Kimpton Atlantico Algarve

"Not what you would expect from a Kimpton hotel, not true 5 star and non-existent customer service! Just returned from the Algarve and was due to check into the Kimpton for a 3 night stay on 4th October, left the property after 1 hour due to the worst check-in process I have ever experienced. Arrived at the hotel to no staff present outside, no understanding of where to leave the rental car. Carried our suitcases and 14 month old into reception to find staff waiting behind the check-in desk. Booked on a Hotel Collection rate via American Express since the early check-in and room upgrade (subject to availability) is usually a welcome addition to a travel day. It was 2pm by this point and was told that no rooms were ready and early check-in wasn’t available. Understandable but no real explanation as to where we could go in the interim. I then enquired about whether we had been able to secure a one-category room upgrade, to which I was made to feel as if I had asked a preposterous question (despite this being listed as a possible benefit of the Hotel Collection rate) because the hotel was completely ‘full’ and it was ‘high-season’ to quote the female employee I spoke to on reception. Does high-season extend into early October? I expressed my disappointment since this was an anniversary trip and asked whether the hotel was full for the entirety of our stay. Anyway, the staff member then proceeded to go into the back office and returned 5 minutes later to let me know she had been able to ‘unlock’ an upgrade but that this ‘had been taken from another guest due to check-in today’. Firstly a strange thing to tell another guest and secondly, based on this what was the qualification criteria for an upgrade then? And why didn’t we meet it on this occasion? The whole interaction was completely frosty and I felt like a hindrance rather than a paying guest. I then asked about the valet parking (another Hotel Collection listed benefit) and was told ‘well guests usually like to park cars themselves’. After this interaction I decided to contact American Express and understand whether I could extend my stay at the second hotel I had booked for later in the week. The whole trip felt like it got off to a bad start, and if this was the check-in process then I hope this was not reflective of the hotel experience. For the record, as we walked out two lovely young ladies pulled up and was greeted by staff which seemingly appeared out of nowhere to help with their bags and check-in, they were offered a cold drink whilst they waited and seemed to have a completely different experience so maybe a case of preference. I have stayed at many other Kimpton properties including the Marbella property in Los Monteros and have never experienced anything like this. A full review of staff processes and guest interaction is needed to ensure this hotel is truly reflective of the Kimpton brand. We then moved to the Viceroy and were welcomed with open arms and staff couldn’t do enough for us, would recommend this hotel as an alternative!"

"Kimpton Atlantico is the perfect resort to unwind and detox from everyday life. Set outside of Albufeira in a quiet residential area beside the beach, the resort is spacious and modern. As a Diamond Elite member, we were upgraded to a Suite with pool view and balcony, in fact we had two balconies with beautiful views over the pools and gardens! The suite was so spacious and had everything that we could have asked for to ensure a good nights' sleep, with no noise. The resort boasts beautifully manicured gardens which can be walked through to access the boardwalk down to a stunning beach where the hotel has access to sunbeds and a fish restaurant, and in the evening enjoy beautiful sunsets. We appreciated the evening social hours where we could enjoy these sunsets from the roof top bar enjoying views over the coastline. All of the staff were friendly and attentive and the highlight of each day was the sumptuous breakfast buffet that could be enjoyed both indoors or al fresco on the terrace. The resort has an amazingly well equipped gym, the best I have seen in any hotel, together with a large indoor pool and inviting spa to enjoy. We highly recommend this resort as the perfect place for a quiet relaxing holiday. And remember that Albufeira centre is a 10 minute taxi ride away if you want to try a different restaurant and some lively bars too! We for sure will be back! Thank you"

"I gave service a three because of a terrible check in which was a one star but the breakfast service was 5 star. The entire breakfast team was great and I would especially like to mention Vikas, one of the breakfast servers; he was awesome. The breakfast selection and quality was outstanding and definitely the highlight of the hotel. The beach was very nice but we were disappointed that it is a public beach, which is fine, but lounge rentals were run by a separate restaurant and they were quite expensive. The other option was to bring a towel from the pool area and lay on that. This is the first “5 star” hotel I have ever stayed that limits guests to one towel per person. Two would have been nice. The beach was beautiful. Despite the 5 star designation this is not a luxury hotel nor a 5 star property in the sense that you should be paying for an exceptional experience at a 5 star. The room was fine- large and had a very nice shower. The mattress was awful. Housekeeping did an excellent job the one day we took our do not disturb sign off the door. The balcony was nice but spend more than 5 minutes out there and the wasps would start circling. Check in was terrible. We arrived 1.5 hours prior to check in so the woman checking us in said she would call or text me when our room was ready. She offered water or a soft drink to which we accepted water, but she never gave it to us. She made a lot of jokes and one was quite inappropriate, sarcastically at our expense. We went to the restaurant to get lunch. By 3pm, check in time, no one called us. At 3:30 we went to the front desk to find out what was going on. Our room was ready. We ate lunch twice on property and it was very mediocre. My wife stated after lunch the second day that we should eat everything off-property with the exception of breakfast, which is what we did. For $1900 for three nights I had higher expectations. I would not stay there again."