Barceló Marine Boa Vista - Adults Only

Excellent location My biggest bugbear was the temperature of the "Hot" buffet. It was bearly tepid bordering on the unsafe. There were very few guests as the hotel only opened at the beginning of May, The hotel knew about the food problem and is trying to rectify. This hadn't been solved by the time we came home on 30th May. All of the guests we spoke to had upset stomachs. If you want a holiday with wall to wall entertainment then don't go here but if you want a holiday in a lovely hotel in a fantastic location then this is the place for you. Chilled yoga in the morning, gentle aqua aerobics at 12.00, a saxaphone player round the pool on one afternoon, 3 man strong animation team were fantastic with a special shout out to Patrick who went above and beyond. The bay at the hotel is a little rough and the red flag was always flying but a 2 minute walk around the rocks takes you to a more sheltered bay. 3 euros for a taxi into Sal Rei well worth the trip to the public beach as the sand is white and the sea is much calmer.

I arrived at the new hotel to find that it opened on the day of our arrival. We were warmly greeted at reception. Check in was easy and transfer to the room was easy by electric golf buggy. This was much needed as the resort is in no way accessible. The cobbled slopes look great but do not make for easy walking. There are also a lot of steep steps. Some hand rails would help on the steps. The room was good. Great to have the choice of the fan or air con. Both worked well. Great terrace and views from my room. Nice shower and great towels. Bed was comfortable. This is an all exclusive resort. There was a bottle of water and a kettle with coffee sachets. The fridge was empty. When I asked about this I was told that this hotel chain usually provides a pay for mini bar. The pool is fine. It started off really salty but over the week this improved. The pool staff were all lovely. The pool brollies were not suitable for purpose due to the strong winds in Cape Verde. During my stay six broke. The pool area could do with more shade from the strong sun. The buffet restaurant opens three times a day. Food was adequate. Choices were limited and never really hot. The griddled food was good and well cooked. Again staff in the restaurant were great. The a la carte restaurant as advertised does not really exist. It is a pool bar where you can order food from 10-4. During my visit there was no puddings available and no ice cream on site until day 5. I understand that this resort is newly opened and some things will improve. There were only a few guests there. Great is was quiet but for example the pier bar was not opened until my last night and entertainment was an hour a night at the breeze beach bar. The singers were great though. At the bar only some cocktails were free. A big list of pay for drinks included. I attach photos. The beach at the hotel is nearby and loungers and a life guard on hand. Not safe to swim in the beach at hotel but there is one around the bay Overall there is work to do here to compete with the other Cape Verde hotels. It’s advertised as adults only and quiet. That it is. No fight for loungers and very chilled.