Riu Garopa Sal Cabo Verde

On 6 August 2015 are dream came true, we went to Cabo Verde! Our transfer from the airport went to other hotels first and there was somebody waiting with cocktails and the luggage was collected by bell boys. So the kids went ooo and ahh and I prepared them that that wouldn't be the case with our hotel. But then we arrived at Riu Garopa and to my biggest surprise there were bell boys waiting for our luggage and inside we were welcomed with a cocktail, our holiday was already perfect!!

At the reception we were helped very friendly and the receptionist told us to go to our room, install there and then come back to make reservations for the different restaurants they have. Do that the same evening or else your favorite restaurant could be fully booked!!

So we went to our room. We had two rooms at the end of the hall in a dead end, so it was really quiet, we loved it!! We opened the doors, WOW!! The rooms were very large, there was AC in there room, it was really fresh in the room, great compared to the heat outside! There was a big fan above the bed. There is also a safe for your valuables! A lot of space to put away your stuff and there was even room to make coffee and tea. There was a bottle of water in the bathroom and a bottle of water in the little fridge, perfect!! Because it wouldn't be wise to drink water from the tap! The room and bathroom were very clean.

We were in luck, because we arrived the first Thursday of the month and that meant they had a market on the premises. There was live music, kids could have there hair done, they got free popcorn and there were locals selling souvenirs, is was great!!

The food was very good too, most people in the restaurant very friendly and so much food to choice from. After dinner you have to go to the theater, this is the space between Riu Garopa and Riu Funana. I will tell you a little secret, please don't tell anyone else, but the best coffee is here!! In the theater you have the best WIFI range and they have very nice coffee machines here, the best cappuccino (just a tip for free ;-)). The entertainment is very lovely, all locals giving a great show, you should take a look!! They also have an English band, two guys and two girls that performed twice when we were there, but I personally loved the entertainment team better!!

The next day we went to the pool, our room was located nearby the pool. By the pool it is very busy, you get towels here and you can change your towels as many times as you like. Very few seats available at the pool (we were with 4 people), there were a lot of seats with only a towel on them. So we went to the beach, here are lots of seats available!! There is also a bar on the beach, but no cocktails here. Just beer, water, juice or cola etc. We loved going to the beach, the kids got a bodyboard which they could get every day for free and they got snorkelgear for a day for free! We were lucky because they have a beach party every Saturday and there were cocktails and lots of fun!!

The entertainment does a good job. They are at the pool, at the beach and they have a big show in the evening.

We ate in Mandalay, the Asian restaurant and we can tell you the food is perfect there!! That is one restaurant you cannot miss when you stay at Garopa or Funana. We also ate by Santa Maria, the grill restaurant, the food was good, but no better than the normal restaurant.

On the front of the hotel are several taxi's that take you where you want to go for a few Euro's. To go to Santa Maria you can also walk, it is 15 minutes by street and by beach it takes up to 45 minutes. At the back of the hotel, at the beach entrance there are a lot of locals who sell excursions. You have to take the island tour, that is fantastic. You can also do the turtle tour, we did too, also great!! We did the tours with Emerson and Danny from Discovery Tours, they give you a nice price if you take more then one excursion!!!
On the beach is also daily a police officer who keeps nasty salespeople away. You can spend the whole day on the beach and nobody is bothering you! Thank you madame!!

We loved it and the next hotel we will book, will definitely be another RIU!! This was our first RIU, but certainly not our last!!