Dom Jose Beach Hotel: Ideal location, 3 star hotel with 4 star service, highly recommend!

We had a lovely stay at this hotel. It was our first time to Portugal and we arrived just as a huge storm "The Beast from the East" and tropical storm "Emma" arrived in Europe. The surf was incredible, waves washing over the boardwalk and depositing sand on roadways during high tide. It was rainy, overcast with only very brief periods of sunshine. For this reason we didn't get the full experience of a busy seaside resort, but the comfort and hospitality of Dom Jose Hotel made up for it. This rev [... read more]iew will show that even if the weather isn't perfect, Dom Jose will make sure your stay is great. Note previous to our arrival they had not had rain for over a month and temperatures had been comfortably warm, it was luck of the draw that we arrived during a storm. We had travelled overnight on a transatlantic flight so were exhausted when we arrived, fortunately our room was ready for occupancy, even though it was only 10:30am, and check in is usually at 3pm. The front desk staff were very efficient. Unfortunately during our stay seaview rooms were all booked up, so we were not able to secure one upon arrival. It is highly recommended to upgrade to a seaview room with balcony to fully appreciate this lovely seaside hotel. We rented a safe key for our room 10 Euro deposit and 1.25 Euro per day. There are 2 elevators to service the hotel, very quick we rarely had to wait more than a few minutes for one to arrive. The hotel caters well to clients with mobility issues. Our room #709, was on the top floor, 2 twin beds, land view. Ample closet space and drawers for your clothes. Small fridge and electric kettle have recently been added to all rooms, which was much appreciated. TV had 4 English channels which was nice when we were in our room during rainy periods. Our room was spotlessly clean and well taken care of by staff during our stay. Soap, shampoo, body wash were provided. Shower had good water pressure and water was hot. In room air conditioning/fan unit worked well and was quiet. Breakfast (7:30-10am) is included in the room rate and a special discounted rate was offered during our stay for the buffet dinners (regular 20 Euro, during our stay 16 Euro for guests, drinks not included). We enjoyed the restaurant, food was hot, quickly refilled when items were low, staff efficient. Breakfast buffet was enough to fill us up until dinner. There was a selection of juices, hot beverage machine made coffee, cappuccino, hot milk, hot chocolate and hot water for tea. Cereals included muesli, corn flakes and raw oats. A suggestion to hotel would be to add a hot pot (soup pot) of oatmeal for guests, although a microwave is available the type of oats provided (old fashioned long cooking) did not cook down in the microwave sufficiently. Selection of breads, rolls, sweet pastries, fresh fruit, yogurt, cold meats and cheeses. Hot service included crepes, eggs (fried, scrambled), bacon, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans. I was able to get Gluten Free bread each morning, just had to ask one of the staff. We enjoyed the dinner buffet and ate at the hotel for 5 of our 7 nights. We started every dinner with a delicious soup, followed by a good selection of salad items, rolls/bread (GF bread on request). Hot items included local fresh vegetables, rice, pasta, vegetarian selection, fish (swordfish, sea bass, perch) various meats - duck, lamb, beef, chicken, pork. Every night was a different selection and all were delicious. Drinks are not included. We enjoyed happy hour at the hotel 6-7pm, where local brand drinks were half price (wine, beer). If you are hungry throughout the day, light lunch, snack items, coffee/tea are available in the hotel lounge. The hotel offers a wellness center and fitness facility, also a book exchange. There is a small sunroom off the dining area, overlooking the pool which has a TV, as well as several small tables set up ideal for quiet reading or a game of cards. The lobby lounge area is very comfortable and used by guests to read, play cards, enjoy a drink/snacks and socialize. The pool had sufficient loungers, pads available. It was much too cold to swim when we were there, but when the sun did come out, it was a well sheltered place to relax and soak up the sun. Pool towels are not included, but can be rented at the front reception. Easy access to the beautiful beach, where in better weather umbrellas and sunbeds can be rented. The fourth floor of the hotel has access to a rooftop deck area with sunbeds and a mini golf course. Weather was not suitable for playing, but a great addition to the hotel. The hotel also offers bike rentals, private transfers from airport, happy hour and can help with booking excursions. Wifi was free, but dropped quite a bit in our room and lobby. It was sufficient for our needs. There were also 2 computer stations, located off the lobby for complimentary guest use, 15 min. suggested time limit. Great for researching local information as well as confirming flights and travel plans. The central location of this hotel made it ideal for exploring the surrounding area. Within a few minutes' walk are numerous restaurants, bars, shops and grocery stores. The local bus station is across the road and made day trips to Abufeira, Loule and Faro quick and inexpensive (less than 9 Euros p.p.round trip). Seafront location made exploring the boardwalk and beaches easy. Local fruit/veg and fish market within walking distance. We enjoyed our stay very much and are already making plans to return next year. Highly recommend. Staff were eager to make sure our stay was comfortable. A questionnaire was supplied by hotel management on arrival to make notes of any concerns, showing the management is keen to ensure guests needs are met and expectations exceeded. 3 star hotel, with 4 star service! Well done Dome Jose!

Wine and Books By the Sea Algarve: Wonderful place

Nothing really to complain about, Vidamar provides great service, convenient location, clean and well-maintained rooms and facilities. We loved buffet style breakfast and dinner - great well-presented food variation. It's only a short walk to beaches through protected natural dunes. With a rental car, we have seen more of Algarve during a week than many people staying there for a month, truly it was a nice adventure. We will be back there one day again.

Hotel Mundial: Nice hotel for a stay in Lisbon

We would recommend the Mundial for a stay in Lisbon. It is centrally located with restaurants, shops and the waterfront with in walking distance. The buffet breakfast is a good start to the day. We were there early for breakfast the day we left and there were even custard cakes available! Be sure to visit the roof top lounge for a spectacular view of the city and a great way to end a day.

Hotel Mundial: Very nice city hotel

This hotel is situated in a perfect spot for a stay in Lisbon. It is a beautiful city and the week we were visiting in November had blue skies every day and perfect temperature. Hotel provides a breakfast and many sites and restaurants are with in walking distance.

Pestana Sintra Golf Resort: Great Place for a Holiday

This resort is amazing with so many things to see from the beautiful gardens to the outstanding view. Staff are polite and helpful. Check in and check out were a breeze. Planning the next trip to this beautiful island.

Hotel Mundial: Awesome Location, close to city center and river front

Very friendly and helpful staff. Good breakast, nice touch of giving bathrobes to guests. Best feature is the rooftop bar and patio which has a fantastic view of the city. The only negative is that there should be more outlets in the room for charging. There was only one in the bathroom.

Hotel Mundial: Centrally located hotel

Excellent staff who were very friendly and helpful. Rooms were a good size and the robes were a no e touch. The best feature was the rooftop bar and patio where there was an amazing view of the city.

Cerro Mar Atlantico: Beautiful, clean resort, with stunning views

Cerro Atlantico, part of cerro mar gardens, was extremely clean and manicured grounds, rooms, and overall surroundings, and the staff were so friendly and helpful. The main hotel, cerro mar, had the reception area, the larger pool, the spa and the main dining room, all of which would have been our choice to stay, but it was fully booked. As they were fully booked and your next choice was cerro mar Atlantic, we accepted that, but after check in at cerro mar gardens, yu have to carry your luggag [... read more]e, without aid of carts, or porter, up steep hill to arrive at your accommodations. There was one big issue with cerro Atlantico and it was a big one.....every weekend there were groups of men and women (although not in the same group) arriving from other parts of Europe' sometimes 15 members per group.....they were loud and obnoxious, and took over the pool grounds of Atlantico.....we were informed that the groups were there to celebrate the upcoming wedding of their friend.....the male groups were called bachelor party group and the female group were hen party group. This is popular from April through October, and three of our four weekends there this happened. The large noise and shouting carried on through the day and evenings, up until 3 to 4 am....for this reason we would not want to rebook a vacation at cerro mar Atlantico, if there was no available room at cerro mar gardens, and why we could not recommend cerro mar Atlantico to our friends.

Jupiter Algarve Hotel: Jupiter-Wow

This hotel is a great place to stay. The rooms are well laid out,comfortable beds,great closet space and very modern bathrooms. It has recently been renovated and it shows. We had an ocean view balcony with a great view of the beach which was just across the street and a few steps down. The expansive Dining room serves a wonderful buffet breakfast (included in our package) There is also a dinner buffet but we did not try that. There is a pool with a retractable roof, a spa, nice common areas as  [... read more]well as meeting facilities .The hotel stsff is helpful, always courteous and all speak several languages.Nothing was too much trouble for them.We asked for extra chairs so that we could play cards with our friends and these were promptly delivered to both our rooms. The hotel is situated at the quieter end of the street but very close to shops and restaurants. It's location is also a great jumping off point for exploring the Algarve. Our car rental agency was two blocks down and parking was nearby and free at this time of year.We would not hesitate to recommend the Hotel Jupiter as great place to stay.

Brisa Sol Apartamento: Brisa Sol - Great hotel

We really liked our one bedroom apartment at Brisa Sol where we stayed for one month in March 2017. When we first arrived, we really appreciated being able to check-in early. Front desk staff were friendly, helpful and language was never a barrier. Our room was clean and spacious. The kitchen was adequately equipped with a good size eating area. Nice bathroom with a modern shower and lots of counterspace. Daily maid service was good and the ladies very kind and helpful. The hotel location was g [... read more]reat with all the conveniences close by. Groceries next door and beach, restaurants, pharmacy, fast food and shops a short walk away. Buses and tours were all very convenient. Hotel amenities, pool and restaurant very clean and nice. Definitely a 4 star hotel.

Marina Club Lagos Resort: Disapointed

Stayed here from Feb 15 to March 8,2017. We asked trip central agent for Marina view on highest floor possible. They corresponded with Marina suites .. No promises but they would see what they could do. What we got was first floor room 109. Spoke with staff about changing to higher floor to no avail as they were fully booked. We enlisted the aid of the transat rep. Nothing could be done. View was partial only of Marina with large white wall obstructing half the sight line. Room size was adequat [... read more]e and cleaning staff did a good job. Room needs refurbishing and is certainly not a four star, a two star perhaps. No shower curtain or shower door. Wall built out further wher shower nozzle was. No sun on the balcony either morning or afternoon, which was disappointing. Location of property is ideal as you can walk anywhere you need to go. Lounge chairs around pool were filthy and should be changed. This was part of an air itransat special booked through trip central in Toronto. No reps from trip central had visited this property and we relied on photos, which were taken in summer and showed everything in full bloom. Living room had two futon type sofas that were very uncomfortable. Would not recommend. I took a number of photos showing the deficiencies and will forward to trip central rep Maria.

Vista Marina Apartments: Excellent apartment resort

Great size of apartment style, with full kitchen, dining table, bedroom, full bathroom. Loved the patio with sliding doors that open entirely to have the living room part of the patio. Nice view of pool area. Great little restaurant for breakfast and great coffee!

Hotel Mundial: Great location, friendly staff

We had a great stay at hotel Mundial. The staff were friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean and the rooftop patio had a great view and nice music in the evening. We specially liked the location as it was walking distance to the metro, train stations, and lots of great restaurants and cafes.

Vila Gale Porto Ribeira: Clean & comfortable hotel

Clean & comfortable rooms! A little on the small size & beds a little too soft. No balconies & only 2 non smoking floors. Only indoor pool. No vending machines for drinks or water. Nice breakfast buffet. Friendly staff. Close to subway line. Most of the restaurants are down by the river.

Tivoli Marina Portimao: A wonderful experience!

The Tivoli was a great resort. The staff were very accommodating (we had to ask for a bathmat as the showers were a little slippery), the rooms (we had 3 different ones) were all in excellent shape and the location was excellent - near the beach and restaurants, but removed from too many other hotels. We could walk into Portimao, but the bus service was very convenient. The restaurant served an excellent buffet, although we ate mainly at other restaurants. A must see is the Fado at O Navigador i [... read more]n Alvor on Friday night and New Orleans Jazz on Sunday night.

Tivoli Marina Portimao: Lovely Resort

Rooms and grounds clean. Service staff friendly and helpful. Walking distance to beach and restaurants on beach. Breakfast buffet very good value. Short bus ride to Portamao shopping; also to other nearby towns.

Cerro Mar Garden: over-rated

The staff at front are arguementative , everything has a cost , wi-fi , call for a taxi , even must wear a swim cap in the indoor pool , cost for that . Room had no sea-view but my reservations said we did , room itself was very dated . the stove and ac did not work had to call to get them working , hassle . The TV are the smallest I have ever seen with very limited channels , no table lamps Good rooms at this hotel are assign to "preferred customers" and Trip-Central and Air-Transat are not !!  [... read more]. Very over-rated , even location is not good , on a very steep hill and many steps down to old town .

Grand Muthu Forte da Oura: Pleasant but very "tired"

Staff very pleasant and couldn't do more for you, but the place is desperate for a refurbishing and refreshing. Not well outfitted for a "long stay", but fine for two to three weeks if you plan to eat out or have very light meals. Non-stick frying pan would have been nice to fry an egg, also a wine bottle opener. Bathtub/shower combo comfortable to get into as there was a grab bar, and the vanity is there to hang on to. Supermarket very handy, just around the corner, and many restaurants and caf [... read more]es within easy walking distance. Long walk up and down hills (about 3 - 4 km) to the "downtown" of Albufeira, but there is local bus that can be used: Green line there, blue line home. Ask to be let off at the "escalators".

Legendary Suites Lisboa: Well-appointed and located spacious apt hotel

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Clarion Suites in Lisbon. The hotel was well located at the top of Lisbon's main thoroughfare, Avenida Libertade, placing us is walking distance from many of the major sites. The room was well-appointed and extremely spacious (even by North American standards), with a large living/dining area, separate bedroom with two roomy (and very comfortable beds) and well-sized bathroom. Only a few small suggestions for improvement: the shower was functional but a bi [... read more]t awkward, the room could use a little more lighting, and the kitchen could be better stocked (e.g., coffee maker, more plates and cutlery). The staff were extremely friendly, helpful and accommodating. For instance, they checked us in at 7.30 in the morning, when we arrived after a trans-Atlantic flight. They has a crib waiting for our infant. And the cleaning staff were great. They were also helpful in orienting us and providing us with suggestions. We would definitely recommend this hotel to others -- especially those traveling with children.

Hotel Corinthia Lisbon: Absolutely Fantastic Hotel - The best I've stayed

Right from the get go, the well attired doorman opened our Taxi door and greeted my wife and I into the hotel and led us to the reception. The service at the reception, the Service Desk the Waiters at Sky Lounge (particularly Daniel), the Maids doing the rooms daily, was absolutely amazing. The grounds were a beautiful green, well manicured and lots of beautiful flowers matching the hotel façade. The inside floors were shining and spotlessly clean, the carpets were very clean and beautiful, eye [... read more] pleasing design. Our room was 19th floor (they adhered to our email request at booking time) overlooking the aqueduct and breath taking view of the city including the 25th April's Bridge and the National Sanctuary of Christ the King overlooking the city. Room was classy, very well arranged and clean, and maid came in daily and arranged it so perfectly and fresh high quality towels and other accessories changed every day. The dining was unbelievable! Tons of choices, very tasty and well prepared food, the items very thoughtfully and well placed, very clean dining room floors and high quality furniture and lighting. The security features of the hotel were very good having no access to floors you had no interest in. My wife and I were very sad to leave Corinthia Hotel, Lisbon after 7 nights of memorable stay there. Although now its 4 days from our return, we still dream about this hotel and the great time we had there. We have got back to work and told all our co workers and our net work of friends and relations about our memorable stay in Corinthia and how great the city of Lisbon is, to visit. We told them this hotel must never be missed if they ever go to Lisbon. It is well priced and tons of value. I am sure from word of mouth and our strong recommendation and our extensive network, lots will go to this hotel in the future. Thank you Corinthia you are being missed. We will be there again, soon.