My Boyfriend booked this holiday for my birthday and we were very disapointed. I dont even know where to start to be honest. From the very minute we arrived it was a nightmare, there was no water or food available until late afternoon the following day, and when the food was put out it was the same thing everyday, freezing cold and bland. The staff were almost rude un interested and unhelpful. The entertainment was so poor we ended up taking our WATERED DOWN drinks we had already paid for back to our bungalow. And as for the bungalow it was dirty and run down. I could understand and accept all of this if we didnt pay much for this holiday but we paid a lot of money for a lot of crap to be honest.

We (myself, wife, son and son's friend (both aged 16 years)) stayed at the Riosol Club from 3rd to 10th July. We didn't get off to the best start as our flight from Norwich was delayed by more than four hours resulting in us arriving just before 11 p.m. The first impressions were fairly promising as the Manager (Pedro Max) had thoughtfully arranged for some food to be provided (albeit several slices of spam-like meat, large numbers of tomatoes and some cheese). We were then given directions to our adjoining bungalows (numbers 107 and 108) which have a superb view of the sea and Fuerteventura. The bungalows have sufficient space but are extremely poorly maintained. The doors and windows do not fit (the worst example was a door which had an inch gap at both the top and bottom), paint was peeling away and the beds are of a poor standard. In addition, we noticed that the bedroom of 107 was infested with ants. We were given a spray which produced a short-term fix but the following day the ants were back in even greater numbers. Needless to say, they managed to find their way on to the pillows. We were promised a visit by a member of staff but suspect they merely sprayed as we had done as the numbers increased again. We demanded to be moved and were allocated bungalows 205 and 206. These were of a similar quality but again a problem with ants occurred - this time in the boys' wardrobe which resulted in them having to keep all their clothes in the general living area for the rest of the week. We were aware that a number of other guests had been having problems with ants and had also been moved. We moved ourselves (a distance of about 80 yards) with no help from the staff. The food was generally edible although, with a little imagination and effort, could have been so much better. This was vividly displayed on our final two days when the owners turned up and, perhaps naturally, standards were lifted a few notches. Breakfast consisted of a choice of cereals, various hot foods (bacon, scrambled eggs, beans and mushrooms(one day)). It proved very difficult to keep this food hot and it was often luke-warm when eaten. The toaster was malfunctioning and we were told that someone was coming to fix it. This never happened and the fact that an apparently well-established, long wooden implement had been provided to poke the bread through the toaster gave a clue to the length of time that this problem had existed. Croissants were popular - so popular, in fact, that if you didn't turn up for breakfast in the first hour, they were all gone. When we asked for some, we were told that the day's allocation had been eaten and that there were no more. Lunch and dinner menus were generally basic but again it proved impossible to keep the food hot although it was regularly topped-up. Chips were provided at every meal (except one). The sweets were very basic with a poor choice, consisting mainly of a runny blancmange and water melon. There were four choices of ice-cream but these quickly became watery in their containers and, when a container was empty, it was not replaced. Again, a recommendation to arrive early for meals. The snack bar was in a good area but provided very little in the way of food - merely chips and a choice of sandwiches (cheese, ham or salad). We believe it was the intention to toast these sandwiches but the machine had broken down and, despite promises, it had still not been repaired when we left. Also, all drinks in this area were served by staff which often meant having to wait for someone to appear. Surely much better and more convenient to have self-service on the drinks (soft drinks and beer). This bar closed at 6 p.m. which seemed to be a massive waste as potentially this was the best area of the whole complex. The pools were generally well maintained but rather cold. The sports co-ordinators/entertainers (Sergio and Linda) worked hard and were always cheerful and enthusiastic. In the evenings, entertainment and drinks were in the downstairs bar which was like a cellar and rather claustrophobic. My strongly-held opinion is that the U.K.'s Government main achievement (by some considerable distance) is the banning of smoking in public places. It came as a rather unpleasant shock to find that cigarettes are still widely tolerated in other countries and the atmosphere in this room reminded us of how things used to be at home. The entertainment was mainly of a low standard but, on our last night, there was a Bee Gees Tribute Band who, I have to say, were excellent. At dinner on our final night, a brightly coloured pest contol vehicle pulled up and parked right outside the window of the restaurant. It was reassuring to see some action at last but we felt it was probably not the ultimate in tact to park where it did. To summarise, this complex was advertised as 3-star but it clearly is not. With some bog-standard maintenance and some paint, it could look and be a lot better. Also, if everyday items go wrong (e.g. toasters) get them fixed. The food is not wonderful but we did not go hungry. Having said that, I do not think we would have coped with it for a second week.

Husband and I travelled with our children 22, 21, 20 & 18 after booking a good last minute AI deal, having read some of the rather mixed reviews we decided we would just have to go for it and try to make the best of things if needed. Thankfully things were much better than we hoped and we had a great time at the Riosol, the staff all pleasant and helpful if we requested anything. The bungalows interiors were a bit tired and yes in need of some redecorating but hey they were clean and we only slept there, maid came in three times during the week but reception provided extra towels etc when requested without any fuss (ps keep the windows closed at night this is a hot country and you will have mosquitoes popping in to taste you, a plug-in deterrent works as does insect repellent) The pool and surrounding area was lovely and we tried the archery, pistol shooting and rifle shooting organised by the charming Linda. The food was fine with plenty of choice, nothing too fancy but enjoyed by us all, and believe me my sons know how to eat. Entertainment in the theme bar each evening was ok and we had a laugh. Weather was fab, cloudy in the morning but this burned off into lovely hot days, the wind was warm and very refreshing. A climb up the extinct Volcano, Mount Roja, just behind Riosol takes only about 25 mins and was well worth it for the view. The Manager recommended the North Tour as the best with the Grand Tour second as we were a large group we hired a people carrier and visited them quite easily ourselves. The beach in Playa Blanca is Playa Dorada and the courtesy bus will take you there at 10, 11 and 12 returning about six times during the day. Sun beds ?2.50 Parasols ?2.50, beach has jet ski hire, banana boats, pedalos, paragliding etc. The Marina Rubicon is well worth a visit very new and pretty with some great shops and restaurants also a bowling alley. Taxis are very cheap under ?3 from town to hotel and under ?4 from marina to hotel. We believe we got very good value for our money and we all enjoyed our holiday at Riosol, if we had the same deal we would return.

On arrival at the complex we found the accomodation dirty, smelly and in total need of refurbishment. The pool bar did not have much off a selection and the man serving behind the bar was very unfriendly and served warm drinking water poured from a plastic container. The pool and surrounding area was grim we didn't dare put a toe in the water. The dining area was a real experience !! We are not picky eaters but the cold buffet was just salad with nothing to go with it ie: no cheese or cold meats, and the hot selection consisted of one pasta choice,one fish, one meat, one veg and chips. It was tasteless, lukewarm and not very fresh. There is the main bar downstairs from the reception but we could not stay in there because it was full of smokers and there were no windows or ventilation. The following day we went to stay with some friends in their accomodation for a few nights because we could not spend another night there. We told the receptionist we would be back later in the week and did not check out . When we went back later in the week the bungalow had been re-let to another family and we still had the key. The security/handy man rememberd us and let us collect some belongings we still had in the safe. We spent half a day hanging around untill another bungalow was found for us. We chose the best of the two we were given to chose from but it was far worse than the first one we had stayed in. The curtains were hanging off and the doors and windows did not close properly. We slept in the lounge because the pillows smelled strongly of smoke and there was blood splattered on the wall behind the bed. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, I would rather sleep on a park bench.