More about Vila Gale Nautico
Good overall hotel
by TripAdvisor Member Cheryl012
We have just returned from a week at the Vila Gale Nautico in the Algarve. The hotel is only 30 minutes from Faro Airport and located in a small but nice resort. Before arriving we were a little concerned that there may not be much around the hotel but this was not the case as there were a number of good restaurants/bars.
The hotel its self was nice and the staff very friendly. The only downside really was the pool was a bit too cold, although they do have an indoor pool. The hotel is just across the road from the beach which again was very nice.
There is quite a lot of development in the area although there was no problem with noise.
Great for an out of season short break
by TripAdvisor Member George11
We have just returned from a half term four night break at the Vila Gale Nautico. The hotel was as I expected from earlier reviews and luckily we weren't bothered by noise as it was extremely quiet with mostly elderly people staying. We stayed B&B and the breakfast was excellent with lots of choice. The entertainment in the bar was interesting ! I would say however that although the rooms were cleaned promptly every morning, (one morning the cleaner was knocking at 9 am !) it was cleaning to a basic standard. We also noticed that rubbish that left around the indoor pool area was still there two days later.
Having said that the hotel was great for a quiet February break, Armacao de Pera is a concrete jungle with a few shops, bars etc, along the front, but it is well situated for trips to Albufeira (beware massive roadworks) and Portimao (great Chinese by the large car park in the port). We were really surprised by the prices of food in restaurants it was very reasonable.
You would definitely need a car to get out and about and a highlight for us was our children swimming with dolphins at Zoomarine at Guia, amazing ! Also for a rainy day there is a great shopping mall at Guia only about 5 miles away.
Although the weather was changeable we did have some sun and I would definitely try the algarve again in February and also choose a Vila Gale hotel maybe the Atlantico next time, mostly because they do family suites at such reasonable prices and have indoor pools, essential for my children !
A Relaxing Holiday
by TripAdvisor Member LorraineU
We stayed at the Vila Gale Nautico for 1 week from the 19th of September. We flew with BA from Aberdeen and arrived on time. We got a taxi to take us to the hotel about 50 euros each way.
We arrived to a very welcoming receptionist and porter who showed us to our room. Once we arrived in the room we could here music from the bar below which was quite loud so we asked the receptionist for another room. I have to say they were very accommodating and moved us immediated to room 376 which is in the new part of the hotel.
The room was large and spacious with a nice corner balcony which meant we got the sun till early evening. The bed was 'quite' hard and was basically two singles pushed together.
My only complaint was the sound proofing between rooms is rubbish. Every night we had to endure the couple next doors conversation and laughter till very late and although you think it would not annoy you it will. It feels like they are in the room with you! Ask for room 376 as it is on the corner and you only have 1 neighbour to hear talking rather than 2!
We stayed on a B&B basis at the hotel. Breakfast are basic and buffet style. Bacon, eggs, strange sausages, tomatoes etc, cereals and toast but nothing spectacular.
The beach at Armacao de Pera is beautiful. Try and take your own sun brolley or buy one when you get there as it costs 12 euros per day for 2 sun beds and an umbrella.
We ate in a different restaurant most evening where seafood and fish are the main items on the menu. Rocha da Perla was right on the seafront and was our favourite. It is located before you go into the old part of town on the left. Pick up a free map its helpful in showing you where everything is. The Clipper was also very good along with Gabys which does the best White Lasagne I have ever tasted.
There are roadworks going on in front of the hotel which are quite noisy but they are nearly finished.
I cannot comment on the evening meals in the hotel but I felt the menu was limited hence the reason we did not eat there.
All in all it was a great holiday and would certainly go back. Would not go back to this hotel because of the sound proofing as it made you very aware that next door could hear but clean and well kept.
Brilliant!!!!!!!!!
by TripAdvisor Member tonipickles
Well, got back today, after a brilliant holiday. We stayed at the Nautico from 22nd this month till today, 29th and had a fantastic time. First time I have ever been away for xmas and I was dreading it, but I can say that this holiday was great.
Just everything about it was perfect. The staff couldn't do enough for you, very helpful indeed. Nothing was too much trouble at all, at any time of the day. The layout of the hotel was nice, it all seems to center around the outside pool, which at this time of the year was very cold indeed!!!
The rooms themselves were very clean and we had no trouble with the walls being at bit thin as being reported in previous reports, but it is xmas and bound to be a bit quieter anyway. One small problem was that there was no tea/coffee making facilities in your room, so take a kettle. The breakfast was lovely, catering for the various continents, and it was very fresh and hot. No problems there. There was afternon entertainment, which consisted of 'BINGO', cocktail making sessions, cookery lessons and plenty of other things like aquagym and quizzes. The food was very nice and all freshly cooked and either buffet style or Al a Carte, both of which were really nice.
The 'Mayflower' bar was adequate, but I think that during the peak times this bar would not be big enough to cater for this size hotel, (5 floors). Also, during the quieter months the bar shuts at midnight, and you have to resort to sitting in the games room, not much of a problem really.
I tried everything available, indoor and outdoor pool, jacuzzi, gym, peeped in the sauna, games room, garage and everything was in fact, great.
Tried a few bars around the area, my favourite was 'Don Ruan Bar and Bistro', ran by Paolo and Antonio, excellent food and service. Went there xmas eve and xmas day for dinner, both of which were, in my mind, al a carte service. Did try other bars, but none seemed to be a patch on the Ruan.
The beach only a 2 minute walk away and depending on what room and floor you are on, you might be able to see the sea, we were lucky, we could.
All in all my holiday was brilliant and as a rule I say that I never go anywhere twice, but I would make an exception for this hotel.
We met some great staff and we made some very good friends, both in the staff and guests.
I would totally reccomend this hotel to anyone and everyone, with or without children. My children were not with me this time, but I would not have any problems about taking them.
This hotel in my mind, should really be a 5 star and I have stayed in other 5 star hotel that are not a patch on the Vila Gale Nautico!!!!!!!!!!
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Nice area
by TripAdvisor Member pauljj
Good clean hotel, stayed on B&B basis. The food was good, plenty of fresh fruit etc, but get to the restaurant early as inside tables get busy by 08:30hrs.
The sound proofing between rooms is extremely poor. We stayed on the 5 th floor, and could hear conversations in other rooms, and the continual noise from the lift operation all night long. Also be aware that there are road works outside the hotel, and across the road from reception are two building sites with cranes. Both these sites are at the foundation and concrete pouring stage, they start from 07:30 hrs to 18:00 hrs.
Perfect.
by TripAdvisor Member groovy27chick
My boyfriend and I have just returned from the Algarve after staying for 7 nights in Hotel Nautico. It was exactly how it was descirbed and even better. The staff were extremely helpful, the entertainment in the evening was wonderful (lush cocktails, San Fransico, yummy), the housekeeping was exceptional and our room was spotless. Both pools were gorgeous but with the beach only a few hundred yards away we spent most of our time there. We ate once in the Pool Side bar and found it to be of good value with nice food but didn't try out the main restraunt as I'm a fussy eater and didn't like the look of the menu (only was it doesn't include chips!), but I'm sure it would have been of high quality.
Our room was very tastefully decorated in keeping with the Nautical theme and bathroom was just as nice. We arrived a few hours before we should have offically been allowed to check-in due to an extremely early flight but we were shown straight to our room on arrival.
This 4* is definately a place I would like to return to for a relaxing holiday, hassle free.
Booking last minute meant that wer got a fantastic deal and this hotel I would definatly recommend for anyone.
Lovely hotel not far from the beach
by TripAdvisor Member Derenstar
My fiancé and I stayed at this hotel from 5/12/ - 10/12 05 and found it very well presented, efficiently run with friendly and helpful staff. We arrived around 9am due to an early flight and were checked in immediately without any fuss. The breakfast buffet was very good, plenty of fresh fruit and other hot items. We had the dinner buffet once and there was a good selection of food items. Our only gripe with the hotel was the soundproofing in the rooms, we could hear the conversation of the couple a few rooms away. Also, the bed was not very comfortable, very stiff and there was no tea making facilities, scandalous!! But other than this, the service was impeccable and clannishness was top notch.
I hear Armacoa De Pera is a busy resort in the summer, well in the winter, it's very, very, very, very quiet.....be warned!
If you like chicken piri piri, Guia which is about a 10 minute drive away from the resort is the place to go. However, despite what many guide books say, we found Ramires to be overrated, not the best piri piri we've ever had and very small portions. O Teodósio was in our opinion far better, and truly “Rei dos Frangos” (King of Chickens!)
Things must have changed
by TripAdvisor Member charly45
Reading the reviews posted here things must have changed dramatically, this was the worst hotel we ever stayed in, the staff were rude , especially the pool bar staff, when they turned up, the food was inedible,we had to go elsewhere for breakfast after sampling their 'fare'. There was a book of rules in the bedroom which forbade us hanging our towel or togs out to dry, rooms were tiny no storage space, air conditioning faulty, entertainment very poor, we thought we would never leave soon enough, we booked it indepently so had no rep to complain to, but many of the guests we spoke to had complained as they were so dissapointed
Just the job for January
by TripAdvisor Member notfatcontroller
We've just returned from a short break at this hotel and can't believe the comments from the previous guest! From the moment we arrived two hours before normal check-in and were shown straight to our suite by extremely friendly staff, until we left two days later, everything in the hotel was of a very high standard, and despite being out of season, everything advertised was available. The entertainment even carried on with only a handful of guests.
The food was both plentiful and appetising, particularly breakfast which was continually replenished throughout the breakfast period.In the evening, the restaurant staff were genuinely pleased to serve us and chat to us, thus improving their english, but not our portuguese!
We would unreservedly recommend this hotel, and will definitely return.
OK but wouldn't recommend it in High Season
by TripAdvisor Member laserblazer
We have just come back from a week at the hotel. It is modern, clean and appears well run. We were on B&B and the buffet breakfast is varied with plenty of choice. The kids love the cereal dispensing machines but Sugar Puffs seem to jam the works. Our first night was a Saturday and it was quite busy. A couple of coachloads of Spanish livened the place up a bit! The "act" that night was excellent and kept them all amused. However, the room soundproofing is not good and our neighbours had their tv on until well into the early hours. For the rest of the week it was fine but I think that was down to the adjacent rooms being empty. Our last night Friday was again busy and this time the next room had the tv on until 2:30am. For that reason, I couldn't recommend this hotel if it is busy.
We know the Algarve pretty well but it is my first time off-season. We had a car for the week and driving was a joy. Little to no traffic, plenty of parking spaces and we made the most of it. I hate driving in the UK because the roads are so busy. This was like going back 30 years. We stopped off at small roadside eateries, where there is little or no English spoken and had some lovely meals. The weather was great for most of the week and what rain there was caused very little inconvenience. Armacao de Pera was very quiet at night but most of the good restaurants were open.
There's a lovely little indoor heated poolat the hotel and for those mad enough to try, you can do a quick couple of lengths in the outdoor unheated pool, then rush into the heated one. Bliss.
I would certainly recommend visiting the Algarve this time of year but don't expect it to be warm enough for a beach type holiday.
Photos
The beautiful beach!
Raj Restaursnt
Please avoid this restaurant!
Armação de Pera - Portugal
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