Riu Buenavista Hotel

My mum and I went on holiday purely to relax, and that is exactly what we did. We had a wonderful stay at this hotel and would definitely return in the future.

The hotel is very big, but it’s so well spread out that it never felt like you were on top of each other. We’re early risers, so we were usually ready to go down for breakfast around 8:30am. On the way, we would reserve our sunbeds, which was never an issue. There were already lots of towels down, but there were also plenty of sunbeds available around the pool and even more a little further away. So, I don’t think there would have been any problem getting a sunbed later in the day either. There were also massive metal frames with canopies over them, so if you wanted some shade, there was plenty available without having to rely on a parasol.

The food was delicious. We ate in the main buffet twice for our evening meal and also tried the Italian and Chinese restaurants, and everything was very nice. The Italian was slightly samey, with lots of pasta, but it was still tasty. The food was always being replenished and everything tasted fresh. My mum’s only complaint was that the plates were rarely warm, but she managed! 😊

The soft drinks on tap were all sugar-free, and there were branded beers as well as white, red and rosé wine. I also loved a Pina Colada!

All of the staff were so friendly and welcoming. The hotel was incredibly clean and clearly very well maintained. We had only been checked in for about 12 hours when the cleaner was already deep-cleaning our room again — not that it needed it! It was lovely to see how well looked after everything was.

There isn’t much surrounding the hotel within walking distance. There is a small shopping centre about a five-minute walk away, but it is up quite a steep hill, so it wouldn’t be ideal for anyone with mobility issues. Having said that, the hotel itself is quite hilly, but there are ramps everywhere and the paths gradually go down, so it didn’t feel too difficult — and that’s coming from someone who gets out of breath very quickly! It was actually a good way to work off all the food I’d eaten. 😂

We had a two-bedroom room, which worked perfectly for us as both rooms had air conditioning. My room was lovely and cool, while my mum’s room was like a sauna — exactly how she likes it! 😂 This actually worked really well for us when it came to sleeping. Both rooms also had a ceiling fan.

When it came to checking out, we asked if it would be possible to keep our room later as our airport transfer wasn’t until late afternoon and check-out was at 12pm. We were told to phone back on the day to see if it was available. We were advised that it would be €11 per person, per hour, which we were happy to pay as we would have needed it for around three hours.

Unfortunately, the room wasn’t available on the day. However, one of the shower rooms was, so we booked a 30-minute slot instead. This worked perfectly as we could enjoy the sunshine in the morning and then have a shower before heading to the airport. It was so worth it! The shower rooms were really spacious, with three individual showers and plenty of room. We were actually glad we didn’t end up paying the late check-out fee because this worked out perfectly for us.

Overall, we absolutely loved our time at this hotel. There was genuinely nothing we could fault, and we had the best, most relaxing holiday. We would definitely return in the future!

The hotel has a great location overlooking the sea, and the view from my room was definitely a highlight. The room itself was decent, but overall I felt the hotel was at the lower end of what I would expect from a 4-star property.

The biggest disappointment was the food, with everything being buffet-style and no à la carte option available. I’m sure many guests are more than happy with the standard and style of the hotel, but personally, it wasn’t for me. The location and views are excellent, but I expected a little more from a 4-star experience.