Emma Moth
We had an amazing holiday staying at 3HB Guarana. The hotel is immaculate and very well designed, with many different bars and restaurants. The Oriental restaurant was our favourite as the sushi offering was great. Overall, the food was really tasty and included healthy and vegetarian options - I've never eaten so much fruit and veg on holiday before! They also mixed up the menu in the main buffet restaurant so that you didn't get bored of the same food.
The outside area was great for relaxing and enjoying the sun. The outside pools are a bit chilly when you first get in, but when it's almost 30 degrees it was very refreshing. And once you're swimming around it doesn't feel cold anymore.
The staff are an asset to the hotel - they were all so friendly and welcoming! And very hard working.
The hotel is located very close to a sandy beach which is great for swimming - we went almost every day.
This hotel is definitely well suited for young families - there's a kids club and entertainment every evening. However, there was a mix of young and older couples too, so we didn't feel excluded in any way.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this hotel!
James Baker
Hands down the best holiday we have ever had as a family.
I would give 100 stars if I could.
We have nookie again to come back next year.
All the staff are an absolute credit to the hotel and are really friendly.
Would recommend 1000%
Kate Louth
I would highly recommend this hotel. It is well run, exceptionally clean and felt a very safe place. The rooms are spacious, well equipped and cleaned daily. The all-inclusive food and drink is plentiful and of a high quality.
The outdoor pools were freezing, though I’m guessing due to the time of year but the heated indoor pool is great for the colder times. There is plenty to keep children entertained with a splash park, play park, all weather activity court and arcade. My children loved the evening entertainment.
There are plenty of loungers around the outdoor pool with daily entertainment/activities but also quieter areas if required.
The hotel is only a short walk to a handful of beautiful beaches and only a short drive away from Albufeira and Vilamoura.
Andrew Cartwright
We had our first abroad holiday for a few years at the Hotel Guarana. We hadn't set out to go to Portugal, but after a bit of search following some fairly specific criteria, we opted for this hotel.
Firstly, it's a good distance away from the airport - not a massive transfer, but not right next to the airport either. In fact, the town in which it is located isn't massive, but it does have the beach and some nice views - and it is easy to get into the larger towns from here.
We got checked in easily and headed straight to our room to drop off bags before going to find the snack area for some food. The room was clean and fine for what we needed - with two small children we hadn't planned to spend loads of time in the room anyway! We had a balcony with a pool view, which as it gets dark is nice and lit up.
As we weren't quite in full season, there were a few areas closed / not operating - but it really didn't make a difference to us. Kids loved the snack bar where you would find sandwiches / toasties/ chips / pizza / burgers / ice cream. The snack bar shuts briefly in the evening before opening late night for munchies! The main eating areas are all buffet style, with the main one having different things each night. We always had something we could eat, although for the first few days we had some odd combinations where we had a bit of everything! You can also book the Mediterranean restaurant or the oriental restaurant, both again are buffets but with food more specifically themed. Kids struggled a little with the oriental...
The hotel has a few pools, and you are given some towels upon checking in. These can be exchanged at times if needed. Whilst people were using the pools during our visit they were a bit cold! We ended up spending a lot of time in the shallow pool up near the splash area, which had only recently opened during our visit. This area was great for the kids due to its shallow depth. It is also great for being near the splash area, albeit still can't see the kids unless you're in the corner closest to it. The splash area was a winner for the small people, and they spent a lot of time playing there. The hotel also has an indoor pool and spa. The indoor pool was far warmer and is open for the kids to use at various times as well - which was a win.
Day time activities were available, and we saw them playing Jenga, bingo, pool volleyball, etc. My son went to the football, but he did find himself too big for the small group and too small for the big group! The entertainment team were all very friendly and helped to get people involved, but also happy leaving people if they were not interested. There is also option of grabbing some table tennis equipment from reception and using the table tennis tables.
The all inclusive included drinks, and the pool bar served a variety of cocktails - and the kids had many many slushies from here (the staff are happy to do a rainbow slush - a bit of all of them!) There was also beer, cider and other things as well as warm drinks and juices. You could also go for drinks in the sports bar, although we didn't really visit this much with the kids. In the evening in the show area there is also a bar, and whilst on occasions there was a queue the wait was never very bad. There were also various areas where guests could get them self a drink from self-serve vend machines.
The evening entertainment was different each night of our stay - highlights for us were the magician evening and the crazy show (put on by the entertainment team). Other nights had various singers on, all of which were pretty good to be fair (just held kids' attention a little less). Before the main entertainment, there was also usually a kids disco, which seemed quite popular.
We really enjoyed our stay. We ventured out a few times, including to the local beach (about 5 /10 mins walk). Uber was really handy for getting around.
We wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel to others visiting the area. Excellent service, nice clean hotel, good food, and great entertainment.
Simon Palmer
The staff are friendly (10 out of 10) food and drink is plenty and again 10 out of 10. For us as a non smoking couple it would have been better if one of the 3 pools was quite and a non smoking areas around the pools, as it was it was a free for all and people where smoking anywhere, there is plenty of room to have a smoking and non smoking. In addition the indoor pool is supposed to be over 16s only from 8am till 11, on our experience this is not adhered to and children where frequently let in way before 11 . ( 9 am so not a few minutes earlier) if there was to be a non smoking area around one of the pools and they enforced the under 16 in the indoor pool. We would return as the food and staff are wonderful.