R2 Rio Calma

Spent a wonderful week at Rio Calma in Mid November and are already planning to return for a longer stay. Hotel reception is an amazing cathederalesk vaulted expanse, with settee seating areas and the hotel bar. We enjoyed our pre and post dinner drinks here listening to the sound of the evening pianist playing during dinner service. Our standard double room was in the annex, a lovely location within the grounds, with a garden view and sunrise from the balcony through the palm trees. The room was well appointed with a sizeable bathroom with excellent powerful over bath shower. The room staff, Doris, made sure our room was perfect every day and our only change would have been for a double bed rather than two single beds pushed together. The gardens are well landscaped and maintained with the plants and palm trees enhanced with lighting at night. We really enjoyed a few romantic walks around the grounds late in the evening and sitting outside the entertainment bar on one of the many garden settees on the patio. The infinity pool, with its waterfall is a bracing but refreshing way to cool down and the shallower second pool, being heated for winter season, was a welcoming 23 degrees. I really enjoyed the fun aqua aerobics session being held here daily. There were plenty of sunbeds available and we booked one of the romantic four poster double sunloungers a couple of times and really enjoyed the included fruit platter and bottle of bubbly. The buffet restaurant had a very wide range of food options available both at breakfast and dinner service; with freshly cooked omelets or fried eggs for those who asked at breakfast and fish and meat options cooked to order at dinner service. We loved the beautifully made delicate mini cake deserts. We ate both in the restaurant and outside on the terrace, enjoying the terrace a little more as there was background music. Being up on the cliff away from the town it was helpful that there are three shops on the reception level (level 6) providing souvenirs, swimming attire, jewellery and other gifts. One providing a small selection of sweets, snacks, water, alcohol, cigarettes, vapes, toys and magazines. We found all the staff to be very friendly and welcoming, even helping me with my attempts at ordering in Spanish. On the down side building work has started on the area where the crazy golf course used to be, which does mean periodic noise but they were doing the initial ground work during our stay so is probably not long term and there are a few patches of tiles missing on the infinity pool floor and curving infinity wall, however timing for any repair if in daily use throughout the year is probably the issue.