Vilalara Thalassa Resort

Vilalara’s Instagram page is honey-hued, tasteful, restrained and serene. And yes, there is some sort of paradisiacal je ne sais quoi when you get there. The gardens are luxuriant, a sheer haven from the harsh Portuguese heat. But there are a couple of things you should know. If you have asked for a sea view, you might be placed at Acacia, one of the numerous different residences the place boasts. Because yes, it’s that big. The rooms are large, lovely and comfortable, but be warned: there are 155 steps (we counted them, and that’s about 8 floors…) going down from your Acacia room to the beach, and no one tells you that. That means 10 to 14 minutes, and don’t forget the way back up. If you are fit, no problem. But if you are elderly or have difficulty walking, it will be. Ask for another residence nearer the facilities. Forget the sea view. We found the front desk staff very friendly but sometimes surprisingly hopeless. A bit like dealing with a young, inexperienced nephew. A restaurant reservation somewhere else? Nope. Forget it. You’ll have to do it yourself. And finding places to dine in the high season in this area is particularly complex. Good luck. Our advice: make sure you ask all your questions by email in advance. One word of wisdom: get up really early. If you don’t, you will have to queue for breakfast with disgruntled dads and wailing toddlers. You will find no free loungers at the beach, none at all by the pools (there are several pools, most with kids — it’s a family hotel, remember). The most annoying part is that the young guys at the beach hut don’t open until ten. By then, most guests will have flung towels, tanning creams and books over most of the loungers. You will have to do the same thing or you’ll have to lump it with a towel, the sand and a parasol. The cleaning ladies tend to knock and open up immediately. So if you are naked or romantically involved, beware… There is nothing in the minibar except a QR code. No snacks, no treats, but ample bottled water, replenished daily. The restaurants are great and the service is as well. No complaints there. The sea is divine and astonishingly cold. Apparently a well-known Portuguese fact. Some people don’t like that. We did. As a result, we swam alone most of the time. It was extraordinary. This place is truly lovely. If the front desk staff could get their act together, it would be even better. We have high hopes they will. This place deserves it.

We came here as one of the stops for our honeymoon. This is a harder review to leave, but if I’m being 100% honest about our experience here, what started out as awe upon arrival quickly turned to soft disappointment by the end of our stay.

I’ll start with the good stuff in saying that the grounds are absolutely beautiful and the hotel looks lovely - everything is meticulously kept and curated, and it’s definitely a stunning place. The rooms are modern, clean, and definitely luxurious-feeling even though we had selected a basic room. It didn’t feel basic in any way, and the staff are incredible.

Onto the harder stuff - the resort desperately needs to institute SOME type of policy regarding the loungers - I witnessed several people placing their items on the limited loungers by all pools to “reserve their spots”, but wouldn’t actually be sitting in the loungers for hours to come. I literally saw one couple place their stuff down on a daybed, and then left for lunch for about two hours, with multiple families and couples coming and going searching for empty spots to no avail. This created so much stress during our stay, I actually opted to explore neighboring towns vs enjoying the amenities we paid so much for because it felt like a battle royal to secure a spot. It’s a simple solve of hotel staff removing left behind articles after 90 minutes and instituting a time limit for empty loungers, especially if the hotel is at capacity which it was during our stay.

The loungers by the beach are also all mostly broken - we heard from locals who frequent the resort every summer that they recently changed the beach loungers this year, and they said the ‘upgrade’ was more of a down grade (which I agree). Almost all loungers on the beach had cushions that no longer tied to their wooden base, which meant you were slipping and sliding on the loungers and couldn’t actually relax. This needs to be fixed ASAP.

The evening food experiences are great - the farm to table experience at Raizes was incredible, and truly changed what my husbands favorite meal was for our trip. That being said, the food available during the day is another story - we paid 70 euro for a burger and a Cesar salad, but the Cesar salad was basically pulled apart iceberg lettuce leaves drowned in Cesar dressing, and it was inedible. It’s also the only spot available for lunch or any food during the day, which created a somewhat chaotic experience with seemingly overwhelmed staff trying to keep up (I ended up waiting for 40+ minutes for my salad because my order ended up not being put in). You’re also charged five euro for a cup of water, which isn’t right.

Lastly, I know that the hotel is family friendly and it’s mostly a family-oriented resort - but there needs to be a balance given it’s a five star resort. Literally just making one of the three pools on property “adults-only” would be an incredible and welcome change. I noticed many couples like us that were actively searching for a quiet space and were met with screaming children. I don’t expect my stay to be completely child free - that’s just not realistic or fair to the families on holiday - but typically, five star resorts will offer some type of amenity that’s exclusive to adults so that we’re able to find child-free spaces to relax. There was a family of 10 from the US with teenagers playing football in the pools CONSTANTLY, and I almost got hit multiple times (they definitely need to implement some pool rules for the children). I know families deserve to have fun on holiday, but I wish there was a space on property that provided a truly quiet and calming experience for the couples sans kids that isn’t the spa.

Overall I think this place has potential - it’s beautiful, and the staff are SO lovely and kind. It’s really just a few policy updates or minor changes that could take this place to its true five-star rating. I think if you’re searching for a quieter experience, we’ve heard the Vila Vita Parc is a better spot and it’s right across from Vilalara, but this place has heart and beauty - it just needs some minor tweaks.

We stayed for a week here, and the experience has made me reconsider my life choices to figure out how I can come here every year forever and ever. Every single thing at Vilalara is exceptional. It is stunningly beautiful, the food is extraordinary (we ate at every restaurant on the property and every single one is truly fantastic), the staff are incredibly professional while also being warm, friendly and so attentive, and the beach is just perfect. I'm not exaggerating when I say I really don't know how I will ever be happy vacationing anywhere else.