Top 10 Farm Village Hotels

An excellent two weeks with the family at Pine Cliffs. Stayed in a 2 bedroom garden suite which had two bathrooms, nice balcony and good kitchen facilities. Garden suites have a nice pool near by but are also close enough to main hotel areas. Preferred to go to the larger pool next to the O’Grill restaurant for easy lunch access! Resort has lovely restaurants, something for everyone, but only a short walk out of the resort takes you to another 10 or so restaurants - Indian, tapas, Italian, burgers etc if you fancy a change or want to save some money! Plus there is a supermarket right opposite the main entrance. The sandy Beach stretches for miles and you have free access to sun beds via a lift or stairs from the resort where you can also book kayaks, jet skis, etc. Mare beach restaurant a real treat for either lunch or dinner. We arrived at midday and room not ready until 16:00 which was a very slight inconvenience - but next time will be better organised so we can get some shorts etc from the luggage to get straight into holiday mode. Key for me: high standards of facilities, lovely service, number of pools/ restaurants, close access to beach, but also easy access to restaurants outside the resort. I also liked how big the resort was - took a few days to get our bearings and find the short cuts!

First time staying at OS. Not the first time staying at Pine Cliffs as have been coming to this resort for a few years now. Hugo at concierge was SO helpful and friendly. Accommodation was spot on. Spacious, well maintained and airy. Comfortable beds and bedding. Plenty of towels and tea/coffee provided. Daily housekeeping and also helped by turndown too! One pool towel provided per person as long as you have a towel card (which is returned to you once you return your towel). One resort downside is parking - as the resort has rapidly increased over the past few years, and bearing in mind we visited late October, you may find a parking spot close to the OS or you’re stuck with a five minute walk away, after trying to source a parking spot!. Some cars are just badly parked (abandoned) and therefore prevents others parking next to them. Unsure how this will impact during the busier months? I really wouldn’t want to know! Good playground area which is open till late. Kids clubs still available which we used years ago and it still appears very popular. Tennis courts haven’t changed in years. Although still very busy, personally, l think they could all do with a lick of paint and a good ‘freshening up’. Book in advance as it get busy most days. Golf, as normal, is heavily booked in advance. The course remains stunning as ever! Whilst we were in the golf shop golfers were trying to book ahead for March 2024! The road through the resort is very busy, dark and many cars don’t regard folk walking on the side of the road (due to lack of pavements), and with minimal street lighting, it’s often hard to see walkers. I would bear this in mind if walking with prams or toddlers in tow, perhaps a light on the pram would be helpful. Trade vans in particular speed through the resort. When leaving the resort, again, be mindful as the road is unlit. However, once you get out onto the main street, all is fine. There is a small supermarket out on the main road. Caters for basics. If you have a car, there is an Aldi about five minutes drive from the resort. Altogether it was a nice break and the weather was glorious which is often a gamble in late October! Spa is lovely although no treatments were received on this trip, we used the saunas / jacuzzi pool. All were very impressive, clean and well maintained. Should we return, we will now only stay in the Ocean Suites!

Visited in May 2022 and September 2019, although this isn’t a recent review, after having a not so great holiday in Tenerife this year, this has made me appreciate how fantastic Pine Cliffs really is. We will absolutely be back. We stayed in the Ocean Suites both times, the facilities are excellent, the cleaners so thorough, staff always very helpful on reception, the spa is such a treat to visit (treatments are on the expensive side though). The kids club is amazing, with the Pirate ship and playground. We visited on my Mum’s 70th birthday and went for lunch at Mare on the beach, the staff sang Happy Birthday in Portuguese which was so lovely. In terms of the rooms, we couldn’t fault anything, the beds are very comfortable, rooms are quiet. The pools are a little cold, especially the one by Ocean Suites, but that’s good if it’s hot. The breakfast gets very busy and the staff are great, but if you’re in Ocean Suites you have the chance to bring your own food or visit the other cafe available. Steak restaurant by the front is great, as is the resultant on the terrace by the pools. Cannot wait to visit again, thank you Pine Cliffs.

This 5-star hôtel is quite new so they are still putting the finishing touches on the private garden going down to the beaches. The service and the food, the swimming pools and amenities are already on par with other 5-star I've been to. A lot of the food is local (avocados, salads, fruits, fish) and is soooo good. The views are stunning from the rooms, the swimming pools, the Sea Sky outside lounge and the Paper Moon restaurant... Overall what I like the most is the feel of being surrounded by nature with the hotel's garden, greenery everywhere and the relatively small height of the buildings... Thank you to the staff for this memorable week in December, sun everyday and temperature around 20° during the day...

We booked this hotel for a relaxing break, and that’s pretty much what we got. Our booking included a private transfer from the airport and from the moment we set foot in the hotel we were made to feel special. The checking in process was very straightforward, and although our room wasn’t quite ready due to the early flight, we were offered breakfast while we waited. Our bags were delivered to the room, and we were greeted with a welcome flower, complimentary bottle of water and sweets. Two bottles of water and chocolates subsequently arrived daily, which was a welcome surprise. The room itself is very spacious with a huge and very comfortable bed, TV, plenty of storage including wardrobe with a light, ironing board & iron, fridge and coffee machine. The bathroom forms part of the bedroom with sliding doors for privacy, and includes a lovely bath and walk in shower, plus complimentary toiletries. Bathrobes and slippers are also provided for the spa. We didn’t use the aircon so unable to comment on that, but the balcony included a table with two chairs plus a sun lounger. Our room had a distant sea view and overlooked some lovely gardens with resident blackbirds and Iberian Magpies. Pretty sparrows can be seen around the complex, as well as a Hoopoe bird. The hotel is situated in extensive grounds with access to the beach which boasts stunning cliffs. It is well worth visiting the beach, and walking around the headland. Be sure to check out the gardens with the Love Tree, swing seat and secluded loungers. One of the reasons we chose this hotel was because of the indoor pool. We knew that the weather at the end of March/early April could be unpredictable. As it turned out, we were pleasantly surprised – most days were hot albeit with a degree of breeze. Towels are provided and loungers plentiful. What we didn’t bargain for was the temperature of the outdoor pools – they were freezing! We arrived on the 30 March, and the pools were not heated until our last full day, allowing us to really enjoy the experience. The other disappointing aspect was the lack of vegetarian options for meals. Breakfast was fantastic with so many options for all – cooked breakfast, variety of egg dishes cooked to order, cheeses & cold meats, cereal, fruit, yogurt, bread & pastries. We booked half board and dinner was a different story. On the first and second nights I managed to cobble together some dishes to make a meal. I did speak to the restaurant team who were incredibly helpful and attentive for the remainder of our stay. Overall, we loved the hotel. The WiFi is pretty good, there are lifts to every floor, and the hotel is beautifully decorated throughout.

The Garden Suites are the newest rooms at Pine Cliffs and they are stunning! We previously stayed at the Pine Cliffs Hotel in 2019, and we can’t fault it, it was lovely but the Garden suites are so luxurious and modern!! The beds are so comfortable, the kitchen is fully equipped with plates, cutlery, cups etc and if you are self catering there is a FABULOUS supermarket just around a 5 minute walk from the Garden suites. The pool is lovely, and is often fairly quiet because the Garden suites are towards the back of the resort. It’s about a 10 minute walk to breakfast, which is no problem, it’s a lovely walk, and you get to see a lot of the resorts (including some adorable cats). Everything is clean!!! The cleaners are fabulous and so kind!! We are returning in a few weeks, for the 3rd time in the past year, what can I say, we LOVE IT! The balconies are a lovely size, we were absolutely blessed last time with 2 MASSIVE balconies, can’t even explain how amazing it was to sit on them after dinner and play a game of UNO with the family!! Best resort, fully worth of its 5 stars!!

What a fabulous week I have just had with my family! The villas and the surrounding area is stunning and myself, husband and three children loved it. The villa is beautiful and is absolutely huge and has everything you need for your stay - Iron, hair dryer etc. Upon arrival your villa is stocked with shampoo, shower gel, enough toilet roll for the week etc and in the kitchen, some dishwasher tablets and cloths. We was in a three bed, three bathroom villa and when I say massive, they are! Each room had a modern feel to it and the glass walkway across the top floor and floating staircase added to that. It did seem clean when we arrived but I will say we found odd dummies etc around the villa during our stay so it can’t have been as thoroughly cleaned as we thought. You do get bath and pool towels provided and these was changed by a cleaner who came in once during our stay and cleaned around. The pool area was lovely, albeit a bit cold but this can’t be helped. You did feel safe in the villa as to get on the complex you have to pass security but all the locks are by an electric keycard, I would of felt much safer if I had a chain lock or a physical lock so I knew 100% it was locked. This was the same for the basement door which led to the underground car park and front door, you never felt like they was locked. Only thing I would consider with these villas is if you have young children you can not relax, or I felt I couldn’t. The staircase would of been better with a retractable gate as you could just walk around the staircase from coming in the front door and if you have a toddler whose wanting to run round etc they would fall the two flights down to the basement. It’s hard to explain - sorry should of took pictures. The area is really nice and quiet and the complete opposite to the centre of albufeira we visited one day and I’m so glad we chose to stay in this area. The beach is a 5/10 walk away and the waters clean and the sand clean. You can hire beds and umbrellas and if you walk further down the beach there’s a couple of snack bars open. There is a grocery shop 5/10 min walk away the other way from the villas that stocks almost anything you would need for your holiday. We ended up using Ubers all week to get to zoomarine, the marina and central Albufeira to name a few. We needed an XL Uber but the most we paid was about €18 each way, they was super quick and every time came to the villa entrance in a couple of minutes. We did eat out every night but our favourite was Scenarium, we also tried Primadonna (which was in the nearby hotel), Bellavita and Ramires. Ramires was about a 20 min drive away but is a real authentic peri chicken restaurant. You don’t get a menu just plates of chicken, fries and salad. Lots of locals in, definitely should go there to try. We also ordered 2 meals on Uber eats as we got in late but they took hours to arrive and wasn’t that good. We booked the holiday only a few weeks before going so was limited to wh

I think it should be illegal that they have this as a 5 star resort. It is more like a 3 star. Cleanliness - the hotel is dirty. Corridors, restaurants etc. the floors don’t get cleaned often. You will see a spillage sitting in the same place for hours. It is filthy. Food - horrendous. There is only one main buffet restaurant. If you want to eat the same thing day in, day out then you’ll be happy. The lack of variation is awful. The food is bland. And mostly cold. They just top up warm food occasionally on top of the cold food. Lunch is pretty much always going to be the same as dinner with a couple items swapped out. You will see the same items reappearing every other day. It is a help yourself drinks situation - once seated - get your own coffee (which is very watery & all machine), pour your own wine drinks etc. the same wine everyday. Food options are very limited. I ate chips, potatoes, pizza, fish fingers everyday for 5 days. They have 1 bottle of sparkling wine at breakfast but it isn’t there every day. Food will fall on the floor or be spilled and not get cleared for ages. Flies swarm the drinks machines. Plates are frequently dirty, alongside glassware. The page you are given when you check in claims there are morning snacks, afternoon snacks and midnight snacks in the buffet restaurant. I never saw these once during the stay. There is no where to get food outside of breaks, lunch & dinner. The lobby bar claims to be open all day, but we were asked to leave at 3pm with no where else to go. Entertainment each night is the same - a singer from 2030 to 2330. Some of which are very depressing songs all night. The hotel is very small and there is not much at all to do. If the weather is bad, you’re best just to sit in your room. Cocktails are machine made so they all taste weak & inauthentic. Housekeeping don’t sweep the floors when they make up your room or replace toiletries for example toilet tissue. I had a makeup stain on my bedding, they simply turned the sheet over and made the bed. When you check in they ask if you want lunch on that day or checkout day as you are not eligible for both. Once you check out they will not allow you to eat afterwards. I would never return to this hotel. I was also asked how my stay was when checking out - I said terrible but they had no response. Don’t know why they bother asking. The beach is also about a 10 minute walk away so I don’t know why this comes up as beachfront. The rooms are also very dark with minimal lighting. Hotel and rooms needs major refurbishment. Decor is old, damaged and looks awful. A lot of stains on walls, floors, curtains etc. There is also no help with luggage when you are arriving or leaving. You must manage everything alone.