Aldeia do Golfe - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: private booking - 2006
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Very pleased with the quality of the apartment and the staff. Not so pleased with the surrounding restaurants and bars.
Golf was great, highly recommend playing the victoria. Food and drink is very pricey, take your own!!
The marina was very over priced for food and drink, Shakespeares just off the marina under the olympus hotel was great, excellent steaks and homemade food and sunday roast. Also the cheapest bar and great staff up for a laugh.
Chicos restaurant was ok for a one off, but we wouldn't go back. Bar 7 on the marina is the worst value and biggest rip off, closely follwed by Rui's bar where the drinks are really over priced and the spirits seem watered down, their carvery was full of veg mush where it had been sat for so long.
Atlantic bar was good for the frank sinatra singer, but again expensive for drinks. 19th hole, again expensive. Look for the places just off the marina like shakespear as you get better value and more fun.
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Aldeia do Golfe - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: styles august 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : c williams
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
villa was very clean and spacious only thing missing was air conditioning at night! on site restaurant was very good food was nice and a large selection to choose from. on site shop sold essentials however a bit more expensive than other supermarkets. swimming pool was ok but isnt really big enough to accommodate all the villas however the pool side bar comes in very handy. the marina is a 5 euro taxi ride away and is highly reccommended for restaurants you really are spoilt for choice. the whole site is very well maintained and is highly reccommended for any one wanting a very relaxing holiday. any one interested in sports there is a browns sports complex 5minutes walk away which is also highly reccommended.
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Aldeia do Golfe - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Style Holidays March 2004
Opinion submitted in Apr 2004 by : Dennis Buchan . Perthshire (62 55)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We arrived on the 20th March at the Aldiea de Golf complex,sunny skies,warm,almost hot,Called in at reception,got a friendly welcome,the key to the villa(semi-detatched) opened the door,the first reaction was...very impressive... and it just got better and better the best one word description is...........Superb.
We had arranged a hire car to be delivered through Style and as agreed the car was there at 2 pm,had a chat with the rep and agreed to take out additional car insurance which gave me peace of mind,like, for an extra 57E about£40,in the event of an accident,my fault or not ,I had no excess to pay whatsoever, the name of that company is Auto-Jardine Algarve,SA. very ,very helpful,nothing was too much trouble for the delivery guy. We had to give him an additional £40 cash as a guarantee that the fuel tank was full when he came back to collect it,it was and we got the cash back! I was, I admit,very nervous about driving on the "wrong side" of the road,but in truth it was quite easy,my biggest problem was that the gear change is of course on the right.It really is'nt so bad simply because everyone is on the"wrong side"... Having the freedom of the car we ventured to almost all of the ports,big and small all along the coast of the Algarve in out weeks stay.
Tips..If you are at tha Marina at Villamoura have look for Chico's Restuarante,it is well worth finding,very friendly atmosphere,Very good food,It was in fact the best meal of the week and the least expensive,by a mile.Give it a try.We will definatly be back to the Algarve region,hopefully to the same complex,and,we really look forward to it.The sushine was with us all the week which we learned from "locals" was very unusual for March.Don't worry about going to the complex,its great..Oh by the way,if you don't have a car,no worries there is is bus stop out side the complex,one minute from the complex,buses to anywhere you will ever want to go!
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Ampaleous Vila Gale - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Fleetway Travel - July 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : 23, 35
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We stayed at the 4 star Ampalius (Vila Gale) hotel in Vilamoura, Portugal for 1 week in July 2004.
Let me start by saying that our experience of the hotel was a good one and we would consider staying here again.
Here are our thoughts on the hotel
* The staff were all very helpful and friendly which is really important I think. We didn't encounter a single surly staff member the whole time that we were there.
* Breakfast was good with a fair choice of decent food and drinks.
* The hotel enjoys a very good location, with a 2 minute walk to the beach and a 5 minute walk to the harbour (which is where all the restaurants \ bars are).
*The Ampalius does have a pool, although it is of an average to small size. The sun-beds around this do tend to become "reserved" by towels before breakfast which is annoying but a commonplace practice everywhere these days. There is also a little grassy area with some shade for those that need it.
* The Ampalius has 2 tennis courts. My girlfriend had just started learning to play tennis before our holiday, and so whilst we were at the Ampalius she took a lesson (from the hotel's tennis coach) which she thought was very good and also fairly cheap by comparison to the cost of lessons here in the UK.
*There seemed to be a fair amount going on at the Ampalius in terms of recreational activities. There is a children's club which as far as I could see looked okay; and there are also regular organised activities for adults such as volleyball etc.
* One thing worth adding about Vilamoura hotels in general is that in a couple of reviews here I have seen people talk about (a) private beaches and (b) some hotels charging a great deal for using loungers \ parasols on said beaches. As far as I could see no hotels had their own private beaches - true some are right next to the beach , but access to the beach is not in any way limited to guests of that specific hotel.
Let me also add that whilst the charges for loungers \ parasols are indeed extremely high (can't remember how much exactly but enough to make me realise that "slumming it" with a towel wasn't such a bad idea after all) these charges are not anything to do with the hotels as far as I could see.
Our thoughts on the resort in general
* There are plenty of shops around the immediate area ranging from small super-markets to designer clothes shops.
* I don't play golf myself, but there are several courses very close by and judging by what we saw and heard, this would be a great place to stay if golf is your thing.
* We visited the "Splash & Slide" water park. It is a fair distance away from the Ampalius, but the hotel can arrange a combined coach \ entrance ticket for a reasonable price. The coach stop is literally just outside the hotel and we had no problems with our transportation which was punctual, comfortable and reliable.
The Water Park itself has some good slides although it did seem very crowded. Indeed one of the more popular rides required a queuing time of over half an hour - whilst even the less popular rides had queuing times of 10-20 minutes. Perhaps we just picked a busy day to go but I can't help thinking that we spent a great deal more time queuing for the rides that actually enjoying ourselves on them. Still worth a look I think.
* The harbour offers a huge variety of fishing and sight-seeing boat trips. These are quite reasonably priced.
* There are an awful lot of sea-food dishes on offer within the restaurants on the harbour. Great if you enjoy sea-food but a little limiting otherwise. If you are a vegetarian then your options are severely restricted.
I can recommend two restaurants on the harbour - "Tai Tai"- which is a nice Chinese restaurant with very friendly people; and "Il Lamparo" - which was a very enjoyable Italian restaurant (little bit more pricey that Tai Tai though). I think the food in both these places was very good but be warned that Il Lamparo is a popular choice for many people and tends to get very crowded which means that you sometimes have trouble attracting the waiter's attention.
Gripes
Our only real gripe was that despite asking our agent to arrange a sea-view room for us, we did not get one.
We did ask the hotel about this and they offered us a sea-view room the following day, but would be charging us 22 euros a night for the privilege.
We did take a look at sea-view room and I have to say that these are much larger than the non-sea view rooms ( I think someone else mentioned this in a review). Also, the non sea-view rooms do not have a balcony which is a real let-down.
Top tip for you - telephone \ e-mail the Ampalius yourself (even if your stay is being arranged as a package deal by an agent) and ask them for a sea-view room!
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Ampaleous Vila Gale - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Faye Profitt, 35,40,42,47,50,57
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from a marvellous holiday, our favourite places were as follows, The Irish Bar, Caddyshack for the terrific staff and efforts put in to entertain us, our favourite restraunt was Colombo's whHRC served seafood, beautiful steaks anything you wanted and the service was both efficient and pleasant. Do not miss the show at the casino but miss the meal, Very disappointed by Figos bar no 7 was ripped off with change twice and even complained to the manager, and finally our hotel was wonderful for all ages, entertainment nightly, food good, staff pleasant, pool cold but very clean.
All in all I would thoroughly recommend this resort and hotel to both golfers and non golfers and people of any age. Cant wait to return.
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Ampalius Hotel - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- 2006 / 2007
Opinion submitted in March 2007 by : Iain Hegarty 40+
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
A lovely resort made for golfers and non golfers alike. I was in a party of 12 man, 8 golfers and 4 non golfers.
The golfers had a great time on the courses while the nongolfers hit the nice beaches or wlked down the 5 miles plus of sea front.
The nights were cool (March) but pleasant.
The night life was good considering the time of year.
Recommend the Irish Cabin for a good bit of live music and drink.
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Ampalius Hotel - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: first choice june 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : 30´s 40´s
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Close to the beach, this hotel impressed the ladies in our group. We are not fussed when we go on holiday as long as everything is clean!! And the hotel was excetionally clean. Us males played golf 4 out of the 7 days which is excellent in vilamoura.
A tip for golfers......food at the courses is very pricey, we went to shakespeares and ordered our 'brunch' the night before and picked it up on route to the course, loads cheaper and proper bacon and sausages in the sandwiches. We had dinner there 3 times, which was great-try their homemade steak pies, wow! all homecooked food and they peel and cut their own chips. So our stomachs were very satisfied!
On the marina itself, look out for 'atlantic bar', its upstairs, and at night they have Bruno playing piano and singing frank sinatra-really good night out and not pricey on the drinks like the other bars on the marina.
Vilamoura itself is very clean and safe, but do watch your bags and pockets if your out late!
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Ampalius Hotel - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Golf Amigos March 2004
Opinion submitted in Mar 2004 by : Kaye 47, Jim 50, Norman 46, Linda 44
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
An absolutely fantastic holiday for Golfers and non golfer's alike. The hotel and area and importantly the people are fantastic. You do not need a car as their is unlimited free transfer to the Courses. There is a great feeling to Villamore and it is incredibly clean.
The hotel has lots to offer, the only down side was the seating on air 2000 so check around for better deals. You can go to a virtual site of the hotels and the courses for more information. It is disabled friendly though some of the pavements are uneven and cobbled. It can be quite windy and cool at times but it is easy to get burnt if your not careful. A golfers paradise and the same for anyone who loves a quiter more sporty area. Check out the \moulin Rouge show at the Casino it is incredible.
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Atlantic Hotel - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Lastminute.com - April 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Dawn McNeil - Chester (43,40)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
Booked 5* all inclusive. On the 2nd night we viewed the food on display and decided to eat out. 1st time we have been offered brussel sprouts on holiday in the Algarve.
Realised the menu catered for the many Saga guests.
Tried three rooms before we settled for one overlooking the beach. Beds were rusty, carpets stained and the hotel generally needed a total refurbishment.
Vilmoura is still a good resort with plenty on offer. Why all the graffitti??
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Travel Republic Oct 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Lorraine Crawford Scotland
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
This is definately not a five star hotel. It is shabby and dated and has probably not had its rating looked at since it was built over 20 years ago! Went on a half board basis and the food was utterly disgusting. The breakfast consisted of eggs swimming in grease and hotdogs and chips, all cold. Both at breakfast and dinner which was buffet style, (there was stewed cabbage one night) If you are on a weight watching exercise, this is the place to go. It was so unorganised that it was like feeding time at the zoo. In its defence, the rooms were cleaned everyday and the pools were good.
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook-14/9/06-28/9/06
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : brian wharton .birmingham 68,64]
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
we stayed in the atlantis hotel in sept of 2006 .we were told that it was a 5 star hotel.
we were disaponted that that it was listed as 5 star it should be 3 star.swimming pools were very good inside and out and the gardens.food was not good could not do hot breakfast.but had a goog choice of fruit and cereal.this was every day.entertaiment was poor.bar staff good maid staff very good.reception staff not very helpful .
do not use the hotel bedroom phone as it was very over priced...
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Expedia - March 2006
Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : Jennifer Townsend - London
Resort Rating: Poor
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
This hotel is marketed as a luxury five star but is more like three star. I would not recommend staying at this hotel at all.
the decor is faded and reminds you of the 1970's as is the "gym" which consists of two cycling machines (none of which work) and a running machine that is quite frankly dangerous.
The worst thing about this hotel is the food. The five star breakfast consists of fake orange juice, stale bread, eggs swimming in water, tinned chipolatas and tinned fruit. Thankfully we only had to endure the breakfast but we made the mistake of eating at the hotel restaurant one night. The food was worse than school dinners, with tinned spaghetti and a tomato sauce that was like soup for the vegetarians and for us meat eaters a fish pie that had a mysterious crunchy film on top and a hair for extra measure. More stale bread and tinned fruit...need i go on any further. For this delicious meal we were charged 48 euros. A complete rip off considering we had eaten fantastic three course meals with wine for the same price in the local restaurants.
We complained at the cost of this meal and offered to pay 20 euros for the plate of fruit and three stale bread rolls we could stomach. The attitude of the staff on reception was shocking for people who are suppossed to be trained in customer service. No apology was offered and instead we were accussed of trying to get a free meal! When we pointed out that others had complained to us about the food we were told "whatever".
I hope that this hotel will take on board customer feedback and change their ways.
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Saga, November 2005
Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : 65, 58
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel Atlantis should not be 5 star, more 3, in fact I have stayed in better 3 star hotels. Although we went with Saga, would not recommend anyone to go in November if they are not in a wheelchair, or on a Zimmer frame, you feel the odd one out!
Hotel desperately needs refurbishing. If you enjoy good food, this is not the place - it was lukewarm and with little variety, which is difficult when you are on an all-inclusive basis, as you don't want to pay extra to eat out all the time, though we did in desperation a couple of times.
Entertainment not special, but we still managed to enjoy ourselves. Bar staff were superb, and found all the hotel staff very helpful and friendly, but did feel they were understaffed and under pressure.
The Casino is well worth a visit, they have a caberet with evening meal which is excellent.
We have complained to Saga.
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: june 2005 independent booking
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : vicki scotland (47, 48 & 21)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
the rooms were nice and very big the maid service was really good. balcony veiw was a brick wall the staff were unfriendly they never smiled or greeted you in the morning.
the food was warm but not very nice. the prices in the hotel bar were very expensive. nice big pool area. more 2* than 5*. there is a pub called the caddyshack not far from hotel that does good food plus figos at the marina and the indian resturant in front of the olympus hotel.
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (Cosmos Discounts) Cosmos - June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Roger Farr - Bath (53) Janette Ford ( 44 )
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Superb hotel two minutes walk from beach & five minutes from marina & shops, bars & resturants.We would highly recommend if you like chinese food the Tai Tai at the marina, there are also numerous eateries situated in the back streets surrounding the marina.The Seta bar which is part owned by Portugese international footballer Luis Figo is a great place for celebrity spotting and watching the world go by in the evening.We would recommend this hotel & resort to anybody wishing a relaxing holiday.
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: June 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Martin & Marilyn Rochdale (50)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Lots of nice shops & restaurants around the marina , good beaches. The hotel staff were all very helpful and friendly, there is plenty of room for sunbathing around the pool or the grass surroundings, there are more than enough sunbeds and mattresses,you will be able to get one at anytime of the day.Large well kept outdoor pool, also indoor pool,
we recommend this hotel and we will be going back.
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Markham Travel- May 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : George Southworth - Wigan (69,64)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We went in May,knowing the temperature later on would be too hot for us.
It was ideal-75 degrees.
The Atlantis is an oldish hotel,Portugese owned and staffed.
The rooms are very large containing 2 very large beds,all with balcony.
They were immaculate,spotlessly cleaned with clean bed linen and towels EVERY day.
We had bed and breakfast so I can't comment on the main meal,i.e.Dinner.
The breakfast was buffet style with ample selection.However,surprisinly after many years they have not mastered the art of keeping the food hot.We abondoned the "luke warm" eggs etc.and settled for continental style breakfasts.This was good as there was plenty to select from.
The beach is 2 minutes walk from the hotel and is wide and kept immaculately clean.
10 minutes walk is the Marina around which there is EVERY kind of restaurant you could wish for,all reasonably priced serving excellent food,predominately Fish.
Having said that our favourite place for Dinner was a privately owned place just off the Marina called "Petunia's".
If you don't play golf there is not a great deal of entertainment which suited us as we walked a lot.Mainly down the beach road to a nearby Fishing village called Quanteira each day.There is a beautiful promenade and a large open
market with street entertainers.
If there was a down side to the Atlantis it is the fact that they have built a big casino not far away.This is no problem but there is a Disco club attached to it and if your room faces on to it ( as ours did) you hear the noise of the teenagers leaving between 4-5 am on Thurs/Fri/Sat.
If we went again we would DEFINITELY insist on a room on the opposite side of the hotel.
All in all a very peaceful,safe,immaculately clean place in which to holiday.
We will probably go again.
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Independent - April 2005
Opinion submitted in Apr 2005 by : K & C - Basildon (48, 47)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Hotel is not a 5*, more a 3*, and is in need of some refurbishment. However, the rooms were spacious and clean. Sheets were changed daily. We had a balcony overlooking the beach and marina. The staff were very friendly and helpful.
We booked this Hotel direct, not via a Travel Agency or Tour Operator. We were booked on a half board basis, for six nights. We had also pre-arranged and collected a hire car from the airport.
The Hotel food (breakfast & dinner) were very good. However, we chose to eat-out for 3 nights, as there are numerous choices of restaurant's available in the nearby marina.
Overall the Hotel offered very good value for money, is in a prime position overlooking the beach and marina, and the resort is very well maintained.
We wanted a quiet relaxing holiday, and this is what we got !
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Bill Goff - March 2005
Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : 44, 42, 39, 28
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Be aware this Hotel is predominantly booked for Saga holidays. Rooms are spacious and well maintained. Indoor swimming pool is very good. Tennis courts are unplayable with cracked clay giving an appearance of having suffered a minor earthquake. Breakfast does not start until 7.30 which is not ideal for golfers with early tee times. Buffet breakfast very poor quality for 5* rated hotel.
Although hotel is comfortable, there are too many negative points to make me return.
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : De & Patterson - Essex (42,41)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Very nice resort in a very nice location. Close to the beach and near an excellent Marina. Plenty of good restaurants, food portions huge, white sangria superb ! Curiously the more expensive the restaurant, the poorer the service. Can get a very good meal/drink for 2 people for approx EUR30.
Hotel Atlantis - advertised as 5*. However we have stayed in 4* hotels in Paris & Seville recently which have been far superior. Had to pay for the safe and to buy a map, not acceptable in a '5*' hotel.
On the plus side hotel very clean, staff very friendly and helpful. Great outdoor pool.
All the above constructive feedback was provided to the hotel. Received a letter from the General Manager, who only was interested in the positive comments and ignored the less positive ones ! Suggest anyone leaving comments to make it only positive, otherwise you are wasting your time.
In summary would thoroughly recommend Vilamoura if you are after a relaxing, stress free holiday. If you want luxury accomodation Hotel Atlantis will disappoint and not live up to your expectations.
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
-October 2004
Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Jones 40,41,18
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Ok so the hotel rating is 5star, the breakfast is only eatable if you shut your eyes and your taste buds, but i think this hotel is special!
Came here 14years ago and the hotel was amazing then better then a 5star even, the pool areas were amazing, the staff were friendly however a coffee was around the equivilent of £5 which was very expensive. the roooms were spacious and clean and they are still exactly that. The evening entertainment back then was amazing with outside buffet, talk about living it up! This no longer exists!
Basically if you stay in alot of 5 star hotels then your goin to be dissapointted however if your use to nice clean accomadation with a lovly pool in a beautiful location you will be fine!
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Hotel Atlantis - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: med hotels - Aug / Sept 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Chris B,50,
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Arrived 2nd september 2004 for what was supposed to be a relaxing week in 5 star Atlantis Hotel,What a dissapointement,definitely overated by at least 2 stars.Now 22years old it is very dated and in desperate need of a major facelift.
Bedroom was clean and spacious,with a good view towards the sea and marina.The outside pool area was a disgrace,the paint was peeling in the pool and the surrounding area was not cleaned during our seven night stay,the same dirty ash tray and discarded lolly sticks were there when we arrived and are probably still there now.
Breakfast was a hit and miss affair with cold food,and the staff never managed a smile or a "good morning" during our stay.
Vilamoura in general was ok but with a couple of exceptions eating out proved to be something of a dissapointement with overpriced average resteraunts serving up cafe style food with resteraunt prices. I dont think we will return to this area again as there are far more beautiful welcoming resorts in the med at half the price
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Casa Apartments - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Owners Direct - 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Lee Schofield - Bham 55.56,36,35.15,8,3
Resort Rating: Poor
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
This apartment is not in the central of Vilamoura it is a long way away,you do did a car, they say a shop is down the road, yes but does not sell things you would need for every day, so we have to travel into Vilamoura. The apartments were not clean and they had dogs (3) and cats (2) which i did not know about. IN our apartment the cooker did not work good job my parents had the apart. downstairs so they did the cooking, but if you did not know the people below god knows you would have cooked.
The owners were nice people but I would not go again. They seen a little tight to spend money (eg bottle opener had a screw init, cups not clean could do with new ones, and overall could do with been updated in the apartments) outside the grounds were nice, but a few days before we came home my hushand and mom both came out with a rash they think it was the pool (never seen anyone cleaning it) no smoke alarms, had to go though two gates to get in (great security) but a pain in the ass when you come home late and the water hose is on (got wet every night).
Overall about the apartment would not tell any one to go (too far away from anything),so you have been warned.
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Clube Hotel Apartmento Do Algarve - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: October 2004
Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Stu & Sarah - Birmingham (32, 24)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We booked a separate flight and accomodation for £205 each so wasn't expecting anything fantastic as we just wanted a quiet Autumn break for a week to remind ourselves what the sun looked like!
The accomodation -
Very nicely laid out apartment with a good size kitchen with all utensils, bathroom and a bed/living area with satellite tv. We had the ground floor T-0 apartment for 2 people which had a large balcony area approx 12' by 9' looking onto the pool area but the downside of this was that there were rows of trees/bushes blocking most of the sun anyway. The apartment was secure as it had a security key and all electicity except fridge was automatically turned off after removing the key from it's slot and outside the front door was a parking bay (as you'd probably need a car!) The apartment overall was good in my opinion for the price we paid although the beds were not very comfortable but isn't that usually the same everywhere.
The Hotel complex -
It had a large indoor swimming pool, although we never used it, an indoor bar which should have been open instead of the pool bar for off season times but we didn't complain. Downstairs was a large games room with table tennis, table footy and dart boards with a couple of tables and chairs but nobody ever went down there as it was out of sight of the sun and looked a bit gloomy to be honest.
The restaurant looked reasonable on prices although, yes you've guessed, we never ate there but there weren't too many options on the menu. They had a small library too. The pool sold it to us though as it was out of season it was pretty quiet and relaxing and there were two pools, a large adult size pool which was very clean and a childs paddling pool, which i had a dip in as i can't swim! The pool bar should have closed by the date we arrived but i think they kept it open just for me, good for lager, sangria and some toasties but nothing too extravagant. The hotel was orientated towards Germans, not that that was a bad thing as there were other english people too but 90% of the info was in German and also the satellite channels.
The location -
This was the worst point of the holiday especially at night, although it was a 10 minute walk to the marina area we were faced with a walk along a 400metre deserted road lit only half way down and along a dark unlit beach front which again was completely deserted apart from the odd brave couple. The road had another fenced off hotel complex on one side and derelict land on the other, with two abandoned and demolished cars and an open sewer channel at the end of the road - not a good first impression when we ventured out. The only other way around this area was a 25 minute walk around the main roads but even this was a daunting prospect as it was flanked by lots of trees/hedges and bad lighting and still nobody to be seen apart from the occasional person every now and then - it really did unsettle my partner and me and it seemed more like a no-go area with curfews in place, very eerie feel to the area - quite a lot of graffiti everywhere too. Once by the marina area though it was fine, we knew it was going to be quiet but not what we had experienced. It was a case of right place, wrong location.
Overall -
As mentioned, right place, wrong location and we were getting taxi's most of the nights at 5 euro's each way - silly considering it was a 10 minute walk but we decided not to risk walking in pitch black area's to the marina. The marina was our main haunt and was lively with people but the atmosphere was lacking apart from the bar called "The 19th Hole" if i can recall correctly, full of British male golfer's. Other bars looked like they could be lively in the main season such as Luis Figo's bar,"Bar 7" but even they only had several people in them during the night unless a football game was on.
5 out of 10.
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Dom Pedro Golf - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Avro - Sept 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Sue and John (43, 44)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel / resort is only 20 mins from airport (25 to 30 euro's taxi fare each way). Hotel was good. Grounds are extensive, quiet and relaxing. No problem getting a sunlounger at any time of the day, however the hotel does not provide any parasols, there are trees for shade though. The resort is just a 5 min walk away, which has plenty of resturants / bars.
In our opinion, you can't help but love Vilamoura and we will certainly be back to this resort / hotel.
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Dom Pedro Golf - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook June 06
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : TE + ME 33, 33
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
just a note to say that i agree with the other recent review for this hotel.
breakfast was good but there were queues. The main pool was full of suncream and did not look very clean.
Hotel decor was tired.
It's not European 4 star but is the same as Caribbean 4 star if that helps!
I wouldn't go back. Not because it was bad but because it was mind blowingly good!
the best hotel certainly looked to be the Tivotel by the marina...
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Dom Pedro Golf - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Independent - June 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Mr & Mrs B.M. - Preston (62,62)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
I booked the Dom Pedro Golf after reading numerous positive reports on this website ............ then my wife pointed out that the vast majority of reviews were over 2 years old ..... perhaps an omen.
On checking-in, first impressions were not good. The Dom Pedro Golf is obviously an old hotel with many attempts at refurbishment. The general decor is depressing with everything and everywhere colour co-ordinated in dark brown and a colour that can best be described as 'diarrhoea'. However, after the initial shock, the hotel is in fact generally clean, quite functional with good service in all areas, but the facilities are not of 4 star standard which is the sole reason for rating this hotel as 'average'.
Bedrooms are well furnished and spotlessly clean but short of drawer space. We had a 'club room'on the 7th floor but the so called 'extras' did not seem to warrant the additional cost over a standard room.
The dining room appeared small for the size of hotel and quite long queues formed for breakfast after 8.45am. The breakfast buffet consisted of a good variety of cold food and a limited selection of hot food. Strangely, the hot food did not include fried eggs but these are available at a supplement. The overall quality of all food was most acceptable.
For those on B&B terms, there is an outdoor snack bar which provides a good selection of food at reasonable prices.
There are two swimming pools. A very large one for adults and a smaller one for children. However, the cleanliness of the large pool left a lot to be desired.
Sunloungers are provided around the swimming pools and in the large gardened areas. However, the quantity of sunloungers is insufficient for the number of hotel guests and quite a number of sunloungers were either broken or unusable.
Childrens facilities consisted of a playground with two swings, a see-saw and a slide, in a large area of sand which unfortunately seemed to be used as a toilet by the all the neighbourhood cats.
Daytime organised activities were no problem ... there is none... despite the hotel having three good quality tennis courts and a volleyball court.
Evening live entertainment is provided in the large and well furnished lounge by a competent duo playing a mixture of modern and golden oldie songs. There is also a small dance floor.
Shortly after arrival, all guests are invited to view the modernisation and refurbishment of the top floor (9th floor).What they conveniently forget to tell you is this is actually a hard sell time-share presentation lasting 3 hours. It would appear that the entire hotel will eventually be converted to a time-share complex over a period of many years.
Vilamoura is a very good relaxing resort with an excellent beach and marina. There are many restaurants around the marina and at adjacent resorts.
We would srongly recommend the Il Lampara Italian restaurant and the Harbour View Chinese around the marina and Monty's restaurant at nearby Vale do Lobo.
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Dom Pedro Golf - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Mr & Mrs B - Yorks (37, 33)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our second visit to this hotel as we had been very impressed the first time. We weren't disappointed on our second visit, in fact, it had improved further. The staff are courteous and helpful and everything is spotless. The Pool guys take your sun mattress to the bed for you and they give you free beach towels each day. The grounds are massive and even when full you have plenty of space. The pools are kept very clean too. Breakfast- considering all the different nationalities and breakfast styles they have to cater for it is excellent. Good quality food and a huge choice of cereals, fruits, breads, jams as well as a hot selection. We stayed B&B so i can't comment on other meals.
The resort is lovely - thankfully the tattooed massess tend to stay in Albufeira rather than venture to Vilamoura. Restaurants - recommend Nosolo Italia for pizza & pasta. Il Lamparo for fancy food (good quality though). Fornaretto for excellent fillet steaks. Tai Tai for superb chinese and the Thai restaurant for thai - obviously! Ferraro Chicken House for Chicken Piri-Piri.
Forget the 19th Hole for food and drink - rubbish all round really and overpriced.
Golfers will have a fantastic time. We played. The courses are in superb condition. Look for deals on green fees though as it can be pricey.
The casino is worth a visit but be warned - minimum bet on slots in 5 euro and 20 euro on tables!!
All in all Vilamoura is great. Probably better for couples than for families though to be honest. We will definitely be going again and staying at Dom Pedro!
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Dom Pedro Golf - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (Cosmos Discounts) Cosmos july 04
Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : hyde party
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
the hotel is amazing we are golfer so this was fanastic for us all
it was wonderful weather we even went to the casino next to the hotel and watched chicago that was good though see no point in them stripping but hey
we did find golf a bit pricey but then the greens were amanzing well kept and away from time share villamour it self is a new built up place it has a lovely marina for a nice strol in the eveing and a few bars rui beeing the lively one ona friday and few couple of clubs for the young people
the hotel has a lovely pool and nice bars lovely staff
there was a rep on hand if we needed him and we didnt only to know when we were going home
faro airport can be tight on golf clubs we didnt pay any extra though they let us go which was nice though the rep does warn you you may have to pay extra
the only problem we had was a 1hr delay coming out to resort and the transfer took forever as we coach couldnt turn the corner, after droppin at a hotel in quaurtia it got stuck the rep did tell us what was going on and said the ploice have been, noted and it could take a few hours and said sorry that whena handy guy said, come on lads and we helped move the car the rep thanked us and asked if we were ok and not hurt she looked rather worried that we could hurt our self movin the car and promised to buy us a pint
our rep phil at the hotel was lovely and always on hand but like i said the reosrt was so good we didnt need him i highy reccomend this hotel
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Dom Pedro Golf - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: June 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Andrew Cook 41, 39, 1
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Dom Pedro Golf hotel is very very clean, everything is polished every day, floors, rooms, lifts, tables "if it doesn't move polish it". Staff are very friendly, large breakfast buffet with a good choice, it does however look exactly the same every morning, but how can you change 6 choices of fruit, croissants, bread rolls, good choice of cereals etc ?
Very spacious grounds, with plenty of sunbeds, only saw one person on the early morning towel run in ten days, and then coudn't work out why they bothered, perhaps its just a natural instinct ?
Evening entertainment is quite loud if you have a room facing the gardens, as the noise carries upwards, if you want peace and quiet ask for a room at the front. Vilamoura very clean with a good choice of restraunts, or take a ten minute walk to Quatera which is more of a traditional Portuguese holiday resort. Quatera fish market in the mornings is quite an experience, with fisherman selling their catch laid out on the ground, outside the harbour gates.
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: cosmos june 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : dave 55 maureen 49
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
this hotel is in a perfect location for the marina and beach. although in need of a update it is very clean. the staff are friendly. more info at reception would for been helpfull. would recomend eating out off the marina not as busy so more personal. the beaches are very clean and used by all ages. recommend eating at the concorde and vittoria. nice touches at the hotel fruit, bottled water and newspaper in the room daily plus tea and biscutes about 6pm every day.
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: First Choice - Sep/Oct 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Firth - 50's
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
Great Hotel made to feel very welcome, some nice touches ie bowl of fruit replaced daily, water daily, tea and biscuits around 5.30pm, use of mini bar fridge,bathrobes,welcome bottle of port and flower all gratis, towels and bed linen changed daily, all employees cheerful and helpful, i could go on and on about this hotel[you need to sample it]great location for the golf[i played 3 times[all booked via hotel when i got there,discounted]also shuttle service to courses and back, i played Millenium/Pinhal/Laguna all great.
There are loads of bars and resturants to go at 19th hole and the piano bar[Atlantic]being our favourites for entertainment and drinking[Magners]best resturant for us 2 great meals was Fragata[special fillet steak]
We had a couple of bad experiences in resturants,1 carnt remember name of[great food italian]tried charging for extra dishes on 2 occasions[so check your bills]and the other was at the old navy[looks posh from the outside]spider running across table[great start]bone size of thumb nail in fish ball nibble [first one tasted]meal was awful[waitress asked if i enjoyed it i said no,her only reply was are you sure, i said yes, she then returned with a menu for sweets i said you are joking and off she went, when the bill was presented they wanted to charge us for bread and butter for 2[in a basket]which we never touched, so i asked to speak to manager[waste of time,no imagination]paid bill minus 4 euros for bread and butter.
Apart from that we had a great week and will be returning to the hotel/resort
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: ICON Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Colin and Jane 47- 49
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Dom Pedro Marina is at best satisfactory . From the start the reception is pretty dark and uninspiring and staffed by on the whole pleasant people, however there are one or two who do nothing for the group of hotels to which this one belongs. The bar area isn't to bad, they have just decreased the price of drinks to get more people in. The week we stayed there August 2006 the height of season there were no more than a dozen people in there when we looked in. An organist does his best to provide some sort of entertainment but fell short after a few days owing to a repetitive song list.
The pool is tiny and is surrounded by beds I think someone from on high has read previous reviews and got some more in. There were always beds available regardless of the time of day. The rest of the area was grass which thankfully was shaded by palm trees which was a godsend when it got too hot.
The rooms were not up to much small, tiled floor and sparsely furnished. The balcony was tiny and barely had enough room for two people. The breakfast was good; again someone had been reading previous reviews and had decided to lay on a decent ever changing menu.
If I had children I would not go there, it's just that there is nothing for them to do or space to run around. There is a hotel opposite called the Ampalius which seemed far better in fact I wished I had stayed there.
If you have a late flight and want to keep the room for a few hours more then be prepared to stump up 77 Euros. What a take on the most I have ever paid is 25 Euros and in better hotels.
The hotel is ideally placed for the beach 300 yards away and the marina across the road. There is also a bus stop directly outside the hotel. We got buses to Albufria and to Faro all for a few Euros. The buses are clean air conditioned and much cheaper than taxis. The buses run two time tables they both go too the same place but one is local that is slow and the other is Direct which gets you there in no time. Look for the sign on the front of the bus. The market in Quiteria is also accessible by bus however for a change walk along the beach on the way back it only takes about twenty minutes and is a nice walk.
The other problem is time share touts who for some reason hang around outside the hotel I didn't see them any where else and they were a pain. I think it was because a few times I saw time share salesmen in the bar giving out the patter to couples who had taken the bait outside. When I am sitting down drinking coffee and reading the paper in the morning the last thing I want to hear is some greasy salesman extolling the virtues of time share.
If you can't afford the extra for the room when you have a late flight home and have to use the hotel facilities don't expect privacy the shower is in the toilets and doesn't have a door.
The bottom line is would I go there again...I'm afraid not there are better hotels with much better rooms
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Travel Counsellors - July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Lancashire (31, 28)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This hotel is fantastic, excellent service and facilities. Pool area is great and lots of sundbeds available, we went peak season - July and had no trouble in getting sunbeds. Food at the hotel is fab, we went bed & breakfast, the breakfast is really good, everything you would want is available hot & cold. We had lunch a couple of times at the pool bar and its really good, a little more expensive than in resort but worth it and without any hassle of leaving the hotel! We got drinks dailey from the shop/supermarket accross the road, water etc for round the pool in the day. Our room was lovely and clean, we were brought mineral water and fresh fruit every day when the room got cleaned and at 6pm (on the dot) we got a tea tray with biscuits etc. Had a lovely veiw of the Marina, we were on the 3rd floor, try and get a room as high up as possible.
Resort itself is georgeous, loved walking round the Marina, especially in a morning when it wasnt quite as hot. The boats in the Marina are huge, enjoyed looking at them and dreaming! Theres loads of restaurants to choose from, would recommend the Mayflower and another one which was just up from the Old Navy, set back from the Marina and also an Italian, it was a huge place on a corner, always really busy. The beach was nice, just went for half a day as it was too hot for me.
Went for a week, could have easily stayed another week. Hotel is in a fantastic location. Couldnt fault the hotel or resort at all, the holiday was excellent and will definatley be going back....soon I hope!
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - July 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Paul Keenan - Sunderland 39,48
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Vilamoura is an excellent cosmoplitan area. The marina is fantastic, never seen so many Aston Martin's !!
Not as expensive as everyone made out, some bars/restaurants are better than others though.
Places of excellence...The Irish cabin(fantastic live music),Atlantic bar(great Sinatra tribute) and definitely look for Vilamoura's Original Steak House.(It's behind Figo's Bar). You've never tried lamb like it and the steak's are to die for.The staff are great and no language barrier. Best place for Piri-Piri prawns. O'Neills(Irish bar)on the marina has a great atmosphere and the fish'n'chips are great for under 6 euros.
There's a quaint little English cafe called Shakespeares that serves great home made food and the staff are English too.
Places to avoid...The Navy Bar on the marina was awful, after waiting nearly 10 minutes for a waiter to take our order, we had to wait a further 30 minutes for it to arrive. Then after paying, we had to ask for our change, I always leave a tip but that was ridiculous. 19th Hole was a karaoke bar, very loud and very rowdy after midnight.
Hotel was lovely, we always go 4 or 5 star and wasn't disappointed at all. The staff were very polite and very helpful. Watch out for the barman who keeps the ball up on his head for ages( Guinness record holder apparently).Not a lot of room around the pool but the palm trees helped with the heat. There aren't any facilities for children in the hotel except for a childrens pool and a pool table. Rooms are well equipped and you are allowed to use the fridge for your own drinks if you ask at reception. Breakfast is a bit monotonous after 2 weeks but the choice is good. Go early to avoid the rush.
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (Cosmos Direct) Cosmos - June 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Stewart and Tracey Hill - Northwich (27,27)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel superb. Very clean and the staff very helpful and friendly. We got a free newspaper under our door every morning and complimentary tea and biscuits every evening.
Pool was lovely and very clean. When no one was in it the cleaners were straight out with thier nets to keep it free of leaves. We went in june and expected to struggle for sun loungers, but there was always loads of them and loads of space to put them so you wern't too close to other people.
We thought the pool bar in the evenings was too quiet and afer one day used to just head straight for the marina without stopping for a drink, which was a shame because it was nice, just no one there!
Marina was superb. We used to head out about 8.30 and was on the marina in about 2 minutes. We were greeted by a lovely view of the sunset over the marina and all the superb boats and yachts. More than enough restaurants offering a wide selection of meals: Italian, Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Mexican, seafood a lovely steakhouse and the food was delicious and the service was always brilliant where ever we went.
After the meal there were a few bars to go to but we tended to stick to three. Starting in O Neils where there was live music and a great atmosphere. Plus you could enjoy a bottle of Magners or a pint of Guinness. Look out for when the irish singer is on as he always get the crowd singing.
Then on to the Figos bar which again has a great atmosphere and good music.
Finally on to the 19th Hole, where the Karaoke plays till the early hours and by that point, if your like me, you only know you've sang a song the wife reminds you in the morning of your very poor version of 'it's raining Men!!'.
In Conclusion, Great Holiday, Didnt want it to end, would highly recommend it!!!
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: August 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Jane Lees- West Midlands - 30-26
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We landed at Faro and all was lovely, the weather was hot and the airport staff were very quick in getting the baggage out (which was a pleasent surprise). We arrived at the hotel and our roomwas ready, which was unexpected as we had landed at 9.30am, the porter greeted us and took us to our room which i thought was lovely. We only went on the one beach which was about 5 minutes walk to from the hotel, the beach was lovely and the beach bar was nice too, reasoabley priced with lovely sandwhiches. The sunbeds were 12 euros for two and that was for a half day.
The restaurants I found were very different, the service was terrible they did not know what they were doing and the food was not that great either. It was not expensive but the food and service leavess a lot to eb desired.
We did take a private yacht for 2 hours with Polvo Limited, this made the holiday, the staff were lovely and it was a brilliant experience.
The night life is ok, but quiet but we enjoyed that.
We left and when we got back we found englidh money missing from our bag, the only place this could have gone missing was the hotel, we reported it but there was nothing we could do.. We had not used the safe as it was not working but as we have not ecperienced anything like this before we thought it would be ok, so my advice would be to put all valuables in a safe.
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Security Travel - July 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Vicky - Bristol 31, 38
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We booked this via securitytravel.co.uk at a much reduced price, no transfer included however taxi only £20 from airport. The hotel was ideally located a few minutes from both the marina and beach.
There is a very good waterpark (Aqua Show) only a few minutes away in a taxi. Hotel very clean (rooms cleaned every day) they were also air conditioned which was heaven! Pay extra for a sea view and try and get a high floor for maximum view. We were B&B and could not fault the breakfast; very fresh and lots of it (no fried eggs although you could apparently request these) dining room lovely and by the pool. The pool was very clean and we never struggled to get loungers although did secure them most days before breakfast with the free towels and mattresses provided by the hotel.
We did not spend a lot of time on the beach as we prefer the pool however did venture on to it a few times for a walk. Quite a large beach and very clean. Marina at night fantastic - so many restaurants to choose from. Would recommend a lovely steak restaurant called Caisi, Indian King (name speaks for itself!) ok setting not great ie not on the marina, however food great, Casa de Pescador (a portuguese restaurant back from the marina - better setting than the indian) lovely food, restaurante Cancun (a mexican) by the hotel (nachos disappointing though) Harbour View (fab Chinese restaurant) and also another great chinese (the first one you come to as you walk from hotel to Marina) The most we spent on a meal was 50 euros and included a bottle of bubbly and 3 courses! We ended up in the karaoke bar (on the marina - think it was called the 19th Hole) great fun - tip the later you go the less people in there, so if you want to sing without too much of an audience try the early hours! Good supermarket by hotel - mateuse rose just over 3 euros a bottle!
All in all would recommend this resort/hotel especially for couples.
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: July 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Julie and |Keith ( 49,37)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Dom Pedro Marina hotel is lovely, very close to all the amenities.
Cleaners were in every day and a good standard od cleanliness throughout the hotel.
The pool area is nice although were beach lovers and didn't sit around the pool,there were always spare sunbeds if we had wanted to.
Very quiet at night, just a piano singer so didn't get busy.
Breakfasts were lovely, plenty of choice, could have had a different type of breakfast every day.
Overall it was a good hotel and would definetley return.
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Own - May 2005
Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Mark - Blackpool (49,45)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel is well located. close to the Marina, higher floors are beeter for the view. Rooms are reasonably spacious, well maintaned with limited English Sat. programmes.
We were on a b+b basis, the breakfasts were fresh fruit, lovely granary bread and English breakfasts, buffet style with attentive staff, in fact all the staf seemed well trained and motivated, a plus for the management.
Biggest negative was sun beds, it has a very limited sunbathing area and we struggled to get one in early May, it must be chaotic in peak season when the hotel is full.
Overall, a good reasonably priced hotel.
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - January 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Michelle - Glasgow (26, 36, 49, 51)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
We found this hotel in a great location overlooking the sea. Hotel very clean with spacious rooms. Pool area very good and staff very friendly, only criticism was the breakfasts. We stayed on a b&b basis and glad we did. Went in january this year and weather was fab! Had about five hours of sunshine which was excellent for january time. Did get a bit chilly at night thoguh. Vilamoura is a beautiful man made resort with plenty of lovely boats in the marina (nice shops also!!) We enjoyed walking round the marina after our dinner found restuarants good value. Chinese restaurants very good also.some good portugese bars just up from the marina. All in a truly lovely place.
Cant wait to go back! By far the best resort in the algarve. Going to fuengorila this january due to no flights from glasgow in january on new years day.
Hope you enjoy as much as we did!
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Self booked-September 2004
Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Robin and Sue Sainty - Norfolk (48,47)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
A well equipped,clean and spacious hotel with nice staff.The resort itself is in no way representative of Portugal,but its a nice base.The Marina restaurants are a rip off - bland and catering to the unadventurous palate.Howver,we would recommend the Swedish restaurant on the far side and the fish one next to it.
One tip,however.Don't change small amounts of travellers cheques at in Vilamoura.There is a flat charge(or robbery as we call it in this country) of 12 Euros PER TRANSACTION!!
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook September 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Bob Oatway 54,59
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Resort was fantastic,Hotel and staff were excellent,hotel was extremley clean.If you want to see the countryside and the people take a trip with the jeep safari,well worth the money.Also the cruises along the coast are worth doing.Plenty of places to eat and drink,Marina can be a little dearer than further inland but well worth it as the view whilst eating is great.Coach tour "Best of the West" was interesting but a very long day and tiring,left hotel at 08:00 got back at 19:15.
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Palmair - September 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Brian Runyard - Poole (56,55)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
The entire holiday was excellent. We couldn't fault the hotel, it was very clean and the staff friendly.
Had no trouble getting sun loungers and towels, which were free unlike some hotels.
The hotel doesn't cash travellers cheques although their sister hotel the Dom Pedro Golf does, but chrges 6% commission, so best to cash them elsewhere.
Go for bed and breakfast as there are plenty of places to eat at the marina.
We will certainly be staying at this hotel again.
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Pineapple June 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : S Singh, 38,30,8,6,1
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The hotel on first appearance looks very good and is in a superb location near the marina. We had a family suite with lots of room for all and the pool was excellent. The cleanliness was superb in the rooms and the hotel itself, with the staff who went out of their way to help you. The marina did get a bit boring after a few days, unless you love looking at yachts bobbibg up and down all day long. If you are a vegetarian, then be prepared to live on pizza and pasta, I don't think they have a clue on what veggies eat. There was a great indian resturant called Indian King Palace, a must if you like curries. Do try to travel around away from Vilamoura as it can get expensive eating there all the time. Otherwise, it was a fantastic holiday and a great place to relax and unwind. The beaches were great too.
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Hotel Dom Pedro Marina - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Independent - January 2004
Opinion submitted in Jan 2004 by : Paul & Philippa Mizen - Suffolk. 52,48
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
A lovely hotel in a great location. We had a top floor room (7th floor) so had a great sea view and the sun all day. Breakfast was excellent - a very wide choice. There are so many places to eat in Vilamoura - every nationality of food imaginable - yes it may be a bit more expensive round the marina but you do get a great view. Hotel is very clean - the maids do a great job.
January is a very quiet month in the Algarve - lots of golfers - during the day there was hardly anyone about - you could have the pool (a bit cold) and the sun terrace to yourself.
We would return to this hotel - we have been to the Algarve many times and love it.
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Dom Pedro Portobelo - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Cooper September 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : 62,62,60,56
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
After reading the reviews on the Portobelo I was rather apprehensive about our stay. I need not have been, yes, the hotel could do with sprucing up and some more modern furniture to replace the seventies style G Plan furniture. The air conditioning was good, although a few of the electrical sockets could do with being replaced. The rooms were very spacious and well supplied with cutlery and cooking facilities.
We were bed and breakfast but were pleased that we could make an early morning tea/coffee in our rooms before facing the day. The rooms were well cleaned each day. We found the reception, bar and dining room staff friendly and extremely helpful, contrary to previous reviews. The breakfast was what you would expect in continetal hotels but we did have a semblance of an English breakfast with bacon and sausage on alternate days, with beans and scrambled egg and did not need to cross the square to the other Dom Pedro hotels as other reviewers suggested.
The pool was adequate and not crowded and the Dom Pedro Marina pool a good alternative if necessary. Decent lunches could be bought at the bar and eaten in or outside. The only minor irritation was the music, only one CD was constantly played and we were tired of DISCO and In the Navy by the time we left. As previously commented the bar was desolate in the evening and no entertainment, so we often availed ourselves of the DP Marina facilities and entertainment after eating out in Vilamoura, where there are many excellent resaurants etc. We favoured the Chinese Restaurant just over the road from the hotels, where an excellent meal and drinks can be had for very reasonable prices.
All in all we were very pleasantly surprised with the accomodation and with Vilamoura itself, a lovely area and very pleasant, helpful people. We also managed three rounds of golf, pre-booked with Direct Golf Holidays, on excellent courses. I would definitely return and stay at the same hotel in the future.
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Dom Pedro Portobelo - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Expedia - June 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Suzanne Birch - Sutton Coldfield (36, 43)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel - booked a studio apartment but got a huge 1 bed apartment instead at no extra charge. Very spacious, very clean, air con etc although decor is dated, especially bathroom & kitchen area. Maids came in every day, even when we didn't leave our room until 1pm (which was quite often as we found a great bar - see "places to go"!)
We booked b&b,the breakfasts were ok if you wanted cereal, or rolls/croissants etc. Cooked breakfast awful - same every day, stringy bacon, scrambled egg and beans. It was served first thing in huge turrines but they failed to keep the burners underneath alight so it was always cold.
Larqe square pool, nothing spectacular to look at but it was very deep and a good size.
Places to go - Marina was buzzing, I've read the other reports - yes there's lots of golfers but it is an upmarket resort, and better than having loads of yobs!
Rui's bar does excellent steaks and you can sit outside & enjoy the live music.
ChinaTown restaurant at start of Marina, absolutely delicious and very resonable.
Maharaja (underneath Olympus Hotel). Great curry. Portions small but well tasty.
Best place to drink by far was "the 19th Hole". Someone recommended it to us and we spent 6 out of 10 nights there. Sports bar and eaterie by day, karaoke bar after 11pm until about 2.30pm. As cheesy as that may sound, the atmosphere is brilliant, it's always busy & after half an hour in there, most people are signing up to croon their tune. It does get noisy, as it's full of brits and we do love a sing-along! Drinks are reasonable, and the DJ is an excellent host. Two of the bar staff deserve special mention. Sophia - kicks off the karaoke every night, not the best voice but it encourages folk like me to have a go! Pasco- an absolute darling. Can belt out Sinatra & Bobby Darin like a pro and always remembers what you're drinking (although that may have something to do with the amount of time we spent in there!). Just go once - even if you hate karaoke,I guarantee you'll go back just to laugh at the rest of us wanna-bees.
All in all Vilamoura was superb, the food, the views, the beach & the bars!
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Dom Pedro Portobelo - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Self booked - 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Aged mid fifties
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The apartment was good and well cleaned throughout our stay.
The grounds are quite small and the pool quite deep
Eating out each night was excellent - echoing what others have said - the marina is nice to walk along but eat away in one of the squares which are just one street back
Some realy good meals costing about 40 to 50 Euros for two - we tried five different places to each at night all good.
Best place for us was Bocca della Verita also very close and realy good Casa de Pescador - thay are both in an area flooded with good places to eat
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Apartments do Golf - Villamoura
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- Sep 2006
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Lovely apartment, very clean and daily service. Staff all very helpful nothing too much trouble. would welcome more choice and variation on evening menu.
Apartments are not close to amenities so check before booking, especially if you have children, hire a car although hotel runs a free minibus to beach and marina. that was the only drawback of this holiday, you couldnt just go out for a walk at nights as amenities too far away.
Excellent location if you want a relaxing, stressfree holiday.
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Apartments do Golf -Villamoura
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - May 2004
Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : Polly & Louise- Yorkshire (33, 36)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Apartments Do Golf (also known as Motel Do Golf) provided excellent accomodation, very clean, spacious and comfortable. Staff were very welcoming and courteous.
Slightly away from main attractions of resort ie marina and beaches, but a free bus runs four times a day, and a taxi is only 6 euros.
Vilamoura itself is a modern area, with a relaxed atmosphere. Plenty of choices for eating out, with good food and excellent value.
A great place for adults to have a relaxing break.
Would definately return.
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Golf Mar - Villamora
Operator and Date: Asset - vilamoura . May 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Bridge 30, 36, 35, 37
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We booked privately through Asset, a first time thing for us. But we were very pleased with the service-even collecting us at the airport!!
The apartment was fabulous, and what a PLACE!! Peaceful, beautiful and 5 mins to local shops and bars. We hired a car and travelled round a bit. Recommend a trip to Alte-beautiful!
As far as local bars and restaurants go, we cant rate SHAKESPEARES in the centre of vilamoura enough, read reviews on here about it, and they were true to their word. Real homecooked food! As for Indian, the GATEWAY OF INDIA in the square was excellent-but be warned we had to wait 2 hours for our food and they were not busy!! We tried RUIS bar, but found it expensive for drinks (but good kareoke) and the food was rubbish. The STEAK HOUSE was expensive and not great either.
For drinks, the CACTUS BAR was great, but local food in that area was very poor standard.
We will definately come back again!
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Honorio Apartments - Villamora
Operator and Date: dedicated holidays - June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : keith douglas--wigan{46,45,14,10}
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
My wife and i have just returned from the HONORIO APART'S in portugal where we had one of the best last minute hol's we've ever had.
The apart was a bit basic with two bedroom's,but plenty of room and spotless. the staff {Pedro/Roger}could not do enough for you and John the rep was excellent. We booked through Dedicated Holiday's {who we had never herd of before and a little unsure}and the cost for myself/wife and two kid's including flights/insurance/transfers and meal's on plane,saturday afternoon flight's all for less than £800.
The town of villamoura with it's beautiful beach and marina was five min's drive away,and if you fancy the market or going into Quarteria town or beach, you can take the little train that pick's you up at you apart's and cost's 2 euro's adult 1 euro for kid's return.
The only downside was the lack of kid's for our's to join up with, but i put that down to the time of year we went{June}. But all-in-all great time had by all,would use again.
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Honorio Apartments - Villamora
Operator and Date: DEDICATED - JUNE 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : PHIL - KENT (43,41,14,12)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Resort is actually Quatiera, Vilamoura is actually too far on foot (did it once) and requires taxi. Apartments are average, beds are hard!, staff are friendly and the pool and gardens in the complex are clean and well maintained, so just having a day by the pool in the constant sun is fine. This is nice for the children to make friends. Watch for little extras, 1.25 euro per day for a sun lounger, 10 euro for the use of the apartment safe with a dodgy lock, 10 euro for each taxi visit to Vilamoura (return).
Quatiera is more 'Portuguese' than Vilamoura. Local to Honorio, on Rue 25 Abril, Pizza restaurant is good, Chicken 'Piri piri' take away is excellent with Chicken cooked over charcoal at 5 Euro (serves 2) and takeaway chips sold for 5 Euro per kilo (half a kilo does 4 people). Quatiera beach is clean but sand is coarse and water was too rough for any snorkling. They had a bulldozer pushing sand up the beach with the local lands playing chicken (how they avoided getting squashed I will never know, I am sure it must happen sometimes).
Mini train to Quatiera very good and the driver is a great character (as is the dedicated rep John).
Vilamoura itself is very upmarket and very 'not Portuguese', lots of glitzy boats & good for evening stroll with other Brits abroad. From previous reports checked out Rui's bar behind Marina - best meal out and had a childrens menu.
Marina restaurants? Well you have to do it once for the view, but its so British you could be in St Ives and its around the same price (£60 to £70 for 4).
Best days: Zoomarine (Dolphins fantastic), Aquashow water park (if you can brave The White Falls....)
Average: Quatiera market (smaller than expected), Casino Show 26 Euros for meal/wine and show (only due to small audience, the Chicago show was good and the live band excellent, but with only 100 or so watching it lacked atmosphere on the night).
Overall: pleased with the holiday, it was pretty much what we expected but we thought it would be closer to Vilamoura, the climate was superb, every day hot and sunny. The children loved it.
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Honorio Apartments - Villamora
Operator and Date: dedicated - april 2004
Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : bob s-(55,55)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
we booked early , and believe £208 each for 14 nights was a bargain.
apartments are a bit dated but are spacious and situated in quiet , attractive gardens.rep, john, was excellent. hire a car as rest of the algarve is easily accessible.we would recommend O colonial restaurant near marina, old fashioned service plus excellent food at value prices.would definitely go again. only downside no heaters so rooms can be cold in chilly weather.
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Hotel Jupitor- Vilamoura
Operator and Date: June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Alan & Maureen Turner (52,51)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The hotel is in the centre of the resort close to all pubs,clubs and the beach.This hotel does not cater for the holidy maker who prefers to lie at the pool due to the lack of sunbeds a total of 34 until they received so many compliants and increased to 52.The pool area is surrounded with table and chairs of which are no benefit.The rooms are clean, staff friendly but bring your sleeping tablets as it can be very noisey. All rooms with an inland view will suffer the worst as they back on to a strip of Irish bars ( Temple Bar )with music loud until 2.30 then the patrons going home followed by the binmen.
We stayed on B&B as we wished to try the local restaurants, breakfast in hotel was very basic, same every morning.Places to eat Titanic,squash club,casa de ? at the end of strip, dolce a vita but most will be ok. You can walk to Portamaio in about 20 mins from hotel along past the marina and eat all the fish you want at the restaurants beside the river.They are very good,friendly , cheap and mixing with the local people better than the main resort.Along the strip 50 metres from hotel is a small bar with kareoke singing with Hellena ,is good entertaining but only after 11 when kids have gone.
Eating at the beach is quite good,clean ,tasty and cheap and somewhere for an afternoon drink looking out to sea is JD's all pints 2 euro until 9.30 and the crack is great as a lot of off duty bar staff,workers etc stop for a drink and chat. The last time we were hear was 20 years ago it will be another 20 before we go back. This resort is now similar to Santa Ponsa in Spain so I suggest you try the other parts of Portugal.
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Leziria - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: DEDICATED-AUGUST2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : CATH MCLAUCHLAN-AYR(40,39,13)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
The accomadition was basic.Cleaning the rooms was terriable. You had to ask to get your bin emptied and your towels changed.John our rep was great. As i had a accident in the resort.Watch when crossing the roads espically at the crossings. Beware of pick pockets at the gypsy market at Quatera on a wednesday.
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Marbel Sol Apartments - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: independent august 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : sylvia durkin lancashire 13, 14, 46, 59, 62, 62, 63.
Resort Rating: Poor
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
on arriving at the appartments, reception wasclosed so we did not have access to the appartments, we had to contact the agent, whom eventually turnded up with the keys, the lifts and lightinting up to the appartments was very poor,
the appartment itself was dirty, the bed the cover was dirty and smelled, the matress was also very dirty, the towels were full of holes and did not get ghanged for eight days, as was the sheets, air conditioning did not work effiently, the pool and bar area was very poor having no matresses on the sunbeds there was only 11 sunbeds and not one umbrella, we were also gharged 20 euroa for a safe key which was not refundble, wa did complain to the agent but he did nothing about the situation,
vilamoura was very expensive around the marina, and i for one willl not be going back there and will be sticking to cyprus and cruises where the service and people are much more friendly
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Maurabel Apartments / Oasis Village - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: archers/ cosmos
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : 45, 43, 11, 10
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
we stayed at the "pe de lago" which is part of the oasis village, the rooms were spacious but furnishings and deccor very dated but clean, maid service was poor, the pool was very clean and tidy, there was a small supermarket just around the corner, that was well stocked at good prices, very handy,
it's a long walk to the beach,and marina but once you get there it's worth it, the restaurants on the marina/harbour are very expensive, we found a great place to eat, "restaurant a carper" it's not far from the maurabel, just a 5 minute walk, head towards the beach and you cant miss it, they are so friendly, and the prices are good, my kids loved the food and thats saying something,
we only had one week there so it was easy to put up with the room, the pool and the resort made up for it,
main thing is! we had a good holiday
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Hotel Mourabella Park - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Phil Liddy, Pat Dance, Wirral, ( 58, 60 )
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We read this board with some misgivings, knowing we were to stay at the "Pe De Lago" accomodation at this complex. It certainly is dated in decor.
Some apartments are privately owned there and have been updated. Ours was a good size, very clean with excellent Maid service. We with everyone else, had to wait hours to get in it on arrival. Filled the Bar though.... The pool and garden areas were clean and comfortable. Plenty of sunbeds at no charge. Our overall view is "book it", you won't regret staying here. The nearby commercial centre has an reasonably priced Supermarket, with a very good selection. The adjacent Restaurant "A Carpa" offers excellent food at competitive prices, give "Antonio" a visit, you will enjoy!. Next door try the "Cactus Bar", Brit draught beers, SKY Sport and live entertainment every evening.
We hired our car from an ad in the freepaper, "The Portugal News". The company is WORLDGARVE Rent a Car. worldgarve pt. The vehicle was new and well presented. They delivered and collected at the Hotel for free. The price beat all the quotes given in Vilamoura. They also do deliver/collect at Faro Airport. Try the Wednesday market, and beware of the prices in the Marina. Take a ride on the "road-train" the kid's will love it!.
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Mouraliz Apartments - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Travel Republiccouk - 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Alex Wright - Edinburgh (48,47,22,19)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Fourth time in Villamoura,we booked holiday/taxi transfers with travel repuplic first class service would book again with them,
Apartments are in a great location for everything,Cleaned 5 x days out of 7,Towels changed on request's(leave in bath)Interior could do with a touch up but are clean,cheap and cheerful,There is a private pool across the court yard for use and it was never busy,no sun loungers but couple of table/chairs enough grass area to sunbathe,pool is 3m at deep end with a steep slope in the middle of pool.I would suggest you take a mobile phone as the girl at the airport gives you her number as a point of contact if you need anything we never apart to phone her to arrange the taxi pick up,you also get to stay in apartment until pick up.
Columbo's still the best steak in Villamoura,Old Navy for lunch,Caio is a lovely Italian restaurant were we have never had a bad meal,we also ate at the Mayflower a busy restaurant on the front I ended up with a cold fish dish when i complained it was heated up in microwave in fairness they did not charge for this.As all golfers will know when in Villamoura Shakespere's is a must for breakfast alas this time there was a timeshare rep(or similar) masquerading as a waitress trying to entice us to the Hilton with a promise of 50 euro's,so wrapped up in this she even forgot my coffee despite ordering it three times only remembering when i asked for the bill,We were also stopped in the street with the same speil from someone else,There are also an increasing amount of guys with flyers trying to get you to restaurant's ect,Best just to ignore and walk past.
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Mouraliz Apartments - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Independent - mid October 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : P. Smith - Norfolk - 59, 63
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
The accommodation was OK, basic but clean however no office or reception at the apartments. On arrival found a very faded notice in window which was unreadable, telephoned agent and someone arrived but then told us we were not staying there and took us to another apartment block a long way from the marina and beach. After a lot of complaining we were moved back to Mourliz the following day and were upgraded to a 1 bedroom apartment instead of the studio originally booked. Write ups on Mouraliz say there is a swimming pool - we never saw it!!!!
Resort extremely quiet, very few people about and restaurants/bars empty particularly during the day
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Nautilus Apartments - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - October 2004
Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : William McCallum - Northants ( 55 55 )
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Nautilus Apartments are way too far from the marina,they also are in serious need of refurbishment.The pool area is poor, and because it is surounded by trees you have a constant problem with flies.We actually bought fly spray to take to pool to try and get some relief.
The lights in the corridors very seldom work,so coming back at night it is very very dark,so much so that you relly need a torch or at least a lighter to find where to put key(and that is without too much to drink).
If you get an apartment facing the road and on 3rd. floor then you will get the sun well in to the evening.If you get one facing pool then you will be in shadow on your very small balcony early afternoon.
Villamoura was ok for a quit relaxing week,but if you are looking for nightlife this is not the place for you.
Overall, we booked late, got a really good price, so did not expect too much and were not dissappointed when we did not get too much.If you pay brochure prices then you most certainly will be dissappointed.
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Nautilus Apartments - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - May/June 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Websters - Sheffield (39, 37, 12, 8)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just spent a great 7 day break at the Nautilus Apartments in Vilamoura.
Because we were only going for a week we treated ourselves to a two bedroomed unit and this turned out to be a good choice. The apartment was very roomy with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a large lounge and decent kitchen area, plus a very large/long balcony over looking the pool. Six can stay in these larger apartments and I would guess that this would not be a problem. Also, there's lots of storage space. The aprtments were clean and maid service is 3 times a week. The bulidings are 3 story and perhaps need a new coat of paint.
The pool area is not massive but large enough. No need to be manning the towels at 8am; generally you could drift down at 9:30 - 10:00 and get sunbeds, although in mid summer that might not be the case .It's pretty laid back and quiet, so if you're into reps organising games to keep you entertained and loud music the Nautilus is NOT for you! Most of the groups staying there were young families like our own and as a result the kids had plenty of freinds to play with. The pool bar is open from 10am to 11pm and serves decent snacks and meals at lunch and dinner. After eleven its "lights out" and very quiet.
The apartments are situated about 30 minutes walk from the Vilamoura centre - the marina. We walked the slight downhill route a couple of times but getting a taxi is no problem and costs 5 Euro (fixed). We always got the taxi back. Vilamoura is a newish (30 years old) purpose built resort and there are loads of eateries to suit all tastes and budgets. Get away from the marina front to get the best food and prices! If you like drifting around trinket shops, etc Vilamoura doesn't have many of these, although there are a few designer boutiques. If shopping is for you there are weekly markets at nearby Quarteira and Loule.
Although the apartments are a little out of the way a half-hourly minibus service is run by the Nautilus through the day to the marina, beaches and any other local destinations you require, with similar pricing to the taxis. The staff at the place were freindly and helpful, making the First Coice rep pretty much redundant. They could sort you out for trips, car hire, etc at a lower cost!
We would certainly seriously consider going back again for a short sun-break.
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Oasis Park - Villamoura
Operator and Date: Internet - Jan 2007
Opinion submitted in February 2007 by : Phil and Pat , Wirral, (over 21...)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Having stayed at the adjoining "Lago" block, 2 years ago we were happy to return. The "Oasis Park" is excellent value for money, room decor a bit dated but very clean, TV and fridge worked o'k and enough kitchen utensils to satisfy a gourmet chef!. Even in January the gardens were well tendered. Lots of "long-stay" Brits there, who had returned yet again.
Vilamoura has something for everyone, classy and will suit all tastes.
If you stay at the "Oasis Park" it's only a couple of hundred metres to the "Cactus Bar", lively, one Euro a pint between 2pm till 8pm!. Big screen football, live music, many golfers and ex-pats use It, so plenty of local gossip, attracts all ages until the early hours!.
Eating out is only a matter of going next door to the "Restaurante A Carpa" . Excellent food and choice at reasonable prices. We've dined there many times and even in January It was nearly full at night!. Gets very busy in the season, so you can request a table and when it becomes available, A member of Antonio's staff will collect you from the "Cactus Bar"!.
All in all an excellent early season holiday!.
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Oasis Village Apartments - Villamoura
Operator and Date: Expedia - Dec 2005
Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : Dawn 35, Stephen 38
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just come back from the Oasis Village appartments after staying over Christmas.
The appartments were very clean and our room was big, no air condtioning but we didn't need it for this time of year.
we were pleased with the accomodation and found all the staff to be very friendly and helpful. The pool looked lovely but it wasn't warm enough for us to swim.
Our christmas dinner at the restaurant was very pleasant and good value for money. We have no complaints about the appartments apart from the fact that the complex is quite a walk to the marina.
The resort was very quiet at Christmas and we found the best Chinese restaurant was Chinatown opposite the Tivoli Hotel.
We walked to Quartiera and were not that impressed but it has some character. We ate at the mexican Cancun opposite the casino and we waited an hour for our meals and they were tastless!
Albufiera is great, especially the old town but perhaps too chaotic in the summer for some, even the famous strip was quiet for Christmas.
We had a nice break but would probably not go back to Vilamoura again as it doesn't have that nuch to offer. Perhaps this is an unfair comment as we have never been during the warmer weather.
DON'T GET THE AIRPORT TAXIS, THEY ARE EXPENSIVE, BOOK USING resorthoppa com. VERY CHEAP AND RELIABLE SERVICE.
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Oasis Village Apartments - Villamoura
Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours(MyTravel) - 2004 / 5
Opinion submitted in Apr 2005 by : Darren Hallam - Notts (21,18,40,45,44,63,62)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Flew with MyTravel (Great service NOT).If you have a choice dont fly MyTravel. Got to the Hotel and the apartments were fantastic lovely and big with and good size balcony to lounge on it the morning whist eating my breakfast. The Staff were friendly and as it was my mums 40th Birthday they bent over backwards to make our stay enjoyable.
Vilamoura is the best resort in the Algarve and i would go back there tomorrow if i could afford it. Food depending were you eat is Cheap Figos on the marina front do a great menu at fantastic prices, also try the chinesenear the Tivoli hotel the Rice wine after your meal blows your head off its a great way to warm your body up on a chilly evening.
All in all a great holiday and a top recomondation from the whole family.
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Old Village Apartments - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: June 07
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Joanne Essex 41, 34, 9, 2.
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from Old village. On arrival we were given a 2 bed appartment which is what we ordered. On walking in the smell of damp and stale air hit us. In the toilet was a couple of worms wriggling about, nice! and lots of hair around the bath, toilet and floor. Not nice. In the kitchen the units were very old, every plate, cup and saucer had a chip or crack and the cupboards were sticky with grime. I went straight back the reception and asked for another room ( viewed one that the couple checking in with us had been allocated and was beautiful).
The only room available was a second floor appartment with balconies, not suitable with a 2 year old but decided we would have to take it and keep the doors closed. When hubby said he would pay extra for ground floor they found one. It was lovely, new kitchen and bathtroom, terrace and patio, everything was new and spotless. I think it is pot luck what sort of place you get but it turned out ok for us. The gardens/grounds are very well looked after, the flowers are so beautiful and colourfull i have never seen anything like it. Very clean all around the resort, never saw rubbish anywhere and the cleaning staff although none spoke english were very pleasent.
Restaurants:- We used the one in the main square, big portions but my meat dish was ice cold inside but had hot sauce poured over ( piri piri ) when I informed staff of this they took the food away to reheat it but never heated or replaced the veg so meat was hot but veg cold. Found the staff very miserable too. We ate down the marina and had desserts at the ice-cream parlour there, try the crepe filled with banana and whipped cream covered in hot chocolate sauce. Scrummy, plenty for two to share ( after meal) we also visited the old colonial restaurant behind the marina, a family run business. The food was traditional portugese. The cataplana was really nice as was the shrimp cassarole and the t- bone> very friendly towards children and the owners sat and chatted about their lives in Portugal which was very interesting.
Oh forgot to say about the pools, yes they still charge 1.50 euro for each session, they say it is for the upkeep of the beds and pool area, well it never stretched to buying toilet roll, soap or cleaning products for the loo's. They were filthy, the smell of urine hit you as you walked down the steps and the sunbeds were tatty and dirty.
Zoomarine was excellent we swam with the dolphins which was 140 euros but in my opinion worth every penny, you do get a free towel and pair of flip flops after . Photos were good value 15 euros for 5.Dolphine show and sealion shows also very good. We also went to Aquashow which was very good lots for everryone to do, rides for the big kids or adults and lots of water rides for everyone else. The pools were lovely and all areas spotless, they even have showers there.
Sorry it is such a long review, it sounds like i have really run down the old village but it was very peacefull and relaxing but just be aware you could get a dodgy appartment.
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Old Village Apartments - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: Premier Direct - June 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Samuels - Newcastle (41, 33, 7)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We went to the Old Village for 10 days and had a lovely time. We stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment in the Village Square which was really nice and had a roof terrace overlooking the Dolphin Pool. It was very clean, towels were changed every 2 days. The only complaint I had about it was the bed, slept terribly because it was so hard and uncomfortable.
The Old Village is lovely, it is spotless everywhere. The pools are really nice, but as other people have pointed out, we could not believe that you have to pay 1.50 per sunbed and then again for the afternoon!! We started off using the Dolphin pool and then realised there were lots of other kids for our 7 year old to play with in the big pool (can't remember it's name).
We ate out twice a day every day and couldn't fault the food anywhere. We mainly went to the marina at night which is really nice. Lots of lovely restaurants which get really busy. Names that stuck in my mind were Il Fargo Steak House, Il Lamparo, Golden Ming Chinese, but all we went to were lovely. The best restaurant we went to was Palace Garden in the Old Village. We went twice at night and once for lunch, food was lovely and service was brilliant.
We spent a day at ZooMarine which was good. The best thing about it was the dolphin show. We also saw the sealions, birds of prey and the parrot show which weren't that good. I would definitley recommend going to the 4D cinema, it was amazing!
My partner plays golf and played at 4 different courses, he loved all of them.
We would definitely recommend both Villamoura and the Old Village. People are really friendly and everywhere is really clean.
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Old Village Apartments - Vilamoura
Operator and Date: first choice may 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : mower family (43,40,11,)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
just returned back from our 3rd visit from old village villamora we went in 2005 and been back 3 times.. weather very ot ut cold on a night so take a jacket, our accomadation was lov