Bela Vista Hotel & Spa - Relais & Chateaux

When you experience such a level of service, facilities and gastronomic quality it is difficult to put it into words. The kindest staff, welcoming me and supporting me at all levels. The rooms are super comfortable and the view to the sea was a dream! Loved the L’Occitaine amenities and the spa treatment! Cherry on the top - the Michelin experience by the Chef João Oliveira at the VISTA restaurant. I’ll definitely be back to this luxury oasis in Portugal!

We had a completely amazing experience at this exquisite hotel last week. The staff and hotel were simply too perfect to describe in words. The grounds of this historic mansion on a seaside cliff are breathtaking. It is right in the middle of the Rocha beach action making access to the ocean and the nightlife easily accessible. However, because the hotel, pool and spa are surrounded by a gated wall you have the exclusivity and privacy of a seaside resort. If you are heading to the Algarve, this is the place to stay!

This exclusive hotel surpassed our expectations in every way. The building itself is really charming and special. It’s fully restored with lovely historic details. Used to be the first hotel in the Algarve. Service is also truly exceptional. We received personalized attention at check in, taken to the lounge in one of the beautifully maintained historic spaces in the building to conduct the check in process in private and in comfort, and offered a welcome drink. The housekeeping service is outstanding, with second round/turn down service providing fresh towels, water, etc., as needed. Immaculate cleanliness. What a perk at a time when most hotels only offer service once every 3 days. The rest of the staff are also remarkable. They cater to every need. We felt like royalty. The breakfast was amazing. Probably the best I’ve had included at a hotel, and with so many options. Private stairs down to the beach. Beautiful heated pool adjacent to outdoor bar, and dining area for lunch and breakfast. Lovely decorated room. We stayed in the Blue House and had a view of the beach. Blue house only has a handful of rooms so very quiet. We didn’t hear people coming and going. Room 302 was small but adequate. Large double sink bathroom with large walk in shower. Since our room was on the beach side we didn’t hear the street noise which was loud. Gates to get in and out of the property so very secure. Only negative was our beach view contained the back side of beach restaurants which had graffiti so not a good view at all. Still, probably worth it being in that building and on that side for the quiet. Overall, DEFINITELY recommend staying here. Must dine at Vista while here! Worth the $.

We loved every minute of our stay. Meticulous attention to detail. Marvelous food at the onsite Michelin-starred restaurant—the chef actually comes to the table to prepare one of the courses. Terrific bar. The breakfast is perfect, something for everyone. Our room was spacious and modern. Cliffside setting with easy access to miles of beach. Best pool in Portimao. We did a full treatment at the onsite Occitane spa and indoor pool and that was wonderful as well. Staff takes care of every need and sets up easy transportation from train station to hotel, and then hotel to airport in Faro. We loved it so much we’ve been two years in a row. We went both years in April so I have not been to the Algarve in high tourist season, but the weather was great both times we were there. We rarely left the hotel except to walk along the main pedestrian zone, but there were other things to do, like visiting wineries in the hills, boat trips, cooking classes--all can be arranged by the hotel. Highly recommend and hope to return next year!

Very pretty old hotel, nicely set back (and gated) from the noisy commercial area outside. Great view over the sprawling beach from the clifftop swimming pool. Very friendly staff. Clean nicely decorated room with a beach view. Air conditioning worked really well. Dinner was delicious.

Amazing experience, service is definitely 5*, this is the biggest plus to this stay. Decoration is eye catching, original, cosy, we will definitely come back to this exceptional hotel ! The pool is beautiful, food is great, nothing else to say, thank you to the teams for making our trip so special !

Nice hotel in exciting part of el garve. The room ; the nicest suite ; was average. The front desk experience at check in lacked the enthusiasm of all the 4 and 5 star experiences we have had and frankly was almost scary. . 5 dollars service charge for a bucket of ice brought to the room was ‘bush league “ and severely disappointing. I mean spend 1k a night; frankly it’s a slap in the face. The toilet water was running all night and while I know I could have called we didn’t discover until we were in bed so we just dealt with it. Another very odd thing was the in room safes weren’t bolted down. It was just loose in the closet sitting on a shelf. Very strange. I might as well leave our valuable out .just weird. They missed turn down service and then told us we told someone we didn’t want it. Big lie. Get back to,the room after a night out and no towels etc. spoiled the wife’s mood . And ruined my night lol. On the plus side the dining experience was spectacular and the pool folks we attentive and great. I would not recommend this hotel in the future

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

Wonderful, chic boutique hotel with terrific staff service, amazing food and great views. Well worth the extra cost for a sea view. (and in our case, a seating area in the Garden House wing). The town is not sophisticated (that's an understatement) but it's fun and lively and has lots of local restaurants --not the same standard as the Bela Vista but gives a different idea of local cuisine. This is not a resort, hence tennis was 40 mins away, so be aware. Golf is probably closer. Ask the concierge what activities can be arranged long before you arrive-- our mistake. I heard someone went a couple hour boat trip along the coast--would have loved that. I am sure the hotel has contacts. Anyway, all in all, we were there for 5 nights and wished we had stayed another night or two!