Riu Gran Canaria

A great resort — just don’t expect peace and quiet around the infinity pool!

Expectations were high. I’ve stayed at several RIU Palace 5-star resorts in the Caribbean, so perhaps unfairly, the bar was already set fairly high — even though this is a 4-star all-inclusive resort. No snobbery intended!

This is a large resort catering for both families and couples, so if you’re looking for complete peace and quiet, I’d think carefully about whether it’s for you. That said, there are quieter, more laid-back areas where you can escape the hustle and bustle.

When we visited in early September, the sheer number of guests was quite overwhelming at times. Everywhere seemed busy, particularly the main buffet at mealtimes — at certain points, my local airport felt positively deserted by comparison!

The pool areas are also very busy, especially the infamous infinity pool. If you’re not prepared to get up at around 5am to claim a sunbed, you may struggle. I tried it once, arriving at 5:30am, only to witness the massed ranks of various nationalities staking their claim to prime sunbed territory. People were marching up and down rearranging beds with the determination of border guards protecting their country’s sovereignty. It was quite a sight!

By peak times, the infinity pool itself can resemble human soup — just about enough room to wade rather than swim. The more popular areas around the main pools are equally competitive. I half expected to see estate agents wandering around offering “sea-view sunbeds, south-facing, excellent potential”!

Accommodation

The rooms are functional rather than luxurious, but they do what they say on the tin. Our bedroom was a decent size, with a good-sized bathroom, although the shower occasionally seemed to suffer from questionable water pressure. Storage was adequate, the bed was comfortable and the minibar/fridge was stocked with soft drinks and beer.

We had a ground-floor room next to the quiet pool, which turned out to be an excellent choice. It was very convenient and, importantly for us, away from the main hustle and bustle.

Food & Drink

Considering this is a buffet-based all-inclusive resort, I thought the food was good. Buffets can inevitably become repetitive, but there was plenty of choice and enough variety to keep even the pickiest eater happy. The food was consistently well cooked and tasty.

The speciality buffets and restaurants offered something a little different and were also of a good standard. Our favourite was the Atlantic Steak House — good food, a pleasant atmosphere and views over the Atlantic Ocean. The clue really is in the name!

The speciality restaurants and buffets need to be booked through the RIU app, which worked well enough. My only minor criticism regarding drinks was that the wine in the main buffet comes from taps rather than bottles, whereas bottled wine is served in the speciality restaurants.

Overall

Overall, we were very happy with our stay. The resort has a lot going for it: a great location, around a 30-minute transfer from the airport, approximately a 10-minute walk to the shops in central Meloneras, and around 15–20 minutes on foot to the beach and dunes.

It can be as hectic or as peaceful as you choose, provided you pick your location carefully. My wife and I prefer things fairly quiet, and our room was ideally placed for that.

But what really made our stay was the staff. They were outstanding in every respect — helpful, friendly, courteous and always willing to assist. In all my years of travelling, I genuinely cannot remember coming across hotel or resort staff who impressed me quite as much.

They were a real credit to RIU and, for us, the people who made the holiday.

Would we return? Never say never.

Although next time I’ll be packing a camping chair, a flask of coffee, night-vision goggles and possibly a small UN peacekeeping force.

Because if you want that prime infinity-pool sunbed…

You’d better be prepared to defend it. 😄

Our 2nd visit to this hotel. By far our favourite ever. We are a family of five - now all adult. I’ve just spent two weeks here, and it’s paradise for us. I think during those two weeks I may have spent an hour a day on a lounger tops, as the ongoing daily entertainment is amazing. I’ve played Shuffleboard, water volleyball, the daily crazy game, to name but a few, with other people from other countries who all manage to communicate and have great fun. Made all the more special by the super enthusiastic entertainment team who really get involved and make everything fun. They even remembered us from the previous year. So good to see the same staff. The party nights are amazing. The 24 hour sports bar is chill and a lovely place to sit for a night cap / snack if you’re feeling a little peckish. The pools are just lovely and yes the “premium” spots are taken by super early risers but it isn’t at all necessary as there are always lots of spare loungers in other areas whatever the time may be. The rooms we had were great, clean and great to see more bottled water in the mini fridge this year. Lots of storage and spacious bathrooms. The food is just fabulous. We are a family of vegan, vegetarians and meat eaters and everybody was impressed with the selection. The speciality restaurants are amazing - we tried a couple and again excellent. We will definitely be returning again next year and I can’t wait. The entertainment team here really make it super special and there is always something going on. Thank you Riu Gran Canaria.