Riu Cala Esmeralda Hotel

2 readers found this review helpful

Had a great holiday. staff great, food far better than expected.
have not stayed in many places that we would say we would love to go back to - this was one of them.
A really enjoyable holiday and looking forward to going back again next year

2 readers found this review helpful

Just had a great two weeks. Hotel was recommended to us and it lived up to all expectations. Rooms cleaned daily to a high standard, meals really good and accommodation better than described. Waiters really on the ball, choice of food at meals satisfied all tastes.Will be re booking again next year

6 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from a weeks stay in the Cala Esmeralda Hotel in Cala D’or. The hotel is superbly located overlooking a small cove and beach and offers great views for those that have a room to the front of the hotel.
The food was plentiful and delicious with a wide variety of food offered on a self-service basis. No matter what time you ate, during the restaurant opening times, the food was always freshly made with all the options available, so there was no need to rush down to eat.
The room sizes are adequate for a couple all with a small balcony and kept spotlessly clean on a daily basis. The rooms have a small fridge and air-conditioning, but no coffee or tea making facilities, still the fridge kept the wine cool for an evening tipple before dinner.
The hotel is in a quiet location and we weren’t disturbed once during the night by rowdy revellers. The centre of Cala D’or is only a fifteen minute stroll away and offers a variety of shops, bars and restaurants. The hotel pools are clean with plenty of sunbeds which can’t be reserved and you have to use the hotels beach towels which are obtained from reception for a returnable deposit.
All in all a hotel that prides itself in cleanliness and friendly staff and I would recommend it to anyone, we will definitely return.

2 readers found this review helpful

the location of the hotel is fantastic overlooking cala esmeralda beach and just 5 minutes walk away from the busy cala dor but still a quiet area in the night. the beach is shared by a number of hotels so it does get very busy, even slightly off season. the rooms were quite basic but neat and tidy and the maid servise was fantastic. the beds were made every day and our clothes were even folded and put away. the pools are very clean. one pool overlooking the beach is lovely with a bar serving dood and drinks. it does get busy there and you will struggle to find a sunbed at times. the food quality was very good however, there was a feeling of rush and panic with the waiters who as soon as you had taken your last mouthful, would whip the plate away from you. one time my girlfriend and i went up to get desert from the buffet and they cleared our table and drinks before we had finished. in my mind the waiters were very efficient but ill mannered. the hotel entertainment was shocking. not worth staying in the hotel for drinks at night. there is better entertainment in the cala dor town. but be carefull of prices there. we payed 8 erous for a lager once. great entertainment at tropical gardens with cheap drinks. overall quite good.

1 reader found this review helpful

Never go back there again!
For a 4 star Hotel I was disappointed.
We have had better from other Hotels in the area.
Some of the food every day was stale so started to eat out instead.
The rooms are very clean and you do get a nice view.
But the balconies are very small for this 4 star and so are the rooms.
Dont get me wrong clean Hotel nice reception and pool area but with regular stale food and a small room we know you can get better.
we've had better in Cal Dor many times

Never go back there again!
For a 4 star Hotel I was disappointed.
We have had better from other Hotels in the area.
Some of the food every day was stale so started to eat out instead.
The rooms are very clean and you do get a nice view.
But the balconies are very small for this 4 star and so are the rooms.
Dont get me wrong clean Hotel nice reception and pool area but with regular stale food and a small room we know you can get better.
we've had better in Cal Dor many times

We went to Gran Canaria again as it's hot/warm all year round. We stayed at the Cala D'or apartments, which we were plesantly surprised with. We thought it would have been more basic than it was. We arrived with a nice welcome at reception, then went down to our room which in itself had everything that you need as there is a fridge (clean) and hotplate for cooking (clean). There aren't any t.v's in the room but you don't miss it, it was nice not to watch it and after all your on holiday! Plenty of sunbeds even if you go out at 9.30am and alot are already towelled up ready for a day of sunbathing. The pool is nice for a dip or a bit of fun, after you get past the initial Brrrr its cold. Variety in the onsite shop good enough but not the cheapest place to buy from! The bar tenders are friendly enough and smile and seem to enjoy their job. Evening entertainment is dependant on if theres enough people to watch the shows as alot of families go down to the town for the evening meal. We saw 2 shows cancelled, but we didn't mind. Cathy the evening entertainment was nice enough, always getting the men and the odd girl to play killer pool by day, and singing by night (karaoke is a big favorite). To get the best prices you need to go into the town even if it means you get a taxi or walk back to the hotel up 100+ steps (we only got a taxi once), water and basic essentials are deffinetly cheaper downstairs. Room quality sheets changed every other day, cockroaches, what cockroaches didn't see any in the room. Possibly a few things could be updated in the rooms but it wouldn't stop me from going back. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there and would reccomend anyone to go there.

1 reader found this review helpful

Cala Esmeralda was a wonderful hotel and we would definitely return in an instant.
Make sure you ask for a sea view as some rooms have views overlooking the restaurant roof.
Our room over looked the beach and we had a wonderful view of the sea.
The hotel is cleaned to an exceptionally high standard and pool area and gardens are well maintained. You are not allowed to reserve sunbeds and the pool areas do not open until around 8am which is great for people like myself who do not want to be up at the crack of dawn! Pool towels are available at a deposit.
Food is again of high standards and there is plenty of choice for everyone, my daughter has lots of allergies and it was really helpful having all the ingredients labelled in English and Spanish. Food was getting constantly replenished and never ran out.
Staff were lovely and very helpful.
The sister hotel, Esmeralda park was next door and definitely for families who like a lively hotel with evening entertainment.
The beach was lovely but very crowded, great for snorkelling and jumping off the rocks was great fun.
The only disappointment was the standard of the Bedroom. It was very small and basic with no carpets and little space, but still very clean.

1 reader found this review helpful

With a premium rating from Thomas Cook we expected it to be really good.
It was of a good standard, but not excellent as other premium rated hotels have been.
The hotel was obviously older than others we have stayed in, but the cleanliness and staff were excellent.
Food a tad disappointing, but the resort is lovely.
Tranquil, mature (pine trees etc) and the beach and sea are beautiful.

1 reader found this review helpful

We recently visited this hotel which has been taken over by Inturotel and were extremely impressed by the level of service and cleanliness throughout the hotel and pool area.
The food was varied and tasty and the snacks and drinks at the pool bar were extremely good value.
I did find the bed extremely hard and would have found it hard to sleep on for more than a few days but other than that I would highly recommend this hotel and will probably return in the not too distant future.