Clubhotel Riu Guarana

4 readers found this review helpful

Just returned after spending two weeks at this new hotel. As regular Riu users we felt that this hotel was not the best we have visited, neither is it the worse. The pool area was dissapointing, as it was far too overcrowded, we did try to make a space for ourselves, but eventually the smokers near us made it even more unpleasant and we decided to move(this happened on more than one occasion). It was also very noisy due to the loud announcements for games etc., and two lots of music playing across the pool at the same time. Also during our second week the Spanish or Portuguese children were on school holidays,(I think they all decided to use the Riu Guarana as this years holiday destination) this meant that the hotel became very noisy at meal times as well(and even worse when Spain qualified for the football final). There also seemed to be a large number of screaming babies around us at every meal, even at the late sitting. The rooms are very nice, as you would expect from a brand new hotel, very comfortable, good air conditioning and a ceiling fan. We found the food to be of a good standard most of the time. We especially liked the Asian restaurant, although there needs to be improvement in the Grill restaurant. Everything is self service, even the drink at the table in the evening, which we found unusual for a Riu hotel. The main bar was not worth using as it was very noisy and crowded most of the time, particularly when the football was being shown on the big screen (alright if you like football). The pool bar is open of an evening, but as this is used by smokers becomes very unpleasant. There was a only a few good quality spirits available and only one beer. But the bar staff were very pleasant as was all the staff at this hotel. We dont think we will be returning to this hotel as it was quite expensive and also too noisy for us. It would suit the younger crowd who like the noisy games and hype, and also families. The beach is beautiful, just a short walk away. The weather was superb.

5 readers found this review helpful

My wife and I returned on 24/06 from 2 weeks at the Riu Guarana.
For the last 4 years our son has been working as a Thomson Kids Rep, so we have been staying in whichever resort he was working in. His mum couldnt stand 8 months not seeing him! So this year we drew up a shortlist of 5 hotels (3 of which happened to be Riu) and the Guarana came out on top, based on the information in the Thomson brochure -little did we know that some of that was inaccurate!
I must first point out that we have never been to Portugal before, never stayed at a Riu before and the only time we have been all inclusive was on a Thomson cruise a couple of years ago for our Silver Wedding Anniversary.
We had never experienced such a multi-national hotel with everything being announced in at least 4 different languages. It seemed to take forever to get anything going!
The Thomson brochure and website states A good place to start unwinding is at one of the two swimming pools. These lagoon-like lovelies have adjoining Whirlpool Baths and are flanked by teak sun beds with cream cushions and elegant parasols
The swimming pools are fantastic although the swim up bar is only half built and not open yet. No work is being done to complete it and it doesnt look as if it is going to start. The sun beds are not teak, but the usual plastic ones, and there are no cream cushions as per the Thomson site. (In fact we are taking this point up with Thomson, as this was one of the key factors in deciding on this hotel, as my wife has a degenerative spine condition and cannot lay around for too long so we thought comfortable sun beds would help. We believe they have misrepresented the situation.) The hotel at first offered to get a cushion for the sun bed then changed their minds. One particular member of the reception staff was quite rude about it.
There are also no adjoining whirlpool baths although there is one in the larger pool. We had to be at the pool by 10 am during the 1st week to reserve our beds and earlier during the 2nd week when the hotel seemed to be overrun with (Spanish?) families and kids); however some of the worst culprits were Brits. We also felt like a couple of sardines, as it does get very crowded by the pool at times, there’s certainly not the space indicated in the brochure.
We often stayed there until around 7, so it thinned out a lot by then. Mind you the downside of that was when the gardener decided to place sprinklers all around without testing them first. We all got soaked!
There will be a problem with the pool, as the floor tiles in the pool are already lifting. Also the disabled rail had come away from the floor and had been blocked off while we were there. The pool towel service is however excellent.
The room we had was of small to average size, but adequate, with two large single beds made into a super double and overlooked the waste land at the front of the hotel. It was tastefully decorated and included two bucket style arm chairs and a small table. A small balcony with two plastic chairs and small table there is a fridge, safe, large wardrobe space drawers, and bath with shower over. Air conditioning is available in all rooms. We were told by one couple that Thomson guests were allocated these rooms – I dont know if that’s correct. However as we didnt intend to stay in the room for long each day, we werent too bothered.
The main restaurant seemed small for a hotel this size, especially if large numbers went to eat at the same time. However the meal times were very flexible and opened for Dinner from 7 pm to 10 pm, so ample time. We both found the menu disappointing and have discovered that we are not fans of buffets. If I see another piece of hake or pork fillet again, Ill scream. A week was just as much as we could take in the main restaurant, and we ate twice in the Asian and once in the Grill restaurants. We also went out a couple of times. On saying that the food was good quality, it was just so repetitive and often bore no resemblance to the menu at the door. Often it was poorly labelled, so you didnt know what it was you were putting on your plate. One particular gripe about the main restaurant – why say that men should wear long trousers during the evening and then allow men with shorts or ¾ lengths in? Whats the point?
We often ate at the pool restaurant during the day. Although the selection was more limited than in the main restaurant, it was less hectic. The afternoon snack bar was the same every single day – burgers in buns hot dogs, chips, sometimes salad.
We were a little disappointed in the lack of choice at the bar. There was only one type of beer and limited spirits, liqueurs. The Sangria was on tap alongside the wines and the cocktails were pre-prepared. The Cointreau was actually Triple Sec, a cheaper version, Tia Maria was also a local version. However if you specified you could get real Smirnoff or real Bacardi or Gordon’s gin. The local brandy was good though and the entire bar staff were really helpful. I liked the drinks machines, especially during the day. They saved so much time.
Our biggest gripe about the evening club room is the massive columns blocking the view of the stage. At a guess I would say that you can get a decent view in less than 30% of the seats in the room. Why?
The staff work very hard and you do get good service and the Hotel itself is kept very clean. The entertainment staff are generally very good and the entertainment itself fairly standard. The Animation team were quite good especially the males, but some of the shows lost a lot in the repeated translation into different languages and the terrible miming.
We did have a few problems during our stay and it didnt help when we were amongst the last two to get to our room, some 3 hours after our arrival. When we finally got to our room there were no bath towels and it took 2 phone calls and 2 visits to reception to get some. On two separate occasions we had no hot water and while these things do happen, we had a bigger issue with the way there were dealt with (or not). I dont appreciate being told that Reception staff were too busy to answer the phone, after trying continually for nearly 10 minutes. The air conditioning failed, although they did offer us a new room at this point.
As well as going out on our own, we also did a couple of the Thomson trips, which, although werent cheap were fun. Especially the river cruise with Sean and the dolphin interaction.
Despite all that I have written we did have a relaxing time and the weather was outstanding. We have decided that all inclusive is probably not for us, as we enjoy the ambience of eating out at local restaurants and being in a local town. Perhaps we should have researched a bit better and gone for a Riu Palace rather than a Clubhotel or even self catering as we like to get out and about. We are in the in between stage of kids left home, but no grandkids but not ancient enough for Thomson Gold. Would we return – probably not!
PS Dont forget to ask for the free bottled water.