Christmas week

We spend Christmas week at Riu Mambo
Th e location, ocean, beach, even weather are naturally beautiful. The hotel itself is a little bit old, but not in bad shape and has even some colonial charm.
The accommodation is normal, daily maid service (and service in general) is very appropriate.
The staff is very friendly and responsive, and, if you can speak spanish with them, they will really appreciate that. What is also good, they have a lot of staff to facilitate games and activities, especially for kids, here are few play zones and choices of sports for all ages. As there was Christmas week at that time, the staff was extremely contributive in decorations and providing entertainment, that is much appreciated.

Though, the food choice is not that you can expect from 4 or 5-star. Quality is good, it's fresh and tasty, but daily choice is quite limited, especially with seafood (for lunch you have merely one type of fried fish only). However, more options were offered at Christmas Eve dinner, that shows they are not really restricted by supplying.

Real surprise were "restaurants" a la carte. They are not really dedicated places, it's just perimetric area marked "Ristorante Italiano" at the same bar where people get snacks during the day. The same place becomes "Stake House" every other night. "Virtual restaurants" don't offer authentic food though, choice is limited and wine list doesn't exist. Generally at resort, entire wine selection is just generic - red, rose and white, with quality of average house wine. So, if you want to surprise and advance your beloved with dinner "a la carte", better not to try, it even doesn't worth to wake up at 7 am to book it.

But all this good things mean nothing because of one dark spot - the resort infested by smokers and has no visible policy in restricting them in harming other people, especially kids. There is inverse non-smoking policy. If you are non-smoker, it's your personal problem. You should find place particularly with "No Smoking" signs to claim your right for fresh air, otherwise your chances are very slim. The administration can help you find such spot, but they can Not guarantee that nobody will enjoy themselves puffing here. They are smoking everywhere, all around - on the beach, in the pool, in restaurants, in lobbies, in corridors and in the rooms. Looks like only physical inability stops them to smoke underwater, otherwise they would. What is not funny, those insane parents smoke with toddlers and small kids sitting on their laps.
When we arrived at Riu Mambo, the first room was smelling smoke so hard, that you can sense it when you walk in ... not in the room, but in the floor where room is located! Immediate concern to management solved the problem partially, they gave us another room with no smell. But how long this room can stay intact if there is no policy to separate units for smoking and non-smoking? Next smoking guests will immediately infest it forever.

Quoting:
Riu Mambo property Manager : "... I'm sorry, I hate smoking, but we don't have dedicated non-smoking rooms ... People have vacations here, we cannot restrict them..."

Travel representative in Riu Mambo: "... I'm sorry, I hate smoking, but we cannot guarantee you non-smoking room in that resort..."

Even if they have so called "non-smoking" zones in public areas, the Riu Mambo management is not supporting non-smoking and not motivated to enforce it, smokers are free to break the rules. Have a look at the uploaded pictures, they show direct violations. Due to our complaint, instead of pressing violators to shut off, the restaurant manager put us for separate table in the corner, because non-smoking zone was occupied by smokers! What is an absurd, imagine that you will be forced to leave the road because it's occupied by drunken drivers who has priority !

This was totally unacceptable and we should admire our vacation was spoiled. For sure, the material is published in the internet and if you interested in more details about little kid's experience in smoking environment of Riu Mambo, please have a look at article "Entire Smoking Ban Or Non-Smoking Sections?" at EzineArticles.com (or just google the title). You can also find the full review with pictures about vacation in Riu Mambo at www.georgesadventures.net

The resort claimed that it is in a 5 star category. It would be true, though, if it has no smell of cheap motel. The overall rate is 2-star, no more.
We can congratulate Riu Resorts management with achievement of this remarkable status and recommend non-smokers, especially with kids, to stay away from it.