Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria

“Dont Believe Everything you Hear.”

I don’t typically write reviews, but given the stress my wife and I experienced leading up to our holiday, I felt it was essential to share our family's journey as a family of four. As we approached our holiday (from 25th March to 6th April), we heard concerning news about Cape Verde, particularl… more

I don’t typically write reviews, but given the stress my wife and I experienced leading up to our holiday, I felt it was essential to share our family's journey as a family of four. As we approached our holiday (from 25th March to 6th April), we heard concerning news about Cape Verde, particularly regarding TUI facing legal issues over cleanliness and holidaymakers experiencing gastrointestinal problems. With the unfortunate illnesses reported recently, we were understandably anxious about travelling with our children (aged 3 and 5). After attempting to change our holiday due to these alarming reports, we are genuinely grateful that TUI was unhelpful in altering our plans. We proceeded with our trip as scheduled, and it turns out there was a purpose in this decision. **Location** - Perfect. **Atmosphere** - Incredibly friendly staff and a wonderfully relaxed vibe. **Rooms** - Cleaned daily with fresh towels provided. My only minor critique would be that the curtains appeared somewhat dated, but that is hardly significant. **Cleanliness** - I can confidently say this was one of the cleanest hotels I have ever stayed in. A cleaner was practically stationed at every toilet and dining area, ensuring continuous upkeep of the landscaped areas. Given the size of the hotel, you needn’t walk far before encountering a staff member tidying up. It’s often the inconsiderate behaviour of other guests that can lead to issues; hand sanitiser is readily available in dining areas, and it’s disheartening to see many guests neglecting to use it. Of course, we took precautions, using bottled water for brushing our teeth and being careful while showering. We became more conscious about keeping our hands away from food and our mouths, which quickly became second nature. Prepare yourself for over 10,000 steps a day, but if you enjoy walking, this hotel will be perfect for you. The pools are clean and spacious, and there’s no need to battle for sunbeds; the traditional 6am rush to reserve is unnecessary here. The beach area is lovely. Just exercise caution in the sea; the lifeguards are vigilant and will promptly remind you if your children venture too close to the water without appropriate flotation devices(Arm Bnads), which I greatly appreciated. The beach vendors could be a bit more discreet, as they became mildly bothersome at times, though they were harmless. The food is remarkable. While the main buffet can be busy at times, the quality is consistently excellent and served hot. The steakhouse à la carte is a highlight, and I highly recommend sharing the seafood starter. In summary, travel here with confidence. I hope this alleviates any concerns you may have about your journey.

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“Fantastic stay”

Staff very helpful and friendly despite language barrier Beautiful property and well maintained Disappointed no lift to the upper floors Food was great and quick service No food poisoning issues Would go back No issues with RIU but disappointed with service from Tui

“Absolutely fantastic hotel and a great holiday”

Family holiday to Cape Verde as we wanted somewhere warm and options were limited at this time of year. Have been to the island before and stayed at a lesser hotel (Sol Dunas), but we still enjoyed it. This time we went for the best possible option on the Island of Sal (via TUI). We had concerns… more

Family holiday to Cape Verde as we wanted somewhere warm and options were limited at this time of year. Have been to the island before and stayed at a lesser hotel (Sol Dunas), but we still enjoyed it. This time we went for the best possible option on the Island of Sal (via TUI). We had concerns before flying due to the more recent news about Food poisoning, court case etc. But we always wash our hands, never drink tap water and limit the ice in drinks (although this time we didn't and had no problems). We had no stomach problems and the hotel was spotless, loads of staff always visibly cleaning around the clock. Food was fantastic, lots of fresh fish, pasta dishes and a variety of other meat choices. Always something different each night with a few similar twists on items most nights. Never disappointed. The 2x snack bars down where the pools are always had food available, although sometimes you had to wait if you wanted the chicken as this was very popular. We ate at the Japanese ala carte one evening and this was also very nice. Drinks were always flowing and available, never really an issue at any bar we went to. Nice coffee "shop" in the lobby. Splash park for the kids was fantastic, bigger slides also really good. If we decided to return to Cape Verde and Sal particularly, I would come back to this hotel. My only real negative would be that as always seems to be the case, rooms are not greatly soundproofed. Corridor noise even at 22:00 onwards wasn't good, but it only seemed to bother me out of the family, kids slept fine.

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“Ok”

Beautifully located hotel. Beach front with miles of golden sands and palm trees. Sea a bit spicy where it crashes on the beach, but beyond that sea is relatively calm and turquoise waters. Food as you would expect for all inclusive. Plenty of variety and something for everyone. Grill shack by the … more

Beautifully located hotel. Beach front with miles of golden sands and palm trees. Sea a bit spicy where it crashes on the beach, but beyond that sea is relatively calm and turquoise waters. Food as you would expect for all inclusive. Plenty of variety and something for everyone. Grill shack by the swim up bar very good for chicken legs, ribs burgers and salad. Coffee bar and lovely cakes in the hotel reception area with a lovely quiet area to sit in/out the shade next to the Daiquiri Bar which is near to the coffee/cake place. Rooms cleaned every day to a high standard. Optics/ fridge with drinks in room apparently topped up every few days but if you download the app you can re order what you want daily. Staff on the whole friendly, but quite a few were indifferent and seemed like they did nt want to be there. Don’t bother with the hotel shop. Went there to look at getting sunglasses for my other half with genuine intent to purchase. Several staff in there all having a gossip and we were looked at like something on the bottom of their shoes and not acknowledged at all. There are birds that end up on tables etc. They are cute, but poop everywhere and god knows what they are carrying. We took wipes and made sure to clean tables etc outdoors. Avoid the lunch time restaurant. We arrived just as lunch service started and there were birds pecking at the cold food in the centre. Saw a bird parading about on a basket of crackers, so heaven knows what it might have left behind. Would like to see staff sanitise tables regularly with disinfectant spray rather than just go around with the same damp cloth. On the whole we enjoyed it. However, we did nt do due diligence before we went and when we found out about the health issues the holiday was spoiled a bit by being extra cautious with food/hygiene. We were not ill at all. Due to ongoing issues with illness, I guess you take your chance. Would we go back? Yes, but not until the health issues are addressed.

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