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Beach boutique Hotel Member of Relais & Châteaux SPA by Loccitane VISTA Restaurante - 1 Michelin Star
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Boutique
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Location
Avenida Tomás Cabreira, Praia da Rocha, Portimao 8500-802 Portugal
Name/address in local language
Bela Vista Hotel & Spa
896 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
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Bela Vista Hotel & Spa garners accolades for its impeccable service and dedication to cleanliness, with many guests highlighting the spotless conditions and attentive staff. Nestled in a prime location, the hotel boasts stunning sea views and easy access to local sights.
While opinions on value and room amenities vary, the enchanting atmosphere and historical charm are well-appreciated. Guests have called out the spa and pool among the notable amenities, despite some comments about the pool's temperature and the spa's size.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Enchanting
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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We live locally and went for breakfast. It was obvious that the staff were under a great deal of pressure and understaffed so therefore the service was not as good as it should be . The breakfast was nice but the hotel need to invest in outside sun shades/ blinds so that every guest who wants to sit out of the hot sunshine can do so. We had two different couples move the umbrella which was shading us and we had to tell them ,which left them in the full sun . This is totally unacceptable . The hotel is happy to charge very high prices but will not spend money to ensure that their guests have this basic comfort.
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Gonçalo Narciso, Diretor-Geral at Bela Vista Hotel & Spa
Responded 23 Sept 2020
Dear Mrs. Ann S., Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience at the Bela Vista Hotel & Spa. As you understand, our staff is in charge of moving the umbrellas around, either requested by guests or according to the sun’s rotation, reason why there is no need for many umbrellas in our beautiful terrace. We have indeed plenty, as surely you observed, in the lower terrace. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back in a future occasion. We will happily show you around our beautiful facilities. Kind regards, Gonçalo Narciso General Manager
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It felt like home. It was sanctuary. You were made to feel like everything you need and desire was catered for and our experience was oustanding and it went above our expectations. We stayed for 3 nights in 3 different rooms in the main building which are the character rooms. The friendliest most welcoming lovely members of staff catered to our weird and wonderful idea to experience this very old special hotel (first hotel in the Algrave). It has such a unique beautiful decor. Each room we were taken into we were told a short history story to welcome us into the room. The spa and the massage were THE BEST I've had honestly! Its the only L'occitane spa in the Algrave. The view of the ocean from our room and where we had breakfast was stunning. The breakfast was perfect and the service throughout the hotel was fantastic. Would recommend a character room with balacony and sea view (i think there is only one) also we didnt get to try room 106 which was the room with the amazing mosaic bathroom. Check out the photos - they speak for themselves.
Only down side to this hotel, which is of no fault of their own, is the horrible cheap touristy area outside it with music blarring from the cheap pubs. However, once you enter what looks like palace grounds you are in your own sanctuary. It was perfect for us as a couple. Highly highly recommend it here a perfect romantic getaway to relax.
We want to say massive thank you to Joao who was the loveliest! There were 2 ladies but unfortunately cannot remember their name right now - blonde lady at the receiption and the lovely lady who served us breakfast everyday.
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Parking charged separately - which for the price you pay per room should really be included. €15...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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This is my most favorite hotel that I have ever stayed in. From the moment we checked in until we left everything g was prefect! The hotel was so beautiful and unique, inside and out. The grounds were well manicured and there are stairs just next to the property that lead down to Praia da Rocha. Our room was in the “deluxe” building. This building has been fully renovated and our room had a balcony with a gorgeous ocean view. They provide complimentary still water, sparkling water, and small snacks. The location is great; we walked everywhere.
Staff - I was so impressed with the impeccable service! Everyone was so friendly and helpful. We did not want for anything.
Breakfast - The complimentary breakfast was so much more than I ever expected. We sat outside on the terrace every morning and took in the view of the beach and ocean. There was a self service area with fresh fruit, meat, and cheese. In addition, there was table service which included coffee, fresh juices, and a tower of baked goods. You could order hot food (also complimentary) also. The avocado toast and egg benedict were delicious! And again, the service was perfection.
Spa - We had a couple deep tissue massage and both my husband and I thought it was one of the best massages we had ever had. A 60 min massage was 98 Euro, a much better price than you will find at luxury hotels in US/Caribbean/Mexico.
I would 100% stay here again!
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Valet parking was 20 Euro daily.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Gonçalo Narciso, Diretor-Geral at Bela Vista Hotel & Spa
Responded 13 Apr 2023
Dear F7802RQjessicap, We thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful feedback regarding your recent stay at Bela Vista Hotel & SPA - Relais & Châteaux! Our main goal is to provide our guests with memorable experiences, that they will cherish for a lifetime, and it is with much joy that we realize we have achieved this goal with you. We are most glad to know that you have left our house, looking forward to coming back and that you enjoyed the beauty of the property, our privileged location and the services we provide: from our amazing breakfast to our SPA by L’Occitane and the care of our Team. Bela Vista is now your home as well! We look forward to welcoming you back soon! Best Regards, Gonçalo Narciso General - Manager
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Having cancelled 4 holidays this year due to COVID-19 our stay at Bela Vista was a big treat for us, a time to relax and get away from it all. As you would expect of an establishment recommended by Relais Chateaux this level of luxury does not come cheap. However, imagine our disappointment as we drove up to the hotel to find it hemmed in by numerous high rise blocks, we could have been in Benidorm rather than Portugal. The two main blocks of accommodation sit either side of the main house (not sure if there are in fact any accommodation in the main house) and we received an upgrade to a sea view room. Yes, we could see the sea but nothing of the beach. The room itself was tired and the bathroom cramped with a shower over the bath that constantly leaked. Breakfast was served on the veranda over looking the beach which was stunning, if only the staff could take your order without making numerous mistakes and after waiting sometime the food itself was worth waiting for, after all this hotel has a Mitchelin star yet they cannot make scrabbled eggs? The pool and surrounding area was the highlight of our stay and provided an area of tranquility and relaxation. The down side to this are the level of bar charges which are astronomical to say the least.
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Date of stay: September 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Unless you are going to the expense of staying in a suite, the cheaper rooms have a better sea view.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Gonçalo Narciso, Diretor-Geral at Bela Vista Hotel & Spa
Responded 23 Sept 2020
Dear Mr. Malcom R., Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience at the Bela Vista Hotel & Spa. We truly regret you were not happy in the upgraded room. We wish you had commented on the points you refer, during the several conversations we had during your time with us. With your valuable feedback and suggestions, we would gladly have been able to act accordingly, had we known. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back in a future occasion. Kind regards, Gonçalo Narciso General Manager
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The Hotel That Exceeds All Expectations In Every Way
72km from Faro airport my wife and I found an absolutely unique experience at the Bela Vista Hotel & Spa, a private mansion with beautiful Portuguese tiles, marvelous rooms, very well decorated, with a short walk down some stairs to an incredible beach. All interior architecture, utilizes the mansion's original decoration, a true experience to all visitors. This interior design that uses the charm of the mansion as originally built, in today's world, is not easy to come by. The personnel is kind and efficient, with cleanliness and safeness being their first preoccupation.
The jewel of the crown is the unique experience that the hotel offers at its restaurant, Vista, with a young Portuguese Chef – Joao Oliveira, creating magic in the kitchen although maintaining the Portuguese/Algarve flavor’s to his various dishes and every dish that appears in front of you is a new surprise of texture and taste, which boggles your mind. All in all a spectacular work of culinary art with a Michelin star!
All in all our classification is excellent, it couldn't be better.
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Date of stay: July 2020
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We had a lovely stay here for about 5 days. Staff we amazing and the building is beautiful inside and out.
There is no private beach or beach service by the hotel, but access to the public beach is easy enough. We spent most of the time at the hotel's pool which is a great place to be!
Rooms are relatively small, but this is an historic building and there is only so much an architect can do with the avaible space. Still, the space is well though out and comfortable.
This is not the hotel's fault, but it is worth mentioning, the Sunday night that we arrived was very noisy with the nightclub (Katadral) that is located right next to the hotel, it went on until 5am the Monday morning. The rest of the week was nice and quiet. If you are planning on going over a weekend perhaps check if there are any events / parties on at the nightclub.
If you are looking for a luxurious stay in Portimao we would recommend it. The town gets very busy and it was always nice coming back to the calmness of the hotel after being out and about.
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid weekends when the nightclub next door is open until the morning ours.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Gonçalo Narciso, Diretor-Geral at Bela Vista Hotel & Spa
Responded 6 Aug 2022
Dear JVenter85, Thank you very much for your 5-star feedback regarding your recent stay at Bela Vista Hotel & SPA - Relais & Châteaux. We appreciate your kind comments our Property. Indeed, our Palace has more than 100 years of history and we do our very best to work with and keep the original architecture of the building. We truly hope to have the pleasure of welcoming to our, and now yours as well, beach house in the near future! Best Regards, Gonçalo Narciso General Manager
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I have booked my trip flying over from London for me and my 10 yrs old. Expensive flights sorted, car rented, Covid tests booked and paid.
I have just received an email from the hotel saying that the cannot accommodate my stay which is next week because the hotel policy is against under 12 yrs old! This is not explicitly stated on the website as I would obviously then not booked. I have called the hotel and no manager was available, no exception was offered in spite the proximity of my stay and the entire area is fully booked.
This is not the way operate 5 stars hotels and even more relais châteaux places. Nice places would not let a dad and his child in front of the door when no other alternatives that making them cancel their entire half term trip because of lack of clarity on the hotel website.
Disgusting!
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Gonçalo Narciso, Diretor-Geral at Bela Vista Hotel & Spa
Responded 31 May 2021
Dear Guest, We would like to take this chance to thank you for considering Bela Vista Hotel & Spa – Relais & Châteaux. Following your statement, we reviewed your reservation request and e-mail exchanges in order to better analyse this singular occasion. When focusing in your reservation notification, it was chosen our special package of ‘Stay 04, Pay 03’. This rate implies a payment as soon as the reservation it is confirmed – regularly, by credit card. Although, we were not able to confirm the payment by credit card and we have reached you in order to either provide new credit card details or find other solution. After confirming the reservation and payment by e-mail, it was requested to update your reservation identities: 1 Adult and his son. – This was the only way to find out that the son was less than 10 years old – after all the reservation and confirmation process. According to our Standards, well expressed in our Website and all the others online and offline sales partners – we are more focused in adults concept. We only accept bookings with children above the 12 years old. Adding to this, when booking in our Website, on the right-hand-side of your ‘Reservation Details’ you may find written and expressed your: Check-in Date; Check-Out Date; Number of Nights; 02 adults – this last detail it is not possible to change specially because our rooms have limited capacity of 02 adults/people. Meaning this, that it was quite clear that our Website it is designed to only accept adults during reservation process. After kindly asked your son’s age, we have noticed that it would not meet our minimum age accepted, and we have exposed it to you by e-mail, clearly that we would not be able to accommodate this request. By phone call, we have express that we would not be able to ‘open an exception’ as requested, and offered assistance in finding a solution and even guaranteed the refund. Later on that day, our Assistant Front Office Manager reached you again by e-mail stating the reservation cost had been refunded and extending our services for further information or assistance – neither reply nor feedback has been received. We would never leave our guests without any alternative, we are most proud to extend our services and assist our guests and non-guests to book other stays, in other hotels when requested – we take care of our guests as we do with our own. We hope that one day, we will be able to host you, to welcome you to our grounds, walk with you in our Palace and show you how glad we would be to have you here with us. With my best regards, Gonçalo Narciso dos Santos General Manager
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The hotel has a privileged location so you can enjoy a wonderful day by the beach or simply enjoy the quiet pool. The accommodations are perfect, very comfortable and with a top decoration. You can enjoy the awarded Vista restaurant for a wonderful gastronomic experience or even have a meal at the Bistrot, the food is simply amazing. A special remark to all the staff!
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have returned from the Bela Vista and it's disappointing, the return that is, not the Bela Vista. My husband and I have been staying there for a few years and each time just gets better. We don't think it needs to change but there are subtle changes taking place. After having read some of the reviews, I'm not sure what some guests are looking for but we find the authenticity and character fantastic. So maybe some of the aging tiles don't match or similar cosmetic things are not perfect but surely that adds to the original aspects and the location is what it is. Maybe if the other guests didn't appreciate these things, they should stick to a hotel chain where every rooms the same with no character. I have noticed how busy it's become but we stay in the main building and find once you are in the room, there's not much noise after hours. I've never had an issue with folk looking in from the buildings across the way either as stated in previous review and I've stayed in all areas of the hotel but there are curtains from floor to ceiling, infact there's two sets for privacy. The breakfasts are great with plenty of top quality offerings and nothings too much bother. We had lunch at the pool which was delicious and I'm a very fussy foody. The house keeping staff are extremely meticulous, well mannered and well organised. The front of house staff are the same and very pleasant. We met the general manager again this time, he seems to glide around, sorting cushions, moving chairs, a perfectionist. He greeted my husband and I with a very warm hug. Super friendly just the way we found everybody at the hotel. We had a balcony which was amazing as it was 38degs, we would never have had to leave the room if we chose not to. There's complimentary water, tea and coffee all in the room. The pool is like the rest of the hotel, spotless. We loved our stay and can't wait to return
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:There is parking available at the hotel
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Gonçalo Narciso, Gerente geral at Bela Vista Hotel & Spa
Responded 10 Sept 2024
Dear Jangorman, It was our absolute pleasure to welcome you back to Bela Vista Hotel & Spa - Relais & Châteaux. We will share your kind words and detailed feedback with our team. Your insights are incredibly valuable to us, and it is always a privilege to receive feedback from our esteemed guests. It was truly fulfilling to read your comments, and we deeply appreciate your recognition of our history and the service we strive to provide. Our team looks forward to your return and welcome you back once again to our and your "Beach House" in Portugal. Kind Regards,
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Bela Vista is a true Oasis in the Algarve region. Centrally located with beautiful amenities including a pool that overlooks the beach.
It is a trip back in time with original Portuguese tile, wood and the main house belonging to the royal family of Portugal. They say it is the first hotel in the Algarve.
The modern house in the side is where we stayed which features terraces with ocean view rooms.
The real stand out is the service. They could not have been more attentive to our needs and did so with a smile.
The breakfast was fantastic outside on the terrace with ocean views each morning.
We had dinner in the bistro in the gorgeous bar that was sublime.
Centrally located to all that the Algarve has to offer. 30 minutes to Lagos and within one hour of everything you want to reach on the coast.
The one major negative was the street that it was located on was a loud party street that did not match the caliber of the hotel. The noise was manageable but I didn’t see how that is a problem. I feel bad for the hotel because they were there first. Also they should not charge 20 euro a day for parking on their own property but they did always have the car waiting with fresh water.
It was perfection otherwise and is a true five star hotel but you do need to be aware of the street it is located on. It felt out of place.
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Gonçalo Narciso, Gerente geral at Bela Vista Hotel & Spa
Responded 8 May 2024
Dear Guest Justin S, We sincerely appreciate your thoughtful review of your recent stay at our Bela Vista Hotel & SPA – Relais & Châteaux. Your feedback brings great joy to our entire team, as it underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences. Thank you for acknowledging the beauty of our property and the dedication of our team members, who prioritize ensuring our guests' satisfaction. We are delighted that you enjoyed our ocean-view breakfast, which is designed to complement our guests' stay with a touch of elegance. It's worth noting, as you rightly observed, that Bela Vista once stood alone at Praia da Rocha. The landscape around Bela Vista has since evolved into a vibrant tourist destination since its inception. However, we trust to be able of providing a serene and luxurious stay inside our Oasis. Once again, thank you for your kind words. This truly feels like a 5-stay review. Our Team hopes to be able to welcome you back soon! We remain at your entire disposal. Best Regards Gonçalo Narciso General Manager
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Dear Sir/Madam,
The hotel is a no recommended hotel for children under 12 years at the time of check in.
As your child is now twelve, we will be more than happy to welcome him/her.
In case you need more information please do not hesitate to contact us at +351 282 460 280.
With my best regards,
Gonçalo Narciso
General Manager
"This hotel is magical. The staff works hard to meet your every need. You'll not be disappointed when you stay here. An outstanding hotel in a beautiful area!"
There are more places to choose from in the Praia da Rocha area.
PRICE RANGE
$545 - $1,016 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
bela vista - hotel, restaurant and spa, bela vista - hotel, restaurant & spa hotel praia da rocha
LOCATION
PortugalAlgarveFaro DistrictPortimaoPraia da Rocha
NUMBER OF ROOMS
38
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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