"We are just back from a 7 night stay at the Marriott Residence Salgados.
Before going, I read the reviews of others and assumed it couldn't be as bad as many of the comments made out - I kept saying to myself "it can't be that bad, it's a Marriott". I apologise to those whose reviews I doubted, you were right and this really is a woeful offering.
Starting with the positives, the room (2 bed suite) was massive. It was perfect for our family (2 kids) with loads of space to roam. The bed was comfy, the room was really lovely - far nicer than the pictures make out. Our son loved the kids club, particularly the outdoor activities like archery. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end.
My gripes could go on for a while, but the key lowlights;
Food - the food on offer was absolutely dire, both at the buffet (half board, breakfast and dinner) and the a la carte restaurants. Breakfast served up some of the worst "sausages" I have ever eaten (using inverted commas as no idea what was actually in them), and literally cold fried eggs. Not luke warm, cold. Fresh juices were diluted with water to make them go further. Dinner was no better, for example one night we were punished with a risotto that was a bowl of slop with way too much lemon juice squeezed in - it's remarkable that a chef could taste such a creation and determine it fit for human consumption. The a la carte offerings were of a similar standard, for example we ordered a "garlic bread" which was basically a piece of dried cardboard with some garlic powder sprinkled on it. I hate making a fuss in restaurants, but returned it immediately, again completely inedible. The kid's pasta from the menu was a bowl of sloppy overcooked mush which was once pasta, accompanied by undercook borderline raw carrots. This section could go on for a while, but hopefully you get the idea. By day 2 I was looking forward to getting home and being able to cook myself a proper meal, which isn't how a hotel experience should be.
Cleanliness - I've never been to a hotel before where sitting on the side of a pool results in dirty stains all over my swim shorts, until now. It was filthy enough to stain and ruin a pair of my swim shorts and a pair of my son's (as a side note the pools were freezing, unheated, and unpleasant to be in as a result). I have also never been to a hotel before where the footpaths and even the children's play area has dog excrement, but this was found in abundance. Really quite disgusting.
Staff - about 50% of the staff were pleasant, and what you'd expect. 50% looked like they didn't want to be there, with permanent scowls and completely unapproachable demeanour. At one meal time asking for a plastic plate for our baby was met with such contempt, that when we needed salt to make the "food" edible we decided to ask someone else rather than the lady who didn't want to be there. In truth we should have known this would be the case, other reviews say the same whilst we also emailed the hotel 3 times before arriving to request some items for our baby and didn't get a single reply - which just about sums up the attitude of this place.
I hope I've painted a clear enough picture, this whole place was a massive disappointment and to be frank an awful advert for the Marriott brand. I always for some reason thought Marriott was a good chain, I will now forever associate it with cold fried eggs and dog excrement."
