Hotels met bar in Faro District, Portugal

The hotel is clearly very new, and that is immediately reflected in the quality of the structure. The property is beautiful, modern, and equipped with many facilities, which creates a very strong first impression. It is also in an excellent location. That said, the atmosphere often felt somewhat chaotic, and even simple requests seemed to be handled with unnecessary complication, as though each one required extensive discussion. We also found one member of the reception staff particularly rude, or at least that was our experience during our stay. Another issue concerned the windows: when it is windy, they produce a noticeable whistling noise, which can be quite annoying. It is also worth noting that parking is not included and costs €15 per day, which would have been useful to know in advance. Overall, the hotel has a great deal of potential because the property itself is impressive and the location is very good, but the service and some practical aspects still need improvement.

The location is convenient (a 5-minute walk to the embankment and the old town). The beach with its observation decks is 10 minutes away. The pool area is beautiful, with pleasant, soft music playing. The room has a kitchen with kitchenware, a comfortable bed, and air conditioning. Reception helped me book a cave tour and explained how to get to the meeting point. Breakfasts are a bit repetitive, but quite good.

Unfortunately, the stay was not very comfortable. The room heater was not working, making the room extremely cold during winter. There was also a very loud noise coming from the air conditioner; this was reported to the staff, but no action was taken. The room itself is very small, and the shower area in the bathroom is also quite cramped. While the hotel is affordable, I wouldn’t choose to stay here again. That said, the receptionists were kind and polite, which was appreciated.

Experience started badly at check-in when they refused to add my wife to the booking as Trip.com’s mobile  “deal” was for one guest in room.  Snarky reception person rude and borderline hostile - this was our third stay at this property and as in the past, we felt a subtle bias against us as non-Portuguese.  The Front Desk Manager got involved and he refused to comp. me my wife’s addition to our room and said we had to pay euros 40 for her two day’s breakfasts.  He appeared unkempt with s dirty shirt and was unshaven .  His attitude was aggressive and disrespectful in the extreme.  We asked to be relocated to a higher floor from the 2nd floor and he informed me that there were no sea view rooms on upper floors.  This was patently a lie as the initial receptionist told me that the hotel was not fully booked. While I was in discussions with the front desk receptionist, a hotel guest came up and complained that her room was bery hot.  She was told by the same snarky receptionist that the aircon was off due to a system changeover and she should open her balcony door! When I asked the same question later on to another receptionist, he said that they could give me a fan.  She was and English lady and when a Portuguese guest arrived to check/in, that dame clerk was all over him with handshakes all around.  Other staff around the property didn’t seem overly friendly to guests as well. It is unforgivable for any hotel, let alone a supposed 5 star property, not to have its HVAC system operable and even worse, not to advise guests of the issue. Our room was spacious, if a little warm, but showed the ravages of time with chipped furniture and surfaces.  Also, not too impressed by the powdered coffee presented in the room, or a euros 3 charged for a bucket of ice. I cannot recommend this property for a stay in Portimao and there are a few other more undated hotels nearby.

Got the Marina view, worth i. Was so beautiful. It was my birthday and they catered very nicely to me to make my day special. I would definitely stay again. All the staff were nice and welcoming and very helpful in suggestions of places to go. Highly recommend this hotel!

This hotel is very recent. Beautiful, elegant and well-equipped in terms of services. What doesn't strike us as normal, however, is the lack of little touches for a hotel in this category. No shampoo, no q-tips, just the same gel for washing hands and in the shower. No shower cap. An empty fridge bar. We appreciate the coffee machine and the bottle of water, but one normal coffee capsule and 3 decaffeinated coffee capsules... not logical... We asked for a room with a bath when we booked (we were ”upgraded” without any request on our part, on a ”marina” view, but with a shower. As we are not very nice customers, we didn't say anything. The bedding is good. The pillows are quite thick, which can be uncomfortable for people with sensitive necks. 3 cushions are available, but they are all very dense. The road is very noisy, subject to a few car rodeos at night. I've heard that the rooftop is noisy in November, but fortunately this is not the case. The staff are friendly and respond to requests. The breakfast buffet is very comprehensive, but for the evening menu, this type of buffet seems less attractive, but will surely please some people. The spa is very good, at 12.5 euros for one hour (equipped swimming pool, sauna, hammam, etc.). There is a car park at the hotel for 6 euros a night, but free parking is available 200m from the hotel by the beach. All in all, then, this is a fine hotel with a lot of potential, but some details clearly need to be reviewed to make it really nice.

Interesting quirky location full of historic character. Very friendly welcome. When receptionist saw on passport that it was wife's birthday, we were given an upgrade and bottle of bubbly in room! Buffet breakfast fine, but it would have been good to have bacon on the hot-food selection. Our suite was quite spacious, but only had a standard double bed - OK for us, though others might want to request a king-size.

This is by far the best hostel I stayed at, in spite of the number of occupants. I was lucky to have very quiet boys in the room. There’s only one bathroom, connected to the room, but it worked. The hostel is new, modern and spotless. The owner is very friendly. The hostel is also 5 minutes walk from the beach. It was perfect. It’s a long walk to Albufeira from the city buses, and not very clear where the FlixBus stops. I wouldn’t recommend walking from the train station, which took me 4 hours. There’s a local bus, don’t scrimp = TAKE IT. Or take an Uber, or Bolt. Or ask the taxi what he wants to charge from the bus stop at the train station ! The RedeExpress is where the bus station is (but not for the FlixBus). In summary, you can go to Albufeira by FlixBus, but it’s difficult to know where FlixBus leaves Albufeira from. That all said, Albufeira is very difficult in high season, TOO CROWDED, but the Portuguese are tolerant and very patient because they know that tourism is lucrative and has raised the whole country out of poverty. Residents enjoy cheap and / or free public transport on local buses (cheap monthly passes). Residents are respectful and kind. You can practice your Portuguese with them for a laugh, but they all speak English to varying degrees. Here you can meet real residents. On the beach, not necessarily in the pubs. I loved it here. Don’t miss it.

Spotlessly clean hotel with extremely welcoming staff. Swimming pools were a bit cold but that’s the only downside. Breakfast selection was very comprehensive. It’s a slight downhill walk into town so prepare for an uphill walk back. 2nd time here and will definitely be back.

This hotel is at an excellent location which is right on the sea front. The beach is just across the the promenade. Plenty of shops and eateries along the promenade and a short walk to the marina. You can hire a bike from the hotel for a reasonable price and they provide a lock so you can explore the area which has lots to see. All in all this is a very good hotel. Will love to return again some day.