Estrela Da Luz — Hotel in Lagos

We were given a warm welcome and directed to our studio room. The room was bright, airy, and very spacious. Even being a studio, with twin beds, there was still room for a full sized dining table with four chairs, two sofas (one two seater, one three seater), a TV unit, a coffee table and a side unit with a hi-fi on, and there was still plenty of room to walk around. The bathroom was beautifully presented, and fully stocked with fluffy bath towels, hand towels, a bath mat, first aid kit and a hairdryer, as well as Rituals bath products. The kitchen was equally well presented and stocked with milk, water, tea and a bowl of oranges on our arrival. The kitchen was equipped with both a washing machine and dishwasher, both of which were pristine and worked well. There was also an ironing board, iron and clothes airer. The balcony was clean with a table and two chairs, complete with cushions. No plastic patio furniture here!! We were in B1C, and had a sea view. Estrela da Luz is not a beachfront resort, so sea views will also incorporate views of buildings closer to the front. There are metal shutters on the patio doors and kitchen window. Amazing for total blackout and an excellent nights sleep. The room was air conditioned, which was very welcome. There was also free wifi in the room.

Estrela da Luz is situated towards the top of the hill leading away from the beach, however, this was not a concern for us. It is a gated resort, requiring codes to get in. The entrance to B block was around the back of the resort. This meant that to access the pool and reception areas, we either had to cut through the underground car park, or go out of B gate and back in through the next gate along. This wasn't an issue for us, but if you have a young family, I would recommend asking to be placed in a block with contained access.

We spent Friday near the 16+ pool. The whole area was clean, with plenty of loungers, and being out of season, it was fairly quiet. The inside spa area was beautiful. The jacuzzi was so relaxing, and the water in both the 16+ and the inside pools was warm. We used the gym on Sunday morning. Small sweat towels that smelt delicious were provided, as well as water coolers. There was a good selection of gym equipment, with plenty to go round. The hotel also offers fitness classes several times a week, including Pilates.

The staff could not have been more helpful during our stay. We booked a trip to the grottos at Reception. We were given a hotel discount, taking the two hour trip from €22.50 to €17.50, and given a bus timetable, with the relevant stops highlighted, and directions to the bus stop in order to get to Lagos (25 minute bus ride and €1.60 per person each way, well worth a trip). On Sunday, when finding our transfer pick up time online was proving challenging, Reception came to the rescue, phoning them for us and tracking down our booking. Monday morning, our transfer was late. As it was early (0615), the reception staff had not started yet, so the only person around was the security guard. When he realised we'd been stood there for 15 minutes, he asked for our booking paperwork. He then rang the company to chase them up. We were assured that it would be with us in 15 minutes. This time frame came and went, and still no transfer. The security guard rang them another three times and was just explaining our predicament to the just arrived receptionist, when it eventually showed up an hour and 15 minutes late, at 0730. He told us whilst we were waiting that the hotel have a company that they deal with when it comes to transfers, so in future I would certainly let the hotel handle our transfers.

There are two supermarkets within a 5 minute walk, the Spar in particular being very well stocked. Luz itself is small but...

We were given a room that did not match the description. It was my wife’s 40th birthday and had booked for 4nights.

When we arrived to the property the staff were unhelpful and slightly rude so not a great start!

We were then given our keys and a fob to the garage to work our car which didn’t work, so was stuck outside with no assistance.

Eventually we got to the room and it was very large but felt like someone’s holiday home with random items in cupboards and drawers including 2 cd players in the living room. I think 1 is enough.

We checked out our room which should have been a big double and it wasn't. It was 2 single beds.

Myself and my partner have adhd and autism along with my partner having severe disabilities and high anxiety. This was too much to take so we expressed our concerns with the resorts reception where the gentleman on the desk was actually laughing at our concerns.

Had he approached it professionally with empathy we would of asked for a different room with a double bed, but the sheer rudeness and lack of care from him didn’t make us want to stay there a minute longer.

He told us if we’re not happy he would have happy to cancel our booking but as we booked through a booking agent there’s nothing he can do his end.

We went back and forth for 8hrs trying to resolve it and admitted defeat at 1am and both me and my partner slept on the sofas int the apartment as my wife couldn’t trek the stairs to the bedroom and I was too tired to carry her.

We attempted to resolve this in the morning and this time where told something different that they wouldn’t refund us.

We made the decision to leave the property and checked out at the front desk.

We were told that our deposit would be released within 24hrs and now back in the uk still haven’t received it.

We’ve contacted all parties with still no resolution and €1000 euros out of pocket.

I would avoid this place unless your a family with kids and you don’t want to leave the apartment because there’s not much around, the breakfast is average and the staff in there are all congregated around the food area looking at the guests and talking about them in Portuguese.

Extremely bad experience and will it be recommending this place or...

This was my second time staying at this resort, and I highly recommend it. The accommodation (Superior Studio Apartment) is of a high standard. It has an excellent kitchen that includes everything needed for self-catering. There was no microwave in my apartment, which might be useful to add. The living area, sleeping area, and bathroom are decorated and furnished to a high standard. The cleaning staff are professional, and the studio was attended to regularly during my stay.||The gardens are beautiful and perfectly maintained. The adult only pool area is lovely and has plenty of sun loungers. There is also a separate family/kids pool area. The poolside bar/restaurant has a nice selection of food to choose from, and it is reasonably priced.||There is an indoor pool, a steam room, sauna, and jacuzzi (but it is cold so only used once). It would be good if, during your stay, pool towels could be exchanged for fresh towels (a limited number of times, perhaps). But with a washing machine in the apartment, you can wash them yourself.||The breakfast is fantastic, with lots of choice and items are continuously replemished. The breakfast staff are very welcoming and attentive. But watch out for Barry the seagull!||The gym is small in terms of space but well-equipped with treadmills, bikes, crosstrainers, a step-machine, and various weight machines. Additional items would be great such as floor mats (there is only one), kettlebells (6, 8, 10kgs), more/lighter weights/dumbbells (3, 4kgs) etc. Plus, the air-conditioning is weak, making cardio workouts difficult. The gym doesn't open until 8 a.m., which is quite late if you want to use the gym and get to breakfast before 10.30 a.m. It would be great if the gym opened earlier.||Reception staff were professional and efficient. I am grateful to the reservations team who provided me with a garden view apartment as per my request.||Despite the minor suggestions/comments for improvements, I can not recommend this resort more, and I look forward...