Just got back from the Ocean Club, with Mark Warner. Had an absolutely fantastic time - it was final week of the season and the staff were all great - helpful, friendly and fun.
The food in the Mill restaurant was very good, which came as a huge relief after reading previous reports on here. Nick, the restaurant manager started at the Ocean Club near the start of the season, and we were told that he had made a lot of changes, resulting in a superb service. A la carte for 5 nights of the week, with at least 3 choices for each course, varied and high quality.
The resort itself is lovely and we were lucky with the weather too. The beach was great for playing and swimming, and the pools all wonderful, with a heated indoor pool as well.
Holly (CSM) was superb - really helpful and went out of her way to make sure we had a lovely holiday.
The apartment was great, we booked a 1 bedroom apartment and got upgraded to a 2 bedroom with our own patio garden which was clean and well equipped.


My family and i had a great holiday at the ocean club and would definitely go back and recommend it to everyone.

It is a long transfer from the airport to Praia da Luz but well worth it !

We were upgraded to a 3 bedroomed "Club cottage" (having booked a 2 bed appartment)which was huge, - 2 bathrooms, lounge, kitchen, 2 balconies, satellite tv ! Sheets changed once, towels at least 3 times, maid came often to sweep, it was always clean and tidy.

We went half board at the hotel as it was easier with young kids, and overall were very impressed. They always managed a good variety, fish, meat, veggie and kids choices (lots of chips!!!) and my hubby said the fresh fish on BBQ nite was amazing.
Entertainment was low key, a couple of singers and a bit of dancing, but great for families with young kids who cant stay up late anyway.

Thomas Cook kids club fine, my kids preferred the pool but they did go a few things. Mark Warner dominate but you dont have to go with them.

Hotel pools lovely, we spent our time at the milennium pool as that was nearest our villa, never a problem getting a sunbed (although the ones with the shade went first), and lovely surroundings. My kids loved it. Pool bar ok, good for drinks but a bad queue at lunchtime.

All in all its an excellent hotel, excellent resort (tho not much going on if you want nightlife of any description), fantastic for kids. We will definitely return. Would want a 3 bedroom villa again though as it was so spacious with 3 kids. Highly recommended !

Our 2 bedroomed apartment was clean, spacious and very well equipped, including a washing machine, iron and microwave. Maid service was practically every day.

Apartment was situated near the family pool and supermarket. Safety deposit boxes were actually at reception and not in the room itself, which was a little inconvenient, as it was about a 5min walk to reception.

Not too far from the beach front where there are various restaurants/bars. The restaurant right on the beach is highly recommended.

Pool was busy but always managed to get a sunbed. You have to hand your passes in when going to any of the pools which again is a bit inconvenient, especially if the kids keep wanting to go back to the apartment. Also you can't take inflatables into the pool.

Our kids (aged 10 & 8) used the kids club and both said they enjoyed it.

Take a visit to Slide and Splash, the best waterpark in the Algarve.

Only problem was that we had to vacate our room at 10am and then wait around until the coach picked us up at 3.15pm. And it was the hottest day of our holiday!!!

All in all, very nice apartments spread over the village of Praia de Luz, with some good restaurants and a lovely beach. Would go again sometime in the future.

We stayed in a beautiful, roomy apartment in Waterside Village looking out on to the sea and just a few minutes walk from the beach. It is part of the Ocean Club complex which is spread around Praia da Luz and has three swimming pools, five tennis courts and several snack bars and restaurants. The facilities are first class.

I was not aware of much organised entertainment, but there may have been more at the heart of the complex. We were pretty much on the fringes - but it was a good place to be.

The Ocean Club is spread all around the village of Praia De Luz. Our apartment was in Waterside Gardens. It was a split level apartment which basically looked liked a house with bedrooms downstairs. We had 4 balconies with 2 looking out at the sea and 2 looking straight onto the famous church in the town square. Bars, supermarket, chemist bus stop, taxis, Indian restaurant and takeaway, seafront and cash point all within 2 minutes walk.

Maid service is 3 times per week. The only thing we disliked was that after arriving very late on a Saturday night we had no means of getting food as none of the travel companies leave a welcome pack in apartments in this part of Portugal. The pubs and eateries stopped serving food by the time we got there and we had to wait until 9.30 on the Sunday morning for the supermarket to open to get food and drink. Try telling 2 kids that they can only have water for supper and breakfast on the first night and day of their holidays.

Our visit to the Ocean Club was our first go at self catering and we are booked for the same apartment again for 2 weeks in July this year.

The apartments are nicley furnished with all the refinements of a modern home - marble worktops in the kitchen and automatic washing machines etc.

Maid service is fine and the grounds are nicely maintained.
The adults only pool area is lovely and allows you to really unwind.

Food at the Ocean Club really is excellent and very good value. Lots of good places to eat in the resort too. Lovely quiet village with bars, eating places and good supermarket.

The mid week BBQ at the Ocean Club is great fun, well organised and again value for money.

My son 13 year son was enrolled at the Markson tennis centre and absolutely adored the whole experience, signing up for 2 weeks this time!

Just come back from this location....

The ocean club consists of 3 areas , waterside village, waterside gardens and the ocean club (that's how I understood it anyway). Fantastic place.....

The transfer time from the Faro Airport was a little over 1.5 hrs (not a lot of drop offs on out Thomson coach). Reception was great and always helpful. The apartment (2 bedrooms) was split level and very nice (cooker, microwave, washing machine, etc) apart from a damp smell from one bedroom and the bathroom. The cleaner tried what they could to solve it but made little difference.

There were 3 supermarkets on site, one large and 2 small. There was a cash machine in the larger supermarket and another located not far from the post office (all on the ocean club complex).

There are two family swimming pools and one adult only pool (never went). The pools are not heated and do become quite cold after a while, but things may warm up later in the year.

The beach is lovely and not very far away. Very sandy, which gets hot after midday - so be warned! Sea is clear and cool.

We went to the complex BBQ one evening and had a great time (especially my wife who got up and danced with the local dancers)...

There are some great places to eat. Omarujo was my wifes favourite. Chaplins was good and let you change things around on the menu to suit you. There was also a place on the beach as well that has swings and slides for kids to play on while you wait for your food. The ocean club rest. was also very good and quite reasonably priced... There was even an Indian Take-Away on the complex for those feeling home sick..

We only had 7 nights there as this was the first time abroad with our daughter. No doubt that we will return and this time for at least 14 days (and probably with the same tour operator - Thomson - who provided a wonderful kids club courtesy of CLaire and Michelle).

All in all we had a great time.

Been here twice now, first time in 1999. We booked a one bedroom appartment but ended up with two bedroom accommodation.

Accommodation was clean and tidy, staff friendly and helpful with a very good standard of English. The accommodation is spread across the resort and we were fortunate to be near to the main pool complex and just a 10 minute walk from the beach.

In the Ocean Club phase of the complex there was a restaurant and some evening entertainment - although we didnt venture there because it was a 1 kilometre walk away.

Many of the appartments themselves are owned by individuals who use the Ocean Club as a letting manager for so many months of the year. As a result each one is individually styled by its actual owners.

Booked a 1 bedroom apartment and was given a 3 bedroomed / 2 bathroomed apartment - very spacious.

Ocean club & waterside are spread over the small village of Praia da Luz. We were situated in Luz Mews which are located nearer to the sea.

When we wanted the pool we had a walk to get there. The tennis courts were near here too, an excellent tennis centre where my teenage son spent a lot of his time.