M. M.C.
Google
I have been in the hotel 5 times across the last years. It is in a strong decadent trend to a 3 star hotel, priced as a 5 star hotel
Let me explain, by area:
Rooms: Lack of maintenance, everything is dusty and aged. No door to the balcony would close properly. Considering you can be at floor 8th with little kids, It is important door can be closed. The kitchens cabinet doors are like a festival, some will open, some will not close, some are not there.
Everything is aged and even the renewed rooms already look used and overused.
Cleaning is random. They will come and sometimes would not even take out the kitchen garbage bags. They will spend 5 minutes in a big room size. Beds and floors is what you will get. Hard to get towels or gel replenished.
Overall, rooms are big but look like a highway motel more than a comfortable stay.
Aircon works properly at least.
Environment: You are lucky if you find a free hammock at the pool for you in 10 days. People putting towels on them at 8 AM and then not even being there for the day, but no one from the hotel looking into this. The hotel has removed the pool bar, so now you need to come inside to get a drink (if you find someone from the staff), then take it out, or go to the new food bar outside where they will use 5 minutes just to serve a cocacola – not to mention that there is always queue there.
Spa pool needs a showercap, but many guests wont do it and no one from the hotel is looking into this, it seems like for some local guests, everything is allowed. There is a bar inside, they can do beers, but good luck trying to find someone at the bar to attend you, and I really mean it. They also have a menu of cocktails and gintonics, but when you ask, more than half of them are not available or the waiters dont know how to prepare it (very amateur staff across the whole hotel) even though it is in the menu (I am talkng about a Mojito!). There are no more amenities to mention.
Services: You go to reception you will always wait for long to be attended. If you go at night with a complex thing, they will ask you to go back in the morning. You go in the morning and they will ask you to go back at 13:00, when the “manager” seems to be in. Many untrained staff with not much experience. Difficult to be understood if you are not Portuguese, not all of them speak a reasonable level of English. For a 4 star hotel with this price, it is not acceptable. You will find yourself entangled in google translator.
Food, Restaurants: Services at breakfast and buffet are horrible. Lack of spoons, forks, food not replenished... clearly there is less staff than what it is needed to a proper 4 star buffet. Lack of variety of the food in breakfast and dinner. Years ago your buffets where great and full of variety. Considering the price of a buffet dinner, it is really poor. You are lucky if you can find a cup of wine or a bottle of water to serve you at dinner. 3 main dishes and a fridge pizza for 35€ buffet is clearly an overpriced restaurant.
Kids: There is a kids club, yes. But if you kid is not Portuguese, he will not get much attention. The staff hardly speaks English and will naturally talk more and attend more to Portuguese kids. They are not especially nice with kids either, except for Patricia. The activities are repetitive and the same as hey have been last 5 years.
Guests: There used to be a classy hotel with educated guests. Now, you will see guest taking waters of wine and water to their tables at buffets, pushing people to get more food.. people with no t-shirts and dropping wet from the pool moving inside the hotel to the elevators. Shouting and fighting for hammocks. Some dislike to foreign guest was noticed from local guests. This has been unconformable and looked more like a local pub than a 4 star hotel.
Overall, Super overpriced stay for what you get. Watch out – you can find that you made a reservation for a room and when you check-in, you get another room. Stay strong on your rights as a customer/guest.
