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Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria
Cabocan Lote E 2, Santa Maria, Ilha do Sal 4111 Cape Verde
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Hotel direct offer!Riu Class Benefits
About
#1 of 6 all-inclusives in Ilha do Sal
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Travellers' Choice
The All Inclusive 24h Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria will open its doors in February 2021 and is situated on an idyllic white sand beach on the island of Sal. RIU Palace is the most elegant category in the RIU hotel chain, with hotels that meet the highest standards in terms of luxury, excellence and sophistication, creating a unique experience. The location is ideal due to its proximity to Santa Maria (2 km)and airport (16 km). The hotel has 1001 comfortably furnished rooms with free Wi-Fi and offers many amenities. Relax in our Wellness Center and on our sunterrace, or get in shape in the gym. 5 outdoor pools, 1 indoor pool, 1children's pool and the “Splash Water World” water park. Day and evening entertainment. For gastronomy lovers, live cooking stations at our main buffet as well as Italian, Fusion, Japanese and Steakhouse specialty restaurants; 6 bars
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Fitness Centre with Gym / Workout Room
Free breakfast
Beach
Diving
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Fitness / spa changing rooms
Fitness classes
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Kid-friendly buffet
Snack bar
Swimup bar
Poolside bar
Snorkelling
Water park
Windsurfing
Aerobics
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Waterslide
Kids club
Kids pool
Highchairs available
Airport transportation
Spa
Facial treatments
Massage
Salon
24-hour security
Concierge
Shops
Sun deck
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun umbrellas
24-hour front desk
Clothes dryer
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
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Room features
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Safe
Minibar
Refrigerator
Cable / satellite TV
Walk-in shower
Wardrobe / wardrobe
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Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish, German and 1 more
Location
50Car recommended
Grade: 50 out of 100
121Restaurantswithin 5 miles
27Attractionswithin 5 miles
Cabocan Lote E 2, Santa Maria, Ilha do Sal 4111 Cape Verde
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2268Reviews560Q+A100Room tips
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We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
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The last night here this is my honest review having been to boa vista twice so fancied a change .The hotel is super clean an rooms big with everythink you need .The pools we didn't use especially the bar pools as way over cowered an am guessing not everyone getting out to go the bathroom so avoided them spent most time on the fantastic beach were we could swin all the time. The buffet was not of 5* standed we were here 7 nights an it was hit an miss mostly the same things every day with the odd thing added come last night the was nothink i fancied so to do 2 weeks here you would struggle big time.The buffets are way to small for the amount of people here .the buffet by the beach has birds an flys every were it need to be enclose like main buffet an as for snack bar never went near it as fly central.As I say hotel itself is lovely but it need to sort standard of food and make buffets room a lot bigger tp cater for the amount of guests .Would I come back no I can't justify the 350 pound per person compared to other hotels .…
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
+1
Hotel's Favourite
The hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria is a very spacious, modern and well-kept 24/7 all-inclusive resort directly on the beautiful and very wide beach with a private section. Due to the waves, swimming in the sea is not always possible, especially for children. Alternatively, 8 pools, an attractive children pool area with slides and the "Splash Water World" water park are also available for adults. There are enough loungers and parasols available at all times of the day on the beach and the pools. An subtle animation during the day as well as evening shows and live music with a delicious cocktail from one of the bars completed the day. WiFi is available in all hotel areas and is free of charge. The staff is very friendly and accommodating everywhere. The gastronomy is very good with a wide selection of dishes for every taste, especially in the buffet restaurant with some live cooking stations. It does not require a reservation and it was never a problem getting a seat there during our stay. Reservations in the 4 a-la-carte restaurants (Italian, Japanese, steak house and fusion kitchen) can be easily made via app. Likewise, the reservations in the highly recommended spa, which is not included in the price. The sea view rooms are very spacious, comfortable and clean. The bathroom has a large rain shower and a separate toilet. The minibar and the drinks dispenser on the wall with various alcoholic beverages were regularly refilled. If something was missing in our room, a short phone call or information via the app was enough and a few minutes later everything was taken care of. Since the two-storey building complexes are spread over the large area and don't have an elevator, I recommend booking a room on the ground floor for families with buggies and people with mobility problems. We can also recommend this hotel for its proximity to the slightly larger village of Santa Maria with some good restaurants, bars and shopping opportunities, which is easily accessible by taxi for € 4-5 or a 20 minute walk along the beach. If you want to unwind and let yourself be pampered in a great hotel with a pleasant atmosphere, you've come to this place. Sal is also very famous for kite surfing. Please don't forget medicines for stomach and intestinal problems as we have been aware of some of these cases!!…
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Rooms with sea view
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
136 Helpful votes4 Reposts
Helpful
Response from RIU Hotels and Resorts, Other at Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria
Responded 21 Apr 2023
Dear 3010ChristinaR, Thank you very much for sharing your comments, It has been a pleasure to serve you and we look forward to welcoming you back. We are proud to know that you had an unforgettable stay thanks to our beautiful facilities and the excellent and professional service provided. See you soon! Yours faithfully, Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria Online Reputation Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Have to say, I wasn’t too keen on holidaying in Cape Verde, it was my wife’s destination of choice. I have to say, it as one of the best holidays ever. ( the wife was right) Food was of a very good standard always something to eat that you like. Only downside was the reservation booking system, we could never get a reservation in the Krystal fusion due to having to book 3 days in advance and just after midnight ! Surely need a better system management ? There’s plenty of loungers near all the pools and on the beach, so finding somewhere to relax wasn’t a problem. The entertainment team doing the activities with guest during the day were absolutely amazing, gonna say possibly the best we’ve seen at any hotel in any country. Housekeeping were brilliant, nothing was too much even if the language barrier was hit and miss. We met many guest who have stayed at this hotel on multiple occasions. We have decided to come back next year and stay here again, something we never do! …
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Review collected in partnership with riu.com
Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
richardandsue2015 wrote a review Yesterday
Huddersfield, United Kingdom17 contributions13 helpful votes
Our 2nd visit to Sal, and thought we'd try the new Riu. This was actually under construction when we stopped at the Riu Cabo Verde 7 years ago. This is a brand new hotel, built from scratch onto a blank canvas......yet has some serious design flaws. It doesn't have enough bars and restaurants to cope with the volume of guests on an evening. The emphasis seemed to be creating 1001 rooms, then letting people fight over the minimal eating and drinking facilities provided on an evening. I understand this problem arose when the hotel first opened, and Riu extended the outdoor theatre, also adding a new toilet block. Well, it's still flawed. The pools area is massive, yet someone decided to put the only toilet block next to the snack bar. After watching people coming out of the toilet and then handling food, it's pretty obvious where the illnesses come from. Prices to stop here are climbing all the time. We managed to book for 11 nights Inc a seaview room for about £1600 pp (Tui package holiday) I certainly wouldn't be happy paying much more.…
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Came here for my 30th birthday and I can tell you now DO NOT listen to the negative reviews this place is absolutely amazing, caters for all adults& families! AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!! Fantastic staff, every where was clean and very well maintenance. If you can’t get anything they make sure you get it and catered for! Entertainment on a night is fantastic they do a great job! Thank you to this hotel for giving me and my little family the best 30th birthday, we will be returning!
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
3 Helpful votes
Helpful
Had a very relaxing holiday at this hotel , the staff were friendly and helpful . The food was all very nice with a selection for most people to enjoy . Plenty of activities to do if you wanted and you weren’t hassled to much if you didn’t want to . The rooms were kept very clean and the mini bar was restocked frequently .
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Review collected in partnership with riu.com
Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
The location is perfect. The hotel facilities were all we needed and the food in the restaurants was top quality. Booking for the a la carte restaurants was a bit hit n miss but the choice in the buffet style restaurants was fabulous as was the service for drinks etc. lovely and friendly team. The bars by the pool were also great! All the staff were so efficient friendly and hard working. And the beach and sea - just beautiful.
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Review collected in partnership with riu.com
Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Hotel was super clean, fresh and new. The staff were mostly all fantastic and friendly, also hard working. The restaurant selection was good. Our personal preference was not keen on the Italian but all the others great. The buffet had plenty to choose from and I never saw any raw meats near cooked. Great to have optics in the room and named drinks. Very rare I say I would come back to a place but here I would. Many thanks 🙏🏽
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: No stress! Cracking place!!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
After booking and then reading some of the reviews i thought why am i going here. I made sure i was fully vaccinated for the area. We took hydration medication and imodium with us ( We didn't need to take any of it ) Just basic hygiene is needed. We went for my 50th Birthday and wasnt disappointed. I recieved a bottle of wine delivered to my room in the morning and a bottle waiting for me in the restaurant in the evening. Its a Beautiful Hotel and is kept to a high standard. It has everything you need and more. The rooms were lovely and clean and well equipped for your stay. Fridges were topped up regularly. The .Staff were lovely and nothing was too much trouble. They worked very hard and to a high standard. The food was lovely, there was so much to choose from, you never had to have the same meal twice( you actually got fed up of eating and not fed up of the food ) I ate food that I would never dream of eating. I can honestly say there was nothing i didnt like.The pools were lovely and many to chose from, you don't need to pack towels as they are provided. There's a sun lounger for everyone plus more. We ate at all 4 speciality restaurants. Our favourite was Krystal followed by the Steakhouse. The gardens are immaculate,The beach was lovely. The White and Neon Parties are brilliant. Everyone I had spoken to had said how much they enjoyed them too. For such a big hotel I found the evening entertainment poor on some nights, but they can't please everyone. Amazing time had by us both. I cant wait to return again. …
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Have a walk into Santa Maria.day and night. People are so friendly
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
This was our second visit to this hotel and fourth visit to Sal (previously stayed at the old palace twice). The hotel is still very good. The staff were lovely, and if you make an effort to speak to them they were delighted. The hotel is very clean and they were constantly cleaning. The pools are warm and we did get in the sea, just be cautious and swim near the lifeguards. The room (large twin) was very spacious and we had more than enough space for 3. There were a few things we noticed such as there seemed to be more people reserving sun beds this time (absolutely no need to). Also the buffet seemed a lot busier and more crowded. We used to go between 7:45 and 8 every evening and it seemed very busy, I still do think they could open another buffet at night and bar. It did used to calm down but not until 9pm almost. The food selection was still good, they weren’t always quick at replenishing food so sometimes you did have to wait and queue but not for too long. Premium drinks weren’t always used, for example baileys was being used the first two nights and then a substitute despite asking for it. Also non branded spirits were being used in cocktails and not all the optics were branded. That being said, they will make you any cocktail even if it’s not on the menu. As previously mentioned we booked a catamaran with Edgar Pires. We’ve been booking trips with Edgar for all our visits and what a man he is! Edgar has a heart of gold who will do anything for anyone and go out of his way for everyone! If you want to book trips with him please bare with him, he is extremely busy. He’s at the lighthouse everyday in the morning apart from a Sunday and he will reply to messages but probably at night as he is busy during the day. We arranged taxis through Edgar and we beat the bus both ways so very worth doing. The airport was empty both ways so we were very lucky. Please do get out and about to explore the island, do trips and tours, go into Santa Maria both in the day and night. We took a lot items out for the locals, such as clothes, toiletries, stationary amongst other things and they were so grateful. A few questions get asked over and over so thought I’d answer a few: You need the European 2 pin rounded plugs in this hotel but there are also usb points. The currency mainly used is euros but you can also take out the local currency when there but this is a closed currency and can’t be brought out the country. Don’t look at the weather forecast. It’s normally wrong and the weather is actually better than forecast. We were lucky and it wasn’t windy but even towards the end of the holiday when it was it was still warm and clouds did tend to burn off. The dress code in the main buffet is smart but men can wear shorts. There is an iron and ironing board in the room. There are toiletries provided, shampoo ,conditioner and shower gel along with body lotion. There is also the mini bar with soft drinks, beer and water and the optics (whiskey, gin, rum and vodka). Ice machines are located at the bottom of the stairs in all the blocks. You can book a la cartes 3 days in at midnight each night. There are 2 sittings and always had people in when we walked past. The water park is open every day apart from a Sunday and if your child is a strong swimmer and tall enough then the age doesn’t matter I believe. I did see a lot of people picking food up with their hands and not many people used hand gel. We did use a lot of our own hand gel but the hotel do change the tongs. The swim up bars were very busy, but we personally didn’t use them. There is evening entertainment shows as well as the white and neon party. Note it’s quite a walk so be prepared! There’s also daytime entertainment and all the staff work so hard! You don’t get dressing gowns and slippers apart from in swim rooms. Overall this hotel is still amazing. I’d definitely return. There’s something special about the people on the island and the kindness and energy everyone has. Go and have an amazing holiday and enjoy every minute!…
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
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PRICE RANGE
£237 - £286 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
Cape VerdeIlha do SalSanta Maria
NUMBER OF ROOMS
1001
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Frequently Asked Questions about Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria
Which popular attractions are close to Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria?
Nearby attractions include Djunta Mo Art (1.4 miles), Projeto Biodiversidade (0.5 miles), and Praia de Santa Maria (1.2 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include a swimup bar, free wifi, and free breakfast.
Which room amenities are available at Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria?
Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and a refrigerator.
What food & drink options are available at Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria?
Guests can enjoy a swimup bar, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant during their stay.
Is parking available at Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria?
Conveniently located restaurants include Marea Restaurant, Ocean Cafe, and Baraonda.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria?
Yes, guests have access to a pool, a fitness centre, and fitness classes during their stay.
Does Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria have airport transportation?
Yes, Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are any cleaning services offered at Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese.
Are there any historical sites close to Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Paroquia de Nossa Senhora das Dores (1.3 miles) and Nazarene Church (1.4 miles).