Robinson Cabo Verde

"My husband and I have just returned from this lovely hotel There are only 2 negatives in our opinion,the birds and the ignorant staff and guests. Check in was quick,we was offered a complimentary drink and a lovely young girl gave us all the information about the hotel and showed us to our room,apart from her the other reception staff where rather ignorant. The food was outstanding. So much choice at all meal times,the breads and cakes where out of this world,as was the show cooking.The Only negative here is the birds flying around the restaurant and landing on the open foods.Numerous times I saw them pecking at the breads,and cooked meats etc which is rather off putting and stopped me from eating the food that was uncovered.some breads are in plastic cases as are some of the cakes,suggestion here would be to have all the open foods covered the same way. The drinks we had where good,didn't think much to the cocktails though. There are a lot of facilities,activities etc if its what you want.we didn't bother with any as we just went for a relaxing time. The beach front is lovely,just make sure you take a high factor sun cream as it is so hot. The only other negative besides the birds is we found most of the staff in every part of the hotel to be quiet unfriendly,with the exception of a few,mainly the security staff.wether it's because we are English and not German who knows, but our money is as good as theirs. Also the majority of guest where the same,we would say good morning or hello and they just look straight through you,again they are no better than us,but at least we was polite at all times. Santa maria town is worth a visit but don't go too early in the day as there's nothing happening. If we was to return to cape verde we would come to robinson again."

"We had never been to either Cape Verde or a Robinson hotel before so we weren’t sure what to expect, but we’ve had a good time staying here for the last weeks overall. Rooms: Our room was nice and clean. The bed and pillows were very comfortable and we had enough storage for our two week stay. The linens were changed daily and we were provided with new towels. We were given four coffee pods for the machine, which we used and were nice quality, however these were also not replaced at all during our stay, so after two days we had no coffee in our room which was disappointing. The bathroom and shower was really nice, though the balcony was next to a stairwell where people stood smoking, so not very private or relaxing and our room often smelt of cigarette smoke. Activities and nightlife: As this is an adults only hotel which aims for a social and sporty experience, there has been lots for us to do. It has been nice to go somewhere that isn’t full of children and families - most people here appear to be couples or groups of friends who are looking to party and make friends. We really enjoyed the Aquafit classes every morning and disc golf on the afternoon. The evening entertainment is really fun and there’s something to do every night. We enjoyed the themed nights - our favourites were the white party and Las Vegas night. If you plan on coming to this hotel, make sure to download the Robinson app so you can check out the itinerary - some nights have a dress code such as black tie, neon, or all white. The entertainment does go on until about 1:30am most nights, which we loved but might not be for everyone if you enjoy a quieter evening or don’t like dance / club music. There is also a lot of music throughout the day, so if you want silence and lots of relaxation maybe this hotel is not for you. There are poolside cabanas available to rent for £18 per day if you want to sit somewhere private and premium. We have had no problem finding a sun lounger either on the beach or by the pool on the days we did not hire a cabana. There’s also extra seats outside the bars, shop, and cafe. Inside the cafe there is also a pool table, books, and lots of board games. The WiFi is free, fast, and reliable and there are multiple TV’s throughout the hotel, however the channels are all in German and there is no English TV available. We would have really liked a seating area in the main bar that is a no smoking zone. Whilst there is no judgement from us, as someone with asthma is was difficult at times to find an area that felt comfortable - so perhaps a few “no smoking” tables in the corner or near the fresh air of the beach could be facilitated? Staff and fellow guests: Some reviews mention difficulties relating to the amount of German guests, and whilst we do agree that there were mostly Germans here, everyone we met was really fun and we met some great friends who made our holiday really special. Most staff speak enough basic English to get by - though of course it helps to know some basic German pleasantries as the hotel is German owned and to also have a translating app on your phone for questions. The activities are delivered in German but as we knew a little of the language it was not a problem for us. There were some staff members who were clearly in favour of German guests; they would laugh and smile with them, but would be cold and dismissive to us which was upsetting at times. Whilst Cabo Verde prioritises a “no stress” attitude, at times this appears to translate to problems doing anything at all, even serving drinks or making a coffee can take 30 minutes whilst they talk to each other and rest behind the bar. We found Patrick and Wilbur very kind and helpful in the restaurant however. We did have a problem with one particular member of staff at the bar (Linolin). He was very rude to me on multiple occasions; refusing me a cocktail but serving my Husband without an issue - shouting at me that he had “no time” when he was working and drinks were being served to other people. He also was aggressively staring at me, followed me around the beach bar and to the toilet with no reason to do so, which I found very intimidating. He also removed a shot of tequila from me that my Husband had bought us one night to - and decided it was appropriate to walk up to our table and push through our friends, tell me that my tequila shot “was for him”, and to drink it before walking away and continuing to work at the bar - we were speechless! We do not mind including people in our fun but this seemed very strange behaviour and following this I have found it very difficult to go around the hotel on my own on the chance he is around. My Husband has reported this staff member to the club manager and this is currently being investigated, as we were unsure of his intentions or why he appeared to have a problem with me as we have not caused any trouble or broken any of the hotel rules. Food and drinks: All of the food we have had is very well prepared and is freshly cooked. We had the opportunity to try lots of different foods that were new, and also had the reassurance of things we knew we liked which were served at every meal, like chicken, salad, and fruit. With this being a premium hotel, we would have liked some foods of a higher quality to be served occasionally - on Las Vegas night there was a beautiful fillet mignon served, but we did not see this again, however there was lots of pasta and vegetarian dishes which we also enjoyed but were more in line with a cheaper hotel. The Taste Jam evening was spectacular, and we enjoyed the “street food” setup across the restaurant. Some complaints online have mentioned birds entering the dining area; The hotel has taken measures to reduce this as there are now chain curtains on all doors and foods are covered up. We have not been unwell whilst staying here and feel the whole dining area was very clean. Tips if you’re thinking of coming: Bring factor 50 sun cream as the UV is high all year round. ☀️ Learn some German so communication is easier. 🇩🇪 Download the Robinson app so you can see the itinerary for your stay and bring appropriate clothing for the themed nights. 📱 Be ready to party!! 🥳 Overall, we enjoyed our stay. The hotel, most staff, and all amenities are lovely. The hotel is well maintained and clean, and we felt safe staying here with the exception of one intimidating staff member. It’s been our first time in Cape Verde and whilst we have now seen most of what the island has to offer, we would still return to Robinson another year."

"(Mid twenties couple review) This is the first time we’ve felt the need to write a trip advisor review about a hotel we have stayed at. We have enjoyed our stay that much, we felt the need to write one. We still have another 2 nights here too!. Having been to a previous Tui hotel on the island of Sal, the Robinson is by far the one of the better hotels on the island. The grounds are kept to a perfect standard and the design of the hotel is modern and very well laid out. Its location is great too, it’s only a 10 min walk down the beach to Santa Maria and a 5min taxi ride (at most). It’s situated perfectly next to the beach for easy access. With the Beach bar being the best spot to watch the sun go down in an evening. Upon arrival we were upgraded to a garden view room and I cannot complain at all about the room, aircon works perfectly, walk in shower is amazing and the bed is comfy (we did ask for a double bed topper before arriving which helped). The food has been incredible, there hasn’t been a single meal where we have struggled to find anything to eat, across breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even if you were a fussy eater, you’d be absolutely fine. The choice across both food and drink has been incredible. The taste jam last night was by far one of the highlights of the food at the hotel. There was so much choice and all the local vendors were lovely. It was just a great atmosphere. Onto the staff and entertainment, everyone seems very friendly. We have opted for more of a relaxed stay rather than getting involved in all of the activities that are on. From what we have seen of the local acts and music at night there has been a good variation. Although it can sometimes be quite loud at night if you’re in your rooms. The entertainment can go on upto midnight. We maybe haven’t heard it as much with us having a room a little further away from the night entertainment at the main bar. Just one to be mindful of if you don’t like hearing it at that time of night. Simple solution would be just to ask for a quieter room before you arrive. If you wanted to stay up later but be away from it all. The no stress bar (relax bar) is perfect and serves the same drinks as the rest of the hotel. Whilst being here we have had very few encounters with the staff. They all seem very helpful and there’s plenty around to help if you need them. The hotel seems to have a very high percentage of German speaking staff but all understand and are good English speakers if needs be. Don’t let this put you off. I think with the Robinsons chain being prominently German, 90% of guests are German too, which can seem a little daunting for a start but I can’t say this would ever put us off coming back again in the future. We’ve stopped at hotels that are full of English people before and would still choose to come back here. Which says something in itself. We have seen a few negative reviews about the birds at the hotel on tables and trying to steal food. We’ve only encountered this in a morning at breakfast on our first day. We thought it would be nice to eat breakfast outside. Leaving food and drink unattended in a morning would be a big no no. Simple solution to this though would be to go and eat inside the main restaurant. You shouldn’t have any problems getting a table after the morning rush. Straight away, problem solved. You won’t have the same issues at night and the main restaurant outside seating is a lovely setting to have an evening meal. Overall we have loved our stay so far and will hopefully be back again in the not so distant future. This hotel is a gem on the island of Sal. Keep it up guys👏🏼"