Riu Garopa ClubHotel

Having just returned from a week at the Riu Garopa, overall, we had a really good time and the hotel was very good, and in our opinion deserving of a 4* rating, on par with those we have stayed in the Canaries/Cyprus. However it was not without its faults and therefore, with the help of this report, you can decide what you feel is the most important to you. Sorry it’s so long, but I wanted to be thorough. For us, it was a week of chilling out, sunbathing, swimming, walking/paddling along almost deserted beaches and not having to worry about spending money, and on that front it definitely ticked all those boxes. (it is in quite a remote spot) Hotel Reception On arrival, about 6 members of staff handled check-in efficiently, and we were given our room keys and stickers for our cases to be delivered to our room. We did have one small hiccup in that when we got to our room, it was a standard (no sofa) and we had upgraded to larger double (with sofa) so we went back to reception and they sorted the mix-up out straight away, and radioed the porter to deliver our cases to the new room. By the time we’d had a beer, the cases were waiting for us. – sorted. Rooms The rooms are lovely; plenty of drawer/hanging space, efficient air conditioning, and the cleaners do a wonderful job every day. We were on the ground floor and didn’t have any problems with sand or bugs at all. As other people have commented, the shower is FANTASTIC. However, if your staying with a friend or relative, you really do need to be OK seeing each other naked, as the open plan layout of the shower area, is not for the shy!!! (Don’t worry the toilet has a door). Most rooms don’t have much of a view (ours didn’t) unless you are very lucky and get in the block nearest the beach Layout Personally we really liked the sprawling layout of the hotel complex. Nothing was that much of a walk, and anyway what’s the hurry, you’re on holiday!! Our room was about as far from the beach gate as you could get and it took us about 8 mins to walk it as a leisurely pace. It took us 5 mins to the restaurant. The hotel IS on the beach, basically through the gate, across the sand to the sea, but due to the size of the complex some parts are quite a way from the sea, and there is just the one access point. Pools Both pool areas are the same, so we used the one most convenient to our room. The main pool is lovely for swimming in, I estimated it to be approx 50m long, and most of the children/families tended to congregate around the Jacuzzi/swim up bar pool. The water was refreshing, but not really cold (I am a wimp when it comes to cold water so if I can get in anyone can!!!). One morning I was the only person in the pool at about 11am. I thought it was wonderful have the whole pool to myself in a 500-room hotel. Pool towels are good and long enough to go from head to toe. One each allowed, but can be changed at the ‘hut’ any time it’s open (9.00am to 5pm). We didn’t see any problem with sun bed reserving. We would turn up at the pool around 9.30-10am and have a pick of where to sit. Drinks Reception, Restaurant and Snack bar have self-service drinks, but not the pool bar (shame). This was a little bit frustrating, as if you wanted just a beer or coke, you had to wait to be served at the bar, rather than help yourself, which is so handy in the other areas of the hotel Although you can get as much water as you need from reception (1.5L bottles), the bars only did water by the glass. It’s a shame they didn’t seem to have any 500ml bottles of water available. Luckily we had brought one with us from the journey, and just topped it up from our fridge supplies. Handy for strolls along the beach, as you really do need to take a drink with you. Best coffee (we thought) was the Cappuccino’s from the self-service coffee machines. Unfortunately they don’t have these in Main Restaurant, which is a shame at Breakfast, however, you could either take one in with you, or bring out a Croissant or two, and eat them in the lobby bar. We liked the White Wine best, but then that’s just personal taste. Beer was good too, very drinkable. Sparkling wine at breakfast on Sunday and Thursday!!!! - Yippee Meals Breakfast, usual stuff. Pancakes, yummy (keep an eye out for fresh ones) Lunch - Depends what you want. Basic snack bar fair at the open-air restaurants toasted sarnies, pizza, chips etc etc. But the indoor restaurant (Funana side) does full buffet lunch with much better selection of cold mixed salads and hot food. Dinner - Same as lunch really!!! Not the widest selection in the world, but just about enough variety for a week. Cheese but no crackers (weird) – had cheese with bread instead, yummy. A lot of the food is ‘griddled’ but they do use quite a bit of oil in the process – not so good for the waistline. At the end of the day, they are catering for the masses, so it’s unlikely to be a gastronomic delight. However, I’d still have to give food a 4* rating (just) as it IS better than what we’ve had in 3* Hotels. The layout, décor and ambiance of the restaurant were lovely, and it was not a ‘scrum’ for food by any means. We didn’t try any of the ‘speciality’ restaurants. The main negative point for us was getting HOT food – you can’t seem to get any (unless it’s something that Chef has just finished – keep your eyes open). It’s not that I don’t think it’s been cooked properly, it just that its not then KEPT hot. They use ceramic dishes, but when chef brings new dishes of food from the kitchen, he is able to carry them with his bare hands!!!! Also the ‘plate heaters’ didn’t appear to be doing the job either. No napkins need to carry your plate, so if your food WAS hot, it won’t be for long. However, they had no problems in keeping the cold food cold – that was very good. Like I said, no problem with the cooking/hygiene of food (as far as we could tell) and neither of us had any sickness issues (and I am usually sick at least one night wherever I go!!!), but then we did avoid all chicken, prawns and pork just to be on the safe side. Spa – I had a French Manicure 20Euros and full head African beading 35Euros, which I thought was good value – very friendly staff, but they don’t speak much English. Gym looked well equipped and well attended (not by us!!). Weather – yes it’s windy, but it wasn’t that bad (Lanzarote strength) and you needed it during the day, otherwise it would have been too hot (it died down a bit on the last two days and it got much more humid). Yes, you get sand blasted calves walking along the beach, but not enough to worry about. The glorious sunshine and the clear turquoise sea and soft sand makes up for that – big time. Finally – our flights. We travelled with Cape Verde Experience and upgraded with Astraeus to Star Class. This was worth every penny. Own check-in desk (both ends) and Fast Track through Gatwick Security (worth £££’s alone!!) Use of the Executive Lounge (free drinks and nibbles in a child free zone). Free drinks on board including Champagne on boarding, with then nibbles, nice meal and snacks during the flight. 36” pitch seats and pillows and blankets too. Wonderful. Well I think that’s it. I shall post this on the forum too, so any questions you want to ask, feel free, and I’ll answer them as best I can. Hope you also have a fabulous time at the Riu Garopa – we did!!!!

We have just returned from two weeks at The Riu Garopa, 22nd April - 7th May 07. The Riu was very good, clean rooms (beds a bit hard and take a pillow), excellent showers, functioning toilets, running water and air con. Food ok if you pick and mix, looks good but tastes different! Speciality restaurants were a disappointment, try if you want to but don't feel let down if all are booked; the main restaurant is better. Staff were excellent and the whole hotel is run with military precision, staff in different uniforms to show their job. The combined Riu Garopa and Funana compound is huge, 10 blocks with approx 150 rooms to each, two pools, and beach. The main areas become very busy at times and seating can become a problem. Drinks included UK brands of spirits. Nightly show was amateurish to say the least. Bottles of drinking water are available free from reception, the tap water is brackish desalinated water. The down side, not the fault of the hotel, is the constant wind blowing sand everywhere, flies, and noise. The pool and beach look idyllic in photos but add to that cold water, wind, flies, screaming children and bar music loud enough to make your ears bleed and you have a truer picture. A new hotel is being built on the Santa Maria side of the Riu complex, this is creating noise and extra dust and may be a nuisance in rooms nearby. Take clothes pegs to keep your beach towel (provided by the hotel) on the sun lounger, head scarf for ladies (hats blow away), anti-diarrhoea tablets (just the change of water I expect), Euro coins and low denomination notes. Watch out for sun burn. Santa Maria is a mix of third world shanty and a building site. Running water and electricity are intermittent. Makes you appreciate the guilded cage of the hotel compound (it's guarded). Heaven for wind and kite-surfers. The Americados is good for lobster and fillet steak. A half day sight-seeing trip by landrover is the best way to see the Island. Inter-island travel is expensive. Good sea fishing and quad bikes. Two weeks is too long on Sal, limit your visit to one week! If you fly by Thomson Boeing 767 don't bother booking 'extra' seats with more leg space. The seats allocated are against the bulkheads and have less leg room than a normal seat. You end up paying to have less space! Tony C

My partner and I have just got back from the Riu Garopa in Cape Verde after a really pleasent and relaxing week, I would definetly recommend the hotel to family's with young children and couples alike. We have stayed in Riu chain of hotels before and this one did not disappoint. The staff were helpful and the hotel and pool were exceptionally clean. The standard double room which we stayed in was comfortable, had plenty of storage and the shower was better than ours at home! I've noticed a lot of people ask what the difference is between the Garopa and the Funana and the answer is very little - you are free to use the restaurants, bars and pool in both hotels and it really feels like one large resort. The only slight difference we could see was the sunbeds by the pool in the Garopa were a little more comfortable. The food at the hotel was excellent, the main restaurant has plenty of choice and the food is tasty. I would recommend booking the speciality restaurants as soon as you arrive however as they get full quickly. If you get bored of lounging by the pool there are a variey of activities you can join in during the day and there is a dive centre on the beach and beach buggy's to hire (these are not included in all inclusive package). In the evening the entertainment staff put on a variety of shows such as Grease and Moulin Rouge which seemed popular and the nightclub is open till 2am. Just one slight word of warning - it is quite windy so watch out for sunburn as you can never tell if your burning and I would recommend a cardigan or jumper to avoid those goosebumps in the evening!!

After reading several of the reviews we were quite concerned about our holiday destination and choice of hotel, especially with a 22 month yr old. The Riu Garopa was a lovely hotel, very clean and the staff were excellent and wonderful with children. The pools were good and clean as were all the surrounding areas , parts of the hotel (lobbies etc) looked 5 star however the restaurants definitely were not. This is not to say that the food was not good and there was plenty of variety I guess ,but a lot of it was fried or cooked with cheese or butter. However there was an excellent salad bar but by day 4 it was a bit repetative (remembering you use the same restaurants for lunch) The chinese restaurant was good and the grill was okay too nice for change We were there the 3rd week of April and although there was a constant strong breeze only on one day did I find it bothering me slightly, (this was my main concern before going) so maybe we just got lucky ... there were a few evening you definitely needed a jumper or a wrap. The beach was beautiful but the sea current at the riu is definitely too strong for most children and infact some adults , therefore alot of the included water sports are not that enticing. The beach by the Morbeeza hotel is much more suited to small children and is extremley pretty. However Santa Maria is under much developement and although I didn't feel intimidated my husband didn't feel comfortable there at all, due to some people who wouldn't leave us alone. Other than that I found Cape Verdeans to be wonderful and friendly and excellent with children ... as well as often speaking several languages... ! So please don't let my experience put you off. The hotel has loads of activities going on all the time which is great if you like that kind of thing (not my cup of tea unfortunately) however be warned that most of the hotel is open air and the noise travels loads and can be really annoying around 11 pm ( unfortunately overtired toddler meant I was in bed at that time and up at the crack of dawn) definitely bring earplugs... The hotel and island were great but I wouldn't go back again in a hurry just because I found it a bit bland (hotel that is) maybe its because its the first time I have ever done all inclusive and its not for me... however with a toddler it made my life extremley easy so in that respect I had a wonderful holiday.I am glad that I went and would probably go back in a few years time maybe to see another one of the islands. But I couldn't really fault the hotel at all other than the blandness , and once again the staff were fantastic...

This is two hotels on one site and is huge. It has some good points and some bad points: It is very clean. The food is of reasonable quality but far from gourmet. It is all buffet style and fried rather than charcoal grilled. It is catering on a mass scale (5,000 beds) so everything is frozen/tinned with the exception of the fruit. The drinks are available literally "on tap" including wine - no bottles. Staff are friendly. The "speciality" restaurants are the same as the main buffet but with less choice. My wife was sick once and felt queasy for a couple of days. Other people on the plane coming home said the same. We never discovered why but she was fine after a couple of days home. There is the usual early morning "bagging" of sunbeds, so you need to get up early for a good spot by the pool. Generally there are enough though. The hotel is 20 minutes walk (or 3 euros in a taxi) from Santa Maria or 30 minutes along the beach. The beach by the hotel seems to get the full force of the wind and the old "British" windbreaks would be useful. Santa Maria is pretty in parts - the jetty and beach. There is even an old promenade which is a pleasant walk. The town itself is generally under construction (including the roads). We ate in a fish restaurant there-Americos - one evening and this was OK. We should have had the lobster (crayfish) as this looked better than the mixed fish we selected. The local wine (in bottles) from Fogo was very drinkable.

I have just returned from a week in Sal, Cape Verde. Whilst there is alot of building work going on, this is certainly a happening place and will be a fantastic destination once completed. At the moment though it is still great and is very good value. We stayed at the RIU Garopa which is an Italian, all inclusive resort. The accommodation was spotless, the food is the best i have had and the beach and weather was stunning. We are planning to return next Easter.

Disappointing holiday. The brochure mis-led us in many ways. It states hotel is 5 star but this must be on the African hotel ratings. I would say a definite 3 star possibly 4 star. There is no mention of the wind. I appreciate you cannot control weather but a mention HAS to be made with regard to wind as it is constant and can create a severe drop in temperature. The swimming pools were freezing. I am not expecting a hot pool but would at least want one that has temperatures that are bearable. The food was ONLY fried and not the greatest of quality. If I said the oranges and kiwi fruit were the best offerings then you can make your own minds up with regard to quality. The were NO diet drinks just full fat coke, sprite, fanta etc etc. Not everyone likes full fat soft drinks A positive I thought hotel rooms were clean and tidy and the cleaners took pride in their jobs. General comments of surrounding area It was like a building/ bomb site. For any property investors I would take care on what you purchase as the quality of new builds is no where near as good a quality as here in the UK. I felt intimidated walking the streets of Santa Maria after dark. The Cape Verdeans were lovely people but the Senagalese and Gambians were a pain. This area may be transformed in the next 5-10 years but I will not be returning in the near future. I may consider Cape Verde again in 10+ years when it is more developed. I, like other reviewers do not think I got value for money

We arrived in Sal Airport after a good flight of around 6 hours. After some confusion as to the time difference from the Captain it was actually an hour earlier not an hour later as he had told us. The Airport was ok not what we had been told to expect it was quite effortless, we had already applied for our Visa through Thomson, and we sailed through. So we were on our way. We were escorted outside to some little 'bus' the luggage was to follow after us. On first impressions once outside it was very very windy , and I mean very windy. There are no trees and no building as far as the eye could see, it was like I imagine landing on the moon would be. The journey to our Hotel Riu Garopa was fine but we didnt pass another vehicle or see any infrustructure whatsover. Once inside the Hotel lobby which is really is very impressive, the check in was very smooth and was given our keys quickly and was told the luggage would be delivered to our room shortly. We made our way almost through the 'wind tunnel' to our room which was alongside the tennis courts. There are no pool or sea-view rooms to speak of here, so the outlook isnt very impressive. Room was very nice and had everything it was detailed to have. No iron or ironing board or coffee and tea making facilities, there was a fridge but no mini bar. We were advised that bottled water was freely available from the reception and we did get as much as we needed. First impressions was very very good. We ate that evening in the main restaurant, the food was superb something for everyone. A nice relaxed atmosphere, and plenty of tables for two, four etc. After our meal we relaxed in the main lobby bar again surprised as to the availability of branded drinks, normally on all inclusives they are locally produced brands, the only downside in the lobby bar was the amount of people to the seating facilities. If you want to eat in the specialist restarants it is advised to book on your first day we didnt manage to eat in any of them as they were fully booked. The shops in the hotel were ok normal sort of stuff. No sun tan cream or toiletries to speak of so make sure you take enough. There really are no supermarkets anywhere to be seen!! We were told the hospital is closed as they are building a new one or a dentist. So be aware of that. The pool area was nicely laid out and a swim up and pool bar, not many sun beds though. From the front the Funana and the Garopa are seperate Hotels, but from the back they blend into one and its hard to know which one you are in, but its ok as you can use the facilities for both. The biggest let down for us was the beach, it is really outside the hotel perimeter it isnt on the beach as stated in the brochure. Its not a laid out beach either, its quite rough although I agree with other reports that the sea is very blue and lovely white sand its just not what you would imagine. There are two sun beds laid together with another six as a fortress protecting you from the wind. I have been to far better beaches. In the evening it did get very cold, yes cold. The day temperature was around 75, and thats as good as it gets I believe even though the wind does drop at certain times throughout the year. We did go into Santa Maria, by taxi it cost 3 euros which was good value and the taxi's are lined up outside the Hotel, and freely available. It is an eye opener and worth a visit. Good one for the ladies in the middle of the chaos and rough terrain is a very modern shoe /handbag shop which was very reasonable. We didn't really get any hasstle from anyone and we had a beer in a little bar right in the centre. Nothing much else even though there is supposed to be a very good restaurant in Santa Maria we did hear comments that the food was better in the Hotel. Property, a few people we spoke to had bought property, why heavens knows there is nothing on Santa Maria whatsover, the properties that are being built are un attractive and some bought off plan which wouldnt be ready till 2009. They have a lot to do to make this a next up and coming area, and you have to have a vivid imagination to see this. I think if you bought now you wouldnt see any sort of return for at least 10 years. There is nothing to support apartments. Flights are few, no supermarkets or infrustructure whatsover. Would we go back , I dont know maybe in a few years, I am glad that we visited Cape Verde it really was an eye opener. You could not fault the Hotel whatsover, the food, drink, cleanliness was superb, not a lot to do in the evenings no where to walk out to, for a change, the music in the bars was ok but nothing exceptional. Glad we visited early maybe before it gets spoilt. The age of the people were mainly late 30's - 60's. If you already have this booked then go its something different, if not consider Sharm el Sheikh beaches are superb, sea is much much warmer and food is as good. Cape Verde is lovely but maybe as a one off. One little tip get a taxi from the Hotel to the airport when you leave we left about twenty minutes before everyone else, it cost us 10 euros and we beat the other travellers heading home. The airport departrure side didnt have a lot to do and long delays in getting though. We did return home having enjoyed Cape Verde with a good tan and a nice weeks rest, would go stir crazy though I think if we had gone for two weeks.

We booked our holiday with luxury farawayholidays after finding them on msn under Cape Verde, the service was great and they beat our other quotes. The food and the all inclusive package was outstanding we could not fault the hotel and holiday at all, would recommend Luxury Faraway Holidays they were great, we even got a post card from them when we got home, saying Welcome Home. Shaun - Manchester

We had read reviews of both the hotel and the island so we were a little apprehensive. We had also read about the island and expected it to be arid and windy – it was! So what were the good points Hotel An enormous complex with the rooms in two storey blocks. The rooms were large, spotless, plenty of hanging and cupboard space; a large comfortable bed. The cheery maids cleaned them daily, getting rid of the inevitable sand. There were two identical pool areas, each with two large pools – deep enough to swim, but not out of an adults depth. Each had a child’s area. There was also a dedicated children’ area with a pool in a separate place. Lots of large dragonflies It had six restaurants, four of which were specialist on an evening. There was plenty of choice, hot and cold. Hot food cooked in front of you so you could see it was fresh. We had a fairly expensive meal out, the food in the hotel was better. Plenty of activities, although the snorkelling trip would not take place until May (it was still winter according to them!). The show on the evening we watched was rather amateurish. All the staff were friendly and helpful. The island Starting outside the hotel. You take a short walk to the beach where there are plenty of sunbeds, both in and out of shade. The hotel had a beach bar so you got drinks as part of the all-inclusive deal. Let’s say it now and get it over with – there was a constant wind. We expected it; it is part of the trade winds. On to the beach itself – it stretches for at least 5 miles going south and the east then at least 2 miles going north, followed by a rocky cliff for a half mile, after that another beach extended for as far as you could sea. The sand and sea is stunning. The water can be rough at the edge but go in for a couple of metres and it’s OK. Warm enough to swim in March. We spent quite a time watching the kite surfers – spectacular. We took the tour of the island – the coast is much nicer than the interior; but the terrain made our mini quad excursion exciting Walking around the beach and local village we felt safe at all times; getting the impression that visitors were welcome. So the downside. Not too many in our opinion. If you think of the place as part of Africa you won’t have your expectations raised too much. There is no interesting architecture, a lot of towns are scruffy, and there aren’t too many roads. Would we consider going back – YES.