Eric Martins
- Sue from restaurant was nice and attentive and the food was great
- Lady from reception who is there during normal working hours was nice and professional
- The area is beautiful, captures the feel of a quiet picturesque Portuguese village. Typical or inspired Portuguese classic architecture
- The feel in the streets of the complex is fabulous and is lovely to walk around
- Walking to Vilamoura is only 15 minutes
- Electricity kept jumping and constantly had to press green button on fuse box to start again over and over
- extractor fan broken in kitchen was broken
- dish washer broken/clogged
- TV not working/remote inoperative
- On turning on the AC kept blowing out actual dirt from filters not being cleaned. Probably ever. My partner got really ill with cold/flu symptoms and we're suspicious that this might have been the source of it
- Handles missing from bathroom taps
- Bedside lamps have UK plugs for Portuguese sockets? Don't quite understand why
- Made us pay cash only for sunbeds and tourist tax with the ATM machine on site charging a few of €5.95 for each withdrawal
- Struggle to find place on Google maps
- Didn't reply to message sent the day before about late check-in so had to figure it out ourselves when we got there
- Shower floor is extremely slippery, avoided a hip replacement by miracle
Deborah Law
I would definitely recommend the old village. Our apartment had everything you could need and was very comfortable and clean. The gardens are very well maintained with some gorgeous scenery . The Dolphin Pool is a lovely place to relax . The staff there are very friendly and the food is excellent.
Lorraine DB
Most beautiful holiday destination I've been in a while. So pretty. Apartment was stunning with roof terrace. We're going back in April next year. We've falling in love with it here.
Andy Hobson
Absolutely stunning village, pools are clean and staff are great. Happy hour is amazing value and if you want to go around the bars it's pretty much 10am -9pm. At time of writing €2.20 for a pint of San Miguel. The supermarket on site is a decent price and there are Spars within 10mins walk anyway. Very close to the marina, you can be there in 15mins walking or use the train which is €5 return and tours the local area too and is lovely.
Grace
Beautiful holiday village with numerous pools, bars, restaurants and even a well stocked shop. Great for tourists if your looking for a relaxing holiday abroad. Location is close to Faro airport so easy access with Uber and walkable to the marina or beaches for days out. All of the staff at receptions and working the pools are really nice too. Reception has information on local days out/things to do such as waterparks, aquariums or a tourist land train.
This place is definitely family friendly and has a really safe feel. Lots of children enjoying the pools and even some play equipment dotted around the village.
However, I would not recommend this place to anyone looking for a more authentic trip to Portugal. Most tourists here are English and it's spoken perfectly by staff (the pool side speaker also constantly plays English pop music). The restaurants mainly sell foods like pizzas and burgers as well as even a full English breakfast in the mornings. This of course is not a bad thing at all, but not representative of authentic Portugal.
Overall this could either be the perfect holiday destination for you or the complete opposite of what your looking for.
If you want to experience sunny weather, refreshing pools and happy hour drinks without the stress of language barriers or the worry of leaving behind home comforts like English cuisine - booking a trip away here would be perfect for you.
But if you are looking to experience the real Portuguese culture and lifestyle I would consider other places, this place would definitely feel like a slice of England just moved abroad into sunnier weather. Even outside of the holiday village (into Vilamoura) finding authentic Portuguese restaurants/food has proved challenging and again there is a very "England if we had better weather" kind of vibe. Not to say the surrounding area isn't stunning, because it is but definitely just lacks authenticity due to the nature of the people who visit here.
