Reviews of Alcazar Hotel & Spa

In my opinion the best was the breakfast. They changed our room saying it was superior but the one we had reserved was renovated and had a shower, and the one they gave us did not. And although we went down and explained that we reserved it that way because of the difficulty of not being able to use a bathtub, they said they didn't have another one. Therefore a big negative point. And as for the facilities, say that they have an outdoor pool, an indoor pool... (this is part of the spa that you have to pay for and it doesn't say it anywhere, but when you get there. By putting it inside the facilities like the outdoor one and There is no cost, they tried to convince us that the hotel website said so but we all verified that it was not true). They should say that there is a cost (like other parts of the hotel or activities) and not attract clients by omitting those things.

A well run hotel where the staff make you welcome the rooms and the food are top class. Handy for everywhere . Well worth a visit and great value for money. Nice bar and good entertainment. I love the place.

Hotel very clean, got good room, only thing is no tea/ coffee facilities, but I always take my travel kettle with me, shops not far away, plenty of sunbeds so no running to them, which is so nice, beach / bars / restaurants not far away, no pool entertainment which is disappointing , some staff bit rude, breakfast ok, reception staff very polite & helpful, would recommend not as a family

Lovely hotel in a great location, very close to Spanish border. Lots of pretty towns between Monte Gordo and Faro. Hotel staff are wonderful! So helpful and friendly! Rooms are spacious, modern, and comfortable. The food is excellent with lots of choice (meals are buffet style). There is a nice pool with plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas. The pool bar also serves snacks. Public areas of the hotel are tastefully decorated, and there is music in the lounge most nights (music starts at 9.30pm.) Reception staff are particularly friendly. David, Christina, Carlos and Sylvina in particular. Hotel is spotlessly clean. Montegordo is a quiet resort with a very nice beach, restaurants , bars, and shops. The nearby town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio is charming and has superb seafood restaurants. Os Arcos is especially good. We visited Vila Real several times (less than 5 euros by Uber) and one day took the ferry across to Ayamonte in Spain. (Ferry takes 15 minutes, costs 2.50 euros each way, no passport needed). We also visited Tavira, Santa Luzia (great for octopus) and Olhao (famous fish market and seafood restaurants). The waiters in the hotel are all really nice. Special thanks to Jose, Miguel, Tiago, Manuel and Ricardo. We really enjoyed our stay and would return. Recommended for families and all age groups .

Fantastic location. Hotel with several years but renovated and with a lot of comfort. Good quality breakfast and the pool and gym are fantastic. Only one remark regarding human resources management. Some employees seemed sad and oppressed and it was visible that there was pressure from the management. I don't know if it's common practice in Portugal, but nowadays it's unacceptable and spoils the environment.

The hotel is very boring, most of the guests are Portuguese and elderly. The hotel is not 4 star quality . There is no atmosphere at all. The rooms are drab and not like those advertised. There are no extras provided in the rooms (water) and no tea/coffee making facilities. The hotel staff are efficient but not very friendly. The food is just ok. At breakfast the hot food is always cold. The spa is very expensive. The hotel is in a good location, however the resort is also very boring with nothing much to do. Monte Gordo does have an extremely lovely beach, but the resort is very windy making lying by the pool or going to the beach not a pleasurable experience. The locals are not helpful or friendly and the staff in the resort bars and restaurants while polite are not friendly either with the exception of the Toucans Irish bar which I would highly recommend. Would not recommend this hotel or resort to other solo travellers.

Came in at 11 got into room right away great sea view room on 5th floor staff very helpful Marie the maid very good weather has been very good until to day 29 th April but going home to morrow great hotel great staff very helpful had trouble with toilet but fixed right away great room food great good resort quite but good great beach good we had no problems with this hotel best hotel in monto gordo in my view

Second stay here, first time in 2018. There have been a few changes since the last stay but nothing major. Positives - • The overall cleanliness of the hotel is very good, rooms are cleaned daily unless you request otherwise. With that being said, some bits of the hotel are a bit dated for example the furniture, but still very clean throughout including the pool area, outside terrace, indoor seating areas, ground floor toilets (which I preferred to my hotel bathroom) • My room was very comfortable with effective air con. 16°c was perfect to come back to after leaving your room for a couple of hours. I had enough space for belongings and clothings. I had a low floor, room 101 which had a massive balcony, it seemed a shame to have so much space with nothing on it, but I did have 2 sun loungers! • The area is nice, very flat less than 10 min walk to the beach which is also kept beautifully clean. There are enough places to eat if you browse Tripadvisor first for recommendations Negatives - • The food was hit-or-miss. Luckily only booked bed & breakfast which was buffet style, I am a fussy eater so although there was plenty of choice I did struggle to eat a full meal given the choices. Snack bar by the pool was a lot better though! • Sun bed reservation should not be allowed, as with any hotel, the massive amount of leaving towels on sun beds was a real shame at this hotel. Some towels were left on beds all day and never claimed, although there are plenty of beds and places to relax yes, there should be a stricter approach to this from staff, especially during August • Minor issue, but the repetitive dance music by the pool was a little bit irritating towards the end of my stay, I can’t speak for others but I found it hard to relax at times because of this, I personally would have preferred no music as the same playlist played all day long (8am-late)

Whilst this hotel has a lot going for it, it has issues for people with mobility issues in that the restaurant is in the basement, and the head waiter insisted you accessed by stairs from reception, with stone stairs and no handrail. Bathrooms are exceptional, but wardrobe had no door and only 10 coat hangers and no drawer space, bit of a problem for long stay guests. Food selection very good

What have you done to this once lovely hotel? We stayed here in March 23 and returned in Dec 23 and had a great time. Saw the hotel wasn’t available for Dec 24 so booked another lovely hotel very well established nearby. Realised you were reopening today so walked across to see if Alejandro the bar manager who looked after us so well before was still there. The receptionist did not even know who we were talking about and tried to give us cards to book a room. No chance! You were not available when we booked so we are staying elsewhere. No sign of changes in the lobby or bar but we were told the rooms had been changed in the six to eight weeks of closure. Called back this evening to try and have a drink with Alejandro and we were asked can we help you as though there was no reason for us to be there!? Felt unwelcome, We asked again about Alejandro and were told he had left (we recognised the man who told us from previous visits). Very difficult to tell what this hotel is trying to achieve right now. We were not welcomed as previous visitors to see what has changed and room rates have increased significantly. Let’s hope the food has too! We were treated to excellent food and service on Christmas Day last year but the rest of the time the food was just ok. Be careful Alcazar….you have not upgraded to the level of the Prime Energise and you don’t have the history, location, quality of food and the staff of the lovely Vasco da Garma we are staying in this time. Nice to not have to share our holiday with sports teams in training too! Good luck for future bookings, you will need it!

Very disappointing experience! We chose this hotel for the facilities the hotel advertises on their website - outdoor heated pool, indoor heated pool, and gym. Unfortunately the gym is closed at the weekend, and even if it was open there is an additional charge to use it which I would have paid if it was open. To use the indoor pool there is an additional charge of €17.50 per person which is not mentioned on their website or on the site where we booked the hotel. The outdoor pool advertises to be heated but definitely is not. If I had known all of this at the time of booking I would have just stayed at the hotel next door - Prime Energize as I have stayed there before and all of the facilities are included, and the rooms are much nicer.

Great hotel I really enjoyed my stay, I had a top floor room with fantastic views, very clean and comfortable, fridge, safe, aircon and free toiletries, bed was really comfy. Self service breakfast was very good lots of choice, bar snacks also great. Staff very helpful and friendly. Unfortunately the weather was dreadful so couldn't use the outside facilities. The resort Monte Gordo very quiet in October and its a small purpose built resort, with good but infrequent transport links, glad I went but wont be going twice.

Overall hotel is good. A few things would stop me booking a second time. Decor a little outdated. Reminded me of a 70’s nightclub No tea/coffee or water in the room, which I found disappointing as I like a cuppa when I wake up. No drawers for clothes just hanging space, so you had to pile clothes at the bottom of the wardrobe. Initially we were given a budget room that just had a narrow window that was too high to see out of, so we paid extra to be moved. Dining room was on the lower floor so felt very enclosed. Buffet breakfast wasn’t very exciting. It was clean and staff were pleasant but we won’t return.

The reception staff let the hotel down. We were put in a wrong room and at first they brushed us off and said there was no more available and when I raised my voice they stopped and checked. Because of this we were then put in a room that had an AC which was dripping water the whole 7 days. Never bothered to report this as the first response was hostile as if it was our fault we were put in the wrong room. Our holiday was filed with emptying the toilet bucket with water.... when were out it would spill all over the room. The rooms needs updating. The door of the bathroom was pilling off. The restaurant staff were great and foodstuff good but was cold most of the time. The cleaners tried their best to keep the place clean. I wouldn't recommend it though it needs updating and reception staff needs more training. The one lady that came on shift 2 days before leaving was good and helpful.