Vilalara Grand Hotel Algarve

"We’ve just returned from 6 nights at this beautiful hotel & are very happy to report that we didn’t experience any of the issues which some other reviewers have described. As an older couple with no kids & more used to boutique hotels we were feeling apprehensive after reading these comments. The hotel is large but the grounds and gardens are very spacious & beautiful & never feel overcrowded . The staff do an amazing job at breakfast - we arrived each morning between 9.00-9.30am , ate outside & the longest wait time was 3 mins -so no queuing down the stairs! The buffet has a great choice with many foods locally sourced & replenished constantly. Drink orders arrive promptly & any ‘off buffet’ requests ( thank you for my poached eggs) are happily met & then remembered. We ate in all 5 restaurants & enjoyed each one. The quality of food & service is excellent & each offers something different, with Coral & the Trattoria being our personal favourites. We had prebooked ( easy to do on the hotel’s website) & the hotel also emailed us in advance making that suggestion - so no problem with getting a table at our preferred time. We chose an Ocean View Suite which was perfect & whilst probably the furthest away from the beach & restaurants location wise it wasn’t a problem for this fit 75 & 67 year old! Finally the sun beds . Yes there will always be those people who want to nab their favoured sunbeds before arriving at breakfast but this behaviour seemed to be confined to a few & at the pool above the beach. We can’t comment about the family pool though, as not too surprisingly we never ventured there! As we prefer pool over beach we used the pool by the Italian restaurant & always had our choice of sunbeds. This pool was used mainly by couples & the parents of babies ( the daybeds provide great space & shade) & remained blissfully quiet for the majority of our stay. We were only disturbed twice by noisy families arriving & treating it like their own personal back garden pool. Our suggestion would be to make this your ‘quiet pool’ with no children’s games allowed - thus hopefully offering something for everybody. Thanks again for a great stay."

"I would just like to set the record straight, having had the pleasure of visiting this hotel over a 20 year period, and read the reviews on trip advisor there are two **supposed issues which some guests raise, i have noticed a few guests make a big deal out of having to wait for a table outside for breakfast, and literally the world has come to an end for them because they have to wait 5 minutes. Well having been here in high season and low season over a 20 year period it is so exaggerated, you may have to wait for 5 to 10 minutes, but that is the max, and the staff are ultra nice, so please get a grip, its a minute inconvenience not worth mentioning, also we never have had to wait for a sunbed by the pool in high or low season, there are 3 pools, and even if there were none by the pool there are numerous cabana type sun beds dotted throughout the beautiful gardens, just thought i would set the record straight on this because some guests are just so full of their own importance. This is a truly great hotel with incredible staff. Best regards form ireland"

"I wanted to be able to share a review on the Coral Restaurant which does not seem to have his own entry on TripAdvisor and I could not create it. We know the area well and have visited the adjoining complex at Vila Vita several times for dinner. We were unaware of this restaurant and always seeking new opportunities we read some reviews (not TA) and were impressed enough to try and give it a go You were greeted at the main entrance of the hotel and then walked to the restaurant via a small courtyard. As you enter the restaurant and walk through it to the external area you greeted with some stunning views (see pictures). This definitely adds to the setting and environment. On offer are the choice of two set menus (guests can choose different ones) and each has the offering of wine pairing although they also have an extensive wine list. This is food of a high-quality, in a lovely setting and with first class staff. The staff are very knowledgeable and for at least 50% of our courses the chef himself came out and explained the food to us and also spent a super amount of time generally talking about the food in the area. A really nice person that added to the evening. As regular visitors to the area, this is a nice new find and one we will definitely be returning to."