Riu Palace Boavista: The Highest-Scoring All-Inclusive In Cape Verde

This is RIU's Palace tier on Boa Vista: smaller and more polished than its giant sibling Riu Touareg down the coast, with the extras that justify the badge. The 24-hour all-inclusive covers all meals and snacks plus domestic and imported drinks, a distinction no other resort in our comparison offers; one Italian guest called it real all-inclusive, everything at the bars and restaurants was free. It is also a Palace that welcomes children: the RiuLand kids' club runs activity programs and games six times a week for ages 4 to 7 and 8 to 12.

The practicalities are unusually kind. The airport sits a 9-minute drive away, and one guest timed less than five minutes between collecting a suitcase and entering the lobby, with no aircraft noise at the hotel. The building has an elevator, rare on these islands, runs partly on solar energy, and recycles grey water.

• 9.4/10 Exceptional from Expedia guests: service 9.6, cleanliness 9.4, location 6.0
• 24-hour all-inclusive with domestic and imported drinks
• About 80 meters to Praia das Dunas, four kilometers of fine sand
• RiuLand kids' club six times a week, ages 4 to 7 and 8 to 12
• 9-minute airport transfer, elevator, solar energy plus grey water recycling

Three room types were bookable when we checked in August 2026, all with balconies, free Wi-Fi, and fully refundable reserve-now-pay-later rates. The base Standard Double is 301 square feet with two large twins or a king; the same room with a double sofa bed sleeps four and costs a few dollars more, which is the family play. The splurge is the adults-only swim-up double: same footprint, but the balcony steps into a private pool lane, with a minibar and in-room safe thrown in.

Guest testimony on the rooms runs warm: a French reviewer in March 2026 described a large, clean room with a powerful rain shower, adding that his only complaint of the stay was an unremarkable balcony view. Book early for the swim-ups; availability showed just two left on our August 2026 check.

Dinner rotates through three specialty options beyond the buffet: Krystal, the fusion restaurant that is RIU's Palace-tier signature; Mitsuki, the Japanese table; and a poolside snack spot that turns steakhouse in the evening. The buffet handles breakfast, which one Italian guest called abundant and varied, and a German visitor in December 2024 praised buffets that are large, of very decent quality, and beautifully presented, with staff keeping everything tidy. Specialty dinners are bookable, so reserve Krystal and Mitsuki early in the week rather than hoping for walk-ins.

The bar list runs to three bars and lounges, two swim-up bars, and two poolside bars, and this is where the Palace badge earns its price: the 24-hour plan pours domestic and imported drinks, while every other all-inclusive in our comparison, including Riu Touareg, keeps to local and house brands. If a proper gin and tonic at sunset matters to you, this is currently the only resort on the islands where it is included.

Three outdoor pools anchor the days, two of them with integrated swim-up bars so the drinks come to the water. A French guest in March 2026 noted several pools including a very large one ideal for swimming, with water at a good temperature despite the wind, and added that even at full size the hotel never feels crowded at the pools, bars, or restaurants. The Renova Spa runs five massage rooms, a whirlpool bath, a steam bath, plus a beauty salon and hairdresser; there is a gym, and under-18s are not allowed in the spa, hot tub, or fitness room.

The beach is the resort's best argument and its guests say so even when criticizing everything else. Walk about 80 meters from the grounds and you are on Praia das Dunas, four kilometers of fine sand described by one December 2024 guest as very clean and well-maintained, made for long walks. Praia da Chave sits 18 minutes away on foot and the famous Praia de Santa Monica a 31-minute drive.

The trade-off is the 6.0/10 location subscore: there is no town outside the gate, and Boa Vista's open coast means the sea demands respect even when it looks calm.

Guests score the location 6.0/10, and the map explains both halves of that number: the beach is immediate and superb, the surroundings are empty. Praia das Dunas starts about 80 meters from the grounds, the airport run is 9 minutes, and the island's famous southern strand, Praia de Santa Monica, is a half-hour drive. There is no town outside the gate, so every evening happens inside the resort.

Money and paperwork follow the RIU standard. The hotel accepts credit cards, debit cards and cash, reserves the right to pre-authorize your card before arrival, and may 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 name must match the guest who checks in.

Pets and service animals are not allowed. Families should note the bed rules: children are welcome, but rollaway beds and cribs are both unavailable, which makes the sofa-bed doubles the only real four-sleeper play. Only registered guests may enter the guestrooms.

This is one of the few resorts on the islands with an elevator, and the accessible list runs long: gym, parking, path of travel, pool, registration desk, restaurant and spa, all wheelchair accessible with possible limitations, plus tile flooring in the rooms. On sustainability the property uses some solar energy and reuses water through a grey water recycling system. The one warning for parents of toddlers repeats from the sibling resorts: balconies, patios and terraces may not be suitable for children.

Book Riu Palace Boavista If

You want the best-reviewed all-inclusive on the islands and can pay for it: 9.4/10 across 68 reviews, service at 9.6, and the only plan with imported drinks included. You are a family that wants Palace polish without an adults-only ban, since RiuLand runs six days a week. You hate transfer days, because nine minutes from runway to lobby is as painless as island arrivals get.

Or the beach is the whole point: 80 meters to four kilometers of Praia das Dunas beats every walk time in our resort comparison.

Look Elsewhere If

The budget is the constraint, because $409 a night buys a lot elsewhere; Riu Touareg starts at $296 with the same 24-hour board and a zoned adults-only section, and Sal's options on the full list start lower still. You want a location with life outside the gates, because the guests' 6.0/10 location score is fair warning that evenings happen inside the resort. And if you want an entirely child-free stay rather than a family Palace, an adults-only property on Sal fits better than anything on Boa Vista.

Whichever way you lean, our beyond the buffet notes cover what the islands offer once you leave the sun lounger.