- Gran Canaria Holidays
- Playa del Ingles
- Riu Papayas
1/33
View 33 Photos
Riu Papayas
Spain, Europe
Playa del Ingles
This fantastic hotel offers comfortable accommodation in the heart of Playa del Inglés, on the island of Gran Canaria, being the perfect base for those who wish to sunbathe by the seashore and find their balance between body and soul, as well as for those who want to discover the city centre. At this hotel, guests can escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life thanks to its great location, as it is surrounded by plenty of entertainment and dining options and nearby to interesting places such as Paseo Costa Canaria coastal path for leisurely walks. All guest rooms feature modern facilities as well as a private balcony. Visitors may relax at the fresh water swimming pool with a solarium terrace and they have the opportunity to taste delicious culinary specialities at the three restaurants of the hotel.
Facilities
- Entertainment programme for adults
- Sun loungers
- Children’s swimming area
- Outdoor freshwater pool
- Poolside snack bar
- Clothes dryer
- Sun terrace
- Multilingual staff
- Babysitting service*
- Wi-fi
- Please note some facilities may incur an additional fee
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
The Local Area
Tripadvisor Reviews
4.5 Excellent3,526 reviews
Excellent
60%
Very Good
29%
Average
7%
Poor
2%
Terrible
1%
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
A Good Holiday!
We had a really lovely stay overall and found the hotel to be clean, modern and welcoming. Check-in was very easy, and the lady who checked us in was lovely and explained everything clearly. The reception team throughout our stay were always friendly, approachable and happy to answer any questions we had.
Room Our room was lovely, modern and very clean. The bed was comfortable, the shower had great water pressure and the temperature was consistently good. The air conditioning worked really well and kept the room nice and cool. We also had no issues sleeping and couldn’t hear any noise from outside, which was a big positive.
Daytime Entertainment The entertainment around the pool was really good. The activities were fun to watch and easy to get involved in. I was initially worried that the pool would become overcrowded during AquaFit, but this wasn’t the case at all and there was still plenty of room to move around.
The entertainment team were very upbeat, friendly and enthusiastic, which definitely added to the atmosphere around the pool.
Evening Entertainment The evening entertainment was probably the biggest area of disappointment for us. We only really enjoyed two nights out of our week-long stay. We have stayed at RIU hotels previously and found the entertainment there to be incredible, so perhaps our expectations were quite high.
The first two evenings were mainly live music. The singers were talented, but we found it quite boring and felt as though we had to entertain ourselves rather than the entertainment creating much of an atmosphere. Some of the shows were good, while others could definitely have been more engaging and entertaining.
Another issue was the amount of smoking and vaping around the evening entertainment. When there was a popular show on, people were sitting very close together, meaning we often found ourselves breathing in smoke and vapour. We would strongly recommend having designated smoking/vaping areas, particularly as there are also children around.
Staff Our room was cleaned every day, which was great. Some members of the housekeeping team were very friendly and polite, although a few didn’t acknowledge us when we passed them. Overall, though, the cleaning service was good.
The bar staff were friendly and always happy to serve drinks. Our main issue was when asking for water. We were quite often given sparkling water despite asking for still water, or directed to the water machine, which was often dispensing warm water. This was a little disappointing, especially when wanting a cold glass of water.
The cocktails and alcoholic drinks were nice, and the fizzy drinks were generally lovely and refreshing, although occasionally they were a little flat and had lost their fizz.
Pool & Sunbeds The pool was really nice and refreshing. It could get quite busy, but there was still plenty of space to move around and enjoy it.
We do personally prefer hotels with multiple pools, and this was something we missed during our stay, although it wasn’t as bad as we initially thought it might be.
Before arriving, I was worried about not being able to get a sunbed after reading some reviews. However, we managed to get one each every single day by going down just before breakfast, and there were actually always some spare sunbeds that we could see. So, from our experience, this wasn’t an issue at all.
Food The food was really nice overall and there was plenty of choice. However, after staying for a week, we did start to get a little bored as there didn’t seem to be much variation from day to day. A lot of the same dishes appeared regularly, so having a greater change in the selection every couple of days would have been nice.
One small improvement would also be to label the desserts. There were lots of desserts that looked lovely, but we often had no idea what they actually were! Most hotels label their desserts, so this would have been a helpful addition.
Overall, we had a lovely stay and would definitely say that the hotel has a lot of positives.
Excellent hotel
Lovely hotel. Great food. Entertainment is fantastic. Nicest hotel in the area. If playa del ingles is where you want to go this hotel is a must.
Excellent Well Needed Break
Fantastic Week at RIU Papayas, Maspalomas 🌴☀️
We had an incredible week away at the RIU Papayas in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, exactly the one-week break we needed!
From start to finish, everything was great. The staff were fantastic, the entertainment was brilliant, and the food was excellent with plenty of choice. We never had any issues getting a sunbed, and the pool was a great temperature, perfect for relaxing and enjoying the sunshine.
The only thing I would mention is the sleep quality, which I’d rate around 3/5. This was mainly because we were going to bed around 10pm while the evening entertainment continued until around midnight. As we had a pool-view room, the noise was quite noticeable. That said, this was more down to our room location and our early bedtime rather than anything wrong with the hotel.
If we return, I’d simply request a room on the outside of the hotel rather than overlooking the pool.
Overall, we had a fantastic stay and would definitely recommend the RIU Papayas. A brilliant place for a relaxing week away, with great food, friendly staff, entertainment and a lovely atmosphere. We’d happily return! 🌴🍹
Review by F00D_IS_L1FE Doncaster, United Kingdom
Nice but not 4 star standard
Stayed for a week and we had a nice time but not to the standard I would expect for a 4 star.
Room was nice and spacious however the aircon was terrible and room would not go below 25 degrees. We told the reception who said they would resolve it but that only improved it to about 23 degrees. This was not ideal considering we were looking forward to aircon after the heatwave in the UK.
Pool was small and extremely crowded. Lots of sunbeds very close together and shaded. The adult only areas were more spread out so spent most of the time there but was not very clean so had to keep shoes on. No one collected used cups you had to put them in buckets which is fine but at a 4 star I wouldn’t expect this. The pool had a sloped walkway in but as this was the only shallow bit it would be full of children. There was a raised bit for sunbathing / reading in pool which was nice but due to being so crowded you would just be splashed by children. No issues with getting a sunbed in the adults only section however sunbeds by the pool snapped up in the early morning.
Food at the buffet was terrible. Everything was very salty and very limited selection. Even simply tomato pasta was not good. Food labels didn’t always match the dish correctly. I know all inclusive buffets are likely to be average but this was the worse all inclusive I have been to. The booked restaurants were so much nicer.
Drinks were nice however cocktails were filled with crush ice and no straws available so hard to drink.
Cannot comment on hotel entertainment as didn’t stay for it. Location good close to yum o center and walk to beach.
Overall had a nice holiday but I think generally the standard of 4 stars are going down so will be looking at 5 star in future.
RIU Papayas, Playa del Inglés – Excellent Hotel with Great Food and Staff, but Sunbed Policy Needs Enforcing
We had a very enjoyable stay at RIU Papayas and would happily return.
The hotel is modern, spotlessly clean and the staff are hardworking and friendly. Food quality was good throughout our stay, with plenty of choice in the buffet and enjoyable speciality restaurants. The location is excellent, with easy access to Playa del Inglés, Yumbo Centre and the Maspalomas Dunes, which were one of the highlights of our holiday.
The main negative was the sunbed situation. Although the hotel states that reserving sunbeds is not allowed, this was not enforced during our stay. Guests were reserving beds very early in the morning, sometimes seemingly the night before, and many remained unused until lunchtime or even the afternoon. This made it difficult to find available sunbeds despite many sitting empty for hours.
The large shared pergolas were also a source of frustration. Guests would intentionally choose sunbeds on the sunny side of the pool and then pull the pergola across, creating shade for several neighbouring beds at once. This often affected guests who had specifically chosen those areas to stay in the sun.
The evening entertainment was a little hit-and-miss compared with other RIU hotels we have visited, and the quality of draught beer varied noticeably between some bars.
Overall, however, the positives far outweighed the negatives. Excellent staff, good food, great cleanliness and a convenient location made this a very enjoyable holiday.
Review by awrrr1 Southport, United Kingdom
