CLUBHOTEL RIU FUNANA-GAROPA, All-inclusive Clubhotel, Ponta Preta,
Sal Island, Cape Verde
Vast all-inclusive German-owned complex with 1,000 beds set at the south
west corner of Sal at Ponta Preta, 1.5 Km from the edge of Santa
Maria. The Riu Funana club hotel was officially opened in October
2005, and the Riu Garopa was completed a year later. It is Sal's
most enormous hotel site. There are two central buildings, and a variety
of two storey buildings built in Moorish style. Transfer time from
Sal airport is approx 15 minutes by taxi/bus. It
is about 5 minutes taxi ride from the centre of Santa Maria, the
tourist resort, where you will find a wide choice of restaurants
and bars, selling beer from 60 p by the best beach on the island
or at the water's edge. Click here for info on flights to Sal.
Accommodation at the Riu Funana and Riu Garopa
The Riu Funana and Riu Garopa have different reception areas, but
apart from that they share the same facilities throughout the complex.
1000 rooms with in room safe, private shower room, hairdryer, telephone,
air conditioning, ceiling fan, mini-fridge, satellite TV, balcony
or terrace. Rooms with connecting doors, larger double rooms, suites
with bath and bidet, sofa or sofabed in adjoining living room. All
double rooms can accommodate up to 2 adults and 1 infant. Maximum
occupancy in one room is 3 people or 2 adults and 2 children in
large double room or suite with bath. There are only a few rooms which look towards the sea, but as there is no category of seaview room, it's not possible to book a seaview room. Because of the shape of the compound, most rooms look inland and from some it can be a long walk to the sea.
Dining - eat and drink all day long - all inclusive
Everything is buffet style. Grab as much food as you like
throughout the day in a variety of settings. Breakfast is from 0730
to 1030. Continental breakfast and snacks are served from 1030 to
1230. Lunch is from 1300 to 1530. Light fare is at the pool snack
bar from 1530 to 1730. If you have any room left, you can choose dinner
in a variety of restaurants; the Grill and Cabo Verde theme restaurant
both require advanced reservations. There is a theme buffet dinner twice a
week. There are a variety of bars too, and under the all-inclusive
regime you can have free local drinks too. At the restaurants there
are soft drinks, including carbonated drinks as well as choice of
pink, white or red wine, and a local beer, much of which you can consume out of a plastic container. It is not possible to purchase
better quality wines or coffee.
Facilities for children at Riu Hotel
There is an external baby sitting service. This is chargeable and
can be ordered from reception. For those requiring special baby
food, please bring this with you. A Spanish doctor visits the hotel
every day, between 10 and 11 am and from 2000 to 2200.
Comments on Riu all inclusive
There
are already established hotels in good positions on Sal in Santa
Maria which are within easy walking distance of the many restaurants
and bars, offering food and drink at affordable prices (about 1
euro for a beer, about 7.50 euros for a main course). The Riu is
the hotel that all the biggest European tour operators are selling,
including Thomson. For those seeking a true package holiday experience in the
sun without knowing you are in the Cape Verdes, this is the place.
It is Sal's first five star all-inclusive clubhotel (Cape Verde
government star allocation which bears no relation to comparable international star ratings) and it is attracting a new class of
visitor. We estimate it is some 400 m to the beach from the perimeter
fence at the closest exit point. Depending on how much you calculate
you can eat and drink whilst on holiday, this could be the deal
for you. The hotel guests we spotted come mainly from Germany, Belgium, France and Britain. The second phase, Riu Garopa opened in November 2006,
with another 500 beds. Check out time is at 1100, after which guests
may use facilities, including a locker room with shower for changing
until 1800. For those wishing to eat dinner before late flights,
there is a charge of 15 euros per person for those that have not
kept their room until late. Much of the area around the Riu Funana Garopa hotel is being developed. Next door to the South is the site of the Ponta Preta Development site, with its bulldozers clearing the ground for buildings. To the north is a huge sand dune, and to the North East various sand dunes which can blow sand all over the complex when the wind gets up. Nearby, there are other planned developments for hotels, villas and apartments, some of which have already commenced building work. Many call the hotel the Rui, probably because it rythms with Tui, the German owners.
Guest comments
I am a seasoned traveller and have stayed at countless 5 star resorts around the world including a Riu in Dominican Republic. The Garopa is clearly not a 5 star hotel by the quality of the build work and the food is poor.
Food and beverages - from long life milk to machine produced coffee/tea with next to no service in the restaurants including those booked, the quality of the food is appalling. H from London.
We had a fantastic holiday, Sal was everything I imagined it would
be and the beaches and sea were out of this world... This is our
3rd Riu hotel we have stayed at and it was everything we expected
and more. The food was excellent, the rooms clean, staff friendly
and the beach was 2 mins walk from the hotel we couldn't of asked
for more. We could eat and drink for free from 7.30am until 2.00am,
even bottled water was free. H from Dudley.
Ponta preta is not for the faint hearted and one needs to know
what they are doing when surfing there (or be completely mad!).
it is an amazing surfing spot though and absolutely beautiful. I
love the big sand dune there… shame about the Rui monstrosity
that sticks out like a sore!!! How on earth someone got permission
to build such an atrocity??? E from Grenoble.
Save money and book online direct with the tour operator
For holidays including flights from UK airports
Hotel Riu Funana
save money with Thomson Holidays direct
Hotel Riu Garopa check it out with Thomson
Thomson Holidays
to see all the Thomson Holiday offers in the Cape Verdes
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