"There are areas in which I feel this hotel could improve on and once those things put in place I would happily give it another star, I wouldn’t say that this hotel is five star but that is purely based on my experience.
RECEPTION:
Ariana at reception has Amazing customer service skills,she made me feel so welcomed and engaged very well with me upon checking in Ariana was really approachable friendly and extremely professional, the first interaction with a Pestana Blue Alvor employee was good, I can’t stress how important it is to have a good first impression. Other people at reception were nice but not as welcoming as Ariana and clearly she was paying attention when she was being trained because her customer service skills are phenomenal.
ROOM:
The room was exceptional, however it had a few hiccups which I didn’t see the need to ask for another room, but I would understand if someone else chose to do so, the room was alright for me to continue staying in there,
they just need to update a few things in the bathroom. It was lovely to see that the hotel put a generous slice of cake in my room upon arrival, now Iam not sure if they cared so much, but I want to believe that it is because they acknowledged me celebrating my birthday during this trip, also because I still have faith in humanity and I must say it was a lovely gesture,
the room was found cleaned very well,
the house keepers came every single day, however there were some parts of the room that I felt were abandoned such as the bathroom which seemed quite old and outdated, as I have mentioned above for example, there are a few parts of the bathroom that could do with updating, as they are scratched, tattered and worn out from overuse as well as rusting, but needless to say it was still usable.
I would recommend that they seriously update some things because it takes away from the clean, light and airy aesthetic of the whole room.
The bed is very comfortable i slept extremely well in it, although i don’t know why i was given two twin beds pushed together, i got over the confusion and slept comfortably in one bed.
the balcony was lovely and spacious with comfortable chairs and a table, honestly i couldn’t have asked for a better room minus the state of some parts of the bathroom.
My request to be on a higher floor was acknowledged and fulfilled, although it was a corner room i could still see the sea and the view was amazing day or night, Iam a sucker for a good sea view, i need my sunrises and sunsets so no complaints there.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE:
I Personally think that the hotel can do so much better in this area and quite frankly they should not be operating as a 5 star hotel due to the quality of the food i encountered, and I believe if they concentrate on fixing this food issue the hotel has great potential, the quality of the food was just not great for me, especially for the price that people are paying to stay at the establishment, for example the seafood options were the same on most days which was always fish done two ways, always a bit of bream and some other white fish, one night during my stay there was a tuna dish and that has to be the worst tuna I have ever tasted in my life, think along the lines of what compressed saw dust with water sprinkled with whisper of salt and drenched in a mysterious sauce would taste like. it was overcooked unseasoned and very dry! sometimes it seemed as if the food was sat out for long periods or over cooked, the rice on most nights was hard and tough, vegetables were dry, being by the ocean, I expected to have more seafood choices, I can’t really comment much on the meat dishes because that is rarely my first choice, however the little bit of chicken leg that I had tried was tasteless and had no flavour, I was very disappointed because the chicken was inedible absolutely no seasoning at all on it, this was Portugal and I was expecting some full on flavours for example heavy on garlic, onion and herbs but for whatever reason there was not even a bit of salt on that piece of chicken and many other items, for someone who cooks regularly and understands flavours like my self the chicken just seemed to have been placed in the oven and left to cook, the salad bar was luck lustre and some of the combinations where not great, so I stuck to only what I know and recognised, Brunch was absolutely terrible and was mostly left overs from breakfast and maybe one or two lunch time items like spaghetti with a sauce.
There are many options there and you certainly won’t go hungry if you don’t care about the quality of the food you are eating or tasting good, I just think that the quality and presentation of the food was not great. If you don’t know how to cook and understand the importance of seasoning your food, the buffet will be great for you. One night the legume soup I had was not warm or hot, it was quite tasteless and served at room temperature, there was not a lot of seasoning going on again, another night I had a chicken broth that was very salty but hot when served! They just couldn’t get the temperatures right, and I know this because I ate there consistently for a few days of my 8 night stay until I discovered the local restaurants along the beach which where a god send because I opted to eat at the local beach restaurants as you are guaranteed some REAL traditional dishes and flavours cooked to perfection which just defeats the whole purpose of me staying at an all inclusive hotel,
the food at Pestana Blue Alvor is not impressive to me at all.
There are two ala carte restaurants which I didn’t manage to book so I can’t say much on their food, actually I don’t know if they were opened at the time I stayed, but if the quality and taste is similar to the buffet I did not miss out on anything. To be honest I was very put off from even booking the restaurants in the hotel even if they were open after tasting the food at the buffet restaurant because I figured it would probably be more or less the same.
I noticed that depending on what staff were in the buffet restaurant the food stations were kept neat and tidy otherwise they were left for long periods without being refilled or neatened up, also some of the staff are not very friendly, and like to stare, that was really awkward and uncomfortable.
Iam so glad the beach restaurants are close by because my dining experience at the hotel was just not great. I was very disappointed with the food, the desserts were just not good, for a five star hotel I think they are ripping people off for the quality of food being served and offered. There were drinks galore for the alcohol lovers at the buffet restaurant as well as the hotel bars and they also cater for non alcoholic drinkers with their thoughtful mocktails.
SPA,LEISURE,ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT:
There is a spa and swimming pool on the premises that I did not use so I cannot say much about that,
You can book excursions with reception hopefully you find Ariana there to help you because she’s a people person, or go and explore on your own as I did, Alvor is a beautiful part of the algarve very relaxed and laid back, well it was when I travelled there and not too far from Portimão and Lagos which are a little bit more active. I can’t say much about the entertainment team because I didn’t participate in any group activities by choice, but I saw them walking around and being chatty with people who they were acquainted with.
LOCATION/AREA:
The hotel is located near a beautiful beach Pria dos Três Irmãos, there is a footpath to lead you there from the hotel and I strolled to the beach leisurely in less than 10 mins, once at the beach you are spoilt for choice with restaurants and local eateries, there is a boardwalk that leads you into Alvor village, it’s a really nice relaxing walk, I stumbled across a fruit and veg market on a Sunday and I am unsure how many days out of the week the vendors are there, there is also a lot of fishermen who sell their fish there on particular days too, I went on a Sunday and although it was relaxed it was also quite busy, but overall a lovely and relaxing atmosphere. It was easy to continue walking further into Alvor village from that point and Ubers or bolts can locate you easily from the market point. I will add that there are no shops close by the hotel so be prepared to walk or uber/drive into Alvor town or neighbouring towns. I found a Intermarché close by but it’s a little walk from the hotel, you can get all your necessities from there.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE:
Some staff members need to be retrained, they don’t understand the standard 10 and 5 rule in guest services, maybe Iam just sensitive but I find staring at someone without acknowledging them very rude.
My toilet stopped flushing on my fifth day and I informed reception who told me that they would leave a note for maintenance,
so what if I needed to use the toilet? Anyway Maintenance came and sorted it out within two hours, thank goodness I didn’t need the toilet in that time, i had to cancel my plans for that day because I didn’t want to leave my room unattended whilst maintenance was in there. The hotel is nice, it’s in a wonderful location but I was let down by the food being served, it all looks pretty until you taste it, and the hotel in general also needs some TLC and could do with some touch ups and updating through out as there where parts of the hotel that are simply not cleaned like the elevators I found some hanging hair and what appeared to be food stuck on the floor for several days, no one cleaned that lift and there are plenty of cleaners walking around, I found that bizarre because if I spotted it Iam sure others and the staff noticed it too…. If I had to came back I would book and be prepared to eat out it’s a shame really that it’s exclusively all inclusive because that food being served there was diabolical."
