Hotel Riu Vistamar - All Inclusive

Great place with awesome service and people. Wonderful food.

Last year, in May, we visited Riu Vistamar and loved everything about the hotel but were a little alarmed by people becoming ill although we were fortunate not to have any symptoms. We decided to give the hotel the benefit of the doubt about people becoming ill and booked to return how wrong we were. On my first day I overheard people by the pool saying they couldn’t wait to leave because they had been ill, the sickness bug seemed to be the conversation with many guests. We were not as fortunate this year we both developed symptoms and became ill. Being ill away from home is difficult as you do not have access to appropriate cleaning materials so the virus is probably lingering and not being eradicated. While we had an excellent housekeeper the time she had to clean each room is limited and I saw her go from room to room with the same mop cloths etc. This in itself could be transmitting the virus from room to room. Not to mention the cleaners being at risk themselves going into infected rooms. Moreover, although the ceiling fan in each room is welcomed in the hot weather it is another source of spreading the virus between guests. I work in health so I know it is difficult to prevent the spread of an air born virus but there are measures that we would put in place to reduce the spread. The affected rooms need a deep clean between guests but instead they are only empty a few hours before the next guest arrives putting them at risk immediately. My second disappointment was the response to an issue with our safety deposit box. On arrival we were asked to sign to say we agreed that the hotel would take no responsibility for valuables not in the safety deposit box. I put our belongings in and set up our passcode. Next morning the box would not open so I went to reception. A lovely lady came to our room and overrode the code reset it and it stuck again she then realised the door catch was broken and requested maintenance. She asked me to remove my belongings so it could be repaired. After going to reception each day for the next 2 days I gave up asking when the maintenance man was coming. We just had to leave our valuables, passports etc unlocked however we were fortunate and nothing was taken. This is a lovely hotel with fantastic views, lovely staff and good facilities but it has gone down in our estimation. It is alarming to think a problem with we saw 13 months ago is still there yet the hotel seem to be in denial of it. I would consider returning in the future but only if we were assured the health issues highlighted by many guests were being addressed.

I really wish I could rate this hotel a 5 as it is such a beautiful hotel and could be one of the best! It is such a shame the sickness bug has not been sorted after all these months if not years?! I have stayed here many times early 2000-2010 so didn’t look at reviews until 2 days before our departure. TUI declined to move us without charge so we took our chances. Positives Amazing views Wonderful restaurants and bars Lovely food and drink. Great location Free towels and safe and bottles of water in room Negatives Sickness bug on second day Lots of people in reception waiting to go home had it. People around pool said their partners were in bed with it. The Far lift to the right of reception stinks of sewage- not sure if this is relevant but it is unpleasant, Miserable omelette chef pina who went out of her way to ignore us when we requested a omelette without cheese (as lactose intolerant) every morning she saw us coming and started cleaning lol. Regarding the sickness I asked many people what they had used/not used and the only common thing that poorly people used was the SQUASH FRUIT DRINK MACHINES next to the coffee machines. So if this can be checked it could be a resolution?? It is not a Gran Canaria problem as no other hotels have the amount of reviews about sickness as this hotel! I so wish this issue could be sorted as I would rebook in a heart beat but I won’t until the sickness reviews have dramatically decreased. Which is such a shame, but I just don’t want the worry before and during our stay that we are going to end up in bed again with our holiday ruined. We have now booked the hotel opposite for October the Gloria x

Our 2nd return to this hotel, we came same time last year and absolutely loved it! 2nd year in a row we heard about this so called “sickness bug” both years myself and my partner were absolutely fine, never heard or saw anyone that was ill so I would take the negative reviews with a pinch of salt! The hotel, restaurant's, bars and rooms are cleaned spotless, anti bac is stationed everywhere. I do think it’s on the person as I saw a lot of people not washing their hands or not use the tongs when picking up food. Food was brilliant this year, I managed to have something different each night always spoiled for choice! Always so fresh and being restocked as soon as a dish was empty. Staff we so friendly and were always so polite and welcoming! The entertainment staff just go above and beyond their crazy games are a hit everyday! We loved the evening entertainment this year especially the new Latin show which was fantastic! Plenty of sun beds and umbrellas, never overcrowded! We love this hotel as it’s so laid back and peaceful never had any problems! Would we return again? Yes absolutely and looking forward to next year!

Arrived for a 2 week stay. Was very apprehensive after seeing the reviews of sickness bugs. There were 3 of us and thankfully none of us were ill. I did witness some poor personal hygiene behaviour by other guests and like other reviews I did see young children picking up and handling food unattended in the buffet. To be fair I did not witness or hear of anyone in the hotel being ill whilst we were there. Hotel is in a great location with a short walk to the Europa Centre. Taxi to Amadores beach around €6, Commercial Centre €7.50 and Mogan £22. Rooms along with the rest of the hotel are very clean. Reception helpful. Lifts are slow at busy times. Always plenty of sunbeds, never a fight. Food in buffet is good, have had better elsewhere but always a choice. The Asian and Canarian are easy to book on the app from 8.30am the day prior. Sittings for 18.30 and 20.30. Good food in both and make a change from the normal buffet. Overall would definitely return! Tj

Overall this hotel is very nice, with great food, great views and great service, but there is illness. Although I didn’t get ill I did see other guests who were ill and I could even hear people throwing up from my room. I sanitised so much during my stay and used anti bacteria wipes to wipe down my phone and room, I believe this is why I didn’t come down with the illness, and neither did my partner. The hotel should also give guidance of what to do if you have this illness, as it is not pleasant, and can lead to hospitalisation in some cases. If you are going to this hotel I recommend you keep your hygine up, and you should be ok, however I have given it a 3 star as it’s unsettling knowing there’s illness around you, and hearing people throw up from your room is not the nicest experience. This would be a 4/5 star if they sorted this issue out, as it has been going on for more than a year it seems from the reviews.

We booked this break just a few weeks before and we had a strict budget but no real destination in mind so this was our first visit to Gran Canaria and wow what a stroke of luck ,or pure genius ,it was . This place is fantastic . A lovely welcome with everything you need clearly explained by reception which was very welcome after a 2 hour flight delay . The view from our room ,595,was spectacular and found myself sat on the balcony taking it all in especially at night too with all the other hotels and buildings surrounding the bay all lit up . The room was a good size and spotless on arrival . The breakfast timings were also not strict which was very handy if you had a late night ,may have been a couple . Food is good standard for all inclusive and even a fussy eater could get by quite easily . We went to the Kai restaurant that had to be booked via the RIU app the morning before from 8.30..Highly recommended but get on that App early ! The staff are fantastic , very attentive and always courteous. We stayed for 4 nights as part of our 40th anniversary celebrations and had a lovely bottle of bubbly waiting for us in our room I would highly recommend this hotel without a second thought ..Just remember if you like a stay on the beach you have a bus a taxi ride that is around 6 euro going and 5 back. Thankyou RIU Vistamar it’s been a blast !

Not what I usually book but friends were going and we had the same week off so we tagged along. Hotel is nice and clean and room also fine. Tired in some areas but nothing major. Room was cleaned every day and of you want your sheets changing then you leave the card on the bed. Food was pretty good. Plenty of salad choices, 3 different soups a day which included chilled gazpacho, pasta and the hot counter. I had reservations coming here due to the reviews as I have an auto immune disease and hubby has recently gotten over cancer. We brought hand gel etc but this is dotted all over the hotel anyway. First 3 days were fine, but on 4th day I was unwell with D&V, I ended up in hotel room for 2 days not eating or drinking apart from water. Luckily water is replenished in room every other day. The rest of my holiday I felt unwell and wiped out. Now I am not saying the hotel is at fault as not sure what else they can do on top of what they are doing with regards to cleanliness. On the flight home someone else who had stayed at our hotel was being sick and the evening we got home my husband started with the D&V. Again not saying it’s the hotel as bugs can be carried from flights etc. The hotel itself is perched on the edge of a cliff so the views from the rooms are fantastic, we were in 371. You can also more or less eat all day and night if you wanted. We booked into the grill restaurant whilst there and the Asian and my personal favourite was the Asian. Not a lot around the hotel apart from the Europa centre(includes bars and some shops)but we had hired a car. Unfortunately I had to miss out on one of our booked day trips due to be ill. There is also a pharmacy and a doctors up the road by Europa. Will suit a lot of people but as said at the beginning it’s not usually what we book.

Just arrived back from RIU Vistamar, we had a great time, this hotel sits on a cliff top, it’s the biggest hotel we have stayed in, our room was big with a big walk in shower room, air con and ceiling fan but very small balcony overlooking Amadores beach, room was cleaned every day and had the comfiest beds and pillows I have ever slept in when on holiday. Before we went I read reviews about a sickness bug that was rife it he hotel, we were there 11 night and never experienced any of this or heard anything of it, there is hand sanitizers everywhere you go so all l would say use these at every opportunity as we did. There are 3 restaurants, main buffet every day, an Asian 5 nights a week ( need to book ) and a Canarian Cuisine On a Tuesday night. Food in main buffet restaurant was very repetitive, every 2 or 3 days it was the same food on offer but it was good food, drinks in main restaurant was self service. 2 pools each with bars on different levels, a kids pool and baby pool, small football court and beach volleyball court all on 3 levels which all have gate access in and out to the hotel entrance road on a very steep hill. Entertainment on all day everyday by the pools, all sorts of games if your into that sort of thing. The main bar in the evening had plenty of staff so never any queuing to get a drink, local and international brands, cocktails ect. the entertainments shows could’ve been better and finished at 10:30pm which resulted in the place emptying very quickly, at which left the DJ with an uphill battle to run the karaoke or disco till midnight. The Sports bar was great in the fact it was open from 3pm till 7am showing all sorts of sports on the 5 tvs , 2 large pool tables and football game table , also had limited self service food station, burgers , sandwiches ect. All the Staff were very nice and pleasant and housekeeping staff really kept the hotel clean and tidy. As the hotel is on the cliff top it runs a bus up and down to the beach, we walked it down one day, it took us 20/30 minutes, hill is very steep we missed the last bus back up which is 5:15pm so Taxi it was at the cost of €5 well worth the money, I recon it would take at least 1- 1/2 hours or more to walk back up , fantastic views from all over the hotel. All in all I feared the worst before I went due to reading the reviews from other people about sickness bug and other issues, all I can say is these are very fussy people that must be very hard to please. I can assure, we had a fantastic holiday with no problems or issues at all and would highly recommend this hotel. PS. The RIU party night every Friday night free of charge , bus there and back at the RIU Gran Canaria Maspalomas is a must book . We will be back.