Hotele niedaleko Alter Hafen / Porto Antigo, Santa Maria

One of the best hotels we’ve stayed in. True family hotel with roots in the community stretching back generations. The restaurant was fantastic (breakfast did get busy) but the staff were brilliant. The beach bar was so chilled out. The live music was a real treat and each night was live and felt very special. But the setting….omg. I challenge anyone to sit in the bar / restaurant and look around you and not be in love with your surroundings….. There are some really Kak reviews on here about this place. If you like your big corporates with rows of deck chairs, expensive restaurants and looking down your nose then don’t bother. On the other hand, if your a lover of trying quality local food, kicking back with a view to die for and feeling the vibe of ‘no stress’ around the pools then try it….

Have stayed before and gave in 4* Was bit disappointed this time Paid extra for pool view as last time was kept awake by Pirate disco. Were initially shown to top floor room directly opposite disco. We asked to be moved and were given a room by the pool. This smelt of damp and there was a large patch of mould on the wall. The toilet leaked water from the back. There was not hot water for the full week. The sunbeds were all reserved by 8am-luckily few guests knew about the upstairs terrace which was great. Breakfast was very good but chaotic constantly running out of everything. The evening meal was ok but service was terribly slow-the poor water was rushed off his feet doing everything. We ate out the other nights and there are loads of good restaurants in 2 mins walk Its basically a decent value hotel with great staff and a fab location 3mins from pier and beach--would I go again ?? --probably. If you want 5* you can probably get in an AI out of town --but you will miss so much.

Still here but writing before we leave so I don’t forget :) We stayed at the RIU Funana in November 2024 for 11 nights in total. We have really enjoyed our stay and would absolutely come back! The staff are incredible and nothing was ever too much for them. Having the Tui rep on site has also been handy at times although we didn’t book anything with them. We did 2 excursions including an island tour which was booked through Prince who you will meet on your way to the beach and another which was the buggy tour that we booked through get your guide - people who had booked through TUI were on our excursion so they definitely use the same company and attend the same sessions as those who booked elsewhere. Some of our favourite things about the hotel were the staff at the restaurants and bars, the housekeeping was done to a high standard every day, the pool area, the different restaurants and without a doubt the animation team! The animation team are working all day to keep everyone entertained and bring amazing energy to everything they do. We attended both the neon party and the white party and both were amazing! The effort that goes into these parties and the decoration of the stage area is something to be appreciated. There is a well hidden sports bar that is open 24/7. It is quite cool (temperature) in there and also quieter so easier to get a drink than in some of the other bars. It is at the back of the stage area down the left side of the bar that is visible. Food - we had absolutely no issues with food at all. My partner is 27 with the tastebuds of a 4 year old and was still able to eat well during breakfast, lunch and dinner. The mambana restaurant does appear to attract flies more than the others so this is something to be aware of but sadly not much they can do about this. There was a satisfaction survey conducted by management during our stay and I suggested that they could cover the food with lids to prevent flies, hopefully this is something that will be implemented in the near future. Me and my partner did get upset stomachs for maybe a day and a half but we think this is more to do with food we ate out on a tour and also to do with the heat, eating more and drinking fizzy drinks non stop. I have absolutely no concerns that this was caused by the hotel as we have done 10 nights at the time of writing this and we have been fine the rest of the time. But again, upset stomachs can happen anywhere when you combine buffets, all inclusive bar and heat. If I was being picky, the only thing I would change about the hotel is the location. We went out of the hotel to Algodoeiro Beach (where the Tui and Melia are located) and found this to be a much better area in terms of the beach access so if this is a big thing for you, I would consider one of the Melia or Tui hotels. My main issue was the hassling we got on our way to the beach by locals trying to sell tours. We understand they need to make a living but it was constant which ma