Pestana Viking Beach & Spa Resort

“Family break”

We just back from lovely half term break , hotel was very nice , staff were great they were very helpful , couldn’t fault any of then for there service all very helpful and polite , Paulo always gave a great welcome when going for breakfast . Hotel is very clean and cleaned and towels everyday , al… more

We just back from lovely half term break , hotel was very nice , staff were great they were very helpful , couldn’t fault any of then for there service all very helpful and polite , Paulo always gave a great welcome when going for breakfast . Hotel is very clean and cleaned and towels everyday , also towels for pool everyday . Hotel has indoor pool too , came in handy as last day weather wasn’t great so we chilled out inside . We went B&B , we went to the bars and restaurant round about , although not a great lot and walking distance too . Enjoyed the break but hotel is abit out way for my liking we used bolt taxis which is great as you.get discount rides , as buses not very frequent either

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“Half term get away”

We have just come back from a fabulous family holiday over October half term staying at Pestana Viking. Rooms were cleaned daily with fresh towels each time - separate beach towels provided also which was fab! We had a sea view suit, nice clean room, lovely view. Pull out sofa bed in living area … more

We have just come back from a fabulous family holiday over October half term staying at Pestana Viking. Rooms were cleaned daily with fresh towels each time - separate beach towels provided also which was fab! We had a sea view suit, nice clean room, lovely view. Pull out sofa bed in living area was a bit back breaking but the two queen beds in the main bedroom pushed together were fine for what we needed, also had sink & fridge as we were half board. Entertainment - there was a bar on site that had a singer a couple of times in the evening & they have a pool table with 3 other games. Food was amazing. José & his team were fabulous! Think I must have put on a stone in the week we were there! Sea pool outdoors was freezing as expected this time of year, indoor pool & hot tub were very slightly warmer but kids didn’t seem mind it. Nice sauna & steam room & nice little gym. Nice little head massage in the spa too, note to ask if they have any special offers on, I did & it saved me 30euros! Location was a bit sparse but did have a few little restaurants near by - the local Intermarché up the hill was fab for getting supplies. Stunning beaches on all sides. Nice bar up on the hill over looking the beach next to the church - take a seashell to add to the trees. Near by was Zoomarine which was amazing - we pre booked before coming as you can then book transport through their website to pick up directly outside of the hotel - for two days entrance it was £188 for family of 4, transport for 1 day was £40 there & back - we actually tried Uber for the second day & it was about £10 each way. If you only book 1day at Zoomarine too you can book an extra day for 10 euros each whilst there! Dolphin experience is cheaper to book once there too it cost us 97 euros each - this includes free professional picture with the dolphin, the experience itself, hire of wetsuit & a towel gift & bag. There are multiple boat companies if you want to try & find dolphins on the wild & see the caves - you can book at the beach next to Pestana viking resort (boat ride approx 1hr) or you can get a taxi (12euros approx) to the marina where the bigger boats all launch from (most about 2hrs+) plus there are some nice restaurants here too to make a day of it. You can get a land train to the next village that runs in front of the hotel - reception can give you the pick up times etc. it’s about 5 euros each but is a nice little journey exploring with the family. Old town is very quaint & pretty too if you are looking for something other than the beach & is a little away up from the marina. All in all would go back again & had a lovely time. Thank you to all of the staff, you were amazing x x

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“Nice hotel and location, Dit disappointed on the gluten free front however”

Nice clean hotel and location, Son loved the beach being so close and not busy. My main disappointment was on the food side, my son and myself are coeliac (gluten free) and informed the hotel a few weeks before we came and they had it on our file when we arrived which was great, Breakfast for us w… more

Nice clean hotel and location, Son loved the beach being so close and not busy. My main disappointment was on the food side, my son and myself are coeliac (gluten free) and informed the hotel a few weeks before we came and they had it on our file when we arrived which was great, Breakfast for us was very disappointing. Everything had a wheat symbol on even the sliced meats and cheese so basically all we could eat was scrambled eggs and fruit, when I asked chef if I could have some bacon (because they serve it on bread to absorb the oil) etc he said no. Shame when you walk past mountains of doughnuts cakes and waffles. I had brought my son cereal incase there was nothing he would eat so was glad I planned ahead). Dinner is abit better everything well labelled however for dessert the only option is fruit. We couldn’t even eat the ice cream as it may contain. It just would have been nice for them knowing we were coming to have one option for us. However we were not sick and the staff do have a good understanding of allergies and cross contamination so I thank them for that.

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“Could be so great”

This was our third stay at the hotel. We love the area and the beautiful beaches. Hotel is very clean and the food is great quality. The buffets at dinner are great, particularly when outdoors - the Italian and BBQ nights are well worth it. However, the customer service at the hotel needs impro… more

This was our third stay at the hotel. We love the area and the beautiful beaches. Hotel is very clean and the food is great quality. The buffets at dinner are great, particularly when outdoors - the Italian and BBQ nights are well worth it. However, the customer service at the hotel needs improving. We were told our room wasn’t ready (despite it being past check-in time). We were told to simply use the hotel facilities while we waited and left our luggage behind the desk. I thought it wouldn’t be for long so didn’t mind having a drink at the bar. However, it was well over an hour before we could access our room and having been up very early for the flight, I was in desperate need of a lie down. There was no apology from the girl that checked us in eventually, no offer of free drinks or something to compensate (which is a standard for even budget hotels). We finally access our room, and within five minutes of being in there, we are telephoned by the same girl on front desk to remind us that we hadn’t paid the tourist tax. There was again no apology or check if our room was okay. Needless to say, we had already paid the tourist tax when Jorge on the front desk had taken over our check in as he seemed to be the only one who cared that we had such a poor experience. He made sure our luggage was brought to the room and kept checking with the cleaning staff to see when it would be ready. Anyway, the service in the hotel really lets it down and it took me a while to relax after such a stressful start. The hotel operates quite archaic “voucher” systems for free drinks, etc, it’s all a little bit dated and not at all like the Pestana hotels in Madeira that can’t do enough for you. Similarly, the hotel pools are far too cold. It’s putting me off booking an off-season trip when I know I will rely on using the pools as the sea will be too cold. There are also quite a few minor issues regarding maintenance in the rooms, such as wobbly balcony tables and safes that don’t work. This hotel could be really great if they fixed these issues.

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