We’ve just come back after a week here and it was excellent. Spacious, scenic and peaceful apartments with fab staff from Ariana and Carla at reception to Liliana at the spa! I would definitely go here again and love the home away from home feel with great pools, gym and Chicca’s restaurant. Highly recommend it!
This is the fourth visit to this resort and cannot fault the place. Lovely spacious apartments, the Studio is quite adequate for 2 people, well equipped kitchen etc, the one bedroom apartment seemed cavernous for us, so spacious. Nice pool areas with 2 adult pools and one children's pool. The breakfast restaurant is most handy, self catering very rarely includes breakfast so cash saved! Minor irritation, the English TV channels are not currently available, so news channels become your friend. Hopefully we are returning again next year, well done Estrela.
We stayed at a 1 bedroom apartment that was beautifully decorated and well furnished with everything that we needed and more ! A short walk to a beautiful beach We rented a car and explored nearby areas. We stayed for 9 nights and had a wonderful relaxing vacation!
This is the most relaxed I have ever been in my life. I love this place.
Reception is lovely - only took a few minutes to check in and although we were 4 hours early, our room was ready, which was most appreciated. They have some information on various tours and boat trips, they can book them for you for a discount and even a cabinet full of books should you want to borrow a read (and in various languages).
Studio apartment was huge and fully equipped - even a washing machine, dishwasher and nespresso machine! We weren't on holiday with the intention of staying in and cooking, but you have everything you could possibly need. Including an ironing board and iron, huge fridge/freezer. There arae 2 dishwasher tabs, 2 washing machine tabs, bin liner, cloth, 2 tea towels. Balcony overlooking the pool with a clothes airer, table & chairs. Safe in the room also. Bathroom is quite large, bath, overhead shower, toilet, bidet and two sinks with 2 bath towels and 2 hand towels. All immaculately clean. Room had a sofa and 2 chairs, TV, aircon and 2 huge single beds pushed together to make one massive bed. Upon arrival there was a bowl of beautiful algarve oranges, milk in the fridge, a bottle of water, nespesso pods and some different flavoured tea bags.
We went in September (9th to 19th) which is considered end of season - although it was about 30 degrees most of the time. There were plenty of people there, German, French, Irish, English - but there are LOADS of sunbeds. We were rolling out at about 11am and there were 90% sunbeds available. You CANNOT reserve a sunbed with your towel, and you don't need to!
Adult only pool with sunbeds, family pool with sunbeds and next to that a baby pool with sunbeds. The outdoor pools are not heated, but the chill water was most welcome when it was 32 degrees most days! There is an indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and gym also - you can get treatments also. We saw a "Pool Supervisor" a few times - he wasn't shouting at any kids that we saw as mentioned in other reviews - on a couple of days I wished he would though. A family with 3 very boistorous kids were running along the lines of empty sunbeds chasing each other shouting "eff you" (the full version) at each other with their parents doing absolutely nothing about it. Fortunately, the feck family weren't there very long and certainly wouldn't stop me from recommending this place, there is always one! Other young families were playing lovely in the pools, no trouble.
The gardens and surrounding paths etc are beautifully kept. There were 2 chaps working on the gardens every day.
The breakfast restaurant was the highlight for my hubby. He NEVER gets up for breakfast when we are on holiday, I dont usually bother booking it, but it was part of the package this time and we went every day. Staff are lovely, attentive, and the food/drinks are very quickly re-stocked if they run low. There was everything for every taste - 3 different pastries, sliced meats and cheese, breads, fresh fruit, yogurts in different flavours or just natural, cornflakes or chocoflakes, toaster, jams, marmalades, nutella, pancakes - then there are the hot foods: scrambled eggs (you can ask the cook for fried eggs, they are perfect!), bacon, beans, mushrooms, and then there are some peppers and other hot veg (I guess that is a country specific favourite). Coffee machine with fresh beans made beautoful smooth coffee, there was a kettle and various tea bags. Honestly, something there for everyone. I think if you don't have it included in your package, it is 15euro per person. All buffet style - eat as much as you like as long as it is consumed onsite and not taken away to your room. We would like to say a massive obrigado to the breakfast staff - they were all lovely.
The complex is in a perfect position - 2 supermarkets within a 5 minute walk, restaurants and bars, beach about 10 mins maximum.
Set on a short walk to the front bars restaurants - a great location
Pool area great - waited 3 hours to check in as no other rooms available- due to air con fault - put up with room told no other rooms available. All in all - old school hotel excellent size rooms , great pool area & location bang on!!
