The Good: Excellent free wi fi and safe.In addition to tea/coffee facilities there was also a Krups coffee machine .The bed was king size.All the staff were helpful and friendly.Very nice breakfast in lovely surroundings.Plenty of bars/ restaurants etc.very close and a 7 minute walk to the ‘strip’.Handy bus stops if you wanted to go to the old town which was 2 miles away.The beach is also close by.

The staff have been excellent and the breakfast varied enough for a short break.

The breakfast has a comprehensive choice of fruit, salad, cooked meats and freshly cooked food.

Very good selection of hot and cold food and breads for breakfast - also sparkling wine.

The breakfasts are the best I've ever had in hotels in terms of variety, everything you could hope to eat in the morning and something for those with a sweet tooth too.

The pool area was lovely and breakfast had more than enough choice.

Breakfast is very tasty and the rooms are spacious and very clean.

We stayed on a bed and breakfast basis and there was plenty of variety for all, and lovely and fresh.

Clean and modern rooms; great staff; and the best buffet food (quality of ingredients and cooking) that I’ve experienced over the past five years.

The breakfasts in the hotel were beautiful and there was a wide selection to choose from, whether it's a fry-up, cereal, continental, savoury or sweet, it's there, and with a nice choice of drinks too.

Breakfast had great choice every morning.

This is a wonderful hotel on the outskirts of Albufeira, the rooms, the breakfast & pool are great, only a 10 minute walk to the restaurants.

The breakfast is fantastic and the hotel is very well located.

The pool area is lovely and the breakfasts are gorgeous, staff polite and rooms cleaned every day.

The room was clean and spotless staff where friendly  breakfast was really good and plenty of choice had a great week staying there would stay again .only short walk to beach and shops not far from main STRIP taxis and tul tuk cheap or you can use land train to get about

Breakfast was nice and a good selection,the fresh orange juice was lovely.

It is cleaned daily, the breakfast is lovely each day.

Aqua Pedra dos Bicos Design Beach Hotel

Free public parking nearby

Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)

Adult pool

There is ample variety in the breakfast room.

Stayed B & B and the breakfast food on offer was lovely and plentiful, with lots of choice.

The pool is lovely with lots of space and loungers, my only criticism is the food, breakfast is well breakfast apart from having to wait for ages to get a freshly fried egg.

Hot dog sausages for breakfast, with dried very baked beans.

The bread offers were poor as well, which was a shame as I used to love Portuguese bread
Breakfasts were fine.

Good selection of quality food in the buffet at every meal time,

First time we have stayed at the Vila Gale Cerro Alagoa, and it won’t be the last, from the moment we arrived the reception staff were great and very informative, the room was large clean and catered for our needs, breakfast was great and plentiful, fresh omelettes and fried eggs, cereal juices etc.

The breakfasts have plenty to choose from, hot, cold, pastries, cereal, juices, and endless amounts of coffee etc.

Had a good time in the hotel, hotel room was nice,  friendly staff, breakfast was great, just to let people know, when ordering large soft drinks ( in pints  glasses ) we were charged €6.40 for each where small one was €3.20, and small ones was 3/4 of a pint, and a general pint and Gin and Tonic was 13 euro ( Gordon's Gin) But if you get a Hendricks it will cost you 19 euro,

We booked b&b and can’t complain about the breakfast with loads of choice.

Breakfast was fabulous, offering everything from a full cooked breakfast to continental style, fresh fruit and pastries that I am still missing now!!

Food was fresh and plentiful, different options every night and with a fussy 16 year old always managed to find something.

The breakfast was good and I would definitely stay here again when I go back.

but couldn’t fault a thing at breakfast time!

We have recently returned from a weeks all inclusive holiday at this hotel to say we were very disappointed is an understatement the selection of food was very very poor

People were talking around the pool about how bad the food was, very poor quality.

Breakfast and Dinner is a limited choice of poor quality food.

1, Because for the price it is very poor value.

Housekeeping is poor with the floors not cleaned well and the tea/coffee randomly topped up

Hotel needs better staff on the pool bar and hotel bar as service is slow and queuing at the pool bar is constant 

Food in the hotel is good

So the arrival was a disaster not helped by unpacking at midnight with poor lighting, there are only lamps and no proper light in the middle of the ceiling.

stag parties which the hotel state on there website they do not allow, groups of men around the pool using very foul language and being very loud and intimidating for young children (big let down for us) they other which to be honest wasn't a major problem was the evening entertainment was quite poor.

The quality of the yoghurt, sliced ham and cheese was very poor.

though it was to borrow due to the poor English of some staff), free towels for pool use.

The things letting the hotel down for us was the lunch/dinner buffet- the spread was minimum and we actually ended up eating out most nights, kids choices were poor (fish fingers and onion rings), no basics such as pizza or pasta .

Information generally was really poor regarding anything in the hotel as there just wasn’t any, not even in the room, I had to ask where the dinning room was and had no idea where the indoor pool was for a few day or that they had one.

Apaprt from the poor qualitiy food, it is absolutely extortionate in the pool bar so we didnt have any other drinks there the whole holiday.

Evening entertainment very poor so like most other guests we went elsewhere in the evenings.

We had to pay 90 euros to be moved as the noise from the traffic was so bad, the breakfast is poor and I feel sorry for the chef who is on his own manning the omelettes bacon and eggs to a lot of people, for a 4 star the food should be better cheap cocktail sausage for breakfast is not 4 star standard.

Food was of poor quality - very bland and at best lukewarm every night.

The hot choices weren't very inspiring and an odd mix and the salad bar selection was a bit poor. The choices at breakfast were OK, the normal hot food and fresh cooked eggs and the chef was cooking omelettes (although they weren't the greatest.)

The wifi is poor, so much so the entertainment team gave up on karaoke one night as they couldn't connect to their songs.

I’ve read some reviews on here about the entertainment being poor and quite frankly I feel it’s completely unjustified.

We were a little disappointed with the A la Carte restaurant, we felt that it was a little overpriced!

On arrival we were informed that as check in was not till 3pm we could not use the all inclusive we had paid for.

but thats about it,food is rubbish dont bother coming all inclusive its basically the same every night, then when you go in for food it's like feeding time at the zoo and then there is no food till they refill which takes ages ,we have had to pay to go out to eat for a few nights now.

but to be told they had no all inclusive Rose wine in the hotel but we could purchase a bootle from the wine list at a cost of 20 euros less discount as we where all inclusive apparently we were told they hadn't had any for weeks and none expected until November basically towards the end of the week we had to eat out due to the length of time it took as food was cooked on demand would never return to this hotel or recommend it to anyone.

This was our 3rd 4+ all inclusive holiday in Europe this year and it was the most expensive.

Plus be warned, bar prices are a bit expensive x

We ate out after that, which is bad when we'd paid for half board!

but the staff can't follow simple instructions and bring the wrong drinks you have to sign for the drink with no explanation of why or how to pay for them.

Food choice was limited, no one seemed in charge of the restaurant to ensure food was replenished.

A small extra fee for the use of the room safe; and the need to wear a swim cap in the indoor pool (which wasn't shared until our kids were already in the pool) - with the swim caps at 4 Euro per person.

However if not all inclusive recommend shopping for drinks outside the hotel at the near by supermarket as poolside bar is expensive.

but sunbeds are expensive at 15 euros for 2 all day.

The only thing I would say is about the prices, we paid 5.40 euro for two small bottles of water round the pool one morning, which put us off getting much else from there.

Only local drinks on it and 1 cocktail of the day and if you are looking for another cocktail you have to pay (30% off the price) .

One thing that made me so cross to hear this time at your restaurant, is that regularly in the restaurant, some customers who sign to say they ordered their drinks, when it comes to the time to pay, say it isn't their signature and then refuse to pay.

Bar was nice, we didn't really use as prices were on the expensive side

When I queried the price difference I was informed that there was no way that I could have only paid €15 for two brandies.

but you need to pay 2.50 euros a day for it.

Workers outside of our room from 7:30am till well after 6pm making lots of noise.

Arrived late at night by no fault of ours being told that we missed our dinner, haven’t eaten since lunch time at the airport we were expecting at least a sandwich, got a vouchers for lunch for next day as we were half board which wasn’t very helpful when you have a starving 11 year old, had to rush to McDonalds anything would do at that point, Jet 2 should have made us aware of that .

but the beauty is when you get back to the hotel you are out of the hustle and back to quietness to relax.

The bedroom also felt poorly sound insulated.

Our balcony view was of the road in front of the hotel, which despite being fairly busy, we did not hear any noise at night.

but overlooked a main road and was a little too noisy for us.

but there was no noise from the road once the patio door was shut.

but far enough away that you don't 
get the noise.

but groups of man threw rugby balls at force  which hit people on patio,signs said no inflatables but many in pool.signs said no  alcohol in pool yet people freely had alcohol in the water but shocking and so dangerous was that drinks in GLASS containers were freely allowed in the pool and people drank as such on edge of pool.this was astonishing and I told the manager who promised action but the same activities happened next day,.One accident would have closed thepool.each afternoon moronic club music blasted out by the pool and to escape this I went to neighbouring hotels pool but the disturbing noise spoit their peace also.evening entertainment was abysmal with bingo and music from speakers obliterating any relaxing charm,no wonder only around 10/12 people could stand it.internally hotel is dated and dark

however the last 2 nights unfortunately there was a baby crying constantly for the 2 days and you could hear eveything, we didn’t get much sleep.

When we arrived (late at night) my air conditioning didn't work and I was given a choice, move to a noisy room or wait until the morning.

but my suite faced the main road at the front of the hotel, along with the service car park, which led to some ambient traffic noise during the evenings and early mornings.

This time we had a problem with our room as I am expecting and the room was a bit noisy for us and I went to the reception, and I have to say that the service was even better, once Alexandre and Lourdes promptly sorted our issue changing our room with so much courtesy and care, even in the busiest time they still having total attention to the guests making all possible to accommodate our needs.

The other side faces the main road so lots of noise from traffic and people during the night.

Rooms are a bit dated and I would recommend paying extra for a pool view as main road noisy.

Our neighbours next door usually came in around 3 or 5 in the morning, bringing in non residents and making so much loud noise that we had to call the reception.

Vila Gale Cerro Alagoa

quietness

price

poor

Parking

Free internet

Pool

The breakfast had a good selection and the staff all efficient and pleasant.

In terms of the food, we enjoyed the fresh, delicious options with plenty of choice, especially at dinner.

Breakfast was very good with plenty of choice.

Breakfast room ladies were always pleasant and helpful.

Great breakfast choices, breads, fruit, yogurts,  cold meats, cheeses, cereals, hot food, coffee and hot water machines with great choices.

Secondly, great breakfast and lunch and bar offer.

The meals were plentiful and well cooked.

Spotlessly clean and very helpful staff,the pool is very small and very crowded with the loungers touching each other not very pleasant,the breakfast had a good choice

Lovely location and a great room (suite) - 016, comfortable communal areas and nice breakfast, only negative - the pool area is far too cramped - nothing at all like the photo, nice beach set up reasonably priced beds.

The food was delicious and had enough variety to please all 3 of us, including a pescatarian .

Breakfast was very good with something for everybody, coffee excellent and fruit and pastries were fresh and plentful.

Breakfast was excellent with a good selection of food and drinks.

The breakfast is good quality and varied, the view is breath taking, every part of the hotel is spotless, the pool is lovely overlooking the sea and the private beach is just across the road - ample loungers for everyone.

large restaurant full of variety of menus for all tastes, both for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Breakfast is plentiful offering a great choice.

The rooms were quite small compared to other hotels we’ve stopped in and it could have done with more plug sockets.

(aplolgies if names spelt incorrectly)
The rooms are quite small

Cons- tiny room and tiny bathroom for the money (200+ euros per night).

Breakfast average 
The room was very small, and we had to ask to change the room to double bed when we arrive even I mentioned it during the reservations.

The hotel is fairly basic, three star level, the room we had was very small with a horrible view of the back of some old flats.

The rooms are small as many have pointed out,

Dom Jose Beach Hotel

small room

Breakfast was decent with plenty options.

Fantastic sea views, nice and friendly hotel staff, good breakfast and spotless cleaning :-)  We will surely like to come back to this hotel.

The breakfast buffet was included and had a huge variety of foods.

The staff (particularly Anaisa at the front desk and Bruno at breakfast) were wonderful.

Facilities were brilliant, breakfast was vast with plenty of choice.

Breakfast at the hotel was plentiful and the buffet offered a wide variety of food to suit everyone.

This hotel really did beat our expectations and the breakfast selection was very good.

Very good breakfast with all you need cold and warm.

Amazing hotel in the perfect location
Beautiful sea views and bright modern rooms also very comfortable and spotless clean
Very friendly staff
Great choice for breakfast
Beach on your doorstep and beach towels available every day for a small deposit 
Will definitely return

Large comfortable rooms with large balcony overlooking the beautiful sandy beach, superb breakfast, in the middle of the old town with it's plentiful supply of shops, bars and restaurants.

The resturant offered breakfast and evening meal, both of which were equally delicious.

Havind said that all the food was good quality, excellent choice of cold buffet and bread, and great drinks choices.

Breakfast in the morning has everything you could possibly want.

The buffet breakfast gave a wide choice and also a good time range 7-10.30am, thanks to Eduardo for his cheerful greetings each morning and his help with the coffee machine.

Evening meal 7pm - 9.30pm and once again buffet style.

Everything clean and smart, staff absolutely amazing, lovely breakfast buffet with omelettes prepared on demand and of course the location, which is the reason I booked it; right on the beach and edge of town !

Thank you to the chef for keeping us fed and happy, it was a buffet style and replenished well

Beach - a gorgeous beach with zero rocks in the sea.

I should have believed the poor reviews of Sol E Mar.

We really enjoyed our stay,just need to address the evening meal which is very poor.

but the food, apart from Christmas and New Year, was very poor.

WiFi speed is low and availability is poor with frequent disconnection due to low signal.

Entertainment in hotel was poor and alcohol prices was expensive.

but evening meal very poor indeed,
We would have expected a hotel without an outdoor swimming pool of it own Not to charge full price for sunbeds Ect on their section of beach making it and expensive two weeks for family

No customer service skills and her attitude to work was very poor.

The first night in the ( canteen ) selection was very poor, salad dry pasta with what looks like soup to go on it, Rubber blocks on a stick, cold chips, chicken nuggets.

Terrible breakfast, poor choice of breakfast thank goodness we only booked b&b, staff really need a wake up call & management need to do a review of both there staff & the whole hotel in general.

The food was of very poor quality during our stay and after giving both breakfast and evening meal a try we gave up after three days and resulted to eating out instead.

we went B+B i wouldn't bother with the breakfast if I was staying again it was poor enough I seen some reviews saying the breakfast was adequate I would say poor.

but not very accessible for people not so mobile,every  part of this hotel requires upgrading,the bathrooms are very shoddy and to a point unhygienic, the staff do there best to keep it up to scratch but there's only so much they can do,no way a four star hotel more like two,breakfast very poor quality but there's always some thing edible,this could be a top class hotel but it's money spending in every area,what A shame .

Breakfast was not great (poor quality cooked ingredients).

WiFi is only available in the bar/reception area and not in your room, the options to entertain ourself during the day if the weather is bad are poor

This hotel is for the older generation, and they seem to enjoy it, dont bother if your a family or younger couple, kids food is not catered for, and food is very poor quality, and not cooked well at that.

but the one evening meal we had was poor.

The bath was in very poor condition and had a black mark all along the bottom obviously because it was old.

The hotel needs updating in certain areas especially the dining room that is well outdated especially the old carpet down one side.

Entertainment was a bit outdated with a man sat at a keyboard.

Terms and conditions 25% taken at time of booking the reminder non refundable in event of no show.

We have stayed in this hotel many times and never been disappointed yet, it has just undergone a refurbishment and the reception area is now fantastically modern, and all rooms are now electronically accessed.The bar/lounge area had some changes made

The room, so I'm led to believe others have been updated, when I booked I thought this was across the board, ours wasn't

We understand that there are refurbishments planned and whilst that may improve some people's opinions it would be a great shame to change the 'circle bar' which not only is a marvel of 70s chic

The property was build in 1965 and still looks like 1965 in the main public areas, could really use a refurbishment.

although perhaps could do with a bit of updating (throw back to the 70's).

2 Outdated run down rooms with many issues, ours had no enamel at the bottom of the bath.

The hotel was just i aspected, a bit outdated,

I would say it was a bit dated and could do with a renovation.

The decor was old and grey and the facilities are well used and in need of serious renovation.

However everything is just a bit outdated and in need of some love (I understand it is getting a total refurbishment this year anyway)

The rooms themselves need a bit of an update and the food in the restaurant is nothing to rave about (book B&B rather than Half Board then eat out in Albufeira)

However the hotel rooms do need updating which we understand is happening in November.

Rooms are a great size and beds comfortable, hotel is slightly dated & as most reviews state, the bathroom badly needs refurbished, its tired looking and i think if even a new bath mat & shower curtain was put in it would help, shower curtain was slightly yellow & plastic.

We heard that they are closing down in the winter for refurbishment, hope they don't lose the character of the hotel.

But does need a good clean all over and updating.

This cess-pool gives off an offensive odour.

We went to one not so far away to use their pool and when entering we swiftly left (there was a terrible smell of weed and we could not even order a drink at the pool bar).

The Traditional Lasagne was inedible with what looked and smelt like a fish paste filling instead of meat.

For example the bath is grey and the enamel is worn off it, tiles are filthy, wardrobe is full of finger marks and dirty black areas.

but the breakfast was pretty rubbish, I’m wheat intolerant, and there was barely anything I could eat, apart from bacon and eggs and some fruit that looked pretty disgusting.

but the drains had an awful smell coming from them.

The room was not clean, the safe was broken, the beds had plastic under the sheets, and there was a horrible smell coming from the sink in the bathroom.

Reception on the other hand is disgusting.

My wife kept slippers on which were filthy at the end of our stay as she would not tread on the floor as neither would I..

the smell from the bathroom was horrible it had no extractor so always damp.the whole place wants a major overall.

but that's were it stops, DATED, DREADFUL , & DISGUSTING HOTEL 

Rooms are so in need of moderation beds are awful & the bathroom disgusting rusted bath, tiles filthy, cracked sink dirty cracked fillers everywhere around sink bath toilet holder, cracked mirror above sink.

although they said was non smoking stank of smoke.

Upon check in, we immediately asked management to come to our room bc of the awful bathroom smell (sewage).

Bathrooms were disgusting and in desperate need of being refitted.

Hotel Sol e Mar

renovation

smell

Indoor pool

My wife & I were celebrating our 50th year together and we wanted somewhere with the qualities of peaceful surroundings, private spaces to relax and unwind and  clean comfortable accommodation and of course Breakfasts and Dinner of quality .

It is outstanding and I highly recommend it, the food is delicious and beautifully executed with new ideas and flavours.

The food was brilliant in the main restaurant for breakfast and evening meals and the staff were very helpful.

Breakfast was excellent with a huge choice to please all.

Half board breakfasts & main meals are of the highest quality, superb chefs with meal menus both ever changing/never the same.

We were only there for Bed and Breakfast and that was excellent.

Tuna half moon , algarvian citrus ponzu , creamy avocado and wasabi mayonnaise and crispy seaweed and coriander .

Food was delicious and presentation awesome.

Breakfast was plentiful with much choice and a friendly smile to great you.

In fact we did try the ala carte restaurant and found the buffet preferable,

Breakfasts in the good sized dining area was of good quality and lots of choice.

Although we would normally go for a buffet type meal I couldn’t fault it.

The hotel is spotless and the breakfast and evenings meals were superb.

It presents a truly excellent buffet breakfast, an indoor pool and steam room, an outdoor pool and pool bar and very pleasant gardens.

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