Riu Palace Oasis

Just returned from a 10 day holiday at this hotel. We had an absolutely fantastic time here. The hotel is amazing everywhere is so clean and all of the staff are friendly and welcoming.We have stayed at a lot of 5 star hotels and this one is the tops. The design and the ambiance of the hotel is amazing. The grounds of the hotel with its beautiful palm trees has a lovely relaxing atmosphere. We had a sea view room which was lovely and big with a large bathroom and shower. The food in the restaurant was amazing with a choice to suit everyone, all the food was of high quality and tasted amazing. The entertainment was brilliant especially the outdoor stage shows. Access to the beach area and promenade was an extra bonus. Can't praise this hotel enough and we will Certainly be returning. I only have two points to make and that is the quality of the bathroom towels are not good enough for a 5 star hotel, they are not thick or soft in fact they felt quite hard also usually slippers are provided in other hotels that I have stayed in, so that might be a nice addition.

I’ll get the negative out of the way first, and sadly it’s the food.

We come to the Canaries every May or October and, over the years have stayed in plenty of four and five star resorts across the islands.

Buffet standards obviously vary but unfortunately, the buffet at the Riu Palace Oasis was the weakest we’ve experienced in a hotel of this class.

The ingredients felt low quality, cooked to a poor standard, and the food stations seemed random rather than curated. Which is a real pity, as almost everything else about the hotel is very good indeed.

We stayed in room 1234, which was well away from the entertainment areas and incredibly quiet. The room itself was well designed, comfortable and pleasant, and we were more than happy with it for our week stay.

The pool areas have a lovely chilled atmosphere. Sun loungers were a complete non-issue, with plenty available at any time of day, even though it was half-term week and the hotel was busy, which was extremely refreshing given what a pain this can be at many resorts. .

The gardens are beautifully maintained and are a real feature of the hotel. The main outside bar and entertainment areas are also lovely places to spend time.

Cleanliness was also to a high standard everywhere.

Service throughout the hotel was excellent. We did note that most of the servers didn’t speak any English, which is unusual in our experience of Spanish island resorts, but not really a problem. The main front-of-house staff were multilingual as you might expect.

The spa being included at no extra charge is a nice touch, although personally I would have preferred a warmer spa pool. The men’s steam room also wasn’t working very well, which led to the odd spectacle of the men migrating to the ladies’ steam room which was working fine.

The location is excellent too: right on the gorgeous main beach and very close to shops, bars and restaurants.

I really wanted to give this hotel five stars, because in so many ways it’s a great resort and gets things absolutely right. The setting, rooms, gardens, pool areas, service and location are all excellent. But for us, the food wasn’t really good enough.

A return visit , I love their pool rooms ( always ask for 1102-20 for private side , otherwise your own pool room can face onto a communal pool with children playing and the main path to the beach). Lovely food selection breakfast and dinner. Even though it’s buffet the food is hot and large variety tasty. I visited the spa for manicure good experience- there a gym and spa and indoor pool area and another smaller outdoor pool at the back of the complex. There a gate out of the hotel garden that leads you directly onto the beach by the lighthouse and a boardwalk to restaurants and some small shops, plus the boardwalk to the Maspalomas Dunes. Highly recommend and would return. Very clean hotel and friendly staff.