It is the first holiday my wife and I have had alone without our lads, ever, and as we were in Puerto Rico in July of this year we saw the Riu Vistamar and wanted that to be our first place.

We were not disappointed. The flights were superb. The welcome at the Hotel was warm and the room was spotless and the view we had took our breath away.

Everything about this holiday was 10 out of 10 and that was cemented by the food. Every evening in the restaurant we were welcomed by the Manager, Chefs and waiters/s and we were pampered the whole time we were there and the food was 5 star not 4 star. The staff could not do enough for us and they were not overpowering or in our face.

The resort was excellent and the hills may not suit all but the taxis are prompt and cheap. I will go back again to the Hotel and will also be trying other Riu Hotels

Our 4th floor room was spotlessly clean, well maintained, spacious - with generous storage space: 2 double wardrobes with plenty of coathangers, 2 chests of drawers, drawers beside the bed and shelf space in the bathroom.

The hotel itself is in a wonderful position overlooking the coastline and man made beach at Playa Amadores, Puerto Rico.

The hill into the smaller of the two resort centres is very steep, but not very long, so manageable for the fit and able, but not recommended for the elderly, less mobile or families with young kids.

We actually chose the hotel as we hoped it would prevent there being too many children staying there as we like peace and quiet!

The hotel has a very small shop in the lobby, however we discovered a good Spar supermarket in the hotel next door that seemed to sell everything we'd forgotten to pack or ran out of.

The constant supply of food and drink was the other reason we opted to stay at the Vistamar! The food was of the highest standard, and certainly not repetitive, despite reading other reports, and we found that during a week's stay at the resort, you could quite easily get through breakfast, lunch and dinner without eating the same thing twice!

The hotel staff were all very happy and friendly and the in house entertainment was always amusing, if a little varied.

The in house 'animation' team work very hard throughout the day and evening for the guests and their best show was actually a transvestite cabaret, brilliant! A couple of outside entertainment acts were appearing, but were pretty bad, so we made use of the outdoor pool bar in the evenings!

I wouldn't want to visit the hotel in high summer season as I would imagine it would be very cramped around the pool and in the restaurant, but for our late week away for some last minute sun, it was perfect and we will certainly re-visit the Vistamar.

My wife and I have just returned from one week at the Vistamar and were very impressed by the hotel. We had a very comfortable room with a great view over the beach.

We found the Reception staff to be very friendly and helpful and actually apologised that we were not able to keep our room on, even though we were leaving only a few hours after booking out.

The food was pretty routine in that most hotels try to please its multi-national guests, but each night a particular speciality is presented and this was of a very high standard.

Dinner is of two sittings and we asked if we can change from 9pm to 7 pm and this was done immediately and did not present a problem.

We did not experience much of the entertainment, but what we did see was pretty good. The pool-side bar was open each evening from 9.30 pm to midnight, so we spent most of our evenings there.

The hotel is on the top of a cliff, but to walk to the resort you had to walk up 'Cardiac Hill'. But once up, it was worth it. The bus to the beach was very efficient and because it was every thirty minutes, you could tale your time getting ready.

Around the pools at the hotel there were plenty of sunbeds, and even if you went there in the afternoon there were still some empty. There were also information provided stating that no-one can reserve a sunbed and if it is not occupied for an hour the pool staff can remove the towel.

Great hotel and well worth a visit.

We have just returned after a 14 night holiday at the Riu Vistamar. We arrived at 4 in the morning and were told that if we wanted something to eat a buffet was laid on in the restaurant. It wasn't really up to much but you could get soft drinks, beer and coffee so we made do with that and waited for breakfast!
The food was excellent each morning and evening. I am a fussy eater but even I had a full belly most nights!

We had a room on the 5th floor with the best views down to Amadores beach. I did email asking for this floor and also 3 rooms together. In the end we were 2 doors away from the rest of our party which was OK.

The location of the hotel is amazing. The walk upto the Eurpoa centre is a killer although it does get easier the more times you do it!

The staff were excellent, from reception and bar staff to the waiters and maids nothing was to much trouble for them. The reception staff were particularly friendly and helpful.

Entertainment was OK not the best but the animation team really earn their euros - they are on the go from morning till night we wondered if they ever slept! Saying that the acts that were brought in weren't much better than the resident team!

Would I vistit this hotel again? Yes definetly and I would certainly recommend it to others. We all had an excellent time.

We have just returned from a 2 week holiday at the Club Hotel Riu Vistamar at Playa Amadores.

This was by far the best holiday we have ever had. Before travelling I read the hotel reviews, and found them to be most helpful, one comment being that the lounge bar could get very smokey and the entertainment was a little boring.

The issue of the smokey lounge seems to have been addressed, as there was quite a large non-smoking designated area, which suited us well.We thought the Animacion entertainment team did a fantastic job. Apart from all the day activities, ranging from rifle shooting, volleyball, football, cocktail games to aquafit, aerobics ets.

They then did a brilliant job putting on shows in the evening. On a couple of occasions they were better than the outside entertainment. One guy in particular - Toby was fantastic. Their last nights rendition of "Grease" packed in a full house. We e-mailed before going over, and got a 5th floor room. Food, superb,freshly cooked on spot, and amazing variety, even fussy eaters would find something! cleanliness 5*, staff very helpful too.

The only down side would be the location; again before arriving the reviews told of "the hill" down to the hotel. Yes steep it was, but, being all inclusive, you need not even go from the hotel if you don't want to, as the courtesy bus took you down to the beach & back, which was amazingly clean too.

We can honestly say it was the best holiday we have ever had; so much so, that we have booked again for next year.

Well recommended.

This was our first time we have visited Gran Canaria, so as you can imagine, we was very excited.

After a long day of travelling, all we wanted to do was get to our room's unpack our stuff and relax with a few drinks.

As we approached the hotel rui Vistamar, our first opinion of the hotel was that it was very clean from the outside, and had been obviously kept well looked after. As we booked into our hotel, the staff was very friendl'y, and the hotel was very clean, which was a big relief.

The staff at reception was very reassuring, and made sure we was well looked after, at this point, we was very pleased, as we arrived, the weather was extremley hot, so they gave us pleny of bottled water. They said that we have just missed a massive heat wave, we was relieved as it was in it's 40's when we got there. God I was so excited.

We was allocated our room, so we went up there by the lift. Our first opinion of the room was that, it was clean and modern, it could do with a bit of updating, but that was'nt a problem. Everyday, the cleaner's was very polite, and very good at their job, they kept our room clean every day, and alway's changed the bed and towels everyday. We were happy.

We had a beautiful view from our balcony, as you could see the lovely clear sea. It was perfect. During our stay, it was my partner's birthday, the hotel manager left out some alcohol, flowers and a card. We felt this was wonderful, and we felt very rewarded.

The food was good quality, a change everytime, there was lovley cakes. We was very happy. The drink's was at a good standard. We could'nt ask for more. The seating area was spacious, although there was downfall, the hotel was full of Germans, and they tend to take up most of the chair's, and were very arrogent. This was a major put off to our stay.

The entertainement was brilliant, the entertainement staff worked really hard to keep everyone happy.

We went to the beach a few times, although you had to get a bus to take you down to the beach, as the hotel was situated on a hill, we would prefer that the beach was a walk away. The beach was lovely, clear and calm, I could'nt ask for more.

We had a brilliant time, and we was so sad to leave, it was well worth for going for 2 week's!!!

Well done to all the staff who worked hard!!!

Gran Canaria is brilliant.

We have visited Puerto Rico yearly since 1996 and have alway had to stay in self catering because there were no proper hotels. Then we found the Riu Vistamar and for marginally more money that the self catering found a beautifully placed hotel with air conditioned rooms. No more sweating while trying to get ready for your evening meal after a shower!

We found the staff overall so accommodating and helpful.

The standard of food was of that you would expect to get on a cruise ship and more.

We had rooms overlooking the Amadores beach, for which there was a courtesy bus. The view was amazing and the standard of cleanliness was second to none. For myself and my family there will be no other place to go in Gran Canaria from now on.

The only downsides, and they are very minor, are that the gate from the upstairs pool (if open) would have been very welcome when I puffed my way up the hill to the Europa centre.

Also although the nightly entertainment was done with great enthusiasm by the team, some nights it lacked a certain something. But then you can't please all the people all the time.

I would recommend this hotel to absolutely anyone and defy you to have a wonderful time.

This hotel should be classed as a five star hotel it is the best the food is excellent the view was amazing the pool was lovely and the staff were the best and very funny.

The entertainment was good and very funny my favourite show was the 20's to the 80's.

This hotel is excellent for families.

First impressions of the hotel were excellent as the steep drive is lined with pots of beautiful plants.

The reception staff were very friendly and efficient and allocated keys very quickly. We decide to take our own luggage, although that would have been brought to our room if we wanted.

The room was spotless, with a great view towards Puerto Rico, something we never tired of.

Also there is a fantastic amount of storage space in the rooms, with lots of hangers and drawers both large and small. The fridge is in a cupboard and is large enough to stand up 1.5 litre bottles, plus I also found an ice cube tray at the back of it.

Air con and fan both very efficient, but we got a little confused as to why some of the electrical items weren't working at times and found that we needed to play with the switches on the wall to turn them on.

Bathroom and shower, great, lots of hot water and clean towels daily.

All of the outside areas were very clean too and constantly being cleared by the staff, who from the reception right down to the odd job men, all spoke and greeted us whenever we passed them.

Plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas, plus nice comfy matresses and hotel pool towels which we changed each day, great lets you keep your own nice and clean.

The food is outstanding, from 8.00am until 10.30pm. Breakfast catered for every nationality, with freshly squeezed fruit juices on many occasions, champagne on Sunday, etc, but if you don't make it to the dining room, then they cater for you at the pool bar until 12 noon.

Then out come the next rounds, all the salads, which accompany lots of freshly cooked meats, pastas, pizzas, toasties, burgers etc. Too much to choose from!

Afternoon tea from 3pm and also help yourself to as much tea, coffee, water, soft drinks, wine or beer, all day long, both here, the main restaurant and in the salon bar. Although there is also a bar if you prefer.

Dinner again was superb, with every piece of meat you can imagine, even duck or rabbit. Lots of freshly cooked fish, prawns, mussels and sqid, gorgeous!

We regularly ate 5 courses, so forget the diets!

I was not expecting wonders from the entertainment, having read other's reviews, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but we got our entertainment from the wonderful bar staff and their antics.

The free bus runs a very good service down to the beach, which is lovely and clean and not too packed.

The only thing I would point out is that if you like to wander out of the hotel for a mooch around, there isn't much in the area, although we had a great night at the Barbacoa on the Sunday, where the Drifters were performing. This is about a 10 minute walk from the hotel and in the small Europa centre. The main commercial centre in Puerto Rico is a 3 euro taxi ride away, well worth a look.

We didn't do any of the trips with Thomson, but got the ferry from P. Rico to Mogan, 9 euros return, which is a lovely little harbour with some nice shops and bars etc. (A lot cheaper than going with tour operators)

All in all, we had a fantastic time, very relaxing but thoroughly contented.

This is our second stay at a Riu and would recommend them to anyone!

My partner and I visited the Riu Vistamar Amadores after cancelling a holiday we were due to go on with First Choice after the recent bombing in Sharm El Sheik. We were glad we did.

On our arrival we were allocated a first floor room, however, both being non smokers we were disgusted to see that the ground below our balcony was littered with cigarette ends. A phone call to reception pointing out this fact, and also that I have knee problems which make stairs difficult, resulted in an immediate move to a room on the fourth floor. We were more than happy with the response, as Riu say, they want you to have a happy holiday.

The room was of a good size, looking towards Puerto Rico, with ample storage space for us, a mini fridge and with a pleasant and very clean bathroom

The hotel generally is immaculate, spotlessly clean in all areas. The gardens and plants are beautifully tended, as is the pool area, you are supplied on arrival with pool towels which are exchanged on a daily basis at the poolside.

Incidentally the Hotel does practice an unattended sunbed policy which is a good thing. Guests may get up early to book their favourite spot, but if you leave your belongings unattended before 9am they will be removed.

This is the first hotel we have actually seen this practice observed at and it works!! Needess to say there were always empty spaces whatever time of day you arrived.

The food is wonderful, I would not believe anyone who could fault the variety of dishes available to select from. Something to suit everyone, with a special children's selection available for the younger ones. Water, beer, wine, hot and soft drinks are 'on tap', self service, at all times during the day and into the evening up to midnight. Bottled water is available from reception on a 24hour basis.

At all times we found the staff to be friendly, cheerful and helpful.
Some adverse comments have appeared in these reviews with regard to entertainment. I do not agree with all that has been said. The animations team at this hotel are the best we have seen in 9 years of A/I holidays. A mixture of nationalities, they work non stop starting from 8am in the morning with rehearsals, then running gym/aerobic classes, Mini Club, Maxi Club, water Polo, five a side football, rifle shooting and volley ball together with other 'games' throughout the day. After all of this, at 8pm they begin the evening entertainment with the 'mini disco, which, needless to say, the kids love. With regard to the shows, yes, they do mime, but so does Madonna!!

Their dancing and costumes are excellent. Special mention must be made of Toby who makes a very glamourous 'lady'!! The entertainment is on a two weekly cycle, so you do not see the same programme twice.

The hotel location is a bit out of the way, the driveway of the hotel is very steep going out to the Europa Centre nearby, but the free half hourly bus down to the nearby man-made beach is a great idea for those who chose to use it.

Our only criticism is that on occasions there was a strong smell of sewage up in the pool area especially early morning, we assume that must have some connection to the disposal systems in use at the hotel.

All in all, following our second visit to a Riu Hotel,(our first being the more adult/couples based Riu Palace, Playacar, Mexico), we would highly recommend the chain and particularly the Vistamar, as providing a super family holiday which is excellent value for money.