Vale D'oliveiras Quinta Resort & Spa

“Excellent stay”

We have just returned from a very pleasant 10 day stay at Vale D’Oliveiras. The hotel was very comfortable, the amenities first class and the staff exceptionally helpful and friendly. Particular thanks to Sonia on reception and Anabela in the restaurant. We look forward to returning soon.

“Fabulous”

We came here last Xmas and loved it so we have decided to come back. Our first day here. Fabulous greeting at reception. Went for lunch at pool bar, fab food and drink. Took my daughter in the indoor pool, she loved it. Had a very tiring day with travelling and being awake since 3am so wanted a rel… more

We came here last Xmas and loved it so we have decided to come back. Our first day here. Fabulous greeting at reception. Went for lunch at pool bar, fab food and drink. Took my daughter in the indoor pool, she loved it. Had a very tiring day with travelling and being awake since 3am so wanted a relaxing night in the restaurant which it certainly was, great service and the food was a la carte which is not to everyone’s tastes as some people prefer buffet, but we loved it. Shrimp salad for starter was amazing and octopus for main was also great. My wife had peppercorn sirloin steak and she loved it. A big thumbs up from us. Food and service excellent.

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“Second time here, and booking a third!”

Second time here, this time with extended family. Some illnesses in the family and staff couldn’t have looked after us all better. Lots of choice at the breakfast buffet. You can order any sort of eggs you want so you don’t just have to have the scrambled eggs. Other food is hit and miss. The eve… more

Second time here, this time with extended family. Some illnesses in the family and staff couldn’t have looked after us all better. Lots of choice at the breakfast buffet. You can order any sort of eggs you want so you don’t just have to have the scrambled eggs. Other food is hit and miss. The evening restaurant food is blah. The bar snacks are better. We had different types of rooms for our group. The deluxe two bedroom apartments are great… really big, comfy. The first time we were here our apartment was a little bit better taken care of. This time the space was a little more rundown. The fridge in the kitchen didn’t work but they did have a standalone installed so we were sorted. The hotel rooms felt a bit small and the ones at the very end of the hotel, near the gym/indoor pool, on the ground floor, were a bit dark and dingy. A bit minimalist on topping up amenities and you need to buy coffee pods (for a nepresso machine) from the reception at €1 after you’ve used the two provided ones. I think that’s a bit cheap, to be honest. You don’t have to have a car to get around if you’re happy to stay local. Taxis are cheap and quick. Overall, again, a great stay and we’re already talking dates for our next trip.

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“Could do so much better.”

We stayed at the Vale d'Oliveiras Quinta Resort and Spa from 13th to 20th September. This was our second visit. So the plus points first. The accommodation is in a beautiful location surrounded by countryside, and has well-kept grounds and gardens that are spacious and well-designed. The pool is … more

We stayed at the Vale d'Oliveiras Quinta Resort and Spa from 13th to 20th September. This was our second visit. So the plus points first. The accommodation is in a beautiful location surrounded by countryside, and has well-kept grounds and gardens that are spacious and well-designed. The pool is large and the water crystal clear. In fact one of the nicest pools we have experienced. Our stay included breakfast, which is buffet style and offers plenty of choice. There is a large atrium-style dining area with two outside verandas. The rooms (we were 'upgraded' to a two-bed apartment from a one-bed) are spacious, generally comfortable and clean. They include a fairly large kitchen, separate bathroom, and with a two-bed apartment a separate shower and second smaller bathroom. The lounge area is large with two comfortable sofas and a tv with a number of English channels. There is an outdoor patio area with table and chairs. The flats have air con, which worked perfectly. We had a massage in the spa area which was first class. There is plenty of car parking, and realistically you will need a car at this location. Now the not-so-good points. Sunbed Cushions. Whilst the pool and pool area is lovely and there are lots of sunbeds, the cushions for those sunbeds are awful and insufficient for the number of beds. A number had come apart or were split, and they were dirty and stained. You needed to cover them with two towels to make them useable. Some beds are on a grassed area around the main pool, and people will leave the sunbed cushions on the beds at the end of the day. There is a young member of staff assigned to give out cushions and towels (although in theory you are only allowed one) and who takes down the umbrellas etc. He does not take in the cushions from the sunbeds on the grass, and they then get soaked overnight, rendering them unusable the next day as they get soaked by the overnight sprinklers! This further reduces the number available. Such an easy issue to address through proper management. Pool Bar Food. We decided to eat at the pool bar one evening rather than go out to eat (we didn't have dinner included). The food was frankly very poor. I had a club sandwich, and the bread was virtually inedible, and the food poorly presented, whilst my partner quinoa salad was pretty tasteless. I would add that we were not the only ones to comment on the poor quality of the food. Accommodation. Whilst our apartment was clean and comfortable it looked very 'tired' and dated, a comment we made last year. There was a broken cupboard door and evidence of water damage to a dresser in the lounge; the fitted door for the washing machine in the kitchen was missing; some of the veneer was peeling off the kitchen units. Whilst we had a small outside space, it was untidy with no real planting and no sun loungers (we did have two loungers with our one-bed apartment last year). Bar. The bar offers a small range of cocktails, but when we were told that they had no white rum to make pina coladas. This seems a really small point, and rather pedantic, but we were told the same thing last year! Surely not to difficult to keep up the bar stock! The resort is listed as 5 Star. It is certainly not that. Between 3 and 4 perhaps. It could do so much better.

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