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4.5
#5 of 8 resorts in Albufeira
Location
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa is located in Albufeira – Algarve, in front of Santa Eulália beach. More than just a 5 star Hotel this is a destination where an oustanding experience can be lived in a single space. The Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa has 345 rooms distributed over various types, 15 multipurpose meeting rooms and 2 foyers bathed in natural light with capacity for 350 people, 3 Restaurants and the Realito Kids Club with free activities for the entire family. At Real Spa Therapy relax and embark on a unique sensorial experience, where the benefits of seawater and Portuguese ingredients are reflected in an enourmous rage of Thalassotherapy treatments and massages. With an informal and welcoming atmosphere, the Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa offers a service of excellence capable of satisfying all your desires.
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
Lagoon View
Family Resort
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish, German and 1 more
Location
Olhos de Agua, Albufeira 8200-269 Portugal
Name/address in local language
Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
5,453 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa provides a relaxing atmosphere with live music and elegant decor, though some guests find it noisy at times. The hotel's prime beachfront location and pool variety are well-regarded, despite criticisms of some amenities being dated or pricey. While rooms are generally clean and spacious, opinions vary, with calls for updates and better maintenance.
Cleanliness throughout the resort is often commended. However, guests have mixed feelings about value, pointing out high costs for food and services, which sometimes lack consistency.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Varied
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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Just back form a long weekend stay and had brilliant time. Hotel grounds very impressive and well kept and with private beach access. The room was huge, clean with lovely sea view. Breakfast in restaurant was plenty, loved the fresh fruits and there was even prosecco :). Free shuttle to old town in Albufeira few time daily and loads of bars/restaurants 10 min walk away. The staff all around the hotel was very kind and attentive, always smiling. I did not like the idea of having to pay for each teabag or coffee sachet I use in the room, even for the sugar ( that would be the only negative point I have), so I just got my own supplies from nearby shop and there was a fridge in the room to store the milk. Overall great relaxing stay and would love to come back.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
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 Qualidade P, General Manager at Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
Responded 14 Feb 2020
Dear Guest, Thank you for your comments. The nicest compliment that our team can get is your desire to return. We are truly happy to learn that you enjoyed the quality of our breakfast food and our rooms. The availability and the friendliness of our staff is a characteristic of all of our staff members, and we're very happy to know that you felt them. We look forward to your next visit to our hotel. Kind Regards, Jorge Teixeira - General Manager
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Enjoyed a lovely week here during February half term with my 2 daughters and my mum. We had a one bedroom apartment with sofa bed in the lounge. The one bedroom apartments are all on the ground floor. I requested to be as close as possible to the main building as my mum has walking difficulties. This was honored and made a big difference to our stay. The site is huge so worth requesting this if needed. I agree with some of the other reviews that the decor is slightly dated, but this is only in style rather than state of repair. I personally loved the brightly decorated rooms. Who cares if it's not the latest style! The apartment was spotless and cleaned daily unless you put up the 'do not disturb'. It's not 5 star by UK standards but you are still comfortable in clean and pleasant surroundings and I had no complaints. We had a little patio with table and chairs and clothes airer. This overlooked the car park but the grounds are planted with such lovely trees and plants that it was no issue. We were able to watch little birds and other wildlife from our patio. All the staff we encountered were so pleasant and helpful and we felt very welcome. The breakfast is out of this world! So much choice and all so fresh and delicious! We didn't eat at the hotel at other times so can't comment on that. We enquired about the evening buffet but at €30 a head we gave it a miss! We ordered in takeaways through Uber Eats and Gato Gordo and I met them outside the main building. This worked well and were always delivered on time and with a smile. We also cooked in the apartment. All utensils were there but we could have done with a peeler! We noticed on the last day that the microwave was in fact a combi oven so we could've cooked more! If you want a supermarket with a decent amount of choice it's worth taking a taxi to the Albufeira shopping centre where there is a good sized supermarket. The Intermarché (about 15 minutes walk) was OK but a bit pricey. We used a lot of taxis due to my mum's mobility difficulties and found them all pretty reasonable (especially as there were 4 of us). All the taxi drivers were very pleasant and helpful. I sometimes used Uber which were very competitive but called Real Transfers (I think they are linked to the hotel) when I couldn't get online. The pool and beach were both lovely. The heated pool was just about an acceptable temperature for maximum half an hour (February) before feeling chilly. The other pools are not heated. The beach is beautiful. Nice soft and clean sand and great views. Towels are provided for pool and beach use so no need to pack any! I wish I'd known that before bringing loads! It is rare that I return to the same holiday accommodation but I would definitely return to the Grande Real Santa Eulalia. Gorgeous holiday!
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip 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 Qualidade Projectos, General Manager at Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
Responded 29 Feb 2020
Dear Sarah, Thank you for your comments. The nicest compliment that our team can get is your desire to return. We are truly happy to learn that you enjoyed the quality of our services. The availability and the friendliness of our staff is a characteristic of all of our staff members, and we're very happy to know that you felt them. We look forward to your next visit to our hotel. Kind Regards, Jorge Teixeira - Hotel Manager
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Returned yesterday from this hotel in Portugal, on the whole it was a lovely holiday but there are a few things that we felt could be improved upon.
Whilst there I celebrated my birthday, on the afternoon I was very surprised by a knock at the door and a tray with a cake and a bottle of bubbly was delivered, from the management and staff, it was a lovely surprise and very much appreciated.
The Pro’s - the hotel is lovely as are the staff, the situation of the hotel right on the beach is beautiful. The shuttle bus to the new and old town are a definite plus.
The meals generally were quite good, but it did seem that a large majority of the meals in the evenings were very heavily flavoured with garlic. The breakfast was excellent and the choices vast.
The cons - Whilst we were there there was a conference at the hotel for 3 nights, the guests of the hotel were not advised this was going to happen.
On the second two nights there was a burger/hot dog stall positioned next to the beach wall. The noise from the conference attendees was horrendous, shouting and singing till 4.00am & 6.00am, there was no consideration at all given to paying guests who were hoping for a restful & peaceful holiday.
We initially had to ask to move rooms as when sitting on the balcony the people on the next balcony appeared to be chain smokers and it was impossible to sit out and enjoy the view. As non smokers this was a real problem for us, we had upgraded to a sea view room to be able to enjoy sitting out during the day and the evening. Reception staff were excellent and moved us very quickly. This again became a problem on the last 4 nights of our stay as the people underneath our room were also smokers and this again impacted upon us being able to sit out. The smell was disgusting and wafted into our room, not a pleasant experience. Would it be an idea to have one side of the hotel allocated to smokers and the other side to non smokers then everybody could enjoy their little bit of space.
The second week was much busier and there were a lot of children of all ages in the hotel, I know the hotel is not adult only but I wonder if it might be an idea and perhaps safer to have a separate time for families to use the dining room, the concern was that there were a lot of small children milling around when people were getting their meals and making their way back to their tables, the chances of accident was very real.
A lovely hotel, the weather was amazing whilst we were there, Portugal as a destination and the people make it a great place to visit. We have already booked for next year.
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Date of stay: February 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 Qualidade Projectos, General Manager at Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
Responded 22 Feb 2020
Dear Lizzy Rick, Thank you for your comments. It’s always important to know our Guests' opinion to maintain and improve our service every day. We are happy to know that you enjoyed your stay with us and we look forward to welcoming you again. Kind regards, Jorge Teixeira - Hotel Manager
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When booked this hotel, our tour operator informed them that i was gluten intolerant but when we arrived we were told that they had not been informed of this, they did nothing to help with this i. E no gluten free bread at breakfast.
We were not informed that the spa was closed due to covid nor told the steak bar was closed. The walls in the bedroom had chunks out of it and Three times we informed staff that our balcony light wasn’t working and nothing was done, body wash was empty over the bath and had to ask for this to be filled.
The sunbeds and brollies on the beach were charged at 10euros for half a day, i think this should have been the daily charge.
On the plus side:
Restaurant staff were brilliant and provided soya milk on request. Except for lack of gluten free, the food was very good.
Covid restrictions were adhered to with all sunbeds, chairs and tables sanitised after each use. Was hand gel everywhere and nobody else got in lifts with us.
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Bring knitwear or jackets as gets cold in the evenings
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 Diretor Geral, Diretor-Geral at Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
Responded 18 Jun 2021
Dear Carlan53, We would like to thank you for your comments. It will be helpful to improve our service and its quality. We regret that your stay with us was not the great experience that we strive to provide to our Guests. We look forward to welcoming you again, hopefully soon, for a better experience. Kind Regards, Karine Brites General Manager
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I was moved to this hotel as the one I had booked was closed for Covid 19. With it being 5 star I expected the best. Sadly, this hotel is more like a 3-star in terms of comfort and facilities.
Here are the shortcomings:
Two tiny outdoor pools with hardly any space to swim. So disappointing.
Doors bang shut when guests come and go.
They put me in a room with a balcony overlooking the car park. Needless to say I did not use the balcony!
All guests during Covid put in same corridor meaning a lot of noise. Guests should have been spread out as hotel was almost empty.
Thin walls in rooms meaning I was frequently disturbed by people in next room talking.
Breakfast service was uncoordinated and inefficient.
Breakfast was poor for a five-star establishment. Bread and croissants not fresh at all. Hot food mediocre. No menu so I had to guess regarding what was on offer. Orange juice was excellent. Coffee average.
Kids allowed to run around, approach guests and scream during breakfast.
Hole in towel.( See photo)
You pay extra for everything. I could not use the indoor pool or spa because you pay extra for this! The original hotel I had booked (their sister hotel) would have allowed me to use the indoor pool facilities for free but in this place you pay extra for everything.
Noise is someone dragging things along the floor every afternoon on floor 3. This disturbed me immensely in my room on floor 2.
Shower facility in room was like that of a 2-star hotel. Just a shower in a bath that you stand in. Water pressure pretty poor.
Room decor was acceptable but the curtains were hideous.
It was October and the heating did not work in my room. A technician had to come to switch it on! Why was it not on in the first place?
Positives: WiFi good BBC1 available Easy access to beach Fairly genuine welcome on arrival Bed quite comfortable Orange juice good
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Date of stay: October 2020Trip type: Travelled solo
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 Diretor Geral, Diretor-Geral at Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
Responded 7 Jun 2021
Dear Guest, We regret that your stay did not meet your expectations. We will take your comments and opinion into consideration in the hope of constantly improving our Hotel's service quality. We hope that, inspite of these unfortunate events, you return to our hotel for a better experience. Kind regards, Karine Brites - Regional Manager Algarve
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So before I start let me say I had a great holiday and the location of the hotel, right on the beach is great. This hotel may have 5stars based in its facilities but it was not a 5star experience...
We had one of their more expensive rooms, overlooking the pool with sea view. The rooms was not large. It felt very tired with peeling wallpaper and damaged paintwork. Suspect no money had been spent since built. The bed was large and comfortable. I was insulted to find that once you use up the 4 provided Nespresso pods they are not replaced and you are expected to pay 1.5euro each for extras. Never before have I had to pay for what should be complementary tea or coffee. Not even in a basic 3 star b&b. No Kettle in room. No water provided when room is cleaned. I rang down to room service for some ice and was told it would be 30 minutes! Get more staff. Breakfast was great and varied but if you were not down early the queue to get in was up the stairs into the lobby. Again more staff and tables needed.
The pool area was very nice but there were not enough beds available so people had to lie on the grass...in a 5star hotel.
The area surrounding the pool was not very well cleaned. We returned to a bed we had used the day before and there was yesterday's litter and empty glasses. When I pointed this out to a supervisor he asked pool waiters to clean it. They came with brush and pan, picked up one plastic bottle and left. I asked the supervisor again and they returned, still not clearing glasses or wiping tables. I wasn't going to ask a third time. Surely the supervisor should have checked back. High standards start at the top!
You have to book to use the gym. All very Covid secure which is great. The gym equipment is also tired and worn out. Rubber grips torn and perished.
There was limited Spa facilities apparently due to Covid but I found it odd that a pedicure was not available.
Nice hotel. Could be so much better
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip 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 Diretor Geral, Diretor-Geral at Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
Responded 10 Aug 2021
Dear Shrekfeet, We would like to thank you for your comments. It will be helpful to improve our service and its quality. We regret that your stay with us was not the great experience that we strive to provide to all of our Guests. We look forward to welcoming you again for a better experience. Kind Regards, Karine Brites - General Manager
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We are coming to the end of our week here. We felt anxious about travelling but needed a break. This is a quality hotel. We had a sea view room. Spacious and well equipped. The hotel is ideally positioned on the beach. Pool areas lovely. I also paid a small fee to enjoy the amazing spa pool- pre booked and only me there. We are on full board. The lunches by the sea are excellent particularly the fish and the breakfast and dinners in the restaurant also. I particularly wanted to post now to say how impressed we are by the hotels response to the current situation. The staff are meticulous in wearing masks and keeping everywhere and everything spotlessly clean and disinfected. We feel safe and will cared for. Thank you we hope to visit again when masks aren’t needed.
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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 Diretor Geral, General Manager at Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
Responded 5 Sept 2020
Dear Guest, Thank you for your comments. The nicest compliment that our team can get is your desire to return when masks aren't needed. We are truly happy to learn that you enjoyed the quality of our rooms and our food. The availability and the friendliness of our staff is a characteristic of all of our staff members, and we're very happy to know that you felt them. We look forward to your next visit to our hotel. Kind Regards, Karine Brites - Regional Manager Algarve
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We stayed for 1 week as a newly wed holiday with my wife and our little son. The hotel has a great location in Albufeira, with a beautiful beach in front. You can reach the old town easily as they provide a free shuttle bus several times a day. Facilities and accommodation are very good. I can make 2 recommendations for improvement: our room had some walls cracked opposite the bath probably from old humidity. A new wall painting will lift its look. In the main restaurant during the dinner some of the foods are served in pots or pans. You have to lift the lids and so every guest will do so which is not hygienic. Moreover those lids you have to put somewhere around while you help yourself thus damaging the while covers around. The standard practice in restaurants of this class is to have warming tools with small flames underneath which should keep the pots warm but without the need for lids. Alternatively some staff serving from them. My sound minor but these days is a matter of hygiene Our trip was lovely and the staff worked hard every day. Thank you.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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 Qualidade Projectos, General Manager at Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
Responded 4 Mar 2020
Dear Guest, We are happy that you have had a very enjoyable stay with us. It was especially gratifying to learn that you would definitely recommend our hotel, thank you. Please be assured that your comments will be taken into consideration and that we will do our utmost to improve wherever we can. We look forward to welcoming you again. Kind regards, Jorge Teixeira - Hotel Manager
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Travelled with our 3.5 month old to this hotel for a one week stay.
Stayed in room 206, bed was huge and comfy, nespresso coffee machine in room but only drew espresso sized shots, water replenished daily and a plate of fruit in the room. The view not great on the balcony (car park).
The hotel is beautiful, and has some lovely bars and restaurants but v expensive for what you get. For example, €9 for nachos at the pool which was a small bowl of salted tortilla chips and two tiny dips! Steak restaurant had lovely views but very pricey for what you got.
The grounds were not pram friendly due to the cobble style roads and pavement, our wheels are squeeking after a week on it.
The hotel itself seemed family friendly, lots of other families around. Passed entertainers on two nights but seemed v subdued, not v lively for kids.
Hotel is only 15 min walk to albufeira strip and 10 mins to smaller quite strip of bar and restaurants, free shuttle is great too.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip 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 Inês Caeiro, Serviços ao cliente/atendimento at Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
Responded 17 Sept 2022
Dear Jodie L, We are very happy to learn that you had such a good experience with us. Your comment is very special to us because it shows that our goal was accomplished. We will continue to do all of our efforts to improve our service every day. We hope you stay with us again soon. Kind Regards, Karine Brites - General Manager
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My Wife,Granddaughter,and myself enjoyed our weeks Stay at this Hotel.From arrival at reception,suitcases taken to room,warm and friendly welcome from staff.then getting our room witch was as described, with a beautiful sea view. We all enjoyed our meals at both restaurants(and burger bar at the beach) and the staff were always warm and welcoming,especially the head of restaurant who said I looked Like Santa(I do) had a laugh. The free shuttle bus mon.to fri. was very welcome,to visit new and old towns. The outdoor swimming pools were great,but very cold (I am Scottish so did not bother me)but once in was great. I had 2 sessions in the Turkish bath,at only 5 euros per session was fantastic value for money,and highly recommend it. So to sum up,I give this hotel 5 star rating,and thank them for a perfect week.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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 Qualidade P, General Manager at Grande Real Santa Eulália Resort & Hotel Spa
Responded 26 Jan 2020
Dear Raymond B, Thank you for your comment and for having such a great opinion of our hotel. It’s very special for us to see that your experience was great and that you had a very pleasant stay with us. It truly is for comments like yours that our team works every single day. We look forward to welcoming you again. Kind Regards, Jorge Teixeira - General Manager
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There are more places to choose from in the Albufeira area.
PRICE RANGE
€101 - €311 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
grande real santa eulalia hotel albufeira, grande real santa eulalia resort and hotel spa, santa eulalia portugal
LOCATION
PortugalAlgarveFaro DistrictAlbufeira
NUMBER OF ROOMS
345
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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