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

We stayed at these apartments for two weeks in July this year and, despite a few negatives, overall we were very happy with them. They are located in Playa de los Pocillos in a quiet street just an easy couple of minutes walk to the beach and a small supermarket. It's also easy to walk into Puerto del Carmen. The staff throughout the hotel and apartments are all really friendly - the friendliest I've come across on all our visits to Lanzarote!
We were in the Coral apartments, which is a smaller, quieter complex than the Olivina apartments across the road. That suited us very well - no pool bar, no entertainment, and totally quiet at night. If you like things a bit busier, the Olivina complex is much bigger with several pools and a pool bar which Coral residents can also use. Residents of either apartments are also entitled to use all the facilities at the RIU Olivina Hotel, which is just a very short walk away in the same street. My husband and son played tennis which cost 7 Euros for an hour, including hire of racquets and balls. There is also evening entertainment at the hotel if that's your thing!
The first week, not many of the apartments in our complex seemed to be occupied, so it was blissfully quiet at the pool and there were sunbeds available whenever you wanted one. There was no-one out at 7am putting their towels out! When we first arrived though, the water level in the pool was quite low and there was rather disgusting green slime round the edge, but this was cleaned off after a couple of days and more water was added.
The second week, several families with children arrived which made things a bit busier and noisier. The pool didn't seem to be quite big enough for the number of people who could potentially be staying at the apartments at any one time, and I don't think there would be enough sunbeds or umbrellas to go round if the apartments were full. We don't spend much time by the pool so it's not really a problem for us, but it's something to bear in mind if you're a pool bunny! The terrace area round the pool is very spacious though, so there is definitely room for more sunbeds to be brought in.
We had a one bedroom apartment with a sofa bed in the living room/kitchen. They are typical holiday apartments really - very basic construction which means that you can hear every step above your head! The bedroom had a ceiling fan which kept things nice and cool at night and the beds were really comfortable. There is a safe in the wardrobe which you pay extra for - 12 Euros a week. The kitchen equipment was a bit basic if you actually intend to do any cooking. These are also the first apartments we have stayed in that haven't had a coffee-maker - there was just a jug and a slightly-too-small filter cone which you had to balance carefully on the top to stop it falling off, not always successfully!! The apartments are cleaned six days a week, the sheets were changed twice a week and our towels were changed every day. There is a hairdryer in the bathroom - the kind with one speed and one heat-setting, so if you really need a hairdryer, I'd recommend taking your own. We also had a large terrace with a table and chairs, which was shady for most of the day - ideal if you like to keep out of the sun, which I do, although possibly not so great if you plan on sunbathing there! There are plenty of apartments with terraces and balconies which do get the sun though.
You can also choose to eat at the hotel if you want. There's possibly a better deal to be had if you upgrade to half-board, but if you just want to do it the odd time, breakfast was 9 Euros, dinner buffet was 20 Euros. We didn't have dinner, so don't know what the food's like, but we had the excellent breakfast on our last morning - a massive buffet with juices, cereal, meats and cheeses, freshly cooked bacon, eggs, pancakes and potato dishes, fresh fruit, pastries, breads, cake(!) and a big pot of coffee. We also had lunch one day at the hotel snack bar, which offers a small selection of light meals - very tasty! The day we went, there was a demonstration of paella cooking - looked fabulous but didn't get a chance to try it! The hotel itself seems to cater predominantly for German guests, with a few Dutch, while at the Coral apartments the guests were a mixture of German, Dutch, Spanish and British.
Overall, I preferred the peace and quiet of the first week and I would recommend these apartments if you're going at a quieter time of year. At the height of the season, I think they could feel a little overcrowded. There are definitely more good points than bad about these apartments though. They're nothing fancy but the location is great and you have the advantage of being able to use the facilities at the hotel without the price tag of staying there.