booked this hotel/appartments as a change of location, we thought stay with the well knowen and trusted riu group! we made a terrible mistake.
when we arrived at the riu olivina hotels recp we were greated very politely and when given the key to our appartment asked is this an upper floor as requested when booking and via email 4 weeks before arrival. the reply was no as thompson only have the lower floors ? ok as we have stayed with the riu group many times i produced the magic card which entitles you to many benefits. " we have the top one" alas this did not work no upgrades, zilch. it has its advantages but alas this particular receptionist was unhelpfull.
this we will take up with the head office along with the other probs.
the food was very scarce normaly you have quite a choice here it was the same every night . one particular night we had a questionair and noticed that a few staff were peeking over shoulders and informing the management, one couple were questiond with regard to the box ticked and stated if you have eaten whats the problem.
the air conditioning unit leaked by the cooking station and a pool towel was put on the floor to soak up the water, we were glad no one tripped up and landed on our table.
the rolls in the morning were stale or case hardend.
when lunch had finished the snack bar took over we witnesed the trolly being brought out with salad and condenments of which the sauce was still down the side of the bowl and indeed still on the letuce where it had been spilt at lunch time yuk.
one chef picked up meat to cook it then picked up the chips that had fallen out of the bowl and placed them back in the bowl followed by rearranging the salad !!.
we know that its going to be hot but due to the mozzies we had to keep the windows and doors shut but with no air con in the room it was like sleeping in an oven. oh if you are going to this estab buy a plug in mozie killer from the local spar about 6 euros but worth every cent.
our sheets were only changed twice in the 14 nights this is due to the tour company's requests, normally "riu" change them at least 4 times from past visits at there hotels.
overall the hotel part looked quite nice but the appartments although being painted at the time need a bit of work done to bring them up to scratch, you will find the lack of tables in the morning for breakfast as they close part of the retaurant down for dinner, so if you leave it late be aware of the lack of food as we found out.This was all inclusive and to see and hear clients of the hotel booking a meal out along the front they indeed were not wrong.
For us a bad choice "i felt angry that i informed a passenger on the plane as we touched down that they are going to be amazed and spoilt with the food choice. i will keep mouth shut next time."

We just spent 2 weeks (5 –19 July 08) at the Riu Olivina Apartments as part of the land content of our TUI holiday package. We are currently based in Germany.

The first thing that comes to mind is the genuine friendliness of the staff. From the front desk to the dining room to the housekeeping, pool and gardening staff genuine smiles and greetings all round. Equally important were that requests were answered or performed with competence and professionalism. Front of house staff are well trained and multi-lingual (apart from Spanish, I heard English, German and Italian spoken) making communication a breeze.

The next thing that impressed was the choice and quality of food at the breakfast and dinner buffets. An enormous selection of international hot and cold dishes from salads, roasts, local specialities, paella and diet busting desserts. I am now trying to lose a few surplus kilos !!!

The rooms and resort facilities are pretty good. The resort still has a size where you can feel cozy unlike some of the mega resorts where beach chaired sunlovers look like neatly packed sardines.

There are 3 saltwater pools and our little one had a great time splashing about . The kids are not forgotten by the resort. There are organised activities for them including a mini disco at night and a playground. When we were there quite a few other kids were running around making the resort a very family friendly place.

The apartment itself was comfortable. The kitchen was basic but adequate. We only heated up some milk for the small one and made coffee in the room. If you want to make your own coffee/ in the room, the hotel does not provide any sachets of instant coffee/tea bags/sugar etc. They supply a pot and coffee filter bag holder only so you will need to take a short walk to the nearby Spar supermarket to pick up supplies. The resort also does not supply a toaster or hot water kettle. However, you can borrow a hot water kettle from the reception with a deposit of €10 which is refunded on return.

In terms of the other guests, there were many Germans, some Dutch, Swiss, Spanish, Italian and native English speaking people. Everyone seemed to get along pretty well.

Location for us was perfect … less than 10 minutes away from the airport, a few hundred meters away from the Los Pocillos beach and the downmarket beachfront shopping strip (full of themed restaurants and souvenir shops) of Puerto del Carmen. However, the resort is conveniently situated for daily expeditions to other interesting parts of the island. Most would agree that there are much nicer beaches on the island than Los Pocillos but at least it is in easy walking distance.

As a former hotel executive with the international chains, this was our first time in a RIU property and I must say, we (wife and 21 month toddler) were genuinely impressed by the whole experience.

Was in Lanzarote for the New Year and flew out on the 27th Dec. Originally booked the Lanzaplaya but a week before we went Alpharooms emailed to say that the Lanzaplaya was fully booked and they had changed us to the Riu????
The apartments in the Riu are a way out of Carmen (about a 15 min walk) but not too far away. They are set near to the beach (5 min walk) and about 10 mins to the local Spar. The complex itself is set up as a 4* hotel, Oliviana Apartments and the Riu Coral. We were in the 3* Apartments.
Set in gardens with 3 pools our apartment overlooked the bottom pool and was quite nice!
1 bed apartment with the basic stuff. Clean, large balcony and quiet location (which I had asked for). Fridge, 4 ring electric hob amd basic kitchen stuff. No kettle though one can be hired. Reception staff very friendly but this is a German owned hotel chain and it shows... Didnt hear another English person all week but the Germans were friendly enough and could speak Spanish and English. (My German is poor but Spanish is ok) so could muddle through ok. We opted for the New Year Gala Dinner @ 100 Euro's each! Very nice indeed it was too. Lobster, Caviar, duck and fresh Salmon to name a few of the dishes. Not to mention the free flowing wine and champagne. After this went to the main area where Astage was set up with live music and fireworks. Excellent!!
The room was cold at night though so take yur slippers if going in the winter months. Big room but not very comfortable settee or chair. Needs a little bit of updating to say the least but if your looking for somewhere to lay your head then this would be fine.
Be warned of the maids though!!! On New Years day she tried to get into our room from 8:30am then every half hour afterwards till 10 am. Not good when sleeping it off!! Our fault though, should of put the Do Not Disturb sign out on the door.
All in all, Clean, safe and quiet. Would I stay again? Probably not due to the distance...

Stayed at the Riu Olivina apartments in Lanzarote for 11 days form 16th April 07.

Apartments we very tired looking - ours backed onto the main road. Be careful as we were burgled even though we were on the first floor - man on reception sadi 'you aren't the first and you won't be the last' - so beware! Bumped into lots of people in the actual resort of Puerto de Carmen who had also been burgled - ironically my husband found this out when he went to the police-station the next morning to make a statement.

Despite repeated requests about the sound quality of our television it didn't get fixed. No kettle or toaster in the room - we were not offered them when we checked-in - someone told us later on that you had to hire them - have stayed in basic accommodation in Greece and have never been asked to rent basic utensils which should be automatically supplied in s/c apartments.

99.9% of the clientele are German - nice people but if you don't speak the language you will feel very isolated. All the staff at the hotel/apts speak German but very little English.

This is the worst holiday we have ever had - so disappointed as Riu usually have a very good reputation - this is not a typical Riu - hotel wasn't bad but the apartments we very sub-standard - the whole place could do with renovating - and security should be put in place - you are very isolated in the apartments - anyone can walk round 24/7