39 Reviews
Traveller Rating
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Excellent2
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Very Good17
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Good15
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Average4
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Poor0
Review Overview
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Cleanliness
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Entertainment
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Food
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Service
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Location
I wouldn
Travel operator: Independent
Travel operator: airtours
The hotel was absolutely spotless, staff were always cleaning and tidying anything that needed doing.
The food was superb, the choice was amazing, one of the children likes only bread and jam at the moment, and there were 5 different varieties, so she was in her element! There was so much choice, meat, fish, vegetarian, salads, cold meats, cheeses, breads, desserts and all of it was so good, we didn't have one bad meal. Yes there were chips and burgers at every meal, but we didn't eat them as we were too busy stuffing everything else!
The location was great, stunning views of the sea, the lovely beach just a short walk from the hotel, it was perfect.
All the staff we great, very friendly and helpful, and nothing was too much trouble, they looked after all our children very well.
The 'entertainment' was ok, it was the only thing that could do with a big overhaul, we watched a couple of things, it was ok, not that great though.
Overall, we had a fantastic holiday, and would definately go back there, we had an amazing time, so if you are looking for a quiet family orientated hotel, this is the place to go.
Travel operator: Airtours
Only had breakfast at the hotel where there was plenty of choice, even catering to the english tourists. Didn't stop for lunch or dinner at the hotel due to a fantastic selection of restaurants in close proximity (please Please PLEASE go and eat at the Koala Garden restaurant off the strip, we loved it so much we went twice in our week stay!!)
Hotel was in a good location albeit uphill from everything ! Private access to the beach nearby though I imagine not so easy for those with prams etc. Nice 10min stroll downhill to the strip, a little tiring coming back uphill at the end of the day but thankfully the taxis are dirt cheap.
Staff were helpfull and mostly spoke good english. Had a lovely surprise during my stay as it was my birthday and the staff had arranged for a cake to be delivered to my room (at no cost to us!). Fab !
Didn't stay for the entertainment as there was plenty to do on the strip though it was always busy so couldn't have been that bad ! Also it did seem to be a different entertainer each night.
On a different point, completely unrelated to the hotel but so you dont have a ruined day:
Please be aware of english people targeting the english tourists offering prize "scratch-cards" these may seem like nice freebies but you will end up spending 2 hours min at another group of hotels being hardsold into time shares (aka scams), be especially aware of Petchey Leisure, look them up before you go so you know to avoid!
Travel operator: Expedia
My husband and I have just had the most wonderful holiday at this hotel which represented excellent value for money.
I do agree that the entertainment at the hotel was pretty comical and not exactly fantastic, but the overall atmosphere at the hotel more than compensated.
There was an excellent mix of young and old guests and everyone commented on how friendly the staff were. I could not fault the kindness and warm welcome we were offered.
The food was good, fresh and offered plenty of choice, with lots of lovely salads and snacks in addition to the hot meals on offer. Quality of the food items was great.
The hotel is not excessiveky modern in design, but was superbly clean and tidy. Room was well equipped and the maid service was great.
Would definitely, definitely go there again. Fantastic.
Travel operator: First Choice
The staff are not particularly friendly and at times can be quite rudr and arrogant. Public areas are kept that well. The daytime snacks & bar area was vey grotty and quite a way from the main buildimng for those that wanted to sit in reception it is quite a treck just toget a drink!
The room itself was ok, very spacious but again very dated and the air conditioning was very tempermental.
The lunch food was repetitive- burgers & chips every day, with a very limited selection of veg and fruit!
Situated quite close to the town and backing right onto the beach the location was perfect. However if you have difficulties walking then this is not the place for you.
The hotel has alot of 'foreign' guests - Germans, Spanish, American and most of them were old dears so again if you're a young couple this isn't the place for you!
The Entertainment was shocking. The hotel animation team do 3 daytime activities - although one of these was a beach walk! And in the evening they have a guy that plays the keyboard but he only knows 10 tunes and plays th same tunes every night. He also has a tendency of giving the mic out to random people for them to join in - which is not very professional.
There are alot of pregnanat pauses during the evening and I think they only 1 cd cos when piano man took a break we heard robbie williams over and over again!
If a little more effort was put in and a little money was spent this could be a nice property but as it is at the moment I would not go back and I would not recommend it.
Travel operator: First Choice SunStart
Secondly watch out for the dodgy looking men offering you watches along
Travel operator: Airtours
We stayed on B&B basis so only tried breakfast. It was cereal, yoghurt, ham, salami, cheese, bread, chips, tomatoes and fruit and fried eggs or scrambled eggs depending on the day.
Those are the negative points. We stayed off peak season so this may be somewhat misleading but worth making a note of. It is a fantastic hotel. Our room was massive. It included a small kitchen area, bathroom, living room/seating area and bedroom. The hotel is beautifully lit in the night and is very close to the beach.
Some tips:
1.Buy a phone card from the strip for 5 euros which gives you 150 mins to phone home rather than use hotel.
2. Visit the cafe called Calipisto (believe this is the correct spelling). They serve great food at possibly the cheapest prices. For example, a spicy chicken baguette with crisps and salad cost 2.85 in euros which is 2 quid.
A larger cost 1.20 euros which is less than a pound. It is very clean and the service is great. We ate in many places and found this towards the end and were horrified we hadnt found it earlier.
If you walk from Auramar to strip it will be on your right just after supermarker and opposite cafe de grao which incidently did very nice hot chocolate.
3. Find Praia da Oura beach which is tricky to find but extremely close. It can be found using the little passage which can be seen when looking from the car park onto hotel.
One last thing. On the saturady night, the entertainment was hijacked by a huge group of young men from Holland. They sang songs and even managed to have the dj put a cd on for them. It was entertaining but strange. If you wish to stay in a fully exclusive british hotel then this is not for you.
Hope this helps.
Travel operator: None- travelled independently
The food was really good, a lot better than most four star hotels with a lot of choice.
Hotel location was perfect a gate near the pool led right on to the beach from which you could walk to Albufeira.
The staff were really pleasant and very helpful.
Didn't stay in for the entertainment but it sounded ok
Travel operator: wintersunshineholidays
The hotel was extremely clean, there were plenty of cleaners around all day. The cleaners were always polite.
The hotel staff were generally very good, though most of the staff do not speak english as a first language, so there are times when communication can be slightly difficult.
The hotel is a very big complex, sitting on top of a cliff (excellent views of the ocean), covering several different blocks & levels. There are a lot of stairs to negotiate, so the less mobile may find it difficult to get around. There are steps down to a glorious beach, with coves, etc.
The hotel entertainment is somewhat lacking, generally consisting of 1 show per night, lasting between 20 & 80 minutes a night. So, if you are not an outgoing personality, then you will struggle to make your own entertainment.
The hotel consists 60% German, 30% UK, 10% Dutch. It is pretty much as described in the brochures, however it does not mention that part of the hotel is German exclusive.
There can be problems with sewage smells, as the drains blocked several times.
Travel operator: Cosmos
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