Riu Turquesa Hotel

excellent weather, excellent staff, excellent beach..good nite life, good food, good accomdation....overall outstanding holiday, coming back next year...ps: people who write low reviews on the riu are very stuck up i think - theres nothing extremly wrong with this beautiful hotel - just what do people except from an under developed, 3rd world country? The beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

We booked our original stay at a different hotel (Sol Sirenas/Coral) but after reading trip advisor reviews decided to changed to the RIU Turquesa; and thank goodness we did. (For info the Sol does not seem to be improving form the reports we heard.) The Riu T is a small hotel by the resort standard but what it lacks in size it makes up for in friendliness and service. The staff are cheerful and ALWAYS willing to help. The rooms are large and clean with bright decor. Typical beach rooms (ie. no carpets) but better for that. The maid service was great with so many towell sculptures it was amusing! (Not too sure what some of them were meant to be though.) The tour operator brochure that we chose our trip from (Thomson[TUI]) did not do the hotel justice. The pictures were taken some time ago and the grounds are now much more established. DO NOT be put off by the brochure pics, the hotel is as attractive as any other in the resort. Food: There is only 1 restaurant and the food is good and fresh, (no tummy problems at all!). After 14 days any restaurant can get abit samey though. The choice is good but the themed buffet nights are a bit pointless (Cuban food which was little different to the normal fare.) Deserts and the cheese were great. The beach is good but sunbeds are at a premium so get there early. The bars are good but the lobby bar seems to have the best drink selection (but beware it can be like a wind tunnel there some evenings). One final point. Most of the staff are highly educated professionals who work in the hotels to fund studies and families...our waiting staff were accountants. They do not all get paid and often work just for tips. Those that do get paid get their salary in the worthless peso. You'd never guess this as they don't favour the tippers much over the non tippers, but just think a dollar tip costs you very little and can make a diffrence. Reward good service when you get it! (Lecture over). Hope anyone reading this and booking at the Riu Turquesa has a great time! We did.

My sister and I spent one week in Riu Turquesa a few years ago and will be returning for one or two weeks vacation this Spring. I highly recommend Riu Turquesa to all. The highlight of our vacation was swimming with the dolphins and I have two beautifully framed pictures of my swim with these lovely, gentle creatures. The beaches are absolutely beautiful, the staff is very friendly and considerate, the food - excellent as was the weather. Every inch of the resort is spotlessly clean. For a perfect vacation, this is the place!! No need to look any further.

We just returned January 29 - February 5, 2004. We chose the RIU after staying at their Bamboo in Punta Canta, it is a great spot. There is definitely a "star" difference here though. Plus(s): 1 - The beach is tops, soft clean sand, shallow (50 yards and still waist deep), surf (not over powering), uncrowded (give it a year while the other hotels are being completed) 2 - The friendly staff. we needed the doctor for a child and received prompt and professional assistance. 3 - the quiet evenings (there is an evening entertainment program, such as it is) The downside: 1 - if you are not familiar with European cuisine (they cater to German/French) you will not find the buffet appealing, "Where's the beef!" 2 - the medium sized black birds that are agressive around the outside seating area 3 - limited on site activities (they have a ping pong table, volley ball net) 4 - the evening entertainment has children (ours) dancing, a bingo in four languages, and the staff providing their resources and talent for "THE SHOW".TAKE: sleeves of Pringles, cans of Planters, Fabrez, a bar of soap, AC converter (220 vs 110), Benadryl, handcleaner, Imodium, your own snorkel and mask, a windbreaker, books, and lots of $1USD notes (tips) DO: take a catamaran for a day trip (remember the snorkel and mask) - take a trip into Habana (marvelous insight, bring your camera, it's a 10-12hr day)It's not for young singles looking for evening entertainment, those needing to be entertained, or those expecting the same standard of living we have. We enjoyed our stay, I survived with my weak stomach, take plenty of sun screen and forget about the additional 20 inches of snow you will find when you get home!

I am one of three females who were celebrating our 70th birthdays at Tiu Turquesa from January 15th to January 22nd, 2004. We had a terrific time. The accommodation was great, the beach very, very beautiful and the staff were absolutely terrific and went out of their way to be accommodating. There was never a lack of something to do. There were people of all ages at Riu from small children to seniors like ourselves and everyone was very sociable. The only drawback was a lack of a couple of al a carte restaurants. The buffets were more than substantial but it would have been nice to have had another choice. Inclidentally, the reception area bar served one of the best Mai Tai's I have ever tasted. In all a good time was had by all and I would highly recommend the Riu Turquesa.

My husband and I just got back the other day from Riu Turquesa. We were supposed to stay at another hotel Riu Las Morlas but it got changed a few days before we left home. The receptionist at Riu Turquesa told us that this was a much better than the other Riu hotel. When we go to our room, my first impression of this resort was WHAT A DUMP . If this was better than what did the other place look like. The Resort was fine; I wouldn't want to stay any longer than 1 week. The room was OK nothing fancy. It was clean, No real complaints other that the BIG cock roaches in the room. The Food was very good, there is only one buffet restaurant and a grill. The selection could get boring after a week. My suggestion is do not eat outside. You ll be invaded by Black Birds. Go to the second sitting for dinner, from 8 10 is a really long time to wait for the Nightly Show and Bring a Fleece Jacket. It gets very cool there at night. The nightly entertainment was different. The Hunchback of Notradamn was a very good, but the Show Night from hell was exactly that. Crap The beach at Riu Turquesa was great, it has beautiful white sand. I spend a lot of hours on the beach and came home with a great tan. My husband looked forward to the beach volleyball everyday at 11:30. I was very disappointed with the lack of interaction that the staff had with the people. There was little to none. The nicest people there were Yanet & Roberto at the Lobby bar. They were fabulous people. It's rated a four star resort, but in my opinion it's a 3 at best. If, I was asked, would go back again . My honest opinion would be, if I got the 1 week all inclusive for $397.00 again I d go, but I wouldn t pay anymore than that. If you want nothing more than sun & beach, food & booze, R&R for 1 week than this is the place. If you re looking for a little action and/or staying for 2 weeks then my advice is to consider somewhere else.

The hygiene at this RIU was dreadful. We arrived after a long journey to discover very large black birds dabbing in and out of the uncovered food in the open-air snack bar. Our stomachs turned and we immediately complained to the management. We were told that this is common in the caribbean but we disputed that. We asked to be moved and the staff were unable to assist as it was a Sunday, although they were very helpful and listened to our concerns. We had to dine that evening in the main buffet restaurant and it pains me to write this, but we had the same problem with birds flying in and out and we found a bird mess on the napkin on our table - yuk! Suffice to say that we moved the very next day to the Iberostar Tainos which was next to the RIU and we had no complaints about anything - in fact everything that was wrong about the RIU was right about the Iberostar. Would never recommend the Riu Turquesa Varadero but would highly recommend the Iberostar Tainos.

*beautiful* beach! Never seen anything like it. The staff were great too. The problems are: 1. nothing to do when it rains 2. Below average buffet / only one resturant.

Resort was fine, especially the beach. No complaints, however I wouldn't want to stay any longer than 1 week. Room was fine, nothing fancy. Resort was nice and clean. Food was good, but with only one buffet restaurant and a grill the selection could get boring after a week. No disco on the resort, they provide a little entertainment at night, but some of it was sort of "cheesy". It's rated a four star, but in my opinion it's a 3+ resort at best. If you want nothing more than sun & beach, food & booze, R&R for 1 week than this place was great. Looking for a little action and/or staying for 2 weeks then my advice is to consider somewhere else.

My husband and I stayed at this resort last Feb and had a great vacation. We were supposed to stay at another resort and were told when we boarded the bus at the airport that we were being moved elsewhere (Conquest vacations - will never book with them again.) Reception-great, very quick check in, staff helpful and friendly. Rooms-very basic, air conditioning worked well, no musty smell, no bugs, maid kept room spotless, fridge stocked regularly. Food-bland, repetitive, not the greatest. It would have been nice to have more restaurants to choose from (the resort we booked had 4). Service was great however. Pool-cool, but refreshing. Drinks-delicious. Beach-amazing! White powdery sand and crystal clear water. We had great weather , windy a couple of days but always warm. We took a moped into Varadero which was an adventure no helmets, crazy drivers. Did the Jungle Tour -not really worth the money - basically you jet around on the water and then head through the mangroves to a pitiful zoo. We also did the colonial Havana tour which was very much worth the money and a must -see if you are going to Cuba. The resort was quiet and there were several families there - probably 50% Canadians and 50% Europeans...met lots of great people. Would go to Cuba again someday...but headed to Mexico this year.