Hotel Baltum — Hotel in Albufeira

We chose this hotel for our ~week-long stay in Algarve, and could not have been more dissatisfied. The hotel's staff, from the receptionist to the cleaning crew, and even more so the hotel's manager, absolutely refuse to help in even the most basic of requests. I remind that this is a 3-star hotel, but they offer a 1-star service at best. I'll explain a few issues below, but I strongly discourage staying at this hotel, not only on account of their rude, apathetic and unprofessional staff, but also on the quality of the hotel. It's certainly overpriced by European standards, esp consider the amenities (horrible view, no refrigerator).

Prior to making our reservation, we inquired whether they had rooms with 1 actual bed or a better solution then just loosely combining twin beds. The hotel manager promised us a topper for our beds, which we agreed to. We confirmed on multiple occasions that our room is to have this topper, but upon our late check-in on Friday night, we were given a room with two twins separated and it took the staff 3 days to accommodate our original request. We were promised by the hotel’s owner a refund on the first 2 nights, but then only given 20%.

The attached photos describe other issues we faced. Shower did not properly drain, which was disgusting to say the least. Cleaning staff did not replace toiletries or clean cups on multiple occasions. Receptionist refused to help in most regards, like bringing to our room the forgotten soap, or in making restaurant reservations. Hotel manager was unprofessional and unapologetic and even accusatory. In his late email response to our complaint about the beds and shower, instead of admitting fault or offering a quick solution, he questioned why we had food and wine in our room, when apparently this is not allowed (first time I've ever heard of a hotel not allowing you to eat...

MASKS: You can circulate in this hotel without wearing a mask. Several guests were seen without masks and I have even seen guests talking directly with the receptionist with no masks. Supposedly they have a “Clean&Safe certificate”, but do not enforce what it stands for. I have also seen cleaning staff without masks and for that reason did not ask for cleaning of the room as I did not trust it.

TOWELS: I have requested for towels from the receptionist and did not receive it. In the end I had to request it directly from the cleaning staff.

BLACKOUT CURTAIN: Not properly installed, hanging 15cm from the wall (see attached pictures) and obviously did not have any practical effect.

INEXISTENT MANAGEMENT: We checked in on a Friday and contacted them straight away due to the noise in the room, we were told that only on the Monday we would be contacted by the management to help resolve the issue, until the check out 5 DAYS LATER, nobody contacted us.

INEXISTENT SOUNDPROOF: We booked this hotel specifically due to it being soundproof, but one could hear not only the loud music from the bars and clubs outside, but also guests partying in the others rooms. Even the slightest sounds as people walk past the room, guests opening drawers and alarms of other guests going off etc.

CLEANLINESS: Hair found in the shower and sink, again “Clean&Safe certificate”, but do not enforce what it stands for. The remote control & drawers (see attached pictures) of the room was absolutely disgusting!

PARKING: no viable parking available in the surrounding area.

LOCATION: Since the rooms are not soundproof as stated by this hotel, the hotel could not be in a worse location since it is surrounded by...

MASKS: You can circulate in this hotel without wearing a mask. Several guests were seen without masks and I have even seen guests talking directly with the receptionist with no masks. Supposedly they have a “Clean&Safe certificate”, but do not enforce what it stands for. I have also seen cleaning staff without masks and for that reason did not ask for cleaning of the room as I did not trust it. TOWELS: I have requested for towels from the receptionist and did not receive it. In the end I had to request it directly from the cleaning staff. BLACKOUT CURTAIN: Not properly installed, hanging 15cm from the wall (see attached pictures) and obviously did not have any practical effect. INEXISTENT MANAGEMENT: We checked in on a Friday and contacted them straight away due to the noise in the room, we were told that only on the Monday we would be contacted by the management to help resolve the issue, until the check out 5 DAYS LATER, nobody contacted us. INEXISTENT SOUNDPROOF: We booked this hotel specifically due to it being soundproof, but one could hear not only the loud music from the bars and clubs outside, but also guests partying in the others rooms. Even the slightest sounds as people walk past the room, guests opening drawers and alarms of other guests going off etc. CLEANLINESS: Hair found in the shower and sink, again “Clean&Safe certificate”, but do not enforce what it stands for. The remote control & drawers (see attached pictures) of the room was absolutely disgusting! PARKING: no viable parking available in the surrounding area. LOCATION: Since the rooms are not soundproof as stated by this hotel, the hotel could not be in a worse location since it is surrounded by...