"We chose Lopesan Villa del Conde Resort & Thalasso expecting a high quality five-star experience. Unfortunately, our stay was deeply disappointing, with repeated problems involving housekeeping, food, service and communication. We raised several concerns with reception and discussed them with the General Manager multiple times, yet important issues remained unresolved.
**Persistent smoky room**
Our room had a persistent smoky smell that was never adequately resolved, despite repeated complaints. It is meant to be a non-smoking room but clearly had someone smoking in it previously. It is unacceptable to spend a holiday in a room with this problem especially with a baby, especially after management has been informed repeatedly.
**Poor housekeeping**
Our room was not cleaned at all on one day. On multiple occasions, housekeeping replaced the shower gel with the wrong products, leaving us with two shampoos and no shower gel. Mugs were also not collected or replaced properly. These are basic standards that should not require repeated reminders in a hotel of this category.
**The Thalasso facilities – check what you are actually paying for**
The Thalasso /spa offering was one of our biggest disappointments. The hotel’s name reasonably suggests that the facilities form part of the hotel experience.
However, access is charged separately as we were told it is a completely separate company, and the difference between the prices for hotel residents and non residents is reportedly only around €5 (€45 vs 40 per person). This is only for a 3 hour use! Guest Relations also told us we should receive a 30% discount, but this was never satisfactorily resolved. This means we could not even use the sauna or steam room at all unless we paid for the full wellness package every day.
For a 5 star hotel, we thought we would be able to at least use the sauna or steam room and not be forced to pay €40 each time!
**Disappointing food**
Breakfast was poor, including a watery omelette, and the buffet fell well below our expectations. Lunch (club sandwich) was also disappointing apart from the pool restaurant pizza. For a hotel marketed at this level, the food quality should be considerably better.
**Poor service and a very disappointing check in**
Check-in took over an hour. We explained that we had been awake since 1 am to catch an early flight, yet we were not even offered water while waiting which is tough with a baby and elderly parents. Not sure why it took so long.
We were not properly informed there was a resort app, Wi-Fi access or the available facilities and services. There was no room service booklet or menu in the room, and no clear explanation of how room service worked. We also could not charge food and drinks to our room, with no explanation provided.
Basic information that should have been communicated was simply missing, leaving us to work things out ourselves over a few days.
**Not particularly family friendly**
We were travelling with a baby, and the lack of clear information made the stay especially frustrating.It was often unclear what we could access, what was included and how the hotel’s services worked\. Difficulty obtaining pool towels after midday was another inconvenience, particularly when we had excursions planned and could not reach the pool early. You have to take your pool towels with you back to the room and then the next day must exchange them with new towels at a towel hut before midday only to receive new pool towels.
A family friendly hotel should make these practical details straightforward for parents, rather than requiring them to repeatedly contact reception to resolve basic issues.
**Management response and compensation**
We raised our concerns with reception and discussed them with the General Manager several times. Despite this, the smoky room remained unresolved, housekeeping mistakes continued and our broader concerns were not satisfactorily addressed.
Some staff mentioned recent management changes, which may have contributed to the decline in service and the inconsistency we experienced. We cannot independently verify this, but it was raised by staff and may help explain the apparent disorganisation.
The only gesture offered was chocolates in the room. While appreciated, this was inadequate given the cumulative problems we experienced.
**Overall verdict**
The issue was not one isolated mistake, but the accumulation of shortcomings throughout our stay and the failure to resolve them after repeated complaints.
The hotel’s location, with easy access to the promenade, is a genuine positive, as are its impressive architecture and spacious rooms. These strengths give the resort real potential and make the shortcomings in service and organisation particularly disappointing.
However, the experience did not meet the five\-star expectations created by the hotel’s branding and price\. We expected good food, attentive service, reliable housekeeping and clear information about the facilities. Unfortunately, we were disappointed on all these fronts.
Prospective guests should check exactly what is included, particularly regarding the Thalasso facilities, and consider alternative hotels if spa access is a key reason for booking. Based on our experience, we would not return."
