Prado Vilamoura - Prado do Golf — Hotel in Loulé

Big disappointment.We thought we were booking one of the lovely apartment matching the pictures on line as we book a superior apartment. We arrived on a Sunday and we were given an old battered flat with stained curtains, stained and unstitched sofa, broken dining table, melted worktop in the kitchen, rusted fridge….nothing like the pictures! |I went straight back to the reception to hear that they had refurbished the standard apartments , and the lovely pictures on line were those, but they haven’t refurbished the superior appartements and that what we booked so that’s what we got! Superior were more expensive than standards so why would I pay more for something less good??? I asked for an immediate change of location but they said the place was full. I was told to call the manager ( that doesn’t stay on site) the very next day and was offered to email her also. i did so and she never replied. I also went back the second day and was told that the manager had left back to the UK and there had no assistant manager… so no help. Thankfully this holiday was booked with TUI and after I opened a dispute on their app they made some phone call and we were move to a nicer looking apartment on the 3 days. Still not the nice one on the picture web site but at least all was in order. Or it seamed at first…|As I even found a big live cockroach in the first flat on the second day, I was relieved to be given an apartment in a different block, away from the reception area. All seamed ok until I started cooking… one tiny crumbs of bread left on the kitchen counter and you would have an army of ants appearing from nowhere within minutes. Any food or drinks had to be stored in the fridge…EVERYTHING! We had them appearing also in the bathroom , and one afternoon they were marching by hundreds on the kids bedroom wall. Horrible. The cleaners came with some spray and cleared them from the bedroom but otherwise I felt like I did nothing but cleaning during my 10 days stay. I was ready to go home day 7 if I am honest. We didn’t have a car and the resort is located in the middle of a residencial area. Thankfully Uber were very reasonable. The pool was small but the temperature was great. And sadly they only had a small bar with snacks. Nothing for teens. they had space near the bar but an empty room instead of a pool table / game room.|In our second apartment the air conditioning unit started leaking too but I was out of fuel to go back and ask help for it so we switched it off. That was a shame. Peace and quite yes but nothing to do by foot. Small Spar shop about 7 mins walk and also a big lovely supermarket about 15 mins walk. If you need peace and manage to book a standard lovely looking apartment then this place is lovely. The experience wasn’t good for us so will not return. The first horrible apartment and the battle to change really affected my stay. TUI kindly gave us a little refund but there again I had to negotiate. The whole experience was tired some…. Big disappointment when it s your first get away in a full year. The only good thing was the friendliness of the staff and the fact that all flats have a washing machine and The pretty hibiscus flowers everywhere .From the receptionist to the cleaners and the bar staff. All...

An absolute little gem of a place. We stayed for a week at the beginning of November for a last minute break and it was our 1st visit to Portugal and it was delghtful from start to finish. We arrived around mid day due to an early flight, check in should of been after 4pm however our villa was ready. We were greeted by a very friendly receptionist, Mariella, who gave us all the information we needed and made us feel welcome straight away.|Our villa was a 2 bedroom superior however we only booked a 1 bedroom and it was amazing. It was extremely well equipped with everything needed for a self catering holiday. It was spotlessly clean, so much so, I had to put a sticking plaster as a warning, on the terrace door to avoid walking into it accidentally when closed because it it was so clean that it looked open! |Cleaning products were supplied along with a few dish washer tablets and room cleaning service with fresh towels and toilet roll supplies was every 2 days if wanted.|The beds were very comfortable with extra pillows and blankets and AC or heating in all the rooms which was great as it was a bit cooler at night so the heating was very welcome.|The area was well maintained and very quiet. There was a little bit of noise from gardening and power tools sometimes during the day but it was not intrusive or at all bothersome. Some of the villas were being rennovated however this was only really apparent from seeing the old equipment outside that was being replaced and this is to be expected at this time of year when the holiday season has officially ended.|Vilamoura is a very quiet little town with not much to do except relax. We love to walk so spent much of our time exploring the beaches and marina which are about an hours walk away but you can get a bus or an Uber very cheaply. |Vilamoura gives priority to the pedestrian over the car with a beautiful designated pathway for walkers, cyclists and joggers that goes all the way to the beaches and marina along with zebra crossings at quite literally EVERY road crossing point and the cars almost always stop as soon as they see a pedestrian so it was incredibly safe to navigate.|We didn't use the pool area but it did look nice and clean and tidy, and also a small bistro bar serving drinks, ice creams, snacks etc.|For a peaceful, quiet, relaxing chilled out holiday with lovely warm friendly staff this place is a little gem of a find and we highly...

Let's start with the positives. The wi-fi and air conditioning were fantastic. We've never been anywhere where we have not had money shaken out of us to get air con. ||The grandsons aged 13, 8 and 2 absolutly loved the pool and took full advantage of it well into the evening. ||Food at the bar was good and reasonably priced for lunch. ||The not so good. ||Things started off badly when the coach driver on our transfer dropped us about half a mile from prado do golf. After a very long day travelling not what we needed. Fortunately, thank goodness he realised, turned round and reloaded us onto the coach and dropped us at the correct place. When we got there, reception was closed and an envelope was stuck to the door with our keys. Two one bedroom apartments and one two bedroom apartment.||When our son and daughter in law reached their apartment, the two bedroom one, there was no cot for their 2 year old even though this was confirmed on the envelope with ⁰our room numbers. What was truly unforgivable was his dad called the emergency out of hours number for the deputy manager who refused to get the booked cot out to them that night leaving their toddler with no bed to sleep in. This was about 8pm, not the middle of the night. In the end he had to sleep on the floor jammed up against the wall surrounded by cushions and blankets in case he fell out of a bed onto a tiled floor.||The apartments had everything you need, however, they are a little tired and need an upgrade. What was especially nice was the coffee, tea, wine, water and cookies supplied as a welcome. A very nice touch.||The pool never seemed to be cleaned and on a night you could see a film of scum on the top I assume from people's sun cream. Around the pool was full of weeds and rather scruffy.||This place is not suitable for people with mobility issues due to lots of steps. ||In conclusion this place is a little isolated. No eateries nearby. Most things an uber ride away. Not really...