wonderful
by TripAdvisor Member strawberrymousse
Myself and my boyfriend atayed in the Tivoli Arade at the beginning of september and although the weather was not great (rain and thunderstorms!!!) we had a wonderful time. We hired a car which was well worth it to visit lots of sites and even more worth while because of the weather. The trip to Monchique was lovely stopping in one of the restaurants on the way back for lunch, as was the boat trip in Lagos and the long drive to Cape St. Vincente (lovely views if a little windy!) The hotel restaurant was really good, you can have the buffet or a la carte. We tried both but the a la carte was far better, really nicely cooked and presented. Our favourite restaurant in pdr was a casa da rocha and is as far along the strip as you can possibly go. Really good fish and steak and the chateau briande was amazing! Our room at the hotel was lovely even though we did not have a marina view. I would definately go back to Tivoli Arade and in fact I think we may well go back next year.
Best Holiday I have Ever Had!
by A TripAdvisor Member
My Boyfriend and I arrived at Hotel Tivoli Arade for a 2 week holiday. As our mini bus pulled in front of the hotel we were pleased with the outside appearance as on the way to the hotel we had noted some rather awful looking hotels and wasnt quite sure what to expect. We were given a room a.s.a.p and thought the staff were helpful and wouldnt agree with previous reviews. Our room was spacious, clean, comfortable and what you hope for when you go away. We were chuffed with a balcony and were even more pleased when the upstairs door in the corridor led to a terrace which gives you a great view of the marina, time to yourself and a great sunbathing area. Cleaners were polite but their way of doing things didnt really make sense as we would put the sign on our door to clean room but this wasnt done until we would come back from our dayout or breakfast making us feel uncomfortable incase they knocked if we were resting as they didnt understand the please do not disturb sign either. The breakfast buffet had a variety of things to choose from and we thought was worth getting up for. However the staff were quite rude, unhelpful and short staffed as it would be quite difficult to find a table free in the morning which was clean from other peoples uneaten breakfast. We went on a few trips, dolphin safaris, boat trips, zoo marine etc all worth while. Beach was beautiful and right by the hotel and nightlife was good and worth taken the 15 minute walk up to the town as restaurants were nicer and bars had a better atmosphere then those across the marina. We had our last meal in the Sitting Bull- SteakHouse Restaurant which was lovely and one of our favourites. All in all we had a fantastic holiday and would both travel back to the Hotel Tivoli Arade again, definately worth a visit.
Beautiful setting
by TripAdvisor Member Kaydee62
Stayed at the Tivoli Arade at the end of September somewhat based on the reviews I had read on this site.
It is a beautifully set Hotel with the grounds being very lush and kept to a very high standard.
Although we arrived earlier than expected due to tail winds, our room was ready and we overlooked the Marina which was excellent. The room was spacious and clean. One minor niggle though was the proceedures for cleaning the rooms as on most days ours wasn't done until almost 4pm in the afternoon.
The hotel staff were extremely helpful even telling us of some of there favourite restaurants, which obviously we tried one of which was in Alvor harbor.
There are a number of eating establishments within the Marina and the Dockside is well worth a visit as, as well as the main menu, you are also shown the 'catch of the day' should you want to eat the extremely fresh fish on offer. Sea Bass and Silver Bream were delicious.
The dolphin safari is a must!!
All in all very relaxing and just 5 minutes walk to the gorgeous Praia da Rocha beach
Lovely Place
by A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I stayed at the Tivoli in September and loved it. We got a room with a view of the Marina which was lovely for the evenings. Rooms have fridges so ideal for wine and beer and a night on the balcony! Several excellent restaurants a few hundred yards away. Closer to Praia da Rocha (15min walk) than Portimao itself, which is good as there's not much at Portimao! Hotel reception staff varied, many very helpful, some abrupt and unhelpful. Was confused by the towel policy! They have a sign in the room about conserving energy and only washing towels when you put them in the bath for the cleaner, which is a great idea, however the towels for the pool have to be returned everyday to be cleaned??!!! I tried to point out that I didnt need a beach towel cleaned every day (in fact it would probably last you all week!), but to no avail!
Watch out for expensive mineral water at the marina shops (about 1 euro for 1.5l, compared with 23c for the same in PDR shops). Would definately recommend the Tivoli, fantastic value for money, lovely setting.
Fantastic Clean Hotel with Amazing Views
by TripAdvisor Member lee_bear
I just spent three nights with my Mum and my partner at the Tivoili Arade from 3rd February to 6th February in a two bedroom Family Suite, number 216 which over looks the Marina. The suite was very large with two double bedrooms, living area with sofa and chairs, Kitchen and Balcony. The view from the living room was stunning, waking up each morning to bright blue skys and Yachts right outside the balcony was a welcome break from grey central London wintertime. We all loved the hotel and I can't understand the over the top criticisms of some other reviews, everything is high quality and well designed. My mum is very picky about cleanliness and even she had to admit that it was one of the cleanest hotels she had ever stayed in. The only problem with the Suite was the toilet not always filling up properly to flush but they said they will fix this. The staff were a little impersonal, they seemingly don't know how to smile or return a friendly hello or make you feel welcome. To be honest we found this most everywhere we went, the people in the hotel or any restauarants were not at all warm in their welcomes unlike their Spanish neighbours. It was common on our travels for a waiter to take money and tip from us without a thankyou or goodbye as we left and it is not like we were unpleasant or any trouble to them !
The Arade hotel buildings are next to Praia de Rocha beach, whilst it is more than a little overbuilt there it feels much quieter around the marina with just a few Restaurants dotted round the area. We ate at the hotel restaurant two of the nights, as expected it was very quiet this time of year with just 5 or 6 tables occupied and food varied, the Lamb dish was really amazing, the veal dishes we tried were less so. It was nice being close to that beach but it is very easy to reach others which are unspoilt by development, near by ALVOR is massively recommended for a stroll by the water. You really need a car because I imagine you would feel rather trapped if you could not drive around the surrounding towns and villages. The drive into the hills to Monchique is a lovely journey, passing lots of open countryside, although the town itself is nothing to write home about. We also visited Silves, a pleasant enough town which can be a nightmare to get out of with many one way street and lack of signs to direct you back to the main roads. I would massively recommend a trip to LAGOS which has a nice marina, we took a boat ride round the caves of the coastline which was a lot of fun and well worth 10 Euros. VILAMOURA marina is also recommended, it is similar to the area around Portmiao Marina where the Arade hotel is but livelier and larger. This would make a MUCH more suitable base than the Arade for a younger group of people in their 20's looking for some nightlife without being in the tourist centre of Albufeira. WARNING we heard from people that had visited that Albufeira is being massively dig up at present with almost every street having work on it, the town is effectively shut at the moment. Overall the Arade is good base for a quiet trip in a nice clean hotel with fantastic views.
Photos
Rocks, Beach praia da Rocha
marina beech
praia da rocha portimao algarve portimao
Hidden treasures
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