We were shocked at how rude the staff were, right from the start. When booking we had requested that the two rooms we had booked, to be next to each other, my Mother in one and my brother and I in the other. We got a message back at the time of booking from the hotel acknowledging that the request would be facilitated. This was not the case and both rooms were at opposite ends of the block. When this was pointed out to the person (male mid 30s) checking us in, it was met with a lot of attitude saying that the hotel was full and 'there's nothing I can do!' in an aggressive tone. We persisted with the request and the next day we had two rooms next to each other.

We were half board and went down for our evening meal to discover the restaurant completely empty. We discovered the reason why when we saw what was being offered. This is supposed to be a 4* hotel and we were paying 22 euro each for food only. The selection was very limited and the quality of the food was seriously lacking. The thought of eating there for the remainder of our stay was depressing! Spoke the the receptionist again regarding the evening meal asking if we could get a refund for our evening meals to be told a firm NO and that he would speak to the chef. We asked again for a refund and again with attitude were told that if we had booked directly with the hotel and not through booking.com, they would've been able to facilitate this. From then on for the remainder of our stay ensued a daily correspondence with booking.com to get reimbursed for our evening meals. Unfortunately this was not attained which left us very disappointed and dissatisfied with both the hotel and booking.com.

The next night we had a meal in the 'T-Bone' restaurant upstairs as half board guests got 30% off. The prices were crazy with a t-bone steak costing 60 euros! The service was shocking! Rude and unfriendly staff. Main courses brought out while we were still eating our starters. Forgetting to bring sides out and literally thrown on the table when brought out. It was almost laughable about how bad it was, we all couldn't believe what we were witnessing.
No leadership in any of the restaurants, nobody clearly in charge making sure everything is being done to a certain standard, something that you can normally observe in any other restaurant, but this is clearly not a normal place!

On the third night when approaching reception we were amazed to see an Uber Eats moped pulling up at the front of the hotel to be met with a guest purchasing an evening meal. Says it all really! We dined out on the board walk for the remainder of our stay.

At check out when we received the final bill from the manager, the 30% discount had not been applied. I had preempted this and had carried out my own workings out and ended up me informing him of what our final bill was, incredible!!

We were flying out of Faro later that day and asked about a transfer to the hotel. We were told that the hotel was in partnership with a company for this and the charge was 105 euros! We politely declined and got an Uber from the hotel for 65 euros.

From the welcome check-in to the goodbye checkout, the staff in every department of this hotel made the experience even better - and a special mention to the excellent reception staff who looked after our requests and transported us around the resort in the buggy. The hotel itself is a sprawling complex on a marina, ideally positioned between Portimao and Praia da Rocha, with easy access to beaches, restaurants, bars, shopping etc. The seafood cuisine in the area is superb. The rooms are apartment-style with self catering facilities. They are modern and very clean with a small kitchen area and a balcony overlooking the marina. Cleaning takes place daily and again the staff are very helpful and friendly. The restaurant complex has a great choice of breakfast buffet items and there’s a separate a la carte restaurant. The swimming pools are very pleasant and relaxing and positioned to get the sun all day - they were never too busy and we could always find loungers. There is so much to do from this hotel base: walking, beaches cycling, water sports, boat trips, shopping, dining etc, there really is a lot to do. There is a great-vibe beach club next to the hotel, with cocktails, cabanas, food, drinks. Also, along the entire beach strip there are bars and restaurants to cater for everyone. I would thoroughly recommend a trip by water taxi to Ferragudo village, where there are many excellent bars shops and restaurants - in particular, I would recommend dining at Borda do Cais and Brunch in Rio. Overall this was an excellent five day break in beautiful sunshine and surroundings. I’m sure you will have a great time.