Pestana Alvor Praia Beach and Golf Hotel

Unfortunately this hotel doesn’t compare to other 5 star hotels we have stayed in.

Reception team are very helpful and pleasant. However, guests are treated differently at mealtimes, some are shown to their tables and a drinks order taken, others are told ‘sit where you like’ and have to track down a member of staff to get a drink. Not sure why everyone isn’t treated the same.

Our room was pretty run down and in need of a refurbishment. New toilet seat which was very worn! Needed painting, new grout etc. lots of scuff marks on walls, chipped woodwork, stained carpet. Air con was pretty non existent unless you stood under it, so when temperatures were in the 30’s, we did not sleep very well. We didn’t feel the rooms were cleaned very well, left with sticky floors, sheets screwed up etc. On one occasion it had not been cleaned by 4pm, so had to do without being cleaned as we needed to get ready to go out and had to go and find some towels.

We were half board, but after the first night when we didn’t feel the food was of a very good standard, chicken heart skewers are not our thing, we ate out every evening. We took a taxi to the harbour where there are many nice restaurants.

We didn’t find much within walking distance. We were told the supermarket was around a 15 minute walk along the boardwalk. Well it took us 45 minutes to get there and had to get a taxi back.

The hotel is in a good location for the beach, but beware, go in the lift to access it, as the gate at the bottom of the steps gets stuck and will not open.

We didn’t find much feel that the snack bar was quite expensive, but the portion size was generous. Also drinks were quite expensive. Not particularly happy that tips were automatically added to the bill, especially when the service wasn’t great, having to wait for sometime to be served whilst staff were busy chatting amongst themselves.

We didn’t see the pool cleaned whilst staying here. Lots of green slime and dead creatures. My daughter’s bikinis were stained green when she got out of the pool.

Doubtful we will return, but it was ok for a short break.

A equipa de rececionistas revelou bastante simpatia embora tenha enfrentado visíveis dificuldades no funcionamento da informática durante o processo de check-in. O estacionamento trouxe o primeiro grande desafio da estadia pois o hotel dispõe apenas de dois postos de carregamento para veículos elétricos. O descanso noturno ficou infelizmente aquém das expectativas devido a um colchão excessivamente duro e desconfortável. Tentei mitigar o problema sobrepondo outro colchão mas a estrutura continuou rígida e as almofadas careciam de uma qualidade superior. A experiência no quarto estendeu-se à casa de banho onde a água parecia salobra dificultando a lavagem do cabelo e o chuveiro do lavatório apresentou um fluxo demasiado fraco. O pequeno-almoço também revelou oportunidades de melhoria na organização do espaço e sobretudo do pessoal. Em sentido inverso importa destacar a excelente qualidade do room service. O serviço de quartos funcionou com precisão e os funcionários entregaram um trabalho impecável que merece ser justamente assinalado. O hotel possui uma base acolhedora mas o seu design acusa o peso dos anos e parece necessitar de uma remodelação. Investir na modernização dos quartos e expandir a rede de carregadores elétricos será fundamental para responder às exigências do futuro.

The reception staff were pleasant enough although they experienced visible difficulties with their IT system during the check-in process. The car park presented the first major challenge of the stay as the hotel only provides two charging points for electric vehicles. The night's rest unfortunately fell short of expectations due to an excessively hard and uncomfortable mattress. I attempted to mitigate the issue by placing another mattress on top but the bed remained rigid and the pillows lacked a premium quality. The room experience extended to the bathroom where the water felt somewhat brackish making it difficult to wash hair and the washbasin shower had a very weak water flow. Breakfast also revealed opportunities for improvement regarding the organization of the space and especially the staff. Conversely it is important to highlight the excellent quality of the room service. The room service operated with precision and the staff delivered an impeccable job that deserves to be justly commended. The hotel has a welcoming foundation but its design shows its age and seems to require a refurbishment. Investing in the modernization of the rooms and expanding the EV charging network will be essential to meet future demands.