3Hb Guarana - All Inclusive

“Fantastic Family Hotel - Detailed Review”

Detailed review coming up but first, Facebook group ‘3HB Guarana Guests’ will give you all the info & questions you need for this hotel. We stayed in June for 10 nights on a Jet2 package travelling with a 3 year old. -Arrival- We landed on a Sunday morning, Faro airport passport control was c... more

Detailed review coming up but first, Facebook group ‘3HB Guarana Guests’ will give you all the info & questions you need for this hotel. We stayed in June for 10 nights on a Jet2 package travelling with a 3 year old. -Arrival- We landed on a Sunday morning, Faro airport passport control was chaotic which we expected. Took us about 50mins to get through. Asked about the priority queue with having a small child, got told it’s for children under 2 only although the day before we had family who arrived that got told it was 7 and under so I guess it’s luck of the draw. We got the Jet2 transfer and were the 7th and last stop. It took 1hr 40mins. (An Uber is under €30 so would consider that next time. Or a private transfer) Check-in at hotel was smooth at 2pm with the room ready for us. Beach/Pool towels given to you at this point, you can exchange them for fresh ones each morning with the lifeguard down at the indoor pool. You must hand them back on check-out or you will incur a fine. -Room- We booked a Double Family Room with a pool view. The room was spotless and cleaned daily. There was plenty of storage space with a double wardrobe and 6 large drawers. Sofa bed was already set up for us and was the size of a double bed. The main bed was comfy but found the cushions to be so soft they became flat as pancakes. Reception provided with us some more straight away. Hair dryer in the bathroom is poor, bring your own. The hotel provides shower gel, shampoo and conditioner which all have a strong orange fragrance. Air con is provided, we had it on the coldest setting all the time but the room was never freezing. There’s a ceiling fan also but I never found the switch for that. The balcony isn’t huge, quite shallow but nice enough to sit out in the day/evening but no outside light for the night. Drying rack could be larger, you can only hang 4 items on there really. No tea/coffee facilities, but all available downstairs. No iron although theres a communal one provided in a room near the lifts on each floor. The safe is free, no deposit. Large TV, no English channels but you can take an Amazon Firestick. Definitely taken a plug extension as there aren’t many in the room. We were more than content with our room and spent very little time in there but I would say they only have a couple more years in them before they need a refurbishment. -All Inclusive Food & Drink- The standard of the food was superb. Breakfast was brilliant, so much to choose from. Omelettes, full English items, continental, cereals, fruits, porridge, waffles, churros etc. Even the pancake options were vast including Beetroot, Chocolate, white grain and normal pancakes. They had a juice bar area with freshly squeezed juices. The orange juice tasted amazing, so much better than the concentrate they had available as well. If you’re a late riser, they have a mid-morning breakfast option situated in the Oritental restaurant next door from 10:00-12:00. Lunches and evening meals had great variety, plenty for adults and children. It appears to be a weekly menu so if you visit for longer than 7 days the food will be repeated. There are two restaurants that you can book for the evening meal which are the Oriental and Mediterranean. Oriental is mainly sushi and noodles etc. Mediterranean is fantastic, a huge variety of meats cooked fresh in front of you. You can book these restaurants with reception for slots at either 18:45 or 20:30. You’re not limited to the number of times you can go. Beer on tap at the hotel is Super Bok & Sagres. They also have San Miguel in the Sports Bar. They have cider on tap, Somersby (tastes like Appletiser) and a local cider from Sagres. Cocktails were disappointing as they’re all pre mixed out of a machine. The machine uses premium brands of alcohol but for speed it mixes it all together rather than a bar tender. They come out a bit too sweet for me. Soft drinks were Coke, Coke Zero, Fanta Zero, Sprite Zero and Peach Nestea. Slushies at the pool bars are big hits too. The snack bar is one of the hotel highlights, they always have pizzas, nuggets, burgers, baguettes, salad, toasties, ice cream etc. Large bottles of water available from reception. -Animation Team- They do not stop! A large animation team that work long hours. The adult activities were the same every day. Darts, aqua gym, archery, water volleyball, table tennis etc. The team greets you as you enter the main restaurant on an evening. Kids club is on the upper level, we didn’t use it as children under 4 have to have parent stay with them. They had a theme each day such a pirate day, Olympic day, Disney day etc. Mini disco is at 8pm for 30mins each night. All the usual hits. On the terrace every other night they provide pre meal entertainment 18:00 - 20:00 such as a saxophone player or a singer which creates a nice atmosphere. Evening entertainment at 21:00 was a real mixture, some really good cover bands on some evenings then the animation team attempt a couple of shows. The magician show in our opinion was really dated, slow and a hard watch. -Pools & Sunbeds- The large pool is where the swim up bar located. This bar was due to open on the 15th June but they opened it a week early which was a bonus. On Saturday afternoons from mid June onwards they have a pool party which was lots of fun. There is a small pool which seems to be the quiet pool where it appeared to have the guests without children. A new large toddler splash pool up on the higher level which is located where the tennis court was previously. It’s a perfect space for kids up to 3 years old. The splash park is next to this where children have to be supervised, so with it being on the upper level you will find it was never busy as it seemed a little out of the way. There is a normal play park behind this too. The indoor pool is a bonus, I can imagine it gets busy on rainy days! This is where the steam room, sauna and gym is located. It’s like a mini spa down there. Children are not allowed in the Jacuzzi. Inflatables are not allowed in any of the pools. Floating aids and mini rings for babies/toddlers are fine but no lilos etc. Sunbed situation was perfect. We would often be coming down for the day around 09:30 and always found plenty of sunbeds. There are so many that you don’t feel the need to get up early and reserve. There is a new decking area which offers extra beds too. -Miscellaneous- - An open top bus stops outside the hotel. Every 60mins on the Ablufeira route. Every 120mins on the Vilamoura route. - Albufeira would be a long walk but only around €10 in a taxi which are never further than 2mins away. - Olhos del Agua is a small seafront village, not a busy resort. A ride in to Albufeira for that. - No shop on hotel grounds but a couple close by. - The hotel is spotless, the cleaners must work 24/7. - Free WiFi is ok. Sometimes a little slow in busy areas. - There is an arcade room and a pool/snooker room on the ground floor - Small beach in Olhos Del Agua is nice. Huge beautiful beach down the cliff behind the hotel. A lot of steps and a rocky path to visit. -Summery- 3HB Guaraná really is fantastic and is certainly one of the best all inclusive hotels we have been to in Europe. Although not a 5*, it’s a top tier 4* hotel which sees guests returning year after year. It’s such a family oriented hotel I can’t understand why couples would visit here when there’s so many options elsewhere but they are welcome and seem to enjoy it too. I wished the hotel would offer discount rates to book direct like many other hotels do but at moment it appears cheaper to book a package with a tour operator. We will be back, thanks Guarana. *remember ‘3HB Guarana guests’ on Facebook will answer all your questions.

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“Amazing hotel⭐️”

Absolutely brilliant hotel with many of opportunities available. All-inclusive food- 10/10, food was phenomenal and honestly couldn’t have been better! So much choice for even the fussiest of eaters. Bed- 7/10, could have been comfier however it did the job. Entertainment- 9/10, very out there an... more

Absolutely brilliant hotel with many of opportunities available. All-inclusive food- 10/10, food was phenomenal and honestly couldn’t have been better! So much choice for even the fussiest of eaters. Bed- 7/10, could have been comfier however it did the job. Entertainment- 9/10, very out there and very different and it also got everyone included somehow. Air Conditioning- 3/10, we found that the air conditioning isn’t the best and overall doesn’t make the room cool at all. Pool- 10/10, very nice and clean and is suitable to all ages with a pool noodle/armbands. Members of staff- 10/10, so polite and kind aswell as being willing to help whenever. We found the male staff member with long hair and glasses absolutely hilarious! Thankyou 3HB!!

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“Great time at the 3HB Guarana”

Second visit to the Guarana and I have to say it was even better than last year. Staff are fantastic, great choice of food, plenty of sun beds and in a great location. We were at the hotel during the start of the Euros and the atmosphere was brilliant as guests from lots of countries were watchin... more

Second visit to the Guarana and I have to say it was even better than last year. Staff are fantastic, great choice of food, plenty of sun beds and in a great location. We were at the hotel during the start of the Euros and the atmosphere was brilliant as guests from lots of countries were watching together and celebrating with each other. Cannot wait to visit again

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“A great family resort!”

Long review - We’ve just returned from a week here as a family of 5 (4 adults & 1 two year old). This place is absolutely brilliant for families! Room - we selected interconnecting twin rooms which were separated by 2 doors (so either side could stay locked) equipped with 2 large singles which c... more

Long review - We’ve just returned from a week here as a family of 5 (4 adults & 1 two year old). This place is absolutely brilliant for families! Room - we selected interconnecting twin rooms which were separated by 2 doors (so either side could stay locked) equipped with 2 large singles which can be made up to make a bed of super king size. I emailed the hotel two weeks before our stay to ensure both rooms were made up as one bed, and requested the largest cot available for my toddler. The cot provided was fab, good mattress and bedding. We did take our own toddler quilt & pillow (vac bagged in our suitcase is a top tip). You can also request further pillows, which we did ask for. There are thicker blankets available in the wardrobes. The AC was great and easy to use, both rooms had ceiling fans as well and both rooms had mini fridges & safe. The rooms are TOTAL blackout with the curtains in there, great for any kids that need it dark. Plug sockets are near the bedside and we did take our own triple plug which was helpful. Bathroom is well equipped with products, towels, bidet, bath & shower and hairdryer. The only downside to the room is that there isn’t really anywhere to keep the suitcases & buggy. As we had two rooms we blocked the hallway in one to keep the bulkier stuff which worked well. Food - there is a main buffet open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 2 other restaurants that require booking (Mediterranean and oriental ) and a snack bar. Breakfast options are really good, plenty of choice for everyone. We didn’t tend to go the main buffet for lunch and instead used the snack bar which offered burgers, hot dogs, baguettes, wraps, ice cream and other items alongside drinks. They also provided takeaway packaging so you could eat at the pool or take to your room. Dinner was fine our at the main buffet, the adults could always find something they liked but we found that it didn’t offer any plain meat options. The oriental restaurant was absolutely amazing! The quality, selection and freshness was 5*. Had a range of hot dishes, sushi bar, sides and they even had a door to the main buffet for adults to use to go and get their children a plate of food if they didn’t want anything (great idea and we used it!) Mediterranean restaurant had the same door but to the snack bar. Again the food was brilliant here and we ate there twice as it was our favourite. Resort - it’s so incredibly clean! There are 3 swimming pools in the main area, one which is a small kids pool (0.5m deep) so perfect for toddlers as they can walk around in it. It’s nice that they allow guests to leave pool toys, so you can easily find ones for your kids without bringing/spending. There is another kids pool on the upper deck, a splash park (which although states 4yo, we saw a lot younger in there and took our 2.7yo as he was accompanied by 2 adults and was one of the older ones in there on our trip). There is a pirate play park at the top deck, kids club (4y min) and further sun beds too. We never had an issue with sun beds, no matter what time of the day we went to the pool we could easily get 2 beds & a parasol. Beach towels are provided and you can switch them daily. There are a few things they could improve on but are very minuscule to the actual hotel and they deserve the 4*+ rating. The drinks…. The dispenser drinks didn’t taste right, either watered down or poorly carbonated. The cocktails were made at the bar by a machine, some were incredibly strong and not enjoyable. Was disappointed that there were no daiquiri options as I had ordered one and it ended up being a normal drink and made with essence instead of ice. Two types of beer on tap were great. There are a few hot drink options available throughout the day at the coffee machines across the resort and a flavoured water option to. A big improvement they could make is to the retro sports arcade. The pool tables are tired, cues are worn and no chalk, the table broke twice whilst we were there and the arcade room was just a few standard machines. It would be lovely to see them revamp the pool table room as it’s a great area for adults. We did find as we were on the entry level so close to lift & reception this meant we had a lot of shouting at 1/2am which although not the hotels fault, it’s a bit silly that the family rooms are so close to the main lobby. Luckily we had a road view which meant it was quieter nearer to the beds, would not opt for a pool view unless you’ve got good sleepers as it’s quite loud. Local area - a brilliant small beach a short walk away (buggy friendly) you can hire 2 sun beds/canopy for €10 (until 1:30pm) for half a day or €20 for the whole day (until 7:30pm). There is another beach which is down 100 steps and is not for buggies, accessibility issues or the unfit 🥲 it’s a nice beach but hard to get to. Plenty of shops, supermarkets, bank and pharmacy all within a 5 min walk with everything you would need. Intermarche was our preferred one which is a short walk from the hotel and has everything you’d need for yourself & a baby. We did the hop on & off sightseeing bus outside the hotel but I wouldn’t recommend. Get an Uber into old town / vilamoura, quicker and cheaper. Overall we LOVED the resort and will highly recommend to families, I wouldn’t think it’s the best for couples.

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