Marc Rehmann
We are currently staying at the Tivoli Hotel Alvor and are feeling very comfortable and well taken care of. The hotel is very new, everything is spotlessly clean, and the overall atmosphere is welcoming and relaxing.
Most importantly, the head chef Rodrigo is doing an outstanding job. Our daughter has celiac disease and needs to follow a strict gluten-free diet. Chef Rodrigo has gone above and beyond to ensure she is safe and well cared for, creating a truly wonderful culinary experience for us. Thanks to his attention and knowledge, we feel completely at ease when it comes to food – which is a huge relief when traveling with dietary restrictions.
In general, all the staff members have been extremely friendly, attentive, and helpful, making our stay even more enjoyable. We are truly impressed and highly recommend this hotel – especially for families and guests with special dietary needs.
Natalie
My partner, our daughter (8) and I are just back from our first ever family holiday at Tivoli Alvor. I could not recommend this place enough, from the staff, the beautiful grounds and all the resources available. From the second we arrived (at midnight) we were greeted with warm smiles, our bags taken care of and we were driven to our room on the grounds. We were also able to take advantage of the 24 hr buffet and get some food after hours of travelling which is a very well thought-out perk of this hotel! My partner used the gym facilities most days and I had a relaxing massage at the beautiful wellness centre. Our daughter absolutely loved the kids club and we felt very comfortable leaving her as the staff were just made to work with children. The adult only pool was clean, warm and peaceful with beautiful cabana-style furniture and lots of loungers. The family pools were great and very central to most rooms, and the kids pool with slides was great fun and enjoyed a lot by our daughter. Our room was bright and clean and had a fridge, TV, and plenty of space for hanging and storing clothes. All staff were truly amazing in every area of the hotel and I couldn’t find a bad thing to say about any of them- nothing was ever a hassle and we felt welcomed and taken care of. My partner is vegan and my daughter and I are vegetarian and the food options available for us were unbelievable. We ate like royalty every day in the buffet and also loved the Italian restaurant. Highly recommend for those with allergies or dietary restrictions/preferences as these are taken very seriously and everything is clearly labelled all throughout the buffet. We loved the live, family friendly entertainment in the Shore bar every night at 9pm, especially the magic show and the circus. Another fantastic thing is the private path from the hotel directly to the beach, which is about a 15 minute walk away. I could not recommend this hotel enough, so much so that we have already booked to come back next year even though we only got home yesterday. Thank you for a wonderful experience, Tivoli.
Caterblock
My overall experience at the Tivoli Alvor Hotel was excellent; it was the first time I have visited Portugal and the 10 day visit exceeded my expectations. (Late May-Early June)
The pools were great; with 4 pools; 1 being a large adult only (16+) pool which was where we spent a lot of our time. Said pool was mostly clean and cleaned regularly. The other pools often had volleyball games and entertainment for kids
There were a good choice of restaurants at the hotel; The main one Essenze is open until 10:30am for breakfast, and also serves lunch and dinner. However, we found throughout our stay that most food was cold, and eggs often badly cooked making it much less enjoyable and off-putting.
I have coeliac disease and am allergic to Gluten, after telling the staff this, all staff were greatly helpful and offered to have chips, pasta and chicken cooked separately for me to be able to eat. Rodrigo and Sophia were greatly helpful, along with Paula, Danio and Nicole. At the hotel you are able to book an Italian restaurant, and a roastic restaurant, which you can book every day alternatively if necessary. The Steak in the roastic restaurant was marvellous. The pizzas at the Italian restaurant were also excellent, and were possible gluten free.
Other than these, there was a barbecue area open midday which served good meats, furthermore there were two bars open throughout the day; a busy one with regular entrants a quieter one open until 10pm. The staff at this bar in particular were great, very hard working and welcoming, especially the man who worked nights at the salty bar.
The rest of the staff throughout the hotel were incredibly welcoming. The maid cleaned thoroughly. We spent extra to get a larger room, which was spacious with a good view and good bedding, along with necessary utilities. When arriving, staff took out suitcases to our room.
The surrounding area is in a really good location, with the hotel providing free hourly mini train rides down to Alvor, with a substantial number of shops and great restaurants which we visited multiple times. The beach is about 600m away, easily accessible by a private bridge and path, shared by the Pestana hotel. The coast is excellent, not overly busy, with a couple food shops/restaurants. Two drawbacks of the location of the hotel are it being in full view of the tall Pestana hotel, which affects the view, and secondly the lack of supermarkets close, meaning we often had to ask for milk and sugar from the bar, (which they were more than happy to provide) to make tea etc.
Overall, our stay was excellent, staff were lovely, lots of activities and a great location, and the only problem was the food being often cold which I hope could be looked at and resolved.
I would recommend the hotel again, if you decide to visit then definitely take a boat trip to the Bengail caves; they are stunning. The slide and splash water park is outstanding and massive. Ubers in portugal are cheap, so travelling is easy.
Abhay Goyal
We spent the weekend at the resort, which is lovely, although it's not near the beach, though they have a buggy service to the beach. It’s a fantastic option for families with kids, offering plenty of activities, including kid-friendly pools and play areas. Additionally, it’s easy to navigate the resort with strollers.
However, the service left something to be desired. We had a confusing experience on our last day when we repeatedly called reception for an iron, but they didn't pick up. When we went to the reception in person, we discovered they were receiving our calls but not picking up! The same issue occurred just before checkout when we requested a buggy to help with our luggage. It was pretty strange; I wonder if others have also experienced this. Given the resort's price points, we expected better service.
Despite this issue, we had an overall pleasant experience and would recommend the resort.
Simon Wraight
We booked Tivoli All Inclusive for 11 nights, hoping to escape day-to-day stress. Unfortunately, despite some highlights, we won’t be returning.
👨👩👧👦 Arrival & Rooms We travelled as two families and stayed in Premium rooms for the extra bedroom. The welcome was warm, and staff took us to our rooms via golf buggy. Our first meal at Essence buffet was late but pleasant.
🏊♂️ Pools There are three family pools crammed together, with an adult pool further away. This creates a crowded, noisy environment. Loungers are “reserved” as early as 6:30am, and many sit unused. We managed a couple for nine people—mostly for bags. The pools are lively with inflatables and activities like water polo and dancing, but the same loud, cheesy playlist loops daily. Sensitive guests may find it overwhelming. Despite plastic cups, broken glass incidents still occur, forcing pool closures for deep cleaning.
🍽️ Restaurants There are four restaurants: three require booking, and Essence is the buffet fallback. Booking ahead is essential, or you’ll face long queues and noisy crowds at Essence. The food is varied and decent, with plenty of fruit, veg, fish, and meats. Ice cream is a hit with the kids.
Carosello: Italian-inspired. Buffet starters/desserts, mains ordered. Adult pizzas were okay, but kids’ pizzas were thick and undercooked. Kids’ fish fingers were generic and disappointing. Lasagne was poor—worse than a pub microwave version. Focaccia was great one night, doughy the next.
Mad Med: Buffet starters/desserts, meat-heavy mains. Very good overall.
Roastic: Decent food. Piri Piri chicken and T-bone steak were tasty, though the steak came overcooked initially. Staff were friendly and quick to fix it.
Essence: Nice food but too chaotic unless you eat very late—not ideal with kids.
Lunch options are Essence or a BBQ Cook Out. Essence is even busier than dinner. Best time is 2:15pm before it closes at 2:30. BBQ is decent, though hot dogs are often cold—ask the cook to reheat. Breakfast is good, with Premium guests using Mad Med to ease congestion. Still, getting a proper coffee can be a challenge.
🛎️ Service Staff were friendly, but service was inconsistent. The Tivoli app looks promising but failed us—none of our requests were actioned. The only reliable method was queuing at reception. We repeatedly asked for single sheets for our kids sharing a double bed, but housekeeping kept remaking it as a double. Even after flagging it at reception, the issue persisted—small but frustrating.
🏖️ Beach & Train The walk to the beach is pleasant, with a bridge over the main road. The train into town was a hit with the kids and very convenient.
🎾 Entertainment & Activities We enjoyed padel courts, football, and mini golf. However, reserving courts meant queuing with the kids club crowd—hot and inefficient. Cocktails were good but inconsistent depending on the bartender. Bar queues were long unless the premium bar was open, which was rare. The gym is tiny—only usable early in the morning if you beat the rush.
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