Pestana Delfim Beach & Golf Hotel

The ROOM We stayed a week in Family Superior Sea View last October. The hotel has gone through a thorough renovation so everything was spotless. The room was spacious for 4 people (2 adults+2 kids) and the seaview from the room was outstanding. The best bit was definitely the balcony where we spent a lot of time. When we arrived there was juice and water in the minibar and the water bottle was brought in every day. The bathroom was clean and ok but it was lacking normal bathroom amenities like shampoo and conditioner, only shower gel was there. Room had a fresh decoration and the beds were very comfy. I would definitely recommend an upgrade if the price stays reasonable. FOOD The hotel is an all inclusive hotel which suited us nicely since our 2 boys usually eat every 15 minutes. The breakfast was ok but please note that compared to other 4-5 star hotels, it was a bit mediocre. There was no omelett cooking section and yogurt quality was not as good as in many other hotels but the mushrooms and pastel de nata’s were delicious. We usually had a light lunch in the Acqua buffet restaurant but there were also hot dogs and other snacks in the Coral pool bar in between meal times. Food in general was a bit of a disappointment, but drinks were good (both wines and cocktails) as well as deserts. There are speciality restaurants in the hotel as well but we never got a slot for those during the whole week, even if we tried during multiple days. The coffee milk (from Coral bar coffee machines) ran out quite often during the day and it took quite a while to get it replenished. SERVICE AND SERVICES The service in general was good, the only negative points would go to the queues in the Coral pool bar and lack of slots to the speciality restaurants. The hotel has a good selection of services for kids. Football court, padel and minigolf were in good use during our holiday. Older son also trained at the gym. There was a room for teens downstairs with table tennis, playstation and other games (some of them needed a few coins). The main pool area tends to be a bit small for the size of the hotel but there is a separate kids pool area and also area for adults only. We honestly stayed mainly at the beach since the pool was quite freezing in October. There was plenty of entertainment but the kids only took part in the sports activities. There is a small shop in the hotel but it didn’t have e.g water or other soft drinks, only souvenirs. LOCATION Fantastic. One of the best beaches we have been to was short stroll away and the hotel is not so far from the town center. We had a car so it was easy to move around in the neighboring area. It was easy to find a parking space in the hotel premises and it was free of charge. The hotel area and gardens in general were very well kept. Overall a great beach hotel with fantastic location next to the Alvor beach. The only hiccups come from the food and missing toiletries. With a little bit of improvement, I would definitely give this hotel 5 stars. Now it was more like 4.2 stars but don’t let that put you off, I’m sure you will enjoy this hotel as much as we did.

AVOID This is a three star hotel if that! not five star. Firstly the staff are rude, not helpful in the slightest one of the days our room did not get cleaned and had no fresh towels went to reception to complain which they replied ‘did you put do not disturb on the door no apology! The food in the restaurant is bland and has no taste and lack of kids options. It’s lukewarm, and the food is the same everyday. Tried to book in one of the other restaurants which they booked it for 1830 and then the next day went to confirm and they said only 2130 was available which is too late with two small children. The kids club was closed all of our holiday and the staff did not say why it was closed just stated to us ‘it’s closed’. The kids pool is dirty and half the stuff is broken. The lifts at the hotel are very slow and hardly work and have to wait a long time to even get into our room and being on the 9th floor stairs weren’t possible with kids. One of the days the housekeepers left our room unlocked where anyone would walk in and steal our stuff?! For 5 star hotel I would expect bathrobes and slippers however none. They state there is a magic spa however when asking where this spa was the staff stated it is not located in the hotel? So why put it on the welcome sheet. The YouTube on the tv does not work even though says there is YouTube to watch. We booked a family room however on the children’s beds only sheets were provided no duvet. This isn’t a five star hotel and I definitely would not come back here.

This hotel is in no way a 5-star hotel, It's a very clean, modern 3-star at best and truthfully, our honeymoon was ruined by the food and an attempted theft from our room. The hotel was made aware last June that the food was awful and have done absolutely nothing to rectify it, it's lukewarm at best, and that's when you arrive at opening times. The breakfast was inedible, and all other dishes were bland and tasteless. People had to use a microwave to reheat their meals. It got to the point that I would only eat the fruit and maybe some toast at breakfast and would eat out most evenings. A maid on one day took it upon herself to take my EV Charging Card that had been left in the room, perhaps they mistook it for a Credit Card. At the same time as doing so, after cleaning the room they left our door a jar and unlocked, meaning anybody could have walked in. We complained to reception regarding this, and we promised a phone call the following day to arrange a meeting with their security team to discuss the issue. No phone call was ever received, leading us to chase them where we were told they had 'found' the missing card, it was never lost, it was stolen. The following day, the hotel did leave a bottle of sparkling wine and a cake, along with an apology card, however in doing so, they again left the door completely a jar and unlocked. At this point, we just wanted to come home. Whilst Alvor was beautiful, I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, they can't manage at the start of season, I dread to think what will happen in peak season.

I cannot express how much I appreciate the staff and management of this great resort. My daughter became very ill a few days into our holiday. The staff and management went out of their way to make and deliver special soups and to check in on us. They were beyond kind and caring. This is above and beyond the great location and food! We had a great trip, despite the tough situation. Thank you!

Just not what I would expect from a 'five star' hotel, first day here with Tui, felt scammed. The good thing: room is spacious and newly decorated, balcony has sea and pool view, five min walk from beach, bar available all day. The bad: just overall very old facility and lacks maintenance. No bathrobes in the room, no plug for bathtub, had to ask reception to get a plug, then it gets stuck bcuz the knob thing is broken. No lifeguard for any pool, all three pools are cold, the child pool is pathetic, and tucked away behind the main building away from deckchairs, away from bar. No seating area at all for parents. The food... Fish and chicken are super dry, mixed up labels for tuna and seabass. Limited selection overall. Just not a five star hotel, nowhere near, not even four star. Now waiting for maintenance guy to come get the bath plug out, so we can take shower! Borderline pissed and not a great first day I'm afraid. Won't be coming back here again. :(