Hotel Riu Festival

Great location. Pool and garden area very well maintained. Good breakfast and dinner with plenty of options. Comfortable bed. The only real issue was the air con. The rooms are far too hot. We asked multiple times for it to be switched on. They apparently only switch it on for a few hours during the day. We then have to open the door in the evening but there’s too much noise. Guest comfort should be a priority.

Beware, although the website clearly says rooms are air conditioned, this is only the case during summer season and their central ac is not in fact turned on at all in april even though the room gets very warm. Big cons: there is no sound proofing towards other rooms and the hallway whatsoever and you can hear other people snoring, walking in the hallway, talking, using the tv in their room. Don't come here without ear plugs and certainly don't expect any real privacy. There is no real door to the bathroom, only a sliding glass door, so naturally no sound proofing there either or privacy. There are two elevators, however they are the smallest I've ever seen and fit max 6 people (per instructions and less if these people are bigger). When one of them was not functioning for two days straight, there were big queues to say the least. Other than that we had smaller issues like the beds and pillows not being very comfortable and feeling worn down, someone smoking on their terrace and us getting it into our room, the "duvet" which is just a blanket wrapped in a loose sheet and a broken hair dryer etc, the little things that all add up to comfort being taken away. Pool not heated even if it said on the website was also a letdown. Pros: the location is very central, although I'm sure in the party season it's less quiet this near the German party area. The buffet is excellent with a large selection and many dishes varying every day. If it wasn't for the buffet we would have been unhappy here. Staff is very friendly and professional in the restaurant. Overall this feels more like a 3* hotel without a high amount of comfort. The hotel caters to Germans, so expect 90% of people to talk to you in german first. This was not a con to us really, but expected. The staff knows more Spanish and German than English at times, but it wasn't a problem either. We would not book here again due to all the issues above, even if the food was a saving grace

The service here is terrible. No one offered to take our luggage to our room. The hair dryer would not work so I requested a new one via the room’s telephone. I was asked to collect it from reception! Upon check out, no member of staff asked us how our stay was or thanked us for staying with them! Poor customer service! The food was so bad we did not eat dinner at the hotel once. The pool towels we had to pay a €20 deposit for were in terrible condition, so thin all the seams were ripped apart and the threads were all over the place. You’d be better off purchasing the cheap towels from the tourist shops on the strip. This hotel is situation on a hot island and does not even provide its guests complimentary water bottles everyday!