"5 star is laughable!\r\n\r\nThis hotel would barely scrape a 3 star, it's an absolute dump. Just to let you know, Cape Verde give their own stars, this is not a TUI rating which it should be. TUI should also be ashamed advertising it as such\r\nThere is no cleanliness, we have spoken to over 20 different families and couples who have had sickness and diarrhoea, from the lack of hygiene, not anything else. The staff are not cleaning properly (using the same cloths to wash toilets, and then sinks, and not washing the cloths in between. The cutlery is dirty, the plates and bowls are not washed properly and the glasses have just been swilled. We have a video of a grill Chef touching raw meats, then touching fridges and other surfaces, and then touching cooked meat without washing his hands. It's disgusting! Do not come here, when we told the TUI rep the only thing they said was you can't claim for sickness and Diarrhoea. We werent looking for a claim, we were looking for the standards to improve.\r\nThe hotel isn't tired, it's broken, door handles, tiles, glass all over the floor. Hotel manager Omar has two approaches to complaints; if shrugging his shoulders doesn't satisfy you he can always call security. Quote \"what can I do\".\r\nAbsolutely disgraceful. TUI lied to us the whole holiday, and then the manager (Omar) of RIU Funani was rude and threatened an upset (not aggressive) disabled man with security. \r\n\r\nWe booked a holiday with a disabled room as we have a wheelchair user in the party. We called twice to ensure that everything was set for our friend so he could enjoy his holiday. When we arrived at the airport we were told there had been a taxi for 4 people organised so we could all stay together, and TUI knew we needed disabled friendly transfers. On arrival our friend was carted to a vehicle and put on without us, leaving him quite scared and upset. When the rest of the party got to him we were told there was no room and that the welfare taxi's don't take more than 2 people. Not only was our friend separated from us, we were also lied to by TUI. \r\nWe arrived at the hotel and were given our rooms, the room we got was not disbled friendly at all. It had a step into the shower, no handles for support in the bathroom and the sink was too high for him to access. When we requested a different room at reception they told us they were fully booked. This was a shock as there were rooms across our block that were not in use. So they were happy to take our money, and believed because there wasn't a room available at the time that it was ok to give us a different one.\r\nBy day 12 we had had enough, our friend had sickness and diarrhoea because of the poor hygiene of the staff and hotel. Because the room was not disabled friendly there were accidents which completely took away his dignity and cause serious upset for him. \r\nWe finally complained to the TUI rep who was as helpful as one could be with default answers. However, the TUI sales rep and the hotel manager said it had not been reported that we needed a room that was disabled friendly. The manager was rude, shrugged his shoulders and said it wasn't his problem, and when our friend in the wheelchair got upset (not aggressive) he threatened him with security and said he could pay for another hotel if needed. \r\nThe whole time both TUI and the hotel contradicted themselves, saying that it was neither of their problem, however TUI had it on their system that there was a wheelchair user in the party. So it doesn't make sense to not give us a wheelchair friendly room.\r\nWe will never ever be using TUI again and we would recommend everyone choose someone else too. They were not supportive and have lied to us the whole time, trying to pass blame to us. \r\nThis was not rectified, TUI and the hotel are placing the blame onto us and it has been the worst holiday I have ever been on. TUI are liers, they mis sold us a holiday package that was not worth the price we paid."
"5 star is laughable!\r\n\r\nThis hotel would barely scrape a 3 star, it's an absolute dump. Just to let you know, Cape Verde give their own stars, this is not a TUI rating which it should be. TUI should also be ashamed advertising it as such\r\nThere is no cleanliness, we have spoken to over 20 different families and couples who have had sickness and diarrhoea, from the lack of hygiene, not anything else. The staff are not cleaning properly (using the same cloths to wash toilets, and then sinks, and not washing the cloths in between. The cutlery is dirty, the plates and bowls are not washed properly and the glasses have just been swilled. We have a video of a grill Chef touching raw meats, then touching fridges and other surfaces, and then touching cooked meat without washing his hands. It's disgusting! Do not come here, when we told the TUI rep the only thing they said was you can't claim for sickness and Diarrhoea. We werent looking for a claim, we were looking for the standards to improve.\r\nThe hotel isn't tired, it's broken, door handles, tiles, glass all over the floor. Hotel manager Omar has two approaches to complaints; if shrugging his shoulders doesn't satisfy you he can always call security. Quote \"what can I do\".\r\nAbsolutely disgraceful. TUI lied to us the whole holiday, and then the manager (Omar) of RIU Funani was rude and threatened an upset (not aggressive) disabled man with security. \r\n\r\nWe booked a holiday with a disabled room as we have a wheelchair user in the party. We called twice to ensure that everything was set for our friend so he could enjoy his holiday. When we arrived at the airport we were told there had been a taxi for 4 people organised so we could all stay together, and TUI knew we needed disabled friendly transfers. On arrival our friend was carted to a vehicle and put on without us, leaving him quite scared and upset. When the rest of the party got to him we were told there was no room and that the welfare taxi's don't take more than 2 people. Not only was our friend separated from us, we were also lied to by TUI. \r\nWe arrived at the hotel and were given our rooms, the room we got was not disbled friendly at all. It had a step into the shower, no handles for support in the bathroom and the sink was too high for him to access. When we requested a different room at reception they told us they were fully booked. This was a shock as there were rooms across our block that were not in use. So they were happy to take our money, and believed because there wasn't a room available at the time that it was ok to give us a different one.\r\nBy day 12 we had had enough, our friend had sickness and diarrhoea because of the poor hygiene of the staff and hotel. Because the room was not disabled friendly there were accidents which completely took away his dignity and cause serious upset for him. \r\nWe finally complained to the TUI rep who was as helpful as one could be with default answers. However, the TUI sales rep and the hotel manager said it had not been reported that we needed a room that was disabled friendly. The manager was rude, shrugged his shoulders and said it wasn't his problem, and when our friend in the wheelchair got upset (not aggressive) he threatened him with security and said he could pay for another hotel if needed. \r\nThe whole time both TUI and the hotel contradicted themselves, saying that it was neither of their problem, however TUI had it on their system that there was a wheelchair user in the party. So it doesn't make sense to not give us a wheelchair friendly room.\r\nWe will never ever be using TUI again and we would recommend everyone choose someone else too. They were not supportive and have lied to us the whole time, trying to pass blame to us. \r\nThis was not rectified, TUI and the hotel are placing the blame onto us and it has been the worst holiday I have ever been on. TUI are liers, they mis sold us a holiday package that was not worth the price we paid."
"5 star is laughable!\r\n\r\nThis hotel would barely scrape a 3 star, it's an absolute dump. Just to let you know, Cape Verde give their own stars, this is not a TUI rating which it should be. TUI should also be ashamed advertising it as such\r\nThere is no cleanliness, we have spoken to over 20 different families and couples who have had sickness and diarrhoea, from the lack of hygiene, not anything else. The staff are not cleaning properly (using the same cloths to wash toilets, and then sinks, and not washing the cloths in between. The cutlery is dirty, the plates and bowls are not washed properly and the glasses have just been swilled. We have a video of a grill Chef touching raw meats, then touching fridges and other surfaces, and then touching cooked meat without washing his hands. It's disgusting! Do not come here, when we told the TUI rep the only thing they said was you can't claim for sickness and Diarrhoea. We werent looking for a claim, we were looking for the standards to improve.\r\nThe hotel isn't tired, it's broken, door handles, tiles, glass all over the floor. Hotel manager Omar has two approaches to complaints; if shrugging his shoulders doesn't satisfy you he can always call security. Quote \"what can I do\".\r\nAbsolutely disgraceful. TUI lied to us the whole holiday, and then the manager (Omar) of RIU Funani was rude and threatened an upset (not aggressive) disabled man with security. \r\n\r\nWe booked a holiday with a disabled room as we have a wheelchair user in the party. We called twice to ensure that everything was set for our friend so he could enjoy his holiday. When we arrived at the airport we were told there had been a taxi for 4 people organised so we could all stay together, and TUI knew we needed disabled friendly transfers. On arrival our friend was carted to a vehicle and put on without us, leaving him quite scared and upset. When the rest of the party got to him we were told there was no room and that the welfare taxi's don't take more than 2 people. Not only was our friend separated from us, we were also lied to by TUI. \r\nWe arrived at the hotel and were given our rooms, the room we got was not disbled friendly at all. It had a step into the shower, no handles for support in the bathroom and the sink was too high for him to access. When we requested a different room at reception they told us they were fully booked. This was a shock as there were rooms across our block that were not in use. So they were happy to take our money, and believed because there wasn't a room available at the time that it was ok to give us a different one.\r\nBy day 12 we had had enough, our friend had sickness and diarrhoea because of the poor hygiene of the staff and hotel. Because the room was not disabled friendly there were accidents which completely took away his dignity and cause serious upset for him. \r\nWe finally complained to the TUI rep who was as helpful as one could be with default answers. However, the TUI sales rep and the hotel manager said it had not been reported that we needed a room that was disabled friendly. The manager was rude, shrugged his shoulders and said it wasn't his problem, and when our friend in the wheelchair got upset (not aggressive) he threatened him with security and said he could pay for another hotel if needed. \r\nThe whole time both TUI and the hotel contradicted themselves, saying that it was neither of their problem, however TUI had it on their system that there was a wheelchair user in the party. So it doesn't make sense to not give us a wheelchair friendly room.\r\nWe will never ever be using TUI again and we would recommend everyone choose someone else too. They were not supportive and have lied to us the whole time, trying to pass blame to us. \r\nThis was not rectified, TUI and the hotel are placing the blame onto us and it has been the worst holiday I have ever been on. TUI are liers, they mis sold us a holiday package that was not worth the price we paid."
"I\u2019m Jessica, an independent travel agent, and I came to the Royalton Punta Cana excited to experience it and showcase it to my clients \u2014 but it\u2019s honestly been the worst holiday I\u2019ve ever had.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019re 7 days into a 10-day trip and have spent three days sick in bed with diarrhoea, sickness, fever, and dehydration \u2014 just like so many other guests here. The cause is clear: the buffet food and hygiene are awful. Every time we\u2019ve eaten there, we\u2019ve fallen ill. I\u2019ve seen flies in the food, dirty water, and when I told staff, they just shrugged. No care, no hygiene, no apology.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019ve missed a wedding (which was the whole reason we came) and a paid excursion we couldn\u2019t attend because we were too unwell. Yet TUI\u2019s response has been that they \u201ccan\u2019t refund for sickness\u201d \u2014 despite it being clearly caused by the hotel\u2019s food and hygiene \u2014 and that we\u2019d need a doctor\u2019s note to prove we weren\u2019t well enough to go.\r\n\r\nWe were literally laid up in bed for days, living off electrolytes and anti-diarrhoea tablets. I\u2019m not paying \u00a3200 for a private doctor back home just to be told it\u2019s a stomach bug from food and to do exactly what we\u2019ve already been doing to recover.\r\n\r\nThis hotel is nowhere near 5-star standard \u2014 it\u2019s 2 or 3 stars at best. The food is unsafe, the staff are miserable, and there\u2019s zero accountability from management or TUI.\r\n\r\nWe paid over \u00a34,000 for this holiday and have been told to just \u201cclaim on travel insurance.\u201d That\u2019s not good enough.\r\n\r\nThank god as an independent travel agent we don\u2019t work with TUI, because after this experience, I\u2019d never risk sending any of my clients here. I\u2019ll be sharing my full experience and photos publicly so others know the truth before booking."
"I\u2019m Jessica, an independent travel agent, and I came to the Royalton Punta Cana excited to experience it and showcase it to my clients \u2014 but it\u2019s honestly been the worst holiday I\u2019ve ever had.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019re 7 days into a 10-day trip and have spent three days sick in bed with diarrhoea, sickness, fever, and dehydration \u2014 just like so many other guests here. The cause is clear: the buffet food and hygiene are awful. Every time we\u2019ve eaten there, we\u2019ve fallen ill. I\u2019ve seen flies in the food, dirty water, and when I told staff, they just shrugged. No care, no hygiene, no apology.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019ve missed a wedding (which was the whole reason we came) and a paid excursion we couldn\u2019t attend because we were too unwell. Yet TUI\u2019s response has been that they \u201ccan\u2019t refund for sickness\u201d \u2014 despite it being clearly caused by the hotel\u2019s food and hygiene \u2014 and that we\u2019d need a doctor\u2019s note to prove we weren\u2019t well enough to go.\r\n\r\nWe were literally laid up in bed for days, living off electrolytes and anti-diarrhoea tablets. I\u2019m not paying \u00a3200 for a private doctor back home just to be told it\u2019s a stomach bug from food and to do exactly what we\u2019ve already been doing to recover.\r\n\r\nThis hotel is nowhere near 5-star standard \u2014 it\u2019s 2 or 3 stars at best. The food is unsafe, the staff are miserable, and there\u2019s zero accountability from management or TUI.\r\n\r\nWe paid over \u00a34,000 for this holiday and have been told to just \u201cclaim on travel insurance.\u201d That\u2019s not good enough.\r\n\r\nThank god as an independent travel agent we don\u2019t work with TUI, because after this experience, I\u2019d never risk sending any of my clients here. I\u2019ll be sharing my full experience and photos publicly so others know the truth before booking."
"I\u2019m Jessica, an independent travel agent, and I came to the Royalton Punta Cana excited to experience it and showcase it to my clients \u2014 but it\u2019s honestly been the worst holiday I\u2019ve ever had.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019re 7 days into a 10-day trip and have spent three days sick in bed with diarrhoea, sickness, fever, and dehydration \u2014 just like so many other guests here. The cause is clear: the buffet food and hygiene are awful. Every time we\u2019ve eaten there, we\u2019ve fallen ill. I\u2019ve seen flies in the food, dirty water, and when I told staff, they just shrugged. No care, no hygiene, no apology.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019ve missed a wedding (which was the whole reason we came) and a paid excursion we couldn\u2019t attend because we were too unwell. Yet TUI\u2019s response has been that they \u201ccan\u2019t refund for sickness\u201d \u2014 despite it being clearly caused by the hotel\u2019s food and hygiene \u2014 and that we\u2019d need a doctor\u2019s note to prove we weren\u2019t well enough to go.\r\n\r\nWe were literally laid up in bed for days, living off electrolytes and anti-diarrhoea tablets. I\u2019m not paying \u00a3200 for a private doctor back home just to be told it\u2019s a stomach bug from food and to do exactly what we\u2019ve already been doing to recover.\r\n\r\nThis hotel is nowhere near 5-star standard \u2014 it\u2019s 2 or 3 stars at best. The food is unsafe, the staff are miserable, and there\u2019s zero accountability from management or TUI.\r\n\r\nWe paid over \u00a34,000 for this holiday and have been told to just \u201cclaim on travel insurance.\u201d That\u2019s not good enough.\r\n\r\nThank god as an independent travel agent we don\u2019t work with TUI, because after this experience, I\u2019d never risk sending any of my clients here. I\u2019ll be sharing my full experience and photos publicly so others know the truth before booking."
"TUI Review \u2013 Disappointing Experience from Start to Finish\r\n\r\nI am currently staying at the Aquila Rithymna Beach Hotel in Crete, and unfortunately, the experience has been far below what you\u2019d expect from a 5-star resort \u2013 and from a company like TUI, who I have previously trusted with my holidays.\r\n\r\nFrom the moment I arrived, the problems began. My first room had completely non-functioning air conditioning. Despite reporting it at 2am due to unbearable heat, I was only offered a fan that blew around warm air. No sleep, no help, and no urgency. When staff eventually checked the unit, they admitted it wasn\u2019t working but still played down the issue, implying it was usable. It absolutely wasn\u2019t \u2014 I\u2019ve lived through extreme heat and this was worse due to poor airflow. Once I was moved to a different room with working air con, the contrast was stark. It confirmed the first unit was completely broken, and I felt as though staff had knowingly downplayed the issue to avoid dealing with it.\r\n\r\nEven the process of getting moved was chaotic. Initially, I was told maintenance would come the following night \u2014 which would have meant enduring three nights of this. Only after insisting on a resolution was I finally moved. My new room, while cooler, was noisy (despite my request for quiet), overlooked the main road, and was directly above the entrance where coaches arrived every few minutes. I also experienced construction noise from the balcony area.\r\n\r\nThere were several other issues:\r\n\r\nThe fridge in my first room didn\u2019t work, which I later discovered was a serious issue as I needed to refrigerate medicine. It remained overnight in a broken fridge.\r\n\r\nThe second room was extremely dated, with faulty plug sockets, a caved-in shower drain, a TV stuck in the wrong aspect ratio, and no slippers provided.\r\n\r\nThe Wi-Fi was nearly unusable \u2014 even messaging via the TUI app took several minutes to load, and streaming was impossible.\r\n\r\nThe food was very average at best \u2014 far below 5-star expectations.\r\n\r\nThere was persistent cigarette smoke coming through the air conditioning, even though I was in a non-smoking room.\r\n\r\nI was repeatedly disturbed by staff knocking on the door despite a \u201cDo Not Disturb\u201d sign being in place, which added to the stress rather than helping resolve anything.\r\n\r\nAll of this led to a huge amount of time spent going back and forth to reception and messaging the TUI support team instead of relaxing on what should have been a stress-free holiday. It became exhausting trying to get even the basics right \u2014 working air con, a quiet room, proper facilities \u2014 and none of it should have required this much effort.\r\n\r\nTo make matters worse, the TUI messaging app repeatedly notified me that \u201cnow that this has been resolved, we will close the conversation\u201d \u2014 when nothing had actually been resolved. I had to continually reply to correct this, making it feel as though my issues were being prematurely dismissed, rather than properly acknowledged or addressed. It added to the feeling that I wasn\u2019t being listened to and was having to battle to be taken seriously.\r\n\r\nI also encountered issues before even reaching the hotel. My flight seat had been double-booked, despite me having confirmed it through the TUI platform. I paid extra for this seat, and had all the documentation (physical boarding pass, Apple Wallet, and email confirmation) showing my allocated seat: 31F. But when I boarded, someone was already sitting in it. It was embarrassing to ask them to move, only to find they were assigned the same seat. When I contacted TUI, they first blamed me for sitting in the wrong place. Once I pointed out all my matching documentation, they shifted the story, claiming I had somehow reserved the seat two weeks before I even booked the holiday \u2014 a nonsensical explanation that only added to the confusion and frustration. There was no apology, just blame and dismissal.\r\n\r\nAs if that weren\u2019t enough, the TUI representative Laura, who handled my in-resort complaint, categorised the entire experience as simply \u201ca broken safe and noise.\u201d This drastically misrepresents the full scale of issues I outlined and adds insult to injury. As you can see, this wasn\u2019t just noise or a faulty safe \u2014 it was a cascade of serious failures, including broken essential facilities, disrupted sleep, poor service, compromised medication storage, and repeated invasions of privacy and peace.\r\n\r\nDespite raising these points politely and clearly, Laura abruptly closed the conversation when I disagreed with the proposed compensation. I remained respectful throughout, yet the dialogue was cut off without further engagement. Being shut down in that manner was incredibly frustrating and summed up the broader experience \u2014 being ignored and brushed aside rather than supported.\r\n\r\nTUI\u2019s initial offer was a 10% refund \u2014 which, broken down, equates to a token gesture compared to the scale of the problems. That figure is completely disproportionate to the disruption I faced each day, chasing basic comfort and repeatedly being let down. Eventually, they offered a monetary alternative or voucher, which still failed to acknowledge the compounded issues or the time and wellbeing lost.\r\n\r\nI\u2019m now escalating this complaint because what I\u2019ve experienced is not acceptable \u2014 not from a 5-star resort, and certainly not from a company that claims to prioritise customer experience. I\u2019m requesting a 30% refund, which I believe is more reflective of the disruption and disappointment I experienced. If you\u2019ve stayed in genuine 5-star accommodation before, you\u2019ll immediately see the gap between expectation and reality here.\r\n\r\nThis trip has been a let-down on almost every level, and while I\u2019ve previously enjoyed holidays with TUI, I\u2019ll seriously reconsider booking with them again if this is how they handle issues when things go wrong."
