Riu Vistamar

This is our fifth stay at Riu Vistamar. We really like Playa Amadores, the Riu Vistamar hotel with its beautiful views of the ocean and mountains, a hotel with tasty food and a wide selection of dishes, with friendly service and nice staff. What I think needs improvement: dirty and stained chairs in the lobby, worn chairs on the balcony. I recommend Riu Vistamar and warmly greet all the hotel staff. You are doing a great job.

We booked the break as Riu hotels have a good reputation and my wife has stayed at other hotels in the chain before with no problems.

After we had booked the holiday we started to read the reviews and became alarmed at all the mentions of a stomach bug/sickness/diarrhoea/food poisoning etc. Due to these issues we contacted TUI both by phone and by by going to the local TUI branch to try and change hotels but were told that we couldn't as we were too close to the departure date. We could only do this without cost if there was any risk issues reported that would put the hotel on their 'list' but that, although the hotel has been on their 'list' twice before, it wasn't at the time we spoke to them.

As we couldn't afford to buy another holiday we decided to go anyway but to take more precautions than we would generally. These included 3 bottles of our own sanitiser and disinfectant wipes.

On arrival at the hotel we were allocated our room on the 4th floor. Great views out across the bay from the balcony. We used our disinfectant wipes to wipe down all the handles and surfaces to ensure we safe from bugs and germs in the room.

We only used the lifts when we had our luggage with us and never used the hand rails when going up and down the many stairs. We never went in the pool and whenever we went in to the dining rooms or bars, always applied sanitiser before eating or drinking. In the toilets, again, we washed our hands and applied sanitiser religiously.

On the 4th day of our holiday we went for our evening meal feeling fine. We ate exactly the same meal except I thought I'd try the paella. Only hours after finishing our meal I could feel something wasn't right and knew I was going to be ill. I spent the night in the bathroom with sickness and diarrhoea. The next day, my wife's birthday, was spent on my own as I dare not go more than a few yards from the toilet. My wife spent her birthday on her own, she has a phobia about people being sick.

My wife reported what had happened to both hotel reception and the Tui rep. The receptionist was dismissive saying that we must have touched something that someone else had previously but had not washed their hands. The Tui rep was sympathetic but of no use.

I did get phone calls from reception asking if I was OK and even had a bottle of Cava brought to the room with a card saying welcome on it! I couldnt do anything with it as I was still on water at the time. My wife went to the local spar and bought a packet of digestive biscuits and that was my food for the rest of the holiday.

We have just arrived home and it appears my wife has brought it back with her and is currently in bed and staying close to the toilet.

We went on a diet before this holiday and I had reached my target weight and struggled to lose any more. Thanks to this hotel I have come back lighter than when I left, not bad for an all inclusive holiday!

I have to say there are some good reviews as well as bad. If we hadn't have got ill I would say that it was OK although my wife was anxious before we even got there because of the bad reviews and that anxiety never left her so it was never going to be relaxing.

The hotel know they have a problem and Tui do as well. I have never seen so many bottles of hand sanitiser in any other hotel I've been in. It can't be that all the people writing these reviews are colludinhg against you. You just need to wake up and deal with the problem.

I've have read the replies from the hotel management and to me they appear very cut and paste. If I'd have had the energy to be able to do so I would have filled in a Hoja de Reclamaciones, a Spanish complaint form that the hotel are legally obliged to provide you when requested. This then gets sent to the local consumer office where you are staying.

If you don't get ill at this hotel then great, have a lovely holiday ...but there is a good chance you will and if you do, it's not pleasant.

Receptionist sandy was absolutely brilliant sorted out our internet issues and went above and beyond her duties big thanks