Pure Monchique Hotel — Hotel in Monchique

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. The hotel reception should have been 24 hours but is currently closed. No massive drama just a pain having to lug cases up the cobbled street as I arrived late in the evening. The mini bar is an empty fridge. The coffee machine is an expresso machine that didn’t work. There is no safe in the room. Of the two restaurants only one is open and the menu didn’t change all week. It also wasn’t great. Of the four bars only one is open and has limited options. The thermal circuit isn’t really worth the extra €20 for a two hour session. Think small David Lloyd with a few extra jets in the pool and no jacuzzi. The resort itself is not like the pictures lush and green. It’s tired and un places unkept. All of the springs are dried up and there is debris and damage in many places. There is nothing at all happening in the evenings as the sports and games bars are closed, which suited me as I went for relaxation but if you are very sociable and solo you will be bored. ||Having said all that I had a great time. because despite the facilities above my suite was beautiful as was the view. The breakfast was perfect for me with fruit and pastries and coffee and the staff were lovely. The bar did a great smoothie for lunch. The spa treatments were some of the best I have had. Absolutely brilliant, you have to try the Vichy massages and scrubs. The outdoor pool and beds are perfect for chilling in all day. Though take drinks and water with you as the pool bar is closed. I did two trips out, one to the coast which is stunning and one to Monchique and Foia the very top of the mountain range. The buses and taxis were really easy to use and reasonably priced. For a good meal walk up the hill at the back of the resort to two lovely little restaurants with a great view. The walk is steep but manageable and it’s well lit if coming home in the dark. ||I will definitely go back to Monchique. Probably won’t go back to this resort there are more cost effective options locally. But I would go to the spa for the day for treatments.||Been as honest as I can hope it...

Our stay at this hotel was extremely disappointing and far from a 4-star experience.||The issues began at check-in, where the receptionist was rude and unhelpful. When I asked if the room had a kettle, I was told no and handed one at the desk to carry — on top of two suitcases, a pram, and our 8-month-old baby. No assistance was offered. We were also not informed that our room was two flights of stairs up with no elevator, which made things unnecessarily stressful.||The room itself was in very poor condition: hair on the bed, wallpaper peeling off, a fridge that didn’t work (despite me explaining it was needed for my baby’s milk), and an air conditioner in the lounge that wasn’t functional. The bathroom also had a strong sewage smell. I reported these issues just 45 minutes after check-in, but reception brushed me off and said housekeeping would come — they never did.||Even more concerning, the cot I requested for my baby was broken on arrival. When my baby stood up, the side folded in the middle, which was extremely dangerous. Although staff did replace it when I complained, it was unacceptable that a faulty cot was placed in a room at all.||Breakfast was equally disappointing. The coffee machine served sweetened white coffee (I heard the table next to us complain as well), and the staff lacked professionalism and training. In the bar area, there were more staff than customers, yet they sat around talking and even drinking instead of providing service.||Overall, this hotel is nowhere near the standard it claims. It needs major work in every department to justify the price being charged. Realistically, it should be downgraded to a 2-star property until improvements are made.||To be fair, the pool was lovely and the location itself is very nice — but that’s where the positives end. I will never return, and I should add that I’m not someone who normally complains or writes reviews, but this experience was bad enough that I felt...

The staff at this resort was extremely unfriendly and made us feel unwelcome.||We arrived a bit early (around noon) and to their credit, they did allow us to check in early. We were told when we booked that we would receive a welcome drink and pastry which we did not receive (maybe because we checked in early), certainly not a deal breaker.||I'll start with the positives:|The area of Monchique is beautiful. Very peaceful and quiet, but also a bit remote so I would recommend renting a car.||The room was very nice. It was spacious with a nice balcony and large bathroom. The view from the balcony was lovely.||We tried to eat at the restaurant 3 different times and were turned away each time. The first time at noon (they said they opened at 1) . We went back at 2:45 and they said the kitchen was closing in 15 minutes and turned us away again. They told us to go to the bar across the street. We went to the bar and they said they didn't serve food (despite the menu on the bar saying they served food from noon till 9). They offered us stale pork belly buns which were terrible.||We tried the restaurant again that night, they seated us and gave us menus, but then the manager came over and strongly recommended we eat up at the hotel because they were having a themed Portugal night. We didn't really want to, but we were made to feel so unwelcome at the restaurant that we left. I should mention that the options for food are very limited as the area is remote and there were only 2 or 3 places to choose from.|In my opinion, it was the manager and staff that created an overall unwelcome feeling. I don't know if it was because they were coming into the "off season", but I would not recommend this hotel because of the staff. It's too bad because the location and the hotel itself, weren't bad.|I should add the manager seemed to be running the hotel, the restaurant, and...