"Just spent a VERY happy week at Riu Buenavista!
Maybe not perfect, but certainly one of the better 4* hotels we’ve stayed at.
If you’ve booked to go, or are considering going, I’m sure you will really enjoy it.
Please don’t take too much notice of the negative reviews on here – I feel they are very picky or relate to a personal bad experience, which is very unlikely to happen to another person in the same way.
I’ve provided as much factual information below as possible – the type of information that I would have liked to have known when considering the hotel.
I’ve tried to minimise ‘personal’ views, as what I like may not be the same as the next person.
Also note that we were a family of three adults, visiting in early February – hence although visitors were right across the age range, there were a lot of elderly people on site and few teenagers. This may change at other times of the year, and hence experiences may also differ (e.g. perhaps noisier during school holidays etc.).
HOTEL / ROOMS
This hotel is BIG! Over 500 rooms, spread over 9 storeys, mainly surrounding a central entertainment plaza.
Rooms are VERY big! We stayed in a 2-bedroom apartment – EACH room had a double bed, a large wardrobe, a sofa, a coffee table and a TV! And there was still loads of space in each room to store all your cases and move around freely without bumping into the bed or furniture.
A few downsides…
There was only one chest of drawers between the two rooms and one fridge – it would have been nice to have had a second chest of drawers in the second room.
Also, at first you are pleased to see there is a separate toilet room and shower room, so both could be used at once ‘in theory’. But then you notice that the (double!) sinks are in the shower room – so if you use the toilet whilst someone is showering, you can’t wash your hands…
Additionally, the toilet and shower rooms are off the main bedroom, so as I used the second bedroom, if I needed the toilet at night I had to be quiet not to wake those in the first room – and of course they don’t have full privacy. But these are minor issues.
The shower is a walk-in, by the way, and again is big! No bath.
Additional info:
There is a free safe in one of the wardrobes. There is a hairdryer in the shower/sink room. There are liquid soap dispensers in the shower and by the sinks. Plenty of storage space around the sinks and on a shelf below the sink. There are separate air-conditioning units in each room and even ceiling fans (though we never used them). Great blackout curtains.
Lovely big balcony area, accessible via doors from BOTH bedrooms – however, only ONE chair and a small table… lol… (I assume I could have asked for more, but we didn’t need them.)
The hotel has an underground car park – which I believe has a cost. There are also about 6 or 7 disabled bays on ground level opposite reception – free once registered at reception.
Rooms are cleaned daily, with towels changed each day. We found it spotless at all times.
POOLS
Five pools – including an infinity pool, a kids’ pool, an adults’ pool and two others. They claimed that all but one were heated, but I couldn’t confirm either way. All were very clean and in great condition, including non-slip areas around all pools. Showers and toilets are nearby all pools. There were also a few changing cubicles alongside the pools. There is a lifeguard at EACH pool.
Bars and snack bars are located around the resort – distance varied depending on pool.
LOADS of sun loungers all over the resort – around the pools, on rooftops and in various other places. Loungers were solid metal ones, and I never came across any damaged ones. They were a terylene-type material – soft to sit/lie on and no need for an additional cushion.
Sun loungers are a perennial source of complaints and I’m sure this will never change. My view is that most people are actually complaining that they can’t find the loungers 'they' want, in the place 'they' want them, at the exact time 'they' arrive to need them – which simply isn’t realistic for most people ☹
As usual, some ARE reserved early, but I never found that an issue. Three of us went down every morning at around 10.30 (sometimes later) and had no issue finding loungers – sometimes next to the pool, otherwise a row or two back.
I don’t doubt that some people place towels down and don’t return until much later, but it’s very difficult to know for sure. Everyone, ourselves included, would leave towels down for periods as we went for lunch or to join an activity – which can make it look like loungers were reserved and unused, but that isn’t strictly true.
It may be different during peak season, but in February there were always LOADS of loungers available.
There were plenty of umbrellas at some pools. At other pools there weren’t any. However, there WERE then overhead canopies which, when opened, would cover around 20 loungers at a time – they were never opened while we were there. Personally, I prefer the flexibility of an umbrella, so it might be nicer to have more umbrellas around the resort, but we never had an issue finding three loungers and an umbrella at any time of day.
SURROUNDING AREA
Despite what I was led to believe, although the hotel is not in a major town, there ARE places to walk nearby.
There is a lovely coastal path that goes past the hotel and winds around the coast for several kilometres. It’s a wide path with very smooth slabs. Yes, there are some up-and-down gradients in places, but there are plenty of seating areas, and I saw numerous people of various ages and abilities strolling or running along it.
There is also a reasonable shopping centre about a 10-minute walk uphill – containing maybe 20–30 shops and restaurants plus a supermarket, spread over three floors (with escalators). There is even a large, free underground car park. Shops included JD Sports and a Levi outlet (e.g. 501s for €25, albeit in limited sizes).
There is another shopping street about a 10-minute walk in the other direction, just below the Hard Rock Hotel – another 20–30 shops, including at least two supermarkets. Cash machines available at both locations.
Within 10–20 minutes by car you then also have access to Los Cristianos, Costa Adeje and Playa de las Américas. If, like us, you hire a car, Riu Buenavista is a perfect base for short drives and outings.
Restaurants / Meals
There are two large restaurants and a further two smaller ones. Breakfast is served in both large restaurants. In the evening, one serves the general buffet dinner, while the other serves the Grill menu. The smaller restaurants serve Asian and Italian food.
All restaurants are self-service buffet style, not à la carte. I didn’t get a chance to try the Italian, but I enjoyed both the Asian and Grill restaurants, which offered buffet options themed accordingly.
Some people complain about the same foods being offered every day. While this is true to some degree, I don’t see it as a negative. Yes, the starters are generally the same daily – but when there are 20+ salad and starter options, I welcomed the choice.
Likewise for mains: burgers, hot dogs, pizza, chips and several types of pasta are available every night. But there are ALSO daily-changing options such as fish dishes, chicken, pork, steak, and a wide variety of vegetables. There are also nightly specialities – usually a chef carving meat (lamb one night, pork another, turkey another) and sometimes another chef preparing a featured starter (salmon, prosciutto ham, etc.).
Desserts are typical buffet style – lots of variety, mostly sponge and cream. Not really my thing, but there were also tarts, crumbles, and sometimes chocolate fountains with profiteroles. Plus, four ice creams are always available and also lots of fruit 😊
Breakfast is the same every morning, but the choice is extensive: every type of egg, bacon, sausages (not English-style sadly), pancakes, tomatoes, beans, bread rolls, croissants, cheeses, hams, cereals and milks. The ONLY omission I noticed was mushrooms – never available ☹
There is also a self-service buffet available through the night offering basic salads, burgers, hot dogs and chips.
DRINKS:
Self-service drink stations are everywhere – in each restaurant, reception, the entertainment terrace and near the lower bar. Wine (red/white/rosé), beer, soft drinks, squashes and coffee machines are all freely available. For cocktails and spirits, use the staffed bars.
You can also collect your own 2-litre bottle of water from the bar opposite reception – available all day, every day, without asking. A really nice touch.
DAYTIME ENTERTAINMENT
There were more daytime activities than I’ve seen at any other hotel. Separate daily timetables covered fitness (yoga, pilates, aqua gym etc..), fun games (beer pong, axe-throwing etc..) , arts (t-shirt printing, spanish crafts etc.) and sports (soccer, volleyball, table tennis etc..). Probably over ten entertainment staff ran these activities, but there was never pressure to join in.
We usually just turned up to activities we fancied. Facilities included table tennis, beach volleyball and a basketball court. I didn’t spot a football pitch or tennis court, but they may exist.
Evening Entertainment
Another mixed-opinion area. The entertainment plaza is excellent – large seating area, proper stage, sound and lighting.
Every night at around 8pm there’s a Kahoot quiz on the big screen, with all entrants participating via their mobile phones. There were often 150+ participants each evening. You always see your ranking on your phone (I was typically between 20th and 60th!), and the top 6 entrants after each question was shown on screen.
From around 9–10pm there’s standard hotel entertainment. Some acts weren’t my thing, but that’s personal taste. I did enjoy Musical Express (daning to musical numbers - nice constumes and decent choreography), professional singers, acrobats, and the Freddie Mercury act (the accent changed the lyrics a bit… lol… but he had a lot of energy so was still fun).
The White Party Night was unexpectedly brilliant. Chairs removed and replaced by standing-height tables and extra stages - all decorated in white to fit the theme nicely.
The nightclub vibe is then brought to the hotel. The DJ was actually very clever by playing tunes that involved the whole audience across the wide spectrum of ages…. Then there were the dancers, stilt walkers, robot dancers, jugglers, lasers, smoke, bubbles, balloons and large plastic balls bounced across the audience's heads. A proper party atmosphere lasting until about 11.30pm. Very infectious and enjoyable.
I’m disappointed I didn’t stay long enough for the Neon Party Night, which I suspect would be equally good.
SUNDRY ITEMS
• The app is excellent – activities, entertainment schedules and restaurant bookings all handled easily
• Check-out is 12pm, with paid late check-out available
• Free courtesy room offered for late departures (we didn’t use it)
• Pool towels are free and changeable daily (yes, they’re thin, but not an issue)
• The complex isn’t flat – multiple levels with ramps/steps, but it didn’t cause problems
• Rooms overlooking the plaza will be noisy until 10pm (11.30pm Fridays)
• On-site gym looked modern and well equipped
• Staff were consistently friendly, helpful and efficient
SUMMARY
We really enjoyed our stay at Riu Buenavista.
Facilities were excellent, with lots of thoughtful touches (free safe, free water, self-service drinks).
You’d have to be VERY picky to mark it down for minor issues – the only ones I could think of were lack of a second chest of drawers, not enough umbrellas at some pools, and no mushrooms for breakfast. Hardly critical!
We don’t usually return to the same hotel, but I would have no hesitation in coming back here again in the future (perhaps when I retire and spend more time abroad 😉).
If anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask and I’ll try to help."
