Riu Atlantico

1 reader found this review helpful

The hotel is in a beautiful location. I would add that the whole development in built on marsh land so expect to be bitten by very nasty mossies. The Thomson brochures show images of the larger rooms which are not the ones that Thomson customers stay in. The rooms are alot smaller but comfortable. The staff are excellent and friendly. We went on a half board basis so had breakfast and dinner at the hotel. The food is awful. Where do I start; 'chefs' cook meat and fish on hot plates. The meat and fish is either raw or over cooked, tough/cheap meat and fish with loads of bones. Everynight had the same spread of dull salad options. The paella tasted only of saffron as there was little or no seafood in the rice. The desserts were tasteless. I would suggest you eat at the nearby restaurants. My guess is the hotel manager is trying to make cuts and the food is suffering. The air conditioning is switched off during the night (notice the small print in the Thomson brochure that the manager puts on air conditioning at his discretion!!!). The hotel looks like a 4 star hotel and the staff make it a pleasant experience - however the very poor food and penny pinching of the air conditioning does not make this a 4 star hotel. Drinks are very expensive, at dinner they charge 12 euros for a wine that costs 3.25 euros from the nearby expensive local store! The hotel charges 2.20 euros a day for the use of the safe which we thought was excessive. The entertainment is so awful it is rather comical.

4 readers found this review helpful

Just spent two lovely weeks in this hotel with our two children aged 15 and 13. The hotel is even better than the video. The staff were exceptional, nothing was too much trouble. The food was amazing - if you don't need to go on a diet before you go you certainly will by the time you leave. The hotel is lovely and close to the beach so you can go backwards and forwards between the beach and pool. There are plenty of sunbeds although some of the Germans in the hotel reverted to type by putting their towels on the sunbeds as the sun came up!
The rooms were an excellent size although they do vary slightly. Our room was facing the sea/river and the views were just stunning.
The evening entertainment was rather "pathetic" and be warned there is not a lot else to do in the evening. The resort is small and quiet with just a few bars.
My only other criticism was the cost of the drinks in the hotel - you can easily run up massive bar bills so I would suggest you pay as you go rather than sign for them and pay at the end of your stay.
Finally, we booked our own flights and taxi transfers and saved a lot of money from the Thomson package price so worth considering.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable holiday.

2 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from 10 day stay at Riu Atlantico.As always difficult to fault Riu hotel: accomodation spotlessly clean very comfortable if on small side. Maid service excellent. Champagne or OJ on arrival, reception staff friendly and helpful, multi-lingual. We stayed on half board basis, plenty of choice hot and cold food, show cooking every meal. Only criticism maybe breakfast milk warm and had to pay for water with meal. Not good choice of hotel maybe for older children or teenagers as nothing to do-resort exceptionally quiet. No shortage of sun loungers and direct access to beach. Entertainment at night not very good- a bit staid. Would I go again- possibly not but only because bit too quiet; good choice if you want total relaxation though!

1 reader found this review helpful

This holiday was fantastic. It is the most relaxing holiday we have ever had. The hotel is very luxurious and spotlessly clean. Our room was cleaned every day and to a very high standard. The hotel staff were brilliant and went out of their way to make sure your stay was perfect.
Isla Canela is a quiet place with only a few shops and bars, and a lovely little harbour. I stayed in this hotel for one week with my husband and our teenage son. At the time of our stay the hotel was fully booked but it never felt crowded, and we managed to get a sunbed by the pool when we needed one. There is a beautiful beach at the back of the hotel, where you could rent 2 sunbeds and an umbrella for 6 euros per day. There was also a beach bar, where you could buy meals and drinks.
I thought I would save the best bit until last, the meals at the hotel were amazing, with so much choice for breakfast and dinner every day! But beware you will put on weight!!!! The only problem we had was having to come home, we wished we had booked two weeks instead of one, and we will definately be returning to the Riu Atlantico.

1 reader found this review helpful

Just got back from the Riu Atlantico after a 2 week holiday with wife and 13 year old son. The hotel was very good from the room, to pool, to service, to meals. The Animation team lead by Fabio was tremendous - they put in a lot of effort during the day and evening to keep all entertained. The food was excellent, but after 2 weeks we were glad to go home to have less fixed meal times and to loose some weight! The gym wasn't of much use with most of the equipment dated or not working. This a lovely part of Spain very close to the Portuguese border. The long and wide beaches are splendid.
The area is frequented mainly by Spanish which makes a very pleasant change from the more developed Costas. Many trips available - Seville 1 hour away, boat trips, a wonderful river, 4x4 trips in Portugal countryside. This is not a good place for snorkeling or scuba diving due to the wide sandy beaches, however an hour and a half down the road at the Trivoli Dive Center in Portugal diving is available. The local town of Ayamonte is okay for shopping and pleasant. There is a small commercial center and marina 5 minutes walk from the hotel with shops, restaurants and bars.
Overall an excellent hotel and holiday and felt very safe at all times of day and night. Only downside was the abrupt and unhelpful Thomson rep, who claims to be an excellent rep - Thomsons please re-assess what is the purpose of your reps as they (the UK TUI Reps) seem to just be there to sell trips, which are also available either through the hotel or locally. The German TUI rep had a wider selection of trips available, and seemed to be more approachable!

1 reader found this review helpful

My Husband and I have just returned from the Riu Atlantico and had the most wonderful holiday ever. Everything about this Hotel is just fantastic and could not be faulted in any way. The whole place was absolutely spotless 24 hours a day, the rooms were of excellent quality and so were the all the hotels facilities.
The swimming pool was one of the largest we have ever seen and exceptionally clean. The staff were very attentive and dealt with any question or query immediately. There was a children’s club run twice a day (except Weds) plus there were children’s activities throughout the day. The food was absolutely amazing both at breakfast and dinner. There was a different choice every night and was not repeated the whole week we were there. It was all absolutely fresh and cooked in front of you. If you are thinking about visiting this Hotel I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
We booked this hotel direct on the Riu website, booking our own fights and private taxi transfer and saved a fortune on the Thompson Package price. This was the first DIY holiday we had done and would never book a package holiday again!