Kiran Gill
We arrived today and have been very unlucky with the weather. The resort can’t help this, but the pools which in some places are listed heated, but on the hotels on site they state acclimatised. Basically they are only warmish when the weather is warm.
We have a week full of cold rainy weather in front of us, with two young children who have been looking forward to playing in the pool for weeks.
The water is too cold for their little bodies, and combined with the outside temperature, a recipe for sickness.
I asked if they could kindly allow for just 1 hour of time in the indoor pool (part of the spa) on a couple of days of holiday, it would be enough to appease the children and help them feel content. I explained that another families would be grateful for that too, and we’d all happily stick to any hour that suits the spa best.
No compromise offered at all. Not even 1 hour across the whole week.
Not what I would expect from a family hotel.
We are here to celebrate my father’s 70th birthday. And had requested rooms in advance together, especially as the little ones like to be able to move between rooms.
Over the phone I was told this won’t be a problem, they’ll do their best to accommodate. On arrival we were told that it’s not possible, we’re in different blocks.
When questioning guest relations, we were told that because the room categories are different, deluxe vs family they can’t do it. Why was I not told this over phone?
Restaurant bookings are impossible. Everything is fully booked. Again at guest relations, I’m told that there’s nothing that can be booked after Thursday, however at the next desk I overheard a reservation being made for Friday. When pushed I eventually was given a booking for Friday, but after a little back and forth.
I’m not sure why the second rate treatment?.Bitterly disappointed with the service, and tarnishes what should have been a wonderful group trip to celebrate a milestone birthday.
The only reason for two stars over one, was Sophia the Head Chef who went out of her way to help with dietary requirements. She’s a shining star for the resort and her service and manner alone would be rated 5 stars if I could.
Spencer Mildon
We visited to join our friends in celebrating their daughter's 4th birthday. A total of 5 adults and 3 children, and we had a wonderful time.
The rooms were new, fresh and clean, with some nice decorative touches.
The hotel complex layout is excellent with 3 main pools, another for children, and the best reserved for adults only - a good balance.
Entertainment was also good, particularly the Pluma building where we could leave the kids with supervision, and so enjoy a nice break :)
The staff were also excellent throughout, particularly in the restaurant where they provided a cake, candle and decorative birthday message. Very much appreciated. Many thanks Sonia.
On the downside, the food was only good, not great: quantity excellent but cooking quality less so and variety slightly lacking for our health-conscious tastes - e.g. no smoked salmon at breakfast. Possibly not a big issue for most!
Also, parking at the front was tight and would really benefit from some form of sun shade in the future. Maybe solar panels to also power the hotel, pools, etc?
Henri&Emily
We have just returned from a beautiful 4 night stay at this resort and we would most definitely be coming back, we have already sung its praising and recommended it to lots of family and friends and they are looking into booking for their future holidays.
We are a young couple that wanted a relaxing break just the two of us before our baby arrives in July and we become parents. This resort gave us this and more, it really was a wonderful stay.
- Rooms were modern and stylish which relaxed us straight away, the open plan lay out made it feel big and bright.
- Spa pool and jacuzzi were beautifully warm, giving me lots of time to swim and relax while my partner used the gym.
- Staff were fantastic, so friendly, helpful and polite at all times. They were very attentive to everyone's needs.
- The 6 pools were fantastic, a kids pool with water slids etc, a family pool which was always busy and full of fun that accommodated all. Then the adult pool which we enjoyed the most. It was relaxing and quiet. The only thing I would say is that they could add more cocktails at this pool bar, as you have to then walk to another bar else where to get something else.
- Buffet style breakfast, lunch and dinner was well labelled, and very accommodating for all. They had a wide range of different dishes on offer, lots of the same too. We enjoyed that we got to try something new each night, their fish dishes were delicious.
The bbq lunch was incredible and we enjoyed this the most, bbq meat cooked outside with lots of fresh salads and fruits to choose from to compliment it inside. We managed to book a reservation for one of their booking restrurants, and it did not disappoint.
- Beach walk took 10 minutes, but only felt like 5 minutes as it was so beautiful. They have a private bridge over the road which then leads you to a wooden pathway walk straight to the beach. Something to do either early morning for a swim, explore the caves in the day or watch the sun set in the evening, its a wonderful touch so close but without being a 'on the beach' resort.
- Shuttle 'train' ride into the Alvor Fishing village was a lovely touch, it runs all day and you can enjoy a free trip out and about.
Over all we think Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort was a wonderful staycation for all, one of the best short breaks we have been on. Many others we spoke to there would agree.
Joy Smith
We recently stayed at Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort for 5 days with our baby, and unfortunately our experience was very disappointing.
Starting with the positives, the resort itself is visually beautiful and the rooms are spacious and comfortable. However, everything else did not meet expectations.
The biggest issue was the food and drinks. As a 5-star all-inclusive resort, we expected a much higher standard. While the food did appear fresh, the quality was very poor — it was extremely bland, lacked flavour, and had no real variety or seasoning. The drinks also tasted cheap, which added to the overall disappointment.
We often found ourselves still hungry after meals and ended up ordering food multiple times during our stay, which meant additional unexpected expenses.
Service was also a problem. On arrival, after a long journey with a baby, we called reception to request extra water to prepare formula. The response felt very dismissive, and it wasn’t clear if our request was even acknowledged. We didn’t expect this daily, but some understanding given we had a young baby would have been appreciated.
We also requested an iron and ironing board, were told it would be brought to the room, but it never arrived. After waiting over a day and a half and calling multiple times, we had to ask housekeeping staff ourselves.
Because of the food situation, we also had to spend extra money on taxis and food outside the resort just to eat properly, which defeats the purpose of booking all-inclusive.
Overall, while the resort looks nice, the food and drink quality and lack of responsive service made the stay stressful rather than relaxing. For a 5-star resort, this was very disappointing. We would not return or recommend based on our experience.
Jeremy McKee
This is not a 5-star resort—closer to a 3 or 3+ at best.
The room had a noticeable smell, warped flooring, and a door that barely opened. Housekeeping was poor—basic items like soap, toilet paper, towels, and tissues were not restocked. Our TV was broken for the entire 5-night stay despite multiple requests.
Food quality was disappointing. The buffet was repetitive and low quality, especially for kids. If you don’t like seafood, options are very limited. Meats were overcooked and bland, and the “sit-down” restaurants were understaffed, slow, and essentially serving repurposed buffet food.
There is no drink service at the pool, and the hotel doesn’t enforce its own rules on reserving loungers. Entertainment was almost nonexistent—one kids karaoke, occasional water polo, and otherwise nothing. Evenings were completely dead.
The kids club felt unsafe—we watched a child walk out unattended, and kids seemed unsupervised and confused. We chose not to use it.
For an “all-inclusive,” the offering is extremely weak: no drinks after 7pm, no evening entertainment, no late-night food, and no bottled water readily available. “Premium” felt like a joke.
Positives: the train to town was great for kids, and the beach walk is beautiful.
Overall, this resort severely underdelivers. I would not return.
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