"2/5 ⭐⭐
We recently stayed at Auramar Beach Resort for two weeks, and unfortunately, our experience did not meet the expectations set by the hotel's website or the price we paid.
The biggest disappointment was the accommodation. The rooms we were allocated looked nothing like those advertised on the website. They were dated, tired, and certainly not what we expected. If you're booking based on the photos online, be aware that the room you receive may be very different.
Although housekeeping attended daily, the standard of cleaning was poor. The beds were remade and towels replaced, but that was about it. The toilets were not cleaned, and the floors were neither swept nor mopped throughout our stay. On one occasion, our towels were removed but not replaced. After waiting around 10 minutes just to be acknowledged at Reception, we were simply told that this was common and we would have to wait for housekeeping to bring more. This meant we had no bath towels available if we wanted to shower during the day, which is simply unacceptable.
The Reception staff were, unfortunately, one of the biggest negatives of the holiday. They regularly appeared rude and uninterested, and it was common to stand waiting for 10–15 minutes before anyone even acknowledged your presence. Even when they did, queries were often met with little urgency or helpfulness.
There were, however, some positives. The restaurant was clean, and the lunch and evening meals offered a good variety throughout our stay. There was always something different to choose from, which kept meal times interesting. Unfortunately, breakfast was exactly the same every single day for the full two weeks, with virtually no variation, making it repetitive very quickly.
The fridge in the room worked well and kept drinks cold, and the air conditioning was excellent, particularly during the warmer weather.
The balcony, however, was disappointing. It was extremely small and offered very little usable space. The drying rail for towels and swimwear was positioned behind a wall where it received virtually no sunlight, making it ineffective for drying anything.
The all-inclusive drinks offering was also underwhelming. There was only one "Cocktail of the Day" available, limiting choice considerably. The pool bar didn't open until 11:00am, despite breakfast being served from 7:30am, leaving a lengthy period where drinks were unavailable from the main pool bar.
Evening entertainment was confusing, as different schedules were displayed in three separate locations around the resort, often showing conflicting information. It was difficult to know what was actually happening and where.
The pool itself was enjoyable, but there were some concerns regarding cleanliness and safety. Staff hosed down the surrounding area every morning, but it was never swept properly, meaning rubbish often remained on the ground for several days. There were signs stating that sunbeds reserved for more than 40 minutes without being occupied would have towels removed, but we never witnessed this policy being enforced. To be fair, there wasn't a significant issue with guests reserving sunbeds early in the morning.
One concern that did stand out was the lack of visible pool safety measures. The pool opens at 9:00am, yet the lifesaving equipment was not placed out until around 11:00am. There was also no lifeguard on duty. While guests are responsible for their own safety, it was surprising that the emergency equipment wasn't available for the first two hours that the pool was open.
The hotel's location is one of its stronger points. It is situated in a generally quiet area, and despite the evening entertainment taking place on-site, we couldn't hear any noise from our room at night, making it easy to get a good night's sleep.
The resort is approximately a 10-minute walk from Albufeira's New Town strip, where you'll find a wide selection of bars, pubs, restaurants and a handful of souvenir shops. There is also direct access to the beach via the hotel's rear entrance, which is very convenient if you're looking to spend the day by the sea.
If you wish to visit Albufeira Old Town, you will need to take a taxi or Uber, as it isn't within comfortable walking distance for most people.
There is a small convenience shop within the hotel, which is useful for essentials. However, we found the staff there to be unfriendly. If paying with cash, they expected the exact amount and would insist on card payment if you couldn't provide the correct change, which seemed unnecessarily inflexible and wasn't a particularly welcoming experience.
Auramar Beach Resort has some positives, particularly its quiet location, direct beach access, varied lunch and evening meals, effective air conditioning and cold fridge. However, these positives were outweighed by accommodation that did not resemble the advertised photographs, poor housekeeping standards, consistently unhelpful reception staff, and several operational issues throughout the resort.
For a hotel of this standard, there is significant room for improvement. Sadly, based on our experience, we would not return unless considerable changes were made to both the accommodation and customer service."
