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My second stay here and it didn’t disappoint. Beautiful hotel, wonderful friendly staff, COVID safe and secure. The hotel was spotlessly clean with all sun beds being disinfected after each use, both around the pools and on the beach. Daily made service very efficient providing fresh water and replacement coffee tea etc.. golf course in immaculate condition and the weather couldn’t have been better. And to top it all without even requesting it, the management delivered a lovely bottle of sparking wine (Method Champagne) to my room on my birthday. The only slight downside is the hotel restaurants are very expensive to eat and drink in. However there are a number of decent restaurants across the main road just outside the front entrance and also down the road, not to mention the village of Olhos D’Agua which is only a 20 minute walk (5 minutes taxi ride) away. All in all a wonderful stay. We will definitely be back.
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Date of stay: October 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 Manuela Malveiro, Guest Services / Front Office at Pine Cliffs Residence, A Luxury Collection Resort
Responded 26 Oct 2020
Dear Michaelh848, Thank you for the time taken to share your experience with the Tripadvisor community. We are happy to learn that, again, you had an amazing stay with us and that our associates were friendly at all times, but above all we are very glad to learn that, during your stay with us, you felt safe with all the measures that were implemented. Please rest assured that we will address your remarks about the resort’s restaurant pricing with our Food and Beverage department for their attention. We sincerely hope to welcome you back to our resort in a near future. Best regards, Guest Relations Team
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We had a ground floor two bedroom residence. The apartment looked out directly onto the golf course. the two bedrooms were spacious, there is a full, and fully equipped, kitchen with a dishwasher. The place was immaculate and stylish. 55" TV in living room which we loved as we relaxed each night with a movie. The hotel grounds are lovely and well kept, like staying in a beautiful park. The property is enormous - this must be one of the biggest hotel complexes in Europe. The blocks of different accommodation are reasonable size, so you don't feel overwhelmed. We were at the far edge and it was a pleasant 8 minute walk to reception. There are pools scattered all over, but not heated. (There is an indoor pool which is) There is a lift and a boardwalk to a lovely beach, this is overlooked by a bar which is a perfect place to catch a sunset. Staff were uniformly delightful. Housekeeping excellent. Breakfast fine, dinner one night at the seafood restaurant just OK. In high season, the property is expensive, but worth it. We stayed in February, booked direct, and I would say it was excellent value, verging on a bargain! We hope to return soon.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:The residences ground floor have direct access to the garden.
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 pinecliffsAlbufeira, Guest Relations Manager at Pine Cliffs Residence, A Luxury Collection Resort
Responded 3 Mar 2020
Dear skyfriendbrighton, Thank you for taking the time to share your beautiful experience regarding your recent stay at our Pine Cliffs Residence. We are delighted to learn that you have fully enjoyed our resort with its beautiful walking paths, that your room was suitable for your needs and that our team members were friendly and welcoming at all times. We appreciated your constructive comments about the food quality, which will be promptly shared with our Food and Beverage team for their immediate attention. It would be an honor to welcome you back to our resort soon. Best regards, Guest Relations Team
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Pros: Very friendly staff, from reception to duty manager. Beautilful gardens and pools (although lack of maintenance is showing). Lovely views from champagne bar Mirador with good service. Good gym. Cons: overpriced below par food, especially at Mare (the beachclub). Poor quality beds/matrasses in gardens where cats from the socalled cat sanctuary roam free with staff supposed to clean up after them but which they understandably don't. Smells poorly therefore in what are supposed to be lovely gardens with the smell of pines. Broken camping quality beds and shade at the beach. Premium beds (still camping quality) cost EUR 90 for 2 per day, which is is just ridiculous. So called Bali beds cost EUR 175 a day and are supposed to be for 5 pax but 3 is crowded already. Mare has been renewed (with loud house music at 15h in the afternoon which you can hear even at Mirador) but we wonder why. Why not re-invest in proper beds and mattrasses for everybody to enjoy? Residences apartment still lovely but fridge not closing properly, safe door fell off and aircon made an incredible racket. Had to sleep with earplugs. We talked to management about this and were offered to move to the Ocean Suites, which is more central. But the Ocean Suites have other issues, including a lack of space (1 small cupboard per room for clothes and shoes) and a very clumsily designed bathroom. Everything is charged at premium rates (midgetgolf at EUR 26 with a course that has not seen any maintenance since the 1st time we were there which is 2008). And now another new set of buildings has been added (in the gardens near the entrance), bringing more customers with little change to capacity at the pools or beach. It is clearly only about bringing in revenue and less about what a 5 star resort should offer. If I were Marriott and the Luxury Collection I would make some changes pretty soon because if not, repeat customers like us (5th visit) will look for alternatives. Have not commented on issues caused by corona as that would not be fair.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Residences are still better than Ocean Suites (more space in bathroom and kitchen plus lovely...
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 Manuela Malveiro, Guest Services / Front Office at Pine Cliffs Residence, A Luxury Collection Resort
Responded 30 Aug 2020
Dear MartijndD1971, Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with the TripAdvisor community. While reading your review we truly regret to know that we were not able to reach to your expectations as we noticed some mixed feelings towards your experience with us. Whilst we are very happy to learn that our Resort grounds and location were lovely, we are also saddened to realize that there were some aspects of your stay that were not up to your standards. For all the shortcomings experienced we would like to present our sincerest apologies – expecting for your best understanding in these unusual times- assuring you that we will do our best to improve our service levels. Best regards, Guest Relations Team
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Due to Covid restrictions in the UK we booked this hotel 2 days prior to coming. The night before we planned to come I emailed for dinner reservations and still to date haven’t had a reply.. Even if they were too scared to say there wasn’t availability they should have acknowledged my email.
We arrive and when I queried I hadn’t had a reply, the lady at reception tells us the restaurants are at capacity most nights. We booked 3 nights out of the 5, but when I said we’d like a refund/credit for the half board for 2 nights she said that’s not possible. I told her it was unacceptable to take our booking as half board if they knew they couldn’t accommodate us and even worst to tell us that they wouldn’t credit us. They also used the excuse that because we booked through a 3rd party it wouldn’t be possible and if we did want to try we had to go back through them.
We get sent to our first room, probably the worst room in the hotel, on the ground floor borderline lower ground in the corner of the resort. Super dark (darker than our home in London) which says something! I went back to reception and said we wanted to change and get a brighter room. There were no higher floors but she did locate a ‘better’ room on the ground floor but otherwise they were full. We went to our new room and the terrace is above the restaurant - cooking smells and flies go in the room if the doors are open. Not what we want if we plan to sit out there whilst our baby sleeps.
By this point I was incredibly frustrated and my husband went back to reception. There were no further options.
I somewhat feel by us booking last minute we got pied off into the 2 rooms no one else wants.
We called our travel agent and got moved to a different hotel 1000 times better!!!! Thank god we went with our gut instinct.
Terrible experience, no luxury at this place!
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Date of stay: August 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 Manuela Malveiro, Guest Services / Front Office at Pine Cliffs Residence, A Luxury Collection Resort
Responded 1 Sept 2020
Dear Orly L, Thank you for taking the time to provide us your feedback in Tripadvisor. On behalf of the entire team at Pine Cliff, we are sorry to know that you were disappointed with our resort and that we have failed to reach to your expectations, and we do regret not having had the time and the opportunity to show you how amazing our property is. Your feedback has already been shared with our Management for immediate review and improvement. We hope that you will give us another chance to regain your confidence and please do not hesitate to contact the Pine Cliffs Team for any assistance you may have. Kind regards Guest Relations team
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We are entering our second week of a two week Holiday. I had read the poor reviews previously with scepticism, sadly they are all correct. It is hard to know where to start, the lack or non existent staff is a constant problem.
The first day of our stay the shower kept flooding the whole bathroom so that it went into the bedroom. I phoned the reception constantly but they never answered the phone on the fourth day they finally partially fixed the shower so at least it did not flood the bedroom.
On arrival you are told you have to make dinner reservations or you will never get a table. On day one I cued for an hour at the reception to make reservations. The most bookings she could offer were four even though we were staying there 2 weeks. I decided just to accept that, the next day they canceled 3 of them without providing a reason we now have one booking for a 2 week stay. The restaurant if you can get in are a complete rip off for average food.
The complex is massive and packed they promise that there is a shuttle to take you around. In reality this is one man in a van serving over 3000 people. It means long treks with small kids.
There are a very limited number of sun beds which you have to get up at 6 am to reserve. If you fail to do that the staff advise that you sit on the ground- this is a supposed 5 star hotel.
They never answer the phone and even if you book something at the Spa or gym they then lose your booking. They blame the computer system which they say is very old.
It is the chronic understaffing you notice the most. It is certainly not a 5 Star hotel to give it 3 stars would be generous. You are basically renting a 2 bed apartment where you share a very small and crowded pool but are paying 5 star prices.
In all honesty the previous poor reviews are all correct.
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Date of stay: August 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 Manuela Malveiro, Guest Services / Front Office at Pine Cliffs Residence, A Luxury Collection Resort
Responded 27 Aug 2021
Dear raflsni, First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience with the Tripadvisor community. We sincerely regret to learn that your overall stay with us did not meet your expectations and for that we do sincerely apologize. Every aspect you have brought to our attention was worth of our serious consideration and we certainly agree that the service, as described by you, was not a fair reflection of our usual high service standards. All our guests’ comments are of extreme importance to the running of our operation, as they help us identify the areas that need immediate intervention. In this sense, your concerns were promptly shared with our management for their consideration. We do hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back in the near future in order to show you our normal service standards. Best regards, Guest Relations Team
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We came back to Pine Cliffs resort in August 2020 after a wonderful stay we had in July 2019. I am very disappointed with my last experience as they literally packed the resort to the max. Everything you do, you have to queue. From breakfast to finding sunbeds at the beach. We even paid one day for a “premium” beach experience which was a total joke: you pay 90€ to have exactly the same sunbeds as the ones for free and they give you one bottle of water and a “plate” of fruit which in reality was 2 watermelon small bites and 2 melon small bites. A total joke. All restaurants were busy, the Maré close to the beach made us wait 1 hour once just to sit at a table. The gym as well was super packed and had to queue for the cardio machines. If I was managing this hotel since there are rules on reduced capacity/social distancing I would have allowed fewer people to book and maybe covered that with a bit higher prices but like this the experience has been really unpleasant.
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Date of stay: August 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 Manuela Malveiro, Guest Services / Front Office at Pine Cliffs Residence, A Luxury Collection Resort
Responded 1 Sept 2020
Dear Cecilia V, First of all, thank you very much for sharing with us and other travelers your recent experience. We are very sorry to read your comments and we sincerely regret to know about your disappointment on your stay with us We are sure that the adjustments that we were lead to make in our operation, regarding the current pandemic situation, had reflections in the guests' experience and for that we would like to present our most sincere apologies. In regards to the beach and its facilities, please be informed that a small number of sun lounges, 36 spaces, have been made available to be reserved, (opportunity to book in advance to guarantee the sits) for a daily fee of 90 euros (1 shadow and 2 sun chairs) or Balinese with a daily cost of 175€ for 5 persons, over 200 spaces available for free sitting. The number of spaces and social distance regulations are due to COVID situation, and in compliance with the Portuguese authorities. Also and in order to clarify, please note that in Portugal all beaches are public, except for the concessions, in which the number of sun chair and shadows are regulated by the local authorities. Regarding the sun beds in the pools and gardens, traditionally guests would go out of the resort to explore, now and due to the current situation, they spend the day in the premises to avoid being exposed to risk. Therefore, operationally it creates some challenges in some of our services and facilities, which we have already improved by adding more sun beds in all the pools and gardens. Once again, we regret to know about your unpleasant experience in these unusual times, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in future and be able to provide you a better time. Kind regards Guest Relations Team
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I agree completely with the review by Martin H. Little has changed since his visit.
Although breakfast is still set up as buffet style, everything is behind Perspex screens so you queue up and ask a member of staff to get you everything you want which takes ages. I understand this is due to COVID requirements and stops contamination but there simply aren’t enough staff. They’ve pared down the choices which makes sense but most “hot” items are almost cold by the time you get back to your table.
Some of their premium (pre-bootable) restaurants are closed. I assume that’s due to staff shortages too but it means we can’t make a single dinner booking in the resort at any restaurant for any night during our holiday. So we’re putting our name down and waiting/having to queue for that too.
Similar problem with activities. Our 14 year olds son is apparently too young to use the gym (even under parental supervision), he’s too old for the Junior Sports and there isn’t a single time available all week to use the tennis courts. They seem to be in constant use, almost exclusively by the coaches who are giving private lessons. And of course there’s no available sun beds by the pool after 9am so he’s getting pretty bored with just the beach and the driving range.
On the plus side, our 2 bedroom apartment is beautiful and spotlessly clean and the limited numbers of staff are running around like crazy trying to keep things going.
We are so grateful to be able to have a holiday after this lockdown so I feel guilty pointing out my niggles but the resort shouldn’t accept as many reservations if it can’t cope with them. This is our third time here but it might be our last. We definitely won’t be back until after all the COVID restrictions have been lifted.
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Date of stay: June 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 Manuela Malveiro, Guest Services / Front Office at Pine Cliffs Residence, A Luxury Collection Resort
Responded 2 Jun 2021
Dear JaneyC123, First of all, we would like to thank you for your loyalty and express our gratitude for the time taken to share with us your experience at the Pine Cliffs Resort. We do regret to learn that this time we were not able to fully satisfy your expectations in this last experience with us. Please accept our apologies for the waiting time at breakfast, since Covid-19 infection rates are thankfully much lower than before, we are still subject to government restrictions, we must all continue to work together to minimize the chances of any further spread. This means we have had to reduce the number of guests in our spa/ pools/beach/ restaurants and other resort facilities. Regarding the sun beds in the pools and gardens, traditionally guests would go out of the resort to explore, now and due to the current situation, they spend the day in the premises to avoid being exposed to risk. Therefore, operationally it creates some challenges in some of our services and facilities. Nevertheless, we are glad to know the accommodation fulfill your family expectations and were according to your liking. Despite all the described situations, and Pine Cliffs being one of your preferred resorts, we would be very pleased to welcome you back and be able to change your feelings towards us. Kind regards, Guest Relations Team
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We love returning to the resort, as find the familiarity aids relaxation. The concierge service is brilliant and has helped us out repeatedly.
Foodwise, the Piri Piri Steakhouse is our favourite, with excellent food and service. Corda Cafe, however, will never be returned to. Mare is a must for dinner on the beach, but they closed it early this year on August 31st (it was open til mid September in previous years). This was very disappointing. Mirador bar for sunset drinks is also unmissable.
The children's playground (Porta Pirata) is large and decent when the bouncy castle is there. It's a little bare without it. A needed improvement is to add more swing / swing style equipment in a shaded area. At a little more cost, some splash jets in the paddling pool within Porta Pirata.
The lift and then 110 or so steps down to the beach are manageable, as the steps are broken down into groups of 5, with flat areas in between. Two and three year olds (and the unfit) can still manage. The distance to the beach and size of the resort means that it's a planned outing, and a beach trip cannot be a 'time filler' when you have an hour or so and want to relax. There are plenty of pools to sit by instead, and I value the apartment balconies for those short sun-bathing sessions too. The sea is too rough for toddlers to swim in in September, even at the lowest tide/tide turning time zone. It's great for paddling and sandcastle building at that time however (NB. the timing shifts by about 50 mins per day, so Google tides and plan carefully). Adults can brave the cold water and swim when its at its calmest, and older children will be on Boogie Boards as the tide is coming in.
The supermarket just outside the resort is great (including fresh bakery). This works when you have a car and can drive down - not sure how one would manage this without a car.
Decent boat trips can be accessed in Albufeira, about 25 mins drive away. We booked online with Algarexperience.
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Date of stay: September 2021
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 Manuela Malveiro, Guest Services / Front Office at Pine Cliffs Residence, A Luxury Collection Resort
Responded 21 Sept 2021
Dear A H, Thank you very much for your loyalty and for having the time to share your comments regarding your recent experience with all the Tripadvisor community. We are delighted to know that once again you had a wonderful stay with us and that you enjoyed our gastronomic options, facilities, accommodation and our multiple services. We are certainly privileged to have such an impressive location and scenery! Thank you for your compliments on the Concierge service which it is truly appreciated and will be certainly shared with the team. Thank you. Your comments regarding Maré being closed for dinner earlier this year and also the Porto Pirata equipment were well noted and shared with the heads of the departments in order to do improvements. It will be a pleasure to host you soon, and we will be at your disposal for any assistance you may require on your next visit. Best regards, Guest Relations Team
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We’ve just returned from a stay in Pine Cliffs. We stayed in one of the two bed suites which was fab. We’ve been to Pine Cliffs many times and love the settings. The accommodation is great and our kids love all the pools and the beach.
This time however service was a real issue. The hotel isn’t operating all of the facilities (the cafe Zest is closed, the golf club is just doing a limited take away menu, O is closed for dinner etc) and yet the resort is full. This means it’s almost impossible to get bookings for restaurants unless you plan well in advance (which we don’t like doing on holidays) and my summary of our time in Pine Cliffs is lots of queuing - for breakfast, drinks, the only walk in dining option. You also need to get to the pool or beach by around 8am to get a lounger.
Overall just didn’t feel like a 5 star experience. It’s really expensive to stay here - rooms are expensive as are drinks and food - and we were pretty disappointed with level of service this time round.
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Date of stay: August 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 Manuela Malveiro, Guest Services / Front Office at Pine Cliffs Residence, A Luxury Collection Resort
Responded 19 Aug 2021
Dear 732anyac, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on Tripadvisor community. We are glad to read that you find our privilege location stunning and that your accommodation fulfilled yours and your family needs. It also brings unmeasurable satisfaction to us to know your children were delighted by the resort facilities such as the pool and beach. Nevertheless we do regret to know there were some elements that we could have enhanced during your stay, and for that please accept our most sincere apologies . Once again, we present our apologies for the shortcomings encountered while staying with us and, we truly hope that you still consider us as an option to spend your holidays in the future. We would be very happy to welcome you once again and change yours feelings towards the Pine Cliffs Resort. With our best regards Guest Relations Team
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What a gorgeous place to spend a week. I visited this resort with my wife and our 3 year old and we all absolutely lived it. The 2 bed garden apartment we stayed in was fantastic and finished to very high spec, the staff at the resort are very helpful, the €20 per head breakfast is excellent value for the quality of food and the entire resort is immaculate in itself presentation. My only reason for nor giving it full 5 out of 5 is that I don't think the on site restaurants represent value for money, but there are many local eateries literally across the road. Highly recommended
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Date of stay: March 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 Guest Relations Team, Guest Services / Front Office at Pine Cliffs Residence, A Luxury Collection Resort
Responded 11 Jun 2022
Dear Benham S, Thank you for sharing your feedback on your recent stay at Pine Cliffs Resort. It is always a pleasure to receive positive feedback from our guests! Your comments have been received with great appreciation and we are so pleased that you have enjoyed your stay with us. Please know, all feedback is very important to us. Your comments on the value for money at our restaurants were noted and shared with the appropriate leadership team for their review. We hope to welcome you again soon! Warm regards, Guest Relations Team
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There are more places to choose from in the Albufeira area.
PRICE RANGE
€271 - €560 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
pine cliffs residence hotel albufeira
LOCATION
PortugalAlgarveFaro DistrictAlbufeira
NUMBER OF ROOMS
154
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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