Pine Cliffs Hotel, a Luxury Collection Resort, Algarve

service is not good. room is very dark.

Bad experience

I will start by saying that we only booked this 2 days before arriving, so perhaps didn’t do enough research. But below are the things I would have liked to have known: - the room: we had a 2 bed apartment; layout was perfect for family of 4, but it was honestly like stepping into a time warp - the room hasn’t been touched since the 80s; eg think tape player as the music offering! There were none of the usual things I’d expect from a 5 star resort - no bathrobes, no tv’s in bedrooms or welcome information pack etc. it was like we were staying in an elderly aunt’s house! - the pools. This is what I find the strangest thing; the resort is huge with pools everywhere, but none of them are heated! This being October, we thought we were gambling with the weather, but I thought as long as the kids were happy in the pool, we’d get a chance to chill & read a book. Not the case - every pool was empty & as a result people were just hanging around unsure of what to do with their day. I can’t emphasise enough how cold the water is (the sea is also freezing!) They do offer a heated indoor pool, but you have to wear a swimming cap for some reason (which you have to buy) & obviously my teen wouldn’t dream of doing that! - the cost. You have to pay for EVERYTHING here. No free water & most kids activities come at a cost. We booked room only & breakfast in the very mediocre buffet was €120 a day for our family. I’ve heard people talk highly of Pine Cliffs, so thought it would be a safe bet, but we just didn’t ’get it’. Perhaps we’ve been spoilt on other holidays, but this just felt like a very dated, dull offering. I should also add that we’re not golfers; perhaps that’s where we went wrong!

We stayed at Pine Cliffs Resort for a short 3-day mini-moon after getting married in Portugal. We loved the seaside location with stunning views, the many food options, and the spa. Stand-out features were the Mirador Champagne Bar (definitely visit for sunset), the Serenity Spa (including the relaxing Thermal Oasis area), and Mare (beautiful restaurant for lunch, right on the beach). The dining choices overall are mixed, with amazing Portuguese food and seafood. The Italian and Indian restaurants we tried were not as authentic as we would have hoped; breakfast had a good selection and was quite good. The Portuguese tiles all around the resort are really beautiful, and add to the charm of the resort. The elevator down to the bottom of the cliffs for easy beach access was also wonderful. Overall we really enjoyed our stay, and found the resort great to explore, with some very nice dining and relaxation options.

My wife and I visited Pine Cliffs in October 2023. It was our first time here. Check in was efficient and friendly. We were brought to our apartment by a staff member using thier buggys. We had specifically requested a twin room but to our surprise these don't exist in the one bedroom apartments. Back to reception and after a lengthy conversation that wasn't going anywhere, I upgraded to a two bedroom apartment. Whilst not planned for or budgeted for I wasn't going to let this spoil our holiday. We were relocated to room 111, floor 1 in the Lotus block. The apartment was very spacious, well equiped, quiet but with a nice view of the pool for the block we were in. We were also close to the main pedestrian/vehicle entrance/exit which was handy for the local supermarket where we were able to stock up on the essentials. The resort itself is quite large. You'll get your 10,000 steps a day up here easily! We were on a bed and breakfast basis. We had breakfast in the Jardim Colonial each morning except for one day where we went to O'Grill. We preferred the former. An excellent choice in both with fresh produce and cooked to order eggs and omlettes. On our day of arrival we had lunch in Corda Cafe and ate there on a few evenings too. Within our rate we had a daily credit to use in the resort. It works out good towards food and beverage. We enjoyed the food and service there. The best for last! The Mirador Champagne Bar. Wow! What a view. Get there for sunset. You will 100% enjoy your G&T. The beach is amazing. A nice long walk down to the same but worth it. Views alone are special. If you get bored of the resort you can walk outside and there are nice bars and restaurants and walking distance to a tourist resort. We used Bolt to go to Albufeira for a few hours one day. We used Yellowfish transfers for our transfer to/from Faro airport and they were on time for both journeys. We'd recommend. Overall we would recommmed Pine Cliffs Resort but do check before arrival for any special requests you may have as unless confirmed there is no guarantee as we found out. On my return I emailed regarding the accomodation issue but after a few emails back and forth, I let it go. As said we would return but will make sure in advance we get the accomodation we're expecting.

A 5-star property is usually distinguished by excellent service and attention to detail. This hotel offers neither. The personnel is hostile and rude pretty much across the entire property. The beach area looks like a refugee camp. All the delux rooms at the hotel face restaurants or entertainment areas and are super noisy from 7 am until 11 pm. If you think you’ll get a room with a view and will be able to enjoy your balcony, you won’t. Instead you’ll be listening to kids yelling, restaurant noise and loud music at night. People who think this is a five star property never stayed at one.