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General view

This is not a bad hotel but it most certainly is not a 5 star resort and you could get much better for the money. 

The positives:
+ beautiful grounds
+ access to a stunning beach
+ out of the madness of Albufeira, but close enough to walk there within 30 mins
+ very comfortable bed and pillows
+ beautiful view from the Sea View room
+ really good and powerful shower

The negatives:
- a very poor breakfast for a 5 star resort - lack of variety and choices, you'd expect this sort of breakfast from a 3 star hotel
- a very slow service at the pool bar at no fault by the lovely workers, whatever system they have in place for orders is not working
- dirty pools - little tree branches and rubbish that sink rather than float were in the pools the whole time we were there. You'd think someone could scoop this up. 
- expensive 
- lack of customer service (water cut out one of the days we were there and not a single thing was said about it, not one apology given, nothing, thank god we had some bottled water in the room)

Overall, this is a very average hotel. I'm not too sure how it's got a 5 star rating as it's the most 4 star hotel I've ever been to. Look, your holiday will not be ruined if you stay here, however, I think you can  find much better for the money.

Not a 5 star hotel

Not a 5 star, maybe a 3. This place is poorly maintain. Chips on the wall, carpet used,´ It is sad because the outdoors is realy nice but the rest is terrible. Our room was not clean correctly when we arrived, i had to clean myself. The shower is disgusting, mold  everywhere and white stains on the floor i have to take my shower with flip flops. It looks like it has never been cleaned. They just do the minimum. Our towels and shower mat had stains on it 2 differents days. We ask for more water because the supermarket near was closed and nobody was able to give us water. They recommand to buy in the machin for 3 euros a bottle of 300 ml. The prices are ridiculous. 40 euro for a buffet per person, no drinks include. We can eat out just a few minutes by walk for 50 euros. The pools even had some alguae in it. We like good and nice hotel so we end up our trip with this hotel and i would not recommand to anybody. This just looks like like a cheap hotel with good location. Whoever the price was not cheap at all. So frustrating.

Terrible not a 5 star maybe a 3

Firstly, this is not a 5 star hotel. 

The hotel is big, breezy, clean but dated, staff are friendly and it's very quiet. You don't need to reserve sun loungers and beach is only a stones throw away. The grounds are immaculate and the grounds staff work tirelessly to maintain its beauty and cleanliness.

Negatives however... breakfast isn't great- very repetitive and as the morning goes on they don't replace anything of a premium nature I.e. smoked salmon. Coffee machines are constantly breaking, air con is terrible, food and drink is overpriced for what you receive and menu is boring and bland. There is no pool side drink service and cocktails are not made with any degree of consistence.

There are simply too many things lacking to call this a 5 star resort. If the hotel was honest with a 4 star review and lowered their prices, I would recommend here however as it stands, there are better priced hotels with better amenities in the area.

Good but not Great

Have to agree with the most recent reviews that this isn't a 5 star hotel. 
Main thing for us was there was no atmosphere, round the pool, at the bars, in the spa area. If your into silent and relaxing places with no noise of people having fun, this is your place to go! However we resorted to the beach for a bit more goings on during the day and we went out to the town at evenings. 

Positives - 
- Beautiful hotel, lovely grounds and staff were very accommodating. 
- Relaxing atmosphere if this is your preference. 
- Spa is beautiful and overall the quality was great

Negatives -
- No music .. anywhere. There was sometimes a singer on at the bar at night but it was very same songs, jazz genre and boring. 
- Overpriced food and drink 
- Dirty Pools
- Breakfast was a shambles. Too many people with too little space. We only done breakfast once and didn't go again. 

For us the main problem was the atmosphere to be honest. We are in our early 30s and while it was lovely and relaxing we really missed some sort of atmosphere. They had a 'Euros2024' special on while we were there but the TVs didn't work / no sports atmosphere. 

Overall if you are looking for a place to totally switch off, are happy to sit by the pool with a book all day then I'd recommend this. Otherwise I'd have to say we wouldn't return. It's a shame as it has a lot of potential with small changes.

Lovely if you want silence... no atmosphere and Overpriced food and drink

There are many things that would need to change to bring this close to a 5* hotel - it’s definitely not that now. 

We’d read the reviews as this was our second choice hotel, and so had managed our expectations to an extent. And yes, it is worn and shabby in most areas, but clean. 

The positives - our pool view room was large with lots of storage and the bed was comfortable. The grounds are well maintained and the pool area clean. Looked to be lots of sun beds available too. The staff, with a couple of exceptions, were all friendly and helpful. We ate at Fado on the first night and the food was good but there was only us and one other couple in so no atmosphere despite great service from Fatima. 

The 3* experience - arrival - no welcome drink or intro to the hotel, just one receptionist who couldn’t get the card machine to work so we couldn’t charge to our room for the first 24 hours. Next, the quality and variety of food choices at breakfast. It was fine, we didn’t leave hungry but pretty dull stuff for 10 days. Overall the number of staff was low - quite often one guy in the roof top bar would be doing his best to serve food and do bar service on his own. 

The toiletries in the room were cheap and the mini bar was soft drinks only.  There’s no turn down service and the two chocolates in the room on day 1 were not replaced. There’s no iron /ironing board and the only quick option for ice was to head up to the poor guy on the roof top bar again. Despite being out of the room by 10:00, it was often not cleaned until late afternoon, so a pain having to wait for that to be done. We did try room service for drinks but the wait (at 19:00) was 50 mins so didn’t bother as we had dinner reservations elsewhere. 

The best thing about the hotel was the boardwalk (not for anyone with mobility issues as quite wonky in places)  down to the beach, which we loved and spent our time there with great sea swimming and lunch / drinks at the beach restaurant.  Both the restaurant and sunbed concession are nothing to do with the hotel. 

So, you can have a nice holiday if you set your expectations and don’t mind paying over the odds for the experience.

Lots of changes required to get close to 5*

This hotel boasts a stunning setting in Albufeira, overlooking the Atlantic Sea. Only 30 kilometers away by car is Faro Airport. The hotel boasts direct access to Sao Rafael Beach, lying just a short driving distance away from Albufeira Centre. A wealth of attractions, shopping opportunities, dining options and entertainment venues can be found nearby. The hotel features a state-of-the-art Spa, where guests can enjoy the ultimate relaxation and invigoration. The interior of the hotel enjoys a contemporary design, featuring space and light throughout. The guest rooms boasts elegant designs, featuring large balconies which command stunning views over the sea and gardens.

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Sao Rafael Atlantico