Riu Papayas

We arrived at the Riu Papayas on Saturday the 05th January. I won't bore you,with weather reports suffice to say at around 22 degrees daily thus far it's excellent. We have been extremely impressed with many aspects of this hotel. 1) Cleanliness. Superb 2) Maid service Superb 3) Quality of drinks in an all inclusive package. Superb 4) Staff efficiency and friendliness. Superb 5) Food quality. Absolutely superb It is the latter,which has really blown us away. We have stayed all over the world and aside 5 star accommodation and cruises this hotel has to rank as probably the best we have experienced for its choice and quality of food. We requested a room overlooking the pool on the top floor and were delighted to get one and that too is superb. The hotel has a relaxed and welcoming feel and is quite contemporary. There are a couple of negatives unfortunately which stopped me awarding it 5 stars. 1) The perennial problem of folk leaving towels on sun beds at stupid o clock and then disappearing till md afternoon. This is often a British problem but this hotel is primarily occupied I would say by German and Nordic.holidaymakers so by and large we're not guilty this time. 2) The Entertainment. For a 4 star hotel the entertainment is cheap, dated and amateurish. I feel perhaps the RIU chain is cutting corners on this issue perhaps because the demographics is mainly of more mature visitors. Average age I would say is around 50. It's a shame because I can put up with idiots leaving towels to sunbathe all day and it won't affect my holiday but the in house entertainment really does need a major overhaul. This by the way is no indictment of the animation team who provide just about all the entertainment day and night as they work hard and I wtnessed them rehearsing hard too but they are not mainstream entertainers. They are kids entertainers at best. Please don't just take my word, if you intend holidaying in Gran Canaria I would definitely recommend this hotel. So come in Riu sort out the entertainment.

It’s always difficult to finally choose a destination hotel, taking into account all the positive spin of the hotel trying to secure your custom versus TripAdvisor comments etc but suffice to say very pleased with our stay at RIU Papayas, Gran Canaria. Have taken the opportunity of a comprehensive review so apologies if you get bored reading!! Reception: Arrival was swift and handled well, a clear briefing from the Reception team member. For those who might be less able there’s a slope to access Reception to the left hand side of the entrance. Tip: we booked a meal at the Spanish (Olé) and Asian (Zhu) Restaurants as we checked in as apparently these quickly fill. We had a choice of 6:30 or 8:30pm. We dined at Ole last evening and was not disappointed. Great selection of Tapas to start with steak main course and a plate of various desserts, both these courses served to table. Delicious, and the team serving were superb and well organised. Thank you! Accommodation: Our room, 351 was spotlessly clean and well appointed looking over the garden. This has been maintained so far each day with a chambermaid looking after everything so well. Tip: treat yourself to a travel kettle so you can have a morning cup of tea or coffee first thing. There’s no facilities in the room for this. Although a small fridge is in your room. Local supermarkets supply milk (Leche) and the nearest is out of the hotel, turn right and on the right hand side (approx. 200 yards). Food service: The main restaurant is a busy place, based on buffet style service for Breakfast, Lunch, mid-Afternoon snacks and Dinner. At Breakfast you’ll be served a jug of percolated black coffee, milk is available but adjacent to the fresh fruit area. All food is freshly prepared, salads at Lunch we’re a particular favourite of ours but there’s also an Italian counter along with a ‘show cookery’ small area and every other type of food you could expect or need. Service is swift and empty dishes are replenished quickly. Be prepared for the restaurant team to clear plates quickly once you have finished your plate. Draft beer, wine, soft drinks are freely available for you to help yourself. Same for coffee and tea, adjacent. Overall, the quality of food was very good but plates are medium sized. It didn’t happen often but so sad to see some guests piling plates high with food only to waste and leave to be thrown away! Very mixed clientele in the hotel, but mostly German which is reflected in the number of TV channels dedicated to their viewing. If English, there’s BBC World or Sky News only, with a few channels that broadcast some programming in English. Entertainment: there’s a young team who work hard at putting on various events throughout the day and evening. Don’t expect a West End production, but credit to them for their efforts and determination. Be prepared if visiting in January, it can be quite chilly and breezy in the evening so pack something warm to wear as the bars are all outside. Bars: there are two, pool and Dunas. The pool bar serves everything but if you prefer branded spirits Dunas served us Gordons Gin rather than the Spanish alternative at the pool bar. Cava is available too if you so wish. There’s also a cocktail list but don’t expect these to be heavily laden with alcohol. Sun beds: plenty of them so you should be able to find one to suit position for sun bathing. My only gripe is that the old tradition of reserving sun beds with towels happens here just like anywhere else. What’s disappointing is that some guests position towels in primary spots only never to appear and use the said beds! It’s beyond selfish but I guess it’s a cultural thing, sad as it is. Pool: kept very clean but we understand it is not heated. Saw water testing being completed several times each day. Tip: there are some birds in the grounds (collared doves). Perfectly harmless but choose your sun beds wisely as they do perch on trees above with the obvious consequences! Location: well positioned, with a security guard at the entrance. You are around 5 minutes walk from the Kasbar complex (sadly this has deteriorated significantly and would avoid, particularly in the evening/night). 10 minutes walk to the Yumbo Centre which has a mixture of shopping, eateries and is the main gay area for bars etc. You are on the bus route to Puerto de Mogán which has a market on a Friday morning if that’s your thing. Overall, a very good all round hotel. First couple of days saw high cloud in the morning that gradually cleared. We also had gin clear skies too with sunshine from 8:00-18:00, you can’t ask for more than that. Would we return: definitely yes. RIU and their team right across the hotel work extremely hard to make sure you have a great holiday. Can highly recommend.

We visited for 7 nights for our honeymoon with our near 2 year old daughter. On arrival, we had been upgraded to a family room which are huge, two double bedrooms. They also accommodated our 1st floor request. There was also a complementary bottle of bubbly. It is so clean and modern, really up our street. They are always cleaning around the hotel. We mainly stayed around the children’s pool area which is good for kids with 3 slides and water features. The kids club is there to and it’s gated. No problem in getting any beds. Food is available literally all day. Breakfast followed by continental breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, after hours then back to breakfast. Amstel was so-so from the self serve pumps but always good from behind the bar. Loads of drinks selections available and the red wine was nice too. All the staff were lovely and always playing and smiling with our daughter. The high chairs were always clean and tidy and wrapped in cellophane with their own little spoon. Food selection was good for all inclusive with decent variety and a different carved meat every. We would definitely return again.