Real Marina Hotel and Spa

"We stayed at the Real Marina Hotel & Spa from the 21st October to the 25th. We travelled as a couple with our 6 month old baby and opted for this hotel because of the good reviews and the short journey from Faro airport. The location of this hotel was perfect, a short walk to restaurants and bars and also not far to catch the ferry to the islands. The hotel is very clean and we had a lovely spacious room with a view overlooking the rear of the hotel. All the staff we came into contact with were very nice and the breakfast had a good selection, so there is something for everyone. The pool area is nice, the pool was a little on the cold side due to the time of year but the sun was out so we sat by the pool most days and had some drinks. We would return back to this hotel and were very pleased with our stay. Can't comment on the evening meals as we stayed bed & breakfast. 10/10"

"Our first time at the Real Marina and we would definitely return. Very spacious room and a large balcony overlooking the Ria Formosa. Its location is perfect for those wanting a stroll down to the main town which is delightful, full of alleyways, old fishermen’s cottages, plenty of bars and restaurants, we were still discovering new places after a week. Visited two islands by ferry which was a very pleasant 20 minute walk from the hotel, also caught the train to visit Faro and Tavira, so plenty to fill a week if you like to venture out. The outdoor pool area is spacious and plenty of sunbeds were available even when returning from a day out. The pool isn’t heated but was warm. There is a heated indoor pool which requires you to wear a swimming cap. Plenty of storage in our room and good supply of toiletries. The daily litre bottle of water was much appreciated. The courtesy tray was lacking and not replenished daily although l just took teabags and milk from breakfast and kept the milk in the fridge. Good selection of food at breakfast, requested poached eggs and also omelette on different days and these were cooked to perfection. A bit disappointed with the cold meats as felt that a couple of fish items could have been available and also as an advertised 5* hotel felt that the waiters should have been walking around with coffee, as there were plenty of waiters clearing the tables, a little bit too enthusiastically at times. All in all l would honestly recommend the hotel and Olhão, a truly memorable holiday."

"The lobby gave a great impression unfortunately the rest of the hotel didn't live up to this impression. Our positive memories are the pool area and the size of our room. The negative aspects were the fact that the toilet both in our room and in the lobby lacked the capacity to even flush down toilet paper. The second negative aspect is the lack of service and the apparent need for money. Our wifi didn't work in our room and we were given a hotpot as a replacement but warned that we would have to pay 50€ if we did not return it...why we would steal a hotspot i beyond me...the same goes for the towel cards...we were reminded several times that if we did not return the cards, we wold be fined €30... The third negative aspect is the room the hotel description identified as a gym...not even a a one-star hotel would be labelling an area with one bike and a few weights a gym. And finally, the breakfast. Long lines for coffee, cold eggs, cold bacon and stale mushroom left us hungry ."