Hotel Capela Das Artes, Algarve, Portugal — Hotel in Silves

My wife booked the hotel for our annual wedding anniversary getaway. This year we decided to spend a week in The Algarve, rather than the usual sight seeing city holiday. What an amazing choice. If you want peace, tranquillity total relaxation, and a place to soak up the sun, then this is it! From the moment we got out of our taxi from Faro Airport, it was as if we had arrived back in time to this amazing 15th century farm house, which we had. Except this one was extensively refurbished to a 21st century standard, with the added style of a rustic boutique hotel. At the reception we were met by Julie, who throughout our stay was an amazing host and not just a staff member handing over room keys. We arrived quite late in the evening for check in, yet she greeting us with a warm and friendly smile. Having not yet eaten and knowing the restaurant may well have already served it's last dish of the evening, Julie asked the chef and kitchen staff if they would accommodate us for a late dinner, which they courteously prepared an outstanding first class freshly cooked meal served by Mario the head waiter. He was also extremely knowledgeable and helpful regarding the menu, the history of the building and the immediate area of our stay in the village of Alcantarilha.

Our room was clean, tidy and quite sizeable, offering comfortable beds and spacious storage cupboards for hanging our clothes. We had a large terrace with table and chairs over looking the olive tree gardens, where we were fortunate enough to watch the beautiful sunrise each morning. This was truly breath taking! We booked bed and breakfast for our stay and we must say breakfast was colourful, fresh with a selection of various pastries, breads, cereals, bacon and eggs and many fruits and cheeses to chose from. A great way to start the day. However, if you wanted to you could always nip across the road to a large Aldi supermarket for you own choice of breakfast to enjoy on your terrace/patio. The hotel had newly opened it's spa facility, which may wife took full advantage of and enjoyed it immensely. Great location, great staff, great food and great hotel. We...

Rarely do you stumble upon a place that feels like discovering a well-kept secret, but Capela das Artes is exactly that. Tucked away in Alcantarilha, this isn't your typical hotel experience - it's something far more special. Let me tell you about Freud. Yes, really - they have a mule named after Sigmund Freud, and he's absolutely the best part of waking up here. This guy has serious charisma and seems genuinely excited to meet every guest. Pack an apple in your bag because he'll be your best friend, and honestly, his enthusiasm is the kind of authentic joy that just makes your day better. Julie runs this place like the perfect host you wish you had in your own family. She's got this incredible knack for making everything run smoothly while still making you feel like you're staying with friends rather than at a business. That personal touch is everywhere - you can tell she genuinely cares about each guest's experience.

The property itself is gorgeous. The pools are perfect for lazy afternoons, and the whole atmosphere just invites you to slow down and actually relax. Every staff member we met was genuinely friendly, not that rehearsed hospitality you sometimes get.

If I had one piece of feedback, it would be around breakfast. While everything was lovely, I'd love to see more plant-based options. The Algarve has such incredible local produce - fresh fruits, nuts, olives, amazing breads - that could easily create more variety for vegan guests without losing that authentic...

Supposedly given the best room, but if that was the best room, i hate to think about what the other rooms look like. As I saw on other reviews since, we were given twin beds which we had not asked for and they were absolutely rock hard. There were no amenities in the room such as bottled water (advertised), toiletries except soap, no iron/board or hair driers. The whole place feels like its suffering from a complete lack of investment for its guests. A bar and a poolside cafe had clearly been created at some stage, but they were declared as closed and this was August. Breakfast was bizarre in that it started at 9am and clearly had a policy of clearing up when everyone had finished, so you would be eating an average breakfast buffet surrounded by dirty dishes. There was no sit down options for lunch or dinner. The pool area was uncleaned when we were there in that the same leaves and dead insects were there at the bottom every day. The overall feeling as my wife put it was it seemed you were at family owned place that needed your money but that didn't really want you there. Mercedes and Julia who were really the only main staff we saw, were doing their best and were as helpful as they could be, but in difficult circumstances which we had sympathy for. I find the advertising of amenities completely misleading as it suggests a very well appointed and equipped place and this was neither. At best this is a...