Riu Vistamar

Me and my family stayed at the Riu Vistamar in Gran Canaria in the first week of July. This review is a bit overdue but we had a great time at the hotel that I couldn't not post a review. The hotel is situated on a cliff top so gives a great view of the coast. We were lucky enough to have a room looking out to the beach playa amadores. A beautiful clean Cresent shaped yellow sandy beach. The hotel provides a free coach shuttle service to and from the beach. As a party of 3 sharing a room, our room was clean, bright modern decor spacious room that held a double bed and a double sofabed. A large wardrobe that i could actually walk into and chest of drawers. There was enough space to hold our 3 suitcases and move around without tripping over. Bathroom was clean, spacious and a great powerful shower. The hotel has a main restaurant and 2 a la carte restaurants. 1 Japanese and the other a grill. The Japanese buffet restaurant was good but the other was not great. We ended up going back to the main restaurant. The main restaurant always had a great selection of Fish, chicken , all the meats. Great fruits, salad and dessert selection. The pools are on 3 different levels at the top of the hotel complex. So you take a lift to floor 9 and then you take steps up to floor 12 where the pools are. So you definitely get your 10k steps in a bums of steel as you mover around the hotel. Only improvement id suggest is the lifts were a bit slow to serve the demand to going up and down the floors. At the time we went loungers were ok to find but we did have to reserve from 8.30am. nothing crazy like 4am. Around the pool the animation team host multiple games and activities that brought all the guests together regardless of age, nationality or language. Whether it be bingo, bean bag throw, crazy games, archery, water polo and aqua aerobics. What I really liked is that the animation team communicated in English, german, spanish and french throughout and were inclusive of all the guests to get them all involved and play together. My parents in their 70s were particularly impressed by that and looked forward to bingo and the bean bag throw game hosted by i hope i have remembered correctly Ricardo. Big shout out to him. I found the Yoga lessons good and aqua aerobics fun with Sergio (sorry i hope i remembered his name correctly) The same staff also performed in some of the evening shows. But they also had guests performing acrobatic and magic shows and abba tribute. There was a mini las vegas show vibe to the evenings which were very enjoyable. The hotel has a great position to see beautiful sunset where you can catch a glimpse of Tenerife's skyline in the distance. This was a great stay.

Hotel was very good, staff, food, drinks, animation team and service a credit to the management team. The restaurant staff went out of their way to accommodate my Gluten intolerance. The cliff-top location gave it an air of exclusivity, the regular bus service to the beach was helpful. I was surprised that some of the staff had worked their for 20 years, and some of the guests had come back to the hotel a number of times - this speaks volumes and perhaps more than any negative comments. On the first day, I asked a member of staff for help, he went out of his way to help, later on I realised he was a senior manager at the hotel -- amazing service. As a seasoned traveller, if you are OK with shuttle bus to the beach, I would definitely recommend this hotel , The third Riu Hotel I have stayed at and already looking forward to the next

I was concerned about my holiday booking once I had read the reviews about people getting a sickness bug. Im glad I went ahead and gave it a chance.

My husband and I were out here for 7 days and didn't have a single bit of sickness between us. We were washing our hands regularly, using antibacterial rub and didn't even use their water to brush our teeth. I dont know what other people's experiences were like or what factors may have influenced their stay but thankfully we were all ok. Although I noticed that some people don't always wash their hands after using the toilet....but that is a different topic!!!

The food was lovely although a bit repetitive at times. I feel like the lunchtime menu was limited and food could have been warmer, but then again I like my food extra hot. Always managed to find something to eat. I would say that the food labels need quite a bit of attention as some dishes had none! Not great for allergies etc. If you get back late from something - you may find burgers and hotdogs in the sports bar which was lovely after we went to the neon party! You only get bottled water from the sports bar, 9th floor which is a bit of a pain at times!

Rooms are ok, ours was a bit on the small side but never the less was clean and sufficient. Bathrooms could do with an update but it was cleaned daily and beds were comfortable. Our room was on the 5th floor. Managed to get good sleep and my husband and I are active so used the steps daily. TV channels weren't great but not a big deal! I wouldn't recommend this hotel to people with mobility issues although there are lifts, a bus down to the beach and taxis available.

Staff are so friendly and helpful. Never had an issue and made this an even pleasant stay.

Good amenities. The sports bar is really nice. Always found a sun bed to lounge on. There is a gym although I would say it is limited and a bit small. The beach is a short bus ride away. Be sure to check the bus times as sometimes they change and you're not always aware. Also it's best to get dropped off to the drop off point as you will know where to go for the pick up. This isnt sign posted or obvious! Small Europa centre nearby - nothing special and a bit tacky for us. We were offered drugs on several occasions so something to be aware of!

The entertainment was average to be honest - the people on stage are talented but the shows themselves are not that great. I did however love the neon party - they went to such efforts to put on a show and I really appreciated this. They provided a free bus to this hotel.

This wasn't a problem for us but I would say there was definitely a much older age range here. If you are looking for a younger place or a place where it is a lot more party orientated - this may not be the place for you.

Lots of trips available - I liked Mogan and visiting the newish shopping centre in Porto Rico. Very plush, nice restaurants and lovely fountains.

Overall a great stay - thank you!