv blanc ice cold. Finish up your meal with a honey rum if you have the cash too. Not cheap but worth it if you fancy splashing out a bit.
As for tours I did 2 of what First Choice offered. The VIP island delights was a convoy of comfy people carriers that took you on a tour of the interior of the island with a 3 course lunch included (and a chance to sample the honey rum). If you want to do a dolphin spotting trip then I recommend the Magic dolphin one. They were less crowded than others and the crew were more knowledgable than the others. I saw dolphins and whales up close. They also have a glass bottom so you can see the dolphins swimming right next to you.

The bad points:
The lifts. They have 2 to serve the whole section. If like me you end up on floor 1 then you can be waiting a long time for a lift. So just expect this and relax and don't worry about it. It's a small price to pay.
Steepness. If you fancy a stroll out of the hotel to visit the europa centre or such then be aware that it is a steep climb up to the main road. Take it easy and take plenty of viewing stops on your way up. It's only about 2 mins to the gate but the angle makes it seem more.
That's it. Hope this helps you and that you enjoy this place as much as I did if you choose to visit.

9 readers found this review helpful

Stayed at this hotel in late November.
Firstly the bad points: - the hotel is situated down a very steep bank (cardiac hill is what it’s called) so if you want to venture out for a walk beware). Although there are plenty of lifts in the hotel you were forever waiting for one sometimes up to 10 minutes. The entertainment was absolute rubbish, it was ok for the young children but for adults “definitely not”. That is all the bad points.
The rooms are situated on floors 1 to 5, 5 being the highest. Floor 6 is ?, 7 is the restaurant accessed via floor 8 which is the reception and floor 9 is the pool area and pool bar pool restaurant / snack bar.
There is a free safety deposit box and air con in the room and our room was cleaned nearly every day, the cleaners were very good. All room have a sea view but if I were you I would ask for a high floor say 4 or 5. Floor one is at the bottom and you will have a view of the sea obscured by the netting over the cliff, all rooms have a sea view. There is also a mini fridge in your room, you can get free 1 litre bottles of water from reception and there is a small shop there. All in all the staff are very friendly and cannot do enough for you. But there is some signs of wear & tear at the hotel which the management are gradually addressing.
There were 2 sittings for the evening meal 6.30 or 8.30 we were initially on the 8.30 time but changed to the 6.30 as we do not like eating late the food was good with a large variety. The chefs actually cook some of the food in front of you, it is all a self service buffet type sitting. The pool bar restaurant had speciality nights which were 3 nights barbecue, 3 nights Canarian and so on but you have to book the day before, we did not try the evening meals up there. There are 2 pools and a gym on the 9th floor and a food bar where you can have a late breakfast and lunch. You just help yourself to soft drinks, tea/coffee, wine and beer. If you want spirits or cocktails there is a bar, if you want named drinks just ask for them. On arrival you get a card each for pool towels for the sun beds, you exchange the cards for these near the pool and you can change them daily. There is also a sun terrace on the 9th floor which was very peaceful, ie- no children. The entertainment staff run competitions/games throughout the day
We did venture out into Puerto Rico for a couple of nights out, prices varied went into M & M’s bar bottles of beer were 1-1.5 Euros, named spirits were 2 Euros. Got ripped off in Harleys bar 6.50Euros for a Smirnoff & coke and 7.0 Euros for 2 local gin & tonics and it was supposed to be 2 for the price of one, the 007 bar opposite (same owner) were half the price. Found it very quite this time of year.
Taxi from hotel to centre was about 3.5 Euros, just go to reception and they will order you one, it only takes a couple of minutes to arrive.
I would definitely go back to this hotel again. Beware do not be overweigh on your luggage back to the airport they definitely charge you 11 Euros per Kg even if you are just over.

10 readers found this review helpful

We stayed for three weeks in November. Having previously stayed at two Riu Palace hotels on a half board basis we were wondering what the all-inclusive would be like.
We were not disappointed. In comparision to other all-inclusive hotels we have stayed at this was by far the best.
Food was excellent, fresh and varied and catered for all tastes. Free bottles of water were available at reception at all times.
Entertainment?... not really our thing but the theatre was allways busy if that's any indication. The staff were superb,always friendly and happy to help. Special mention to Jessica and Rueben at the bars, Stefano in the restaurant and Michael in reception.
We had a problem with the plug in the washbasin, which was fixed whilst we had dinner....... unlike some other hotels.
Downsides?.. the lifts were busy but we were on the fifth floor so we walked and if you like a stroll after dinner along the promenade then it's a long walk to get to it.The shuttle bus stops at around 18.00.Taxi to Puerto Rico 3 Euros. Taxi to Mogan was 16 euros.
This is a hotel where you eat,sleep and completely relax.....which we like to do.