AP Adriana Beach Resort

“Comfortable, family friendly place for a simple getaway”

This was our first experience with an all-inclusive resort as a young family, and overall, it met our expectations for the price. The hotel’s location is a bit isolated, but that was part of its charm. We appreciated that it wasn’t a towering high-rise but rather a collection of small buildings (e… more

This was our first experience with an all-inclusive resort as a young family, and overall, it met our expectations for the price. The hotel’s location is a bit isolated, but that was part of its charm. We appreciated that it wasn’t a towering high-rise but rather a collection of small buildings (each with around four apartments) spread throughout the grounds. We stayed in Block Q, centrally located, which allowed for a pleasant walk to both the main hotel area with the buffet restaurant and the quieter pool and other dining spots. Upon arrival, we were transported to our room by a buggy. For departures, you can call for assistance 15 minutes in advance, although porters start at 8 a.m.—that said, the walk wasn’t far for us. Our room was spacious for a family of four, with comfortable beds and a large bathroom with a walk-in shower. The balcony, equipped with a wall-mounted drying rack, was very convenient. On the first day, we received two large bottles of still water and were encouraged to refill them at water stations near the bar. I appreciated the hotel’s eco-conscious approach, although this information wasn’t initially mentioned and I found out by asking. The food was varied, with a range of options that suited young children and picky eaters (think chips, pizza, pasta). However, I found the hot dishes often just lukewarm, though items like meats and pizzas were frequently replenished. The staff was attentive, clearing tables quickly to avoid wait times. Entertainment was enjoyable and well-paced. The team was friendly and never pushy, which was great for our shy kids. Activities included a mini disco at 8:30 p.m., followed by a main event or live singer at 9:30 p.m. While we didn’t attend every night, we did enjoy a fun reptile show. Photos with the animals were available for €15, which felt a bit high, but the show itself was really entertaining and something we would not have done at home. Given our late October visit during UK half-term, the hotel was moderately busy with families, but the outdoor pool was quite cold. Although there was an indoor pool, it was unfortunately closed. However, the grounds included a children’s playground, splash park, and kids’ club, as well as activities like mini-golf, volleyball, tennis courts, and petanque, which we enjoyed. A 30-40 minute walk along the beach leads to Vilamoura, and a hotel shuttle (for a small fee) goes to both Vilamoura and Albufeira, though it stops at other hotels along the way. We also used it for a day trip to Zoomarine, leaving at 9:30 a.m. and returning at 4:30 p.m., which allowed enough time to enjoy the shows and fairground. For those interested in exploring the beach and water park, a 2-day pass might be worthwhile. The hotel’s best feature is its proximity to the beach, with lovely steps leading down—an easy, scenic 10-minute walk. The beach was clean, quiet, and beautiful, though this may have been due to the late-October timing. In summary, we felt we got good value for what we paid. This isn’t a luxury resort, but it’s a comfortable, family-friendly place perfect for a simple, relaxing getaway.

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“A good holiday, but some things could be better.”

The resort overall is very nice and is similar in layout to ones we have visited in Mexico. There is no central hotel block accommodation and instead this is mainly 2 story and spread out throughout the resort grounds. We are able bodied, but our room was just under half a KM to the reception/main… more

The resort overall is very nice and is similar in layout to ones we have visited in Mexico. There is no central hotel block accommodation and instead this is mainly 2 story and spread out throughout the resort grounds. We are able bodied, but our room was just under half a KM to the reception/main restaurant and this could be too much for some elderly people on a daily basis. We were in block AA which we found out was a promo room and effectively below the level of a standard room. The air con worked very well, but the room was quite small and the balcony view uninspiring at best. Although it was generally clean, we don’t recall the floor being cleaned during our stay and at times our feet were dirty from just walking around in it. In terms of food and drink, the main buffet was typical for this grade of hotel. We had breakfast and lunch there most days, but the cooked breakfast in particular was seldom warm and often bordering on cold. I noticed pre-cooking of fried eggs on an industrial scale with plates of these being cooked and then stacked in an oven behind the serving station. From that point onwards I realised that to get a fresh hot egg, the best thing was to ask the cook to flip one of the fresh ones for me. I also found the snack area a frustrating experience as I sometimes just wanted a burger for lunch but had to wait until 3.00pm for that type of food and often the burgers wouldn't be available until nearer 3.30pm, as the server reheating these wouldn't start the process until well after 3.00pm. The best food aspect we found was the Grill and O Celeiro. The evening food was excellent, as were the staff and we ate at these restaurants most nights. We also found ourselves using the Grill for lunches more as the holiday went on. The overall drinks offering was very good. The beer, wine and cocktails were all to a very good standard, but often the queues were excessive and there wasn't sufficient staff on duty. Prior to dinner sitting times, we often waited 10 to 15 mins at the O Celeiro bar, with only just one person serving. Tables were frequently littered with used glasses, sometimes from hours earlier. The bins would also be overflowing with the same rubbish that we had witnessed much earlier in the day. Our biggest issue was the main Sunset Bar. This lacked proper management at times and with no queuing system in place you could find yourself waiting for 10 mins and then see someone walk up to another side of the bar, only to be served straight away. Otherwise the staff would just ask ‘who’s turn was it next’ which was equally frustrating and the staff at times seemed to be enjoying themselves a bit too much and finding tasks to carry out that didn't involve serving customers. A customer-accessed beer and wine tap in both bars would have helped the situation and would have taken some pressure off the serving staff. The issue with discarded glasses, and often food, around this bar was worse in many ways than at the smaller pool. We witnessed leftover drink and food being sat on tables for considerable lengths of time and saw the same discarded glasses in certain sunbed areas and flower beds, for much of our holiday. Overall we felt that each area was at least a couple of staff members short.

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“Let down if British”

Just arrived and it appears they put the British over in A block which is well away from the main hotel, which is not a problem if the gates worked properly. Feeling like out of the EU out of the hotel. Let’s see what the rest of the week brings!!!!

“A good holiday but with a number of niggly faults.”

Overall it's a good hotel in lovely grounds, but there were a number of niggly things that cost it 2 stars. The hotel consists of many small blocks of maybe 20 or 30 rooms sprawled over a vast area. We were in Z block, which meant we had a 10 minute walk to the main dining room. The tennis courts … more

Overall it's a good hotel in lovely grounds, but there were a number of niggly things that cost it 2 stars. The hotel consists of many small blocks of maybe 20 or 30 rooms sprawled over a vast area. We were in Z block, which meant we had a 10 minute walk to the main dining room. The tennis courts were disappointing. The nets were a good 3 inches to high and were not adjustable and there were many dead spots on the courts where the ball simply died. It didn't make for a good game of tennis. We went to two of the A la carte restaurants. They could have been lovely experiences as the food was quite good. But the food was served so quickly, we couldn't finish one dish before the next one was served. It was as though the waiters wanted to get us out of the door asap. The whole meal was over in 45 minutes. The beach was lovely, with free sun loungers. Overall, we enjoyed our holiday but I won't rush back to this hotel.

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