Jardim do Vau

Overall it was ok, the room was big and spacious, but the rooms are old and we had a room on the ground floor with no view, nevertheless, many other rooms were available. The sauna in the spa wasn't working (even after 3 hours of being switched on), but the pool and jacuzzi were ok. Breakfast was ok, but with very poor choices.

The whole hotel was very clean and the housekeeping staff did a wonderful job servicing our apartments each day. The bed and bedding were all great quality and we slept well. The shower tray in the main bathroom did not drain well at all and would often fill up so it was a race to see if I could finish my shower before it overflowed 😂 the balcony is spacious with a table and chairs, plus sun loungers. Our main problem was the lack of entertainment, there isn't much to do locally. We asked staff if there was anything near by and we were just told 'the beach' they failed to mention the little row of restaurants and bars at the back of the hotel just outside the gate near to the pool. The restaurant and bar on site was incredibly quiet but it was end of season. None of the games facilities for the kids worked and neither did the vending machine. Pedro and Sasha were our servers and were very attentive and friendly. A lot of the staff around the resort didn't even acknowledge us which I found very strange. The lady on reception was very well informed whenever I asked questions on the best way to get anywhere. We visited Alvore which is a lovely little place with a marina and some fresh fish restaurants and also we visited Zoomarine which my kids loved, definitely worth a visit. They operate a shuttle bus which I believe you can book through the app. We chose to go via uber and it was around €25-28 each way. You can take snacks and your own drinks however there's lot of places to purchase when inside. There was one night when it sounded like people were in the pool until after 1am. The sound echoes and despite being in an apartment at the front, I could hear it clearly in my bedroom at the back. It didn't bother me too much but it was quite loud and I didn't hear anyone intervene. The main pool is very deep, even at its shallowest it is 1.45m...at its deepest it is 2.5. As a non swimmer I chose not to go in as I'm only conformable when I can stand up. My kids loved it, although there is no life guard on site, my kids are confident swimmers. The beaches and cliffs are stunning. The sound of the waves crashing each night is so peaceful to fall to sleep to and whilst our apartment was a land view apartment, our bedroom doors looked out over the ocean. The pool bar is advertised as being open until October 31st but was not open at all during our stay and no explanation as to why. The mini market I found some things quite pricey and not much choice, we used uber Eats often. The shop closes between 1-3 and then at 8pm. On Sundays it closes at 6pm. I feel that this hotel could be much more than it is, with some entertainment and a little more attention paid to the customer experience it could be exceptional. Having said that, we had a pleasant, restful stay in a beautiful country and we're fortunate to have great weather.

Great experience really enjoyed it very good staff great location and facility’s have to appreciate Daniel a member of staff very helpful and kind helped us a lot with food recommendations in the in house restaurant and also very helpful with bar food/drink during day Thanks again Daniel for a great experience/holiday!!!