Good - but not great
by A TripAdvisor Member
We chose this hotel largely based on reviews on this website. Don't be fooled!!! Don't get me wrong- the hotel is good but it ain't fantastic! I imagine that it depends what you are used to but we holidayed in Madeira last year (Eden Mar & Porto Mare) which are far superior but same grade/ price etc.
If you are expecting luxury you won't get it but it is a perfectly adequate holiday hotel.
Breakfast was a let-down - breakfast room is dull and breakfast food is entirely mediocre. The area surrounding the pool where the sunbeds are is grassy - and covered in cigarette ends. The rooms themselves are varied. Be warned - there are definitely 2 classes of room - modernised and not. We did indeed pay for a sea view and were given the tiniest balcony they had. I do think it's just your luck. Thanks to a considerate reception manager and a lovely receptionist called Lourdes we were moved to a better room.
We were holidaying with our 2 year old daughter and the hotel was good for children - even if the staff in the children's room did prefer it if you played with the children yourself as opposed to them doing it.
Nevertheless, we DID have a good holiday. There are a few lovely restaurants very close to the hotel - especially Villa Medici.
Overall- a good holiday but I don't think I'd go back to the hotel.
Very surprised at so many positive reviews for this place
by A TripAdvisor Member
I dont know where to start.
I can only imagine that the people who are rating this property highly have never actually stayed in a decent 4/5 star hotel elsewhere in the world.
Our sea view was a side view..only possible if you stood out on the terrace and twisted your body and strained it. SEA VIEW SHOULD MEAN..sea view from your balcony or terrace and looking straight ahead. I appreciate that there may be trees blocking the view..but dont call a view of a cliff a sea view..it is not.
Second breakfast..oh my...on holiday my husband likes to relax. THis was impossible at this hotel. The breakfast room (not a dining room) was dark and dismal and every morning we had to queue and then fight for a table.Hardly the chilled holiday experience we are looking for.
This hotel has poor and impersonal customer service. 2nd rate...and very disappointing. Its a pity that Europe hasnt yet found a way to standardize its star ratings for hotels. Until hotels stop getting extra stars for things like - full length mirror in the room and a bedside light and start to be marked more on service - its still a mad lottery trying to pick a hotel.
Sandwiches at lunch from the pool bar. Hmmm...no fridge..they were stored just underneath the bar, not chilled.In 90 degree temperatures for 4 hours. Now you tell me that a chicken sandwich,made at 9am and kept WARM at the bar till you eat it at approx 1pm is not a health risk!
This hotel is pretty normal for Portugal, I have to say. To get a truly great hotel in Portugal, particularly on the Algarve, you really have to pay a very large premium.
This one, is dreadful Quite one of the worst hotels I've had the misfortune to stay in. Totally abysmal.
This place is excellent
by TripAdvisor Member firthy246
I don´t know what these more recent negative reviews are going on about, I am staying here right now until August 6th. I wasn´t sure what to expect because of the latest negative reviews but I was very pleased when we arrived. The hotel is in excellent condition, the rooms are great,very clean and spacious with mini bar, tea & coffee making facilities etc. The breakfast room is not dark & dingy as mentioned by another review but is bright and airy, it is buffet style with lots of choice and the chef is there to cook omletes etc. The main restaurant is also buffet style + al carte with a waiter service and is very good with a lovely veranda which over looks the sea. The pool area is again very good and is very clean with apletiful supply of sunbeds and free hotel towels. The beach is a lovely cove reached by some steps and is just for the guests, there is another beach is the village reached by a short walk or courtesy bus. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. ther are also many activities to keep you occupied including a gym,sauna,turkish bath,jacuzzi and indoor pool.
The snack bar by the outdoor pool sells snacks which are either hot or cold with the cold being stored in refrigerated units under the counter and not keep in the open air as stated in a previous review. Also there is internet access, hence this review.
This place is surperb!
Average
by A TripAdvisor Member
Stayed at Tivoli Lagos, which is quite awful, so took a chance with another hotel in the same group. However Carvoeiro is a much quieter and more pleasant place altogrther and this hotel has better facilities than its sister. Situated slightly out of town, its about a 15 min walk in. The hotel's location is good, overlooking a pretty cove, but unless you're extra fit and like ice cold water, you're unlikely to go down to the beach. Reserve your loungers early or you won't get one where you want. Breakfast is edible but the room is crowded by 9am. Fresh omlettes are good. Entertainment at nights is dire...stay out til after 11pm in the town, which has some excellent restaurants at reasonable prices. Overall, fair but not 4 star as you would expect.
Sign in with Facebook
