Hotel Riu Funana: Sal's Big, Sociable All Inclusive

Set right on Sal Island's beachfront at Cabocan, Riu Funana runs on a 24-hour all inclusive plan, which means food and drink at any hour rather than fixed meal windows. Days revolve around two large freshwater pools with built-in hydromassage areas and a sandy beach set up with loungers and parasols; nights revolve around the entertainment program and the on-site Pacha nightclub, with the Friday All White Party a fixture guests plan around.

Be clear-eyed about the scale. This is a big resort, and the same size that gives it four restaurants and a nightclub also fills it with people. Peter, who scored his December 2024 stay 10/10, called it an absolutely fabulous resort with lots of activities; Pedro, who scored his August 2025 stay 2/10, called the same place crowded and noisy. Both are describing Riu Funana accurately. If the second sentence worries you more than the first excites you, look at the quieter end of the lineup instead.

• 5-star beachfront property a 3 minute drive from Santa Maria Town Square
• Buffet breakfast included, 24-hour all inclusive food and drink
• On-site Pacha nightclub with themed party nights
• Renova Spa with hot tub and gym, both closed to guests under 18
• Self-parking included, cribs available on request
• Grey water recycling system on site

Five categories were bookable when we checked in August 2026, priced for an early September night; rates move with the season. Every room comes with a balcony, all inclusive board, free WiFi and included parking, and every category sold as fully refundable with a reserve now, pay later option.

Which Room To Pick

The spread between the base double and the Grand Double is $14 a night for an extra bed's worth of space, the cheapest upgrade on the card, and the Suite adds a proper sitting area with a king bed and sofa bed for about $100 over base. Guests rate the rooms as one of the resort's quiet strengths: Rajwinder, in November 2025, got a very spacious room with a very large bathroom and a quick, easy check-in. The practical limits: no elevator anywhere on the property, rollaway beds are not available, and cribs come on request only, so flag one at booking rather than at the desk.

Four restaurants anchor the plan, led by Espargos, the main buffet with show-cooking live stations and an outdoor terrace for open-air meals, and breakfast is included for everyone. The 24-hour arrangement is the real differentiator on this coast: food and drink run at any time of day, so a 3 PM arrival or a post-nightclub appetite never hits a closed kitchen. After dark, the bars feed into the on-site Pacha nightclub.

The honest notes. The specialty restaurants are reservation-only, and Andrea's January 2026 review flags the rule that stings most: you cannot ask for seconds there, which feels off at an all inclusive. Book the specialty venues on day one and treat the buffet as the volume play. On drinks, expect local and house brands as the default pours, grogue-based cocktails included; of the Riu properties in Cape Verde, only Riu Palace Boavista lists imported labels in its plan.

The two main pools are large, freshwater, and fitted with integrated hydromassage areas, ringed by umbrellas and sun loungers, and one pool is wheelchair accessible. Renova Spa handles the recovery end, with a hot tub and an on-site gym; both, along with the spa itself, are closed to guests under 18.

The beach needs a truthful sentence. The resort sits on the beachfront with loungers and parasols set out on the sand, but the plot is deep, and Rajwinder measured the walk from the room blocks at about 10 minutes, so ask for a room on the beach side if that matters. The same review flags a genuine family win: a free local waterslide park sits a two minute walk from the gate, a rare zero-cost outing on Sal. The sea here is the calm side of Cape Verde, with Santa Maria's bay the safest swimming in the country, and the town's shops and bars are a 3 minute drive or a €5 (550 CVE) taxi away.

Funana's plot at Cabocan sits closer to Santa Maria than most of the resort strip: the Town Square is a 3 minute drive, so an evening in town is a €5 (550 CVE) taxi rather than an expedition. The one outing you can do on foot is the free local waterslide park, two minutes from the gate by a guest's count. The airport sits 20 minutes up the road.

The money and paperwork rules follow the standard Riu pattern. The hotel takes credit cards, debit cards and cash, may pre-authorize your card before arrival, and can ask at check-in for a government-issued photo ID plus a card or cash deposit against incidentals. Name changes on reservations are not permitted, so the booking must carry the name of the guest who actually checks in.

Pets and service animals are not allowed. For families, the fine print matters: rollaway and extra beds do not exist, but cribs are available on request, so ask for one when you book rather than at the front desk.

On access, the property is listed as wheelchair accessible with possible limitations: there is no elevator, but the accessible list covers parking, the path of travel, a pool, the gym, the spa, a restaurant and the registration desk. Self-parking is included if you rent a car. The remaining house rules are brief: only registered guests may enter guestrooms, balconies and terraces may not suit small children, and some water on site is reused through a grey water recycling system.

Book It If

Value and energy are your priorities. At $290 a night this is the cheapest way into a 5-star Riu on Sal, the 24-hour plan means the board never closes, and the entertainment program plus Pacha give you evenings without taxi fares. Families do well here too: children are welcome, cribs come on request, and the free waterslide park two minutes from the gate is the kind of detail that saves a holiday budget.

Weigh it against the rest of the Sal and Boa Vista resorts before you decide.

Look Elsewhere If

Peace is the priority. The size and the party calendar that make Funana good value also make it loud, and the critical reviews all circle that same point. Couples who want polish should look at Riu Palace Santa Maria, which scores 9.2/10 a few minutes down the coast at a higher price; travellers who want no children at all have the adults-only Riu Cabo Verde on the neighbouring plot and Melia Llana further along the beach.

And if your trip is built around exploring the island, the salt crater, the Blue Eye and Shark Bay are covered in what to do beyond the pool.