Maria Tsarkova
I booked this hotel specifically because it’s advertised as dog-friendly, and I was traveling with my dog. They clearly promote their pet policy on the website as if it’s a core part of their values. However, the reality turned out to be very different.
Pet Policy – Misleading and Poorly Managed
• First, although I was paying extra for bringing my dog, I had to remind the staff to provide any pet-related amenities. Nothing was prepared in advance – no bowls, no bed, nothing.
• Second, I was initially allowed to dine with my dog on the terrace during lunch. But during dinner, they suddenly changed the rules without explanation, and I was told I could no longer stay with my dog in the same area.
• When I asked the staff why this changed, I was met with rude and completely unprofessional behavior. No one could give me a clear reason – just confusion and attitude.
So much for their “hospitality.” It’s clear their pet-friendliness is more of a marketing gimmick than a real commitment.
Other Issues
• Food was mediocre at best – nothing memorable.
• Rooms were not very clean, and felt like they hadn’t been properly maintained.
• Basic requests like an extra towel were denied, which is honestly ridiculous.
Bottom Line
If you’re considering this hotel, especially as a pet owner, look elsewhere. There are plenty of better-managed places nearby where your expectations are more likely to be met.
Donnell Lightbourne
We booked this hotel expecting a 5-star experience—both in service and amenities—as advertised and priced.
Honestly, while the size of the room was good, it was dated and lacked the quality you'd expect at this level. When your room costs close to £3,000 for two adults and a child on an all-inclusive basis, you expect a bit more. Unfortunately, the reality fell short and felt more like a 3-star property.
Upon arrival, the cleanliness of the room was immediately a concern. The shower was visibly dirty, and the floors weren’t clean either. On one of the days, we returned from an excursion to a fully made-up room, only to find that the bedding had not been changed—it was clearly still dirty. We had to call housekeeping to have it replaced. A few days later, we ended up stripping the bed ourselves to ensure that fresh sheets were used. This suggests the housekeeping staff are either undertrained or not held to the standards expected of a 5-star resort.
We also had no hot water initially. After contacting the front desk, the issue was eventually resolved, but it took several hours—not ideal when you’re expecting comfort and convenience.
The dining options were quite limited. While the food at the buffet was well-seasoned and enjoyable, the selection was minimal, and there was only one restaurant on the property. For a resort of this price and supposed caliber, we expected more variety in both cuisine and dining experiences.
That said, the dinner service staff were exceptional. Plates were cleared promptly, and the entire team was warm, friendly, and very helpful throughout our stay. Their professionalism was a bright spot in our experience.
There is a kids' club, the usual poolside activities, singers during dinner on most nights, and on a few evenings, some entertainment in the lobby bar. However, the entertainment setup is far from efficient—the space is simply too small to accommodate the number of guests comfortably.
One other consideration: the beach is not located on the property. It’s a 10 to 15-minute walk, depending on which part you go to. While this may not be an issue for everyone, it’s worth noting if you’re expecting direct beach access or are traveling with someone who has mobility concerns.
Overall, while there were a few positives—particularly the dinner staff and the flavorful food—the experience didn’t live up to its 5-star label or price point. There’s potential here, but several areas need serious improvement before this resort can truly be considered luxury.
Jade Naaman
The good: rooms were clean, spacious (we picked this one due to spacious rooms), parking was easy to come by and free. Check-in was fast and easy.
They also had good toiletries, like l'occitane en provence. Mini fridge was spacious.
The bartenders by the pool were very nice and knowledgeable.
The bad: overpriced, a bit weird on some etiquette. Examples:
1. We got in, the AC was off in the room. I've never checked in anywhere where the hotel/resort expected us where the AC was off. Waited 1.5 hours for the room to cool down.
2. The first two days, we were able to switch the beach/pool towels during the day. On the third day and on, they decided to change the policy, and you'd only get one towel a day per person. Considering how dirty the pool area chairs are, this was a disgusting experience having to stress over keeping dirty towels all day. I've never seen a resort limit swimming towels to one a day. NEVER! This took us by surprise.
3. The hotel listing says "bottle water included". They meant just one, on the first day. Good thing there was a Lidl and an ALDI within driving distance
4. A lot of damage in the room: bed, issues in the closet (photos available if anyone is interested), and they cleanly do not clean the headboards, that had hand signs from someone before us getting it on. But the rest of the room was kept really clean on a daily basis
5. They said "sea view". Well, true if you consider a small bit of sea view from miles/kilometers away from the sea.
6. The food was subpar: selection was very limited for a buffet, quality was iffy (even Italian food was not impressive, and it's hard to mess up Italian food), there was only one restaurant, it was often unclean (chairs, floors) that when I asked my 5 year old to not make a mess, even he noticed the filthy surroundings and told me "it's already very messy".
7. Not a single other restaurant we tried in Algarve, whether nice or fast food, had food that didn't taste better than this buffet (except for things prepared elsewhere, like jams, some breads, bottled foods (like yoghurt drinks). We did not try their a la carte restaurant cause they failed to woo us with the buffet
8. There were flies and mosquitoes everywhere, including in the restaurant, on food, pool side snack bar, everywhere. Maybe hard to avoid outdoors, but I was hoping better control indoors
9. No Kleenex/tissues/similar anywhere in the room, on any of the days we were there. We had to buy our own from the mini markets nearby
In brief, we go to resorts 1 to 2 times a year, and it was the first time in years we were not impressed.
Save your money and go to Spain (e.g. Balearic islands) or Greece (any island really). Much more generous and accommodating.
Janet Fisher
Save your money and book somewhere else. It's definitely not a 5* hotel. The outside staff and front desk staff were good. The buffet room young staff were bad. Tables not set properly, long waits for ordered drinks. Greeted with "what" whenever we asked a question. Toilets need locks on doors including the disabled one.
Wardrobe doors stick on the floor and are difficult to open. Seating on balcony very low and cheap.
Main restaurant more like a sports bar with TV's does not look inviting and indeed was mainly empty when we were there.
The music played at the outside bar was on a loop and very loud, you couldn't have a quiet conversation.
Liam Devaney
As in other reviews, this is a 3* hotel, priced at 5*. Nothing sets it apart and it's mike's behind other 5* resorts we have stayed at in Europe, the middle east, America, Carribbean and Mexico.
The entertainment team are amazing. They are super energetic, friendly and kind. They put lots of effort in and are the saving grace of this hotel, especially the male member of the team.
You have a choice of two pools with the one near the pool bar being more lively and the top pool more relaxed and quieter.
The pool bar has polar opposite staff. The male staff are brilliant, but in a weeks stay, the female member of staff didn't crack a smile once. She often rolled her eyes, tutted and made you feel incredibly awkward and her go too when you got served was her saying 'what".
Unfortunately that is the theme of the hotel, 50% are brilliant, 50% clearly don't want to be there and are quite rude.
In a week's stay, we had our room cleaned once (any cleaner you encounter is cold and rude). The cleaner has just tried to clean the room now, at 4pm on our last day. No water restocked during our stay. The beds however are comfy and the black out blinds are brilliant.
The food is ok, there is variety across lunch and dinner and they replenish food quite quickly, but we have eaten out 3/7 of our nights here. I would advise people to dine before 20.30, or else you will have to wait in a queue to be seated.
The hotel bar is chaos, staffed by two members of staff, with long queues and waits. There is also a shortage of seating.
Would we come back, probably not, did we enjoy it as a family and recharge our batteries after a week in Porto and Lisbon, yes.
My Booking
