Riu Funana ClubHotel

20 readers found this review helpful

We stayed at the Riu Funana in Cape Verde in June 2009, from leaving the airport until we reached our hotel, it was as the brochure said, very barren. For miles we saw nothing but sand dunes and then our hotel appeared out of no where. It wasn't a disappointment, it was extremely clean and all the staff were so friendly and wouldn't hesitate in helping you.
The rooms were clean and comfortable, clean towels and bed linen every day and a free safe and endless bottles of drinking water.
The main buffet restaurant had a good selection of food and beverages, but the four speciality restaurants are a must, the chinese restaurant was one of the best places we have eaten on holiday.
There are plenty of bars dotted around the complex along with endless snack bars as well as a handy bar right on the beach. You definatley get value for money especially with the all inclusive option.
The evening entertainment is okay, but seemed to be repetative. But with as many bars around as there was, you have plenty to do.
we will definatley go back to this hotel, maybe in five or so years, as it is definatley an up and coming resort as there is alot of building work going on in the main town of Santa Maria.
The only bad thing i would say, is the Thomson reps were not very helpful, they seemed to prey on people who just wanted to spend spend spend, especially on the excursions. We booked two excursions with them, one was extremely expensive, and they weren't at all interested in holding a conversation with us, just holding their hand out waiting for the money. It is possible to book the excursions outside of the hotel, which were alot cheaper and they all spoke extremely good english and were alot more friendly and knowledgeable!

8 readers found this review helpful

Stayed at this hotel and travelled with Thompson Holidays from the 19th Sept - 3rd Oct 2008.
I got severe stomach cramps and the runs from day 3 for the rest of the holiday. My fella got it a few days after me and he is Mr Iron Guts! Two nights I actually thought I was going to pass out as my tummy was that bad and I cried on the last night cause I was so upset about it all!
We could not go on any of the trips or into the town cause we had to know there was a toilet near us all the time within running distance as we were only getting about a 30 second warning if you know what I mean!!!
A few nights he was up all night with it as well but I only had it during the day thank god!
Kept listening in to other peoples conversations around the pool (like you do) and there was alot of it going about.
Complained to the rep on the last night cause it's not got enough for the amount of money we spent to go there! She didnt think it was anything to do with the hotel though!
We have been back 1 week tomorrow and are still not right.
I TRIED TO POST THIS EXCACT SAME REPORT ON THE TOMPSON WEBSITE BUT SURPRISE SURPRISE THEY HAVE NOT PUBLISHED IT - WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU??

6 readers found this review helpful

We knew that these islands are just starting out in the tourism trade but we were still not prepared for the basic lack of any ammenities on this island. The local people were very friendly but you are very aware of how poor they are and how much we have and take for granted - we felt that it wasnt safe after dark to go into Santa Maria even though the reps assured us it was safe. Beautiful beaches but that was it! the only trips we were offered were a half day trip around the island in a jeep - it was good fun - but the land is volcanic and barren so the landscape never changed much. We went swimming in a salt mine!! now this WAS an experience not to be missed. The island is only 35 k by 12k so we went around the whole island in just a few hours.
You could fly to the other islands but other holiday makers commented on how expensive these were - up to £120!! and some islands were like Sal - nothing much there but fantastic beaches! Excellent hoilday if all you want to do is reast and sunbathe but there isnt any thing to do and NO SHOPPING! Hotel staff excellent, rooms basic and clean but did expect them to be of a higher standard seeing the hotel only opend in 2005. Hotel is advertised as 5 star but the food struggled to be 4 star - very geared up for the germans and continentals! Enterainment is DIRE!!! again geared up for the continentals and because there is nothing outsiade the hotel complex you have to grin and bear it! Disappointed with this RIU hotel as we have been to many RIU hotels in other countries and we do tend to compare them. Unfortunately when we landed on our first day it was throwing it down with torrential rain and they kept telling us they never got rain!!! Rest of holiday was very mixed weather but on the whole it was hot and very humid. We would return to Sal in the future when it has developed more.

3 readers found this review helpful

My Partner & Myself have just returned from our stay at this resort & I'm very sad to say that we are still suffering;
We went for a weeks holiday & I managed to catch 'The Bug' 2 days in. Thomson will deny there is any problem; but about 3/4 of our flight had suffered from 'The Bug'. Also with thomson's denial in mind, when I had to cancel the majority of my booked dives, the staff there quoted 'Oh, so you also have The Bug! They say it will only last 36hrs, but be prepared for 72hrs or more'. As stated before Thomson will deny! My partner then developed problems a day later & after 2 days back home we are still suffering!
This is a real shame as the resort itself is fantastic! I wouldn't say it was 5* but it's not bad! The rooms were good size, staff were ok helpful enough, food & resturants are good, with plenty of choice! The beach is beautiful & one of the best I have seen & I have been on some good ones! Diving is ok, but if your a big game diver like me there's not much to see, a good place to practice drift diving though! There isn't much to see in the town of Santa Maria & the locals will bother the hell out of you & they can get quite aggresive!
ADVICE:
If you go? & you do catch 'The Bug' get straight down the chemist they will know exactly what you are talking about & they will give you 2 boxes; 1 for the diarrhea & 1 for the cramps. They will help & calm things down, but they will not clear things up, you will need western medicine for that. The symptons you will suffer from will range from severe diarrhea, stomach cramps, sickness, dizzyness & fever!
As stated this is a real shame as this is a great place to visit & the weather is fantastic, I just wish Thomson would admit there is a major problem & get a grip of it!

2 readers found this review helpful

The holiday lost its shine even before the 18 hour delay on the return flight!
On arrival the hotel looks really nice, once settled in though you can start to see the cracks in the 5 star facade. The pool in our part of the hotel was shut for repair work but we could use the pool in the other hotel-how did they expected all the people from both hotels to use a pool designed for one because in my mind 2 into 1 don't go. If you were lucky enough to get a sunbed you found yourself bothered by flies, if at any one time you only had 5 flies buzzing you you could count yourself double lucky, a sunbed and only 5 flies. As mentioned by someone else, the toilets smell, in our room there was no window in the toilet and no fan just a vent which let you hear into other rooms toilets and probably let them hear you too. The reps didn't seem to helpful, in fact on two occasions I was asking one young lady some questions only for her to turn around mid question to speak to some one else, in fact on the second time I walked away to the bar and she had no idea where I had gone when she turned back around to finish talking to me. The food seemed good although my partner and I both had runny tummies mid way through and on our return home. It was all self service even in the a la carte restuarants. In the broucher it states it is 24 hour all inclusive, we tried to get food at 10.30 one night only to find salad and pastries with no hot food and unhelpful staff who could not understand english. The reps try and sell the trips and scuba diving, I did 2 dive's and was not impressed at all, if you like looking at sand you would love it, we met someone who had bought 9 dives, after the first 5 he was trying to sell off the last 4 and he only went on holiday to go diving. We went on the catamaran trip, they drop you off at the docks and you get to watch the locals argue over the fish just before they gutt them and chuck the rubbish into the water where the local kids play in the water between begging. The captain on the catamaran again dosn't speak much english but knows how to say the beer is 5 euros a bottle but he dosn't know how to explain where the safetly equipment is located. The snorkeling off the catamaran when we anchored up was great for those that like looking at sand again.Our return flight can only be described as a nightmare. We were told to leave the room at 11am with pick up at 11.45am which would have been perfect. When we checked out the reps told us there was a delay and pick up would be at 1pm, the bus came and took us to the airport where we checked in and went through passport control. Two plus hours after our scheduled departure our plane touched down and we left the cafe with its pot noodles and 2 duty free shops behind and went through security. After waiting for ages again an anouncement was made that the plane had a technical problem and would not fly today. A rep then told us to follow her out of the departure area, she told us that the flight crew were out of hours, I am sure that they must have known that the flight would be cancelled before we left our hotel. At first they were not going to give us our suitcases back for that night after the uproar they decided they would. After more waiting the reps started to sort out return transfers, the problem now being that a plane load of new holidaymakers had taken the rooms we had just vacated. Women and children first which was fare enough then first come first served for a seat on the coach back to our 3 sorry 5 star all inclusive hotel. We lost out on the suitcase roulete wheel, by the time our cases came off the mad scramble was over and we had to go off to a replacement hotel. The reps arranged an evening meal but we could not have any drinks, now I wished we had made it back to our all inclusive hotel. Pick up the next morning was at 4.45am with a flight time of 7am, with a breakfast supplied of coke and crisps by the reps we headed off into departures. The plane took off around 8am, we were given complimentry drinks on the plane again we were unlucky as we were the last to be served and had no choice, infact there was no sugar for our coffee when we had our meal. Apart from the above it was a nice trip just wish it hadn't been overcast all week.

1 reader found this review helpful

This Hotel is classed as 5*, it’s more like 2*, the staff were rude and miserable; this was mainly down to the sheer volume of people on one complex. The rooms were very basic, the smell from the sanitation was overwhelming and if you wanted fresh water you had to fetch it from the main reception.
All there is on the island is the Garopa and Funana hotels, it seemed like we was in Mars.
We walked into Santa Maria and the locals intimated you.
We have stayed in a few Riu Hotels and found them superb, if you pay for 5* luxury you expect to get it, there was no waiter or waitress service, it was all self service.
We stayed for a week and during that time we was unable to go into the swimming pools as the heaters was broken and the water was ice cold.
The only good point I can give about this resort is the beach, its breath taking.
Also we had to pay 25 Euros each on arrival, this is all included in your holiday, it took me five weeks to claim it back as the Thomson rep at the resort was unable to refund us.
Overall, this wasn’t a pleasant holiday.

3 readers found this review helpful

We went to sal in early march 2008 for 14 nights and found it a very enjoyable stay. There were myself and my fiancee who are both in our mid 20's.
Flights - We flew from gatwick although there are now flights from manchester also with the flight time at about 5 and a half hours so could be a bit far for just one week. Plenty of in-flight entertainment with the seat back tv's with films, games etc so it went quite quickly. One thing though with the passport controll at cape verde, you do need a visa which is 25 euros p/p but some holiday companies incluce this with the price of the holiday. We didnt have this but filled a form out online with thomsons and just had to pay our rep, however we were forced to pay at passport controll so it took a bit of sorting out when we got to the resort but the rep did everything was fine. You will have to pay 150 euros when you leave so do make sure you have one on entry. Also we had to wait about an hour at passport controll in an un-airconditioned room so try and get off the plane quickly and get to the front of the que.
Hotel - After a 20 min transfer the hotel was great. In a large complex which has a slight morrocan look about it the room was good and cleaned daily with towel changes. Plenty of drawer and wardrobe space and air conditioning to keep it nice and cool with a huge double bed. TV but with the only english channel being sky news but your not there to watch tv, was good to keep up with things back home though. Pools were good but quite cold when we went as apparently the heaters had broken and plenty of sunbeds around. It is quite breezy but it does make the sun bareable although can get cold in the shade. Staff were very friendly and always say hello if they walk past you.
Food - 6 resteraunts to choose from with a fabulous choice of food. Two standard ones and 4 "speciality" (Cape verdian, Asiatic, Grill and African), I found these great as I love trying new quisine but my fiancee only liked the asiatic as she can be fussy. Daytime food also good with choices of allsorts of salads, burgers, hot dogs etc. Only thing is you do have to find your own table at breakfast and at the main restaurant in the evening which can be a challenge sometimes. We found eating al fresco was good as it was very quite and the well behaved dogs and cats were begging for a bit of meat.
Drink - Very good with self service beer, coffee and soft drings a the lobby bars and restaurants. Fantastic selection of spirits with well known brands (gordans gin etc) and the measures are huge. Red wine was great but the rose and white were not as palatable. The cocktails were very nice with the non-alcoholic ones exeptional, try the fruit punch at the pool bar.
Entertainment - We didn't do anything really in the day but there is plenty to do with aqua-aerobics, water polo, bigo, shooting, football just to name a few. The evening entertainment was okay with some show good and some bad, there is also kareoke at the barracuda bar nightly if thats your thing.
Excursions - Plenty to choose from, all different according to taste and bugets. We went on the half day catermaran trip which was well worth it. A chance to see whales, dolphins and turtails as well as snorkeling at a secluded bay. Some others we spoke to went dune buggying which they said was fantastic although they did get filthy. I would advise taking money for at least one excursion as it can get bit samey in the hotel.
Beach - Very nice beach with white sand and clear blue seas. A bit rough though as we found to our dismay when a few waves put us on our backsides. A brief walk around to santa maria beach and the sea did seem calmer. A haven for windsurfers which there were a lot of and a couple of guys were doing kite surfing. Free from the hotel are pedal boats and kayaks which looked fun. Bar and entertainment throughout the day also.
All in all a great place to visit for sun worshipers but if you want culture etc then look somewhere else as there is little to do away from the hotel (It is a small island).
Highlight though was one of the dogs gave birth while we were there so had great fun taking food and water and watching the pups. Keep an eye out for 8 puppies wandering about and give them some food if you see them.

3 readers found this review helpful

We went to the Rui Funana in Sal in January 2008. When we landed we had to wait ages to get through passport control but eventually through, our rep met us and directed us over the road towards the buses. Beware here as men pounce and take your luggage out of your hands and walk it the few yards to the bus and hand out their hands asking for money. They will snatch your bags so beware of this.
When you drive from the airport to the hotel (about 20 minute drive) you think you have landed on Mars looking at the countryside, its is flat and reddish in colour. There is no green or trees or grass and you do begin to think what have I done? However, upon arriving at the Rui Funana we were surprised that is was heaps better than we were expecting. The check in is very organised and they will take your luggage to your room via a golf buggy and again pick it up for you when you leave. This may be worth doing as some of the rooms are a few minutes walk from the reception. The rooms are large and airy with air con and a ceiling fan. There is a safe inside the hanging rail of the wardrobe. Its immaculate in your room and if you opt for a double bed, its huge! Towels are changed every day if you wish and you have a mini fridge in your room. Water is available from reception and you ask for it as and when you want it. Make sure you take enough toiletries as we ran out of a couple of things – for instance, a can of men’s deodorant like Lynx was 9 euros about £6 and hairspray or gel is very expensive too.
There are two main restaurants, the Ponte Preta is mainly for guests in the Rui Funana and Espargos is for the guests in the Rui Garopa. However, you can flit between the two but they serve exactly the same food. However, the Espargos is quieter than the Ponte Preta and has fewer children in it so if you fancy a quiet meal that’s the one to go in. I cannot praise the food enough; there is practically everything you want. We had champagne for breakfast a few times during our 14 night day and you help yourself to anything you want. Check out the cheese and ham toasties in the poolside snack bars – absolutely gorgeous. Also if you like non alcoholic cocktails try the non alcoholic pina coladas, gorgeous. They do not serve diet drinks either, its just unheard of so if you are diabetic, be prepared.Talking of gorgeous, the free 20 minute scuba lesson in the Funana pool, ladies this is taken by a Brazilian guy called White – now ladies he is cute. There is also water aerobics, shuffleboard, massages, shooting, to name a few activities. Water polo is played daily too – great way to meet people.
The only downside I would say (and this is not because of the hotel but the ruling in some countries) people smoke absolutely everywhere except in the two main restaurants. We did find this particularly hard as we are non smokers – there were even people smoking in the pool! Another downside I am afraid is the Germans as in they do not queue! This did cause a few problems between them and the other nationalities which was a shame as they look at you like you have two heads as they have no concept of queuing! Also whether you like it or not, you have to reserve your sunbeds or you just won’t get one. We very reluctantly did it but in the end it’s the only way to get one. There are pool towels which you can change daily as you leave the pool too.
If you visit any of the speciality restaurants, do not expect too much actually speciality food. However, the Mandalay, the Chinese restaurant is excellent, we went there twice but you have to book at reception three days in advance for the speciality restaurants.
Do not do the Island tour if you are an animal lover. Its very hard as they do not look after their pets. It is a very poor place but the children and people are not suffering from malnutrition, more poor as in no shoes or living in tin huts. I spent the afternoon in tears when we went on the island trip and would not recommend it for children either. However, having said that, there are cats and dogs which roam around from the beach and they are fed by guests and look healthy but its not so good around the island.
Try and go all inclusive, we chatted to a couple that paid near enough the same as us on a bed and breakfast basis and they said they could not afford to eat out there. Two pasta dishes, two glasses of wine and two glasses of water would work out to be £40.00. God help her rep when she gets back!
Also what they do not tell you at home is that the children want to learn and that they are crying out for pens and paper as they have nothing to write with or on. Had we known that we would have taken stuff with us and given to a school.
The island is going through a major building boost along with the other islands I believe so be prepared to get harassed about time share if you leave the hotel.
We had a great holiday but there is still miles for improvement on the actual island but I would recommend the hotel without a doubt.

2 readers found this review helpful

Lovely hotel and staff! Some comments above said it was a bit windy but that depends on the time of the year that you go. We went in June and it wasn't as bad, in fact the lovely breeze make the heat bearable and I ended up having a sun burn in my chest because couldn't actually feel it was that hot so in a way the breeze is very welcome.
Not much to see really but I believe it's better now almost untouched by building works, than in a couple of years time when all will be spoilt by massive resorts.
Town of Santa Maria is a very nice little town and full of friendly locals although a lot of immigrants from Senegal trying to sell you stuff and can't take a no for answer!
Food in the hotel and drinks 9/10. Best restaurant in the hotel will be the traditional one: "Cabo verde" , try the "Merengue" drink for those of you who don't like alcohol, its amazing!
I have checked out some of the other islands and I can assure you next time try "Sao Vicente" is by far the most beautiful and is not desert like.
Overall very peaceful and relaxing holiday! Definitely go back!

1 reader found this review helpful

Just returned from a week at the Riu Funana – a first class hotel on a windy desert island.
The hotel is very impressive & is actually 2 Riu hotels (Funana & Garopa) on one site with facilities of either hotel open to everyone.
The hotel is immaculately clean (in spite of all the sand being blown around); the food is the best we have eaten at an all-inclusive hotel (with a selection of restaurants) & the staff very friendly & no problem communicating with them & they all go out of their way to say hello.
The site is huge; fenced with only 2 exits (both guarded) one onto the beach & one onto the main road.
On the downside the wind, that is ever present, is very tiring; the flies around the pool are incessant; the entertainment is dire & the weather could be better (it gets cloudy from mid afternoon).
Santa Maria is one big building site but none of the building work is noticeable from the hotel. If you want to walk into town go out of the beach exit & turn left & walk along the path into town, it’s quicker & you can avoid the dust & dirt from all the building work along the main road though there are plenty of taxis outside the main gate if you want/ need one.
Would we go again? – no but only because of the weather & it’s a long cramped 6 hour flight for a weeks’ holiday but if you are thinking of going go before Santa Maria gets spoilt by the development.