Bruno Borges
We had a wonderful stay at this hotel. The staff were absolutely amazing—friendly, attentive, and genuinely caring. It has been a long time since we’ve experienced such warm hospitality, and they really made our stay special.
The pool was great, and the hotel facilities were always clean and well maintained. The food was excellent with plenty of variety.
The only downside was the fitness room. For a 5-star Pestana hotel, it was quite disappointing. The equipment is outdated and doesn’t match the standard you would expect from a hotel of this category.
Another point to consider is the fact that the location is lovely but quite far from everything as it’s around the golf course. If you consider walking or running around, you better reconsider as it’s just dangerous roads with no safe paths to walk/ run.
Apart from that, everything else was excellent, and we would happily stay here again.
James Queally
First of all, the service was more than 5 star, Ivan and Ameer at the outdoor bar really made our holiday, bringing great vibes and always going above and beyond.
Another special mention should be made to Shirley who made the best omelettes we have ever had and always greeted us with the biggest smile making our breakfast and putting us in a Great mood for the day!
Only reason I haven’t given 5 stars is the treadmill, the exercise bike, where broken, and the sauna Turkish Baz indoor pool and steam room were just turned off and they did not give any idea of when they’d be back.
Room and Service with five star, but the amenities were four.
Ruby F
This is a 2-3 * accommodation and absolutely does not meet the standards of a 5* hotel. The garden rooms have potential, but are closer to glamping than luxury. You are certainly surrounded by nature - bugs everywhere, mould throughout the room, and very large cockroaches to wake you up in the mornings!
Although probably more shocking than the cockroaches was the service. Staff have no interest in guests or customer service, there is no greeting or interaction - it was actually a bit surreal how negative and depressing this place is.
Random things happened throughout our stay such as our room mistakenly being set up for the next guests, with additional beds etc. - while our belongings were still inside.
My husband also asked how long to wait for the golf cart and the man immediately snapped back - I’m entitled to take breaks?!?
When we volunteered that it’s the worst hotel experience we’ve had - the response was a shrug. Save your time and money by avoiding!
Luke Rhodes
I came to villa sol with my dad and brother in law for our first ever golf trip and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. upon arrival the staff showed us a brilliant welcome and even took is to our room in a buggy. the rooms themselves were very spacious and immaculately clean. we enjoyed 3 rounds of golf while we were there and the course is stunning and in excellent condition. the staff in the pro shop were also excellent and even found my dads ring that he had left in a golf buggy, less honest people would never have returned this to us. the only down side was having to leave and we can't wait to go back.
Geo Visits
We recently stayed at Pestana Vila Sol and overall had a pleasant holiday, but unfortunately the experience was let down by the attitude of many of the staff.
Starting with the positives, the rooms were lovely, spacious, and kept exceptionally clean throughout our stay. A huge credit goes to the housekeeping team, who did a fantastic job every day. The breakfast selection was also very good, with plenty of choice. A special mention must go to the omelette chef, who was absolutely incredible – always friendly, welcoming, and genuinely lovely to speak to each morning.
We also played golf at the resort during our stay. The golf course itself was beautiful, very well maintained, and a pleasure to play. The grounds staff clearly take great pride in their work. Unfortunately, the hospitality side of the golf complex did not match the quality of the course. The lady serving lunch in the golf clubhouse café was one of the rudest members of staff we encountered during our entire trip, which was disappointing given the otherwise excellent golfing experience.
Unfortunately, beyond a few standout individuals, we found the majority of the staff across the resort to be quite miserable and unwelcoming. It genuinely felt as though helping guests was a chore rather than something they wanted to do. This was disappointing and not what we would expect from a hotel of this standard.
The poolside bar service was also incredibly strange and inefficient. To order a drink, you had to go to one end of the bar to pay, after which the staff would pass slips and messages between themselves before someone eventually made the drinks at the other end. The whole process felt unnecessarily complicated and often resulted in long waits for what should have been a simple drink order. It was confusing to watch and frustrating as a guest. Drinks were also served with very little ice.
One particularly disappointing incident occurred at the indoor bar when a member of staff splashed beer all over me. Rather than apologising, they simply looked at me and carried on, which I found quite rude and unprofessional.
Our arrival experience wasn’t great either. The reception staff were not welcoming and seemed to bark instructions at us rather than greeting us warmly. There was no explanation of the facilities, where things were located, or any useful information that would have helped us settle in.
We were also disappointed to find that the indoor pool was closed, along with the sauna and steam room. These facilities were part of the reason we chose the hotel. The gym was very basic, and around the pool area there were numerous loose tiles and sections of grating that appeared to be lifting, creating potential trip hazards.
Overall, this wasn’t a bad stay. The rooms, cleanliness, breakfast, and golf course were all very good, and both the housekeeping team and omelette chef deserve recognition for their efforts. However, the hospitality and customer service across much of the resort were consistently poor and fell far below expectations. Sadly, while the facilities themselves have a lot of potential, the attitude of many staff members means we would not be rushing back. The resort has the foundations of a fantastic destination, but the service culture needs significant improvement.
