i just returned from a weeks stay at the tivoli marinotel in vilamoura portugal firstly the rooms in this hotel are not 5 star more like a 3-4 star the service in this hotel is not 5 star maybe 3-4 star at best the reception area is 5 star not sure that it makes much difference to have a beautiful reception with poor service the pool area is good a little bit crammed in but good the facilities were fine not sure whether they were quite 5 star maybe im just being fussy the niki beach club is fantastic its in two parts a private beach serving cocktails all day and then a lake side club/cocktail bar inside the hotel complex at night a special mention for the bar staff as they were brilliant all the tricks and the drinks along with attentive service and smiles maybe the hotel staff should take lessons from these guys !!! the hotels position is great located slap bang in the middle of the beach and the marina so your never short of somewhere to eat found the prices quite reasonable on the marina around 60 euros for 2 people with drinks well worth the walk and sometimes the wait all the better restaurants are busy after 8 oclock so you might have to wait 10 = 15 minutes for a table lots of bars and music here too with a little bit of shopping available for retail junkies overall i had a nice time but definately not the 5 star experiance i expected and paid for its amazing how service without a smile can leave you feeling somewhat short changed i would consider staying here again if they dropped the price to suit what it really is thats a 3 star hotel with good facilities and a five 5 star club i hope this is of help to you enjoy

This is was our second trip back to Vilamoura over 2 consecutive summers. Last year we stayed at the hotel next door and to the back of the Tivoli Marinotel - Vila Gale Ampalius (which I also reviewed) the difference in class was significant.
Being a frequent business traveler I have been fortunate to stay in a number of 5 star hotels all over the world and for all the Tivoli is excellent I wouldn't say it's 5 star in the way the Waldorf Astoria or the 4 Seasons chain or Kempinski chain are, in that it doesn't have the sheer grandeur, however having said that it is a quality hotel with great attention to detail - Cool, clean lines, simplistic and contemporary.
My review is based more around how the hotel performs and delivers to a young family - my husband and I were holidaying with our 2 and a half year old son. We knew the area ticked all of the boxes as we were there last year and to be honest it was even better this year in catering to our son.
Breakdown of facilities:
Our room - we opted for a top floor marina view room as I'd read the reviews about the noise from the spa construction so I did some forward planning and tried to negate this issue prior to our stay (it's right to mention this issue now - lots of previous reviews gave me concerns about this but I can honestly say that whilst you can hear the work during the day around the poolside it's not obtrusive and we found you could hardly notice it - we didn't hear a thing by night but that may have been down to where our room was situated) I emailed the hotel beforehand and on arrival found everything I had requested in place. The room was spacious 2 x 3/4 twin beds and a cot for our son - lovely clean fresh bedding and an added bonus is the room is carpeted (those with young children will agree that this is a plus for the little ones!!)
Like the other reviews I can also endorse that the bathroom is well equipped - good quality bathrobes (again freshly laundered) and a good power shower.
Girls - the hairdryer is one of these bulky contraptions fixed to the wall in the bathroom so if you don't want to end up like Monica from the episode of friends with a big frizzy 'do' - pack your own!
Nice flat screen T.V - good choice of English channels.
Balcony again child friendly no little gaps that could cause any hazards and the floor area was covered in a kind of astro turf covering which again adds a little more comfort when the kids are playing on the balcony.
We didn't have an iPod docker in our room which was one aspect I was a little disappointed about - I did ring and ask concierge about this as I had requested one in my email prior to travel. They did offer to move us to another room that had one but to be honest I'd unpacked by this point and couldn't really be bothered to re-pack and move - but if this is a priority for you check it's there in your room before you unpack - Concierge should be happy to move you if there is a room available with this feature.
Maid service is twice a day, with a turn down service later on an evening - a nice little touch, and the chocolates you're given are good quality (unlike some hotels that provide particularly horrid chocs!!)
The mini bar is well stocked - like most families with children we emptied the hotel supply's and purchased our own from the nearby supermarket (the nearest one is out from main reception -walk down the ramp to main car park - cross over road and walk to the left for about 20 yards - turn right and the supermarket is just ahead of you on the left hand side through a small car park area) The hotel aren't keen that you do this but to be honest didn't challenge us on most of the items we replaced in the fridge - they obviously realise that with small children you require things such as fresh milk, fruit, confectionary etc.. Although on one occasion they did remove our adult supply of Sagres beer and replaced it with the hotel issued bottled beer!!! Which is fair enough I guess.
There is plenty of hanging space and drawer space in the room - I did take a few hangers with me which came in handy.
The air conditioning was a bit poor in our room - to be honest we didn't really need it for the first 4 nights as there was a real strong wind on an evening which kept things nice and cool but half way through our stay the wind suddenly dropped and the room was stifling - Reception actioned this immediately and sent an engineer to our room - who couldn't get it fixed although it did get marginally better - reception offered to change our room but again this was more hassle than it was worth by this point during our stay so they provided us a fan instead which did the job.
The hotel:
Reception/Check in - Efficient and friendly - we arrived at 10.30 am and although the hotel stipulates check in is not until 2 pm I had requested in my email to them prior to travel that I'd like to check in early. True to their word they had our room ready for us.
Concierge - again efficient and knowledgeable - they helped with all of our questions/requests.
Orion room - Breakfast - superb - Great choice , cooked, continental, made to order etc etc. everything you could want to stock up for the day - nice to have the choice of taking breakfast both inside or outside on the terrace overlooking the pool.
Hotel Bar - the bar situated on the first floor (Floor 0 - same floor as reception) won't allow children inside so if you want a pre dinner drink or a nightcap and have kids, then be aware you need to order your drinks inside and sit in the foyer area outside of the bar.
Sirius grill (restaurant) - we got given a 10% discount voucher and booked to eat there one night - to be honest with a small (and vocal!!) child - it's not the ideal setting - it's a very quiet, more formal restaurant - more suitable for couples/older families. They also did not have a child’s menu. We changed our minds and headed to the marina with it's multitude of restaurants more suitable and relaxing for a young family!
Pool - Exceptional!
One large pool separated into deep and shallow ends and a separate baby pool.
Pool and poolside area scrupulously clean. No shortage of sunbeds - you don't need to do 'the old towels down at 7 am' routine - it doesn't matter what time of day you amble down to the pool there are tons of empty sunbeds, tons of parasols and plenty of space between you and the next set of sunseekers! No sardine situation here! We tended to end up on the grassy area near to the middle pool bar simply as there were less people so our son could have a good roam around plus this area is nearer to the gates to access the beach so you could roam between the two as you wanted.
Pool towels are provided so no need to pack your own, they can be changed as often as you wish throughout the day.
One word of caution for families with young children - the little stream that runs round the back of the pool area is not particularly well cordoned off - it just has a single strand of rope - and it looks positively filled with algae which can be quite dangerous and on one occasion a family we were talking to at the baby pool - their eldest son slipped and fell in luckily he was o.k but we learnt, after the hotel staff looked overly concerned, that there are snakes in the stream (apparently they are harmless water snakes and no-one has seen them venture around the poolside!) I was a little skeptical about this but the family we talked to said they had actually seen one and it measured around a foot long! Don’t know if this is true but feel obligated to pass this on!
You will also note there is a grassy area with sunbeds at the back of the baby pool that is also cordened off - we learnt that this was due to an incident that happened a couple of weeks before - the ground had become very boggy and gave way and a little boy sunk into it again luckily he was o.k but it took a while to get him out - again they've cordened this off but just be vigilant
Pool bar - there are 2 - the top bar (next to Nikki Beach) doesn't open unless the top area of the poolside is particularly busy (it wasn't open often during our stay) the bar does a cocktail of the day which is always welcomed at the end of a tiring day! They also do kids non alcoholic cocktails - we caused a few raised eyebrows when my 2 and a half year old son loudly announced at the end of each day that we were going for a margarita now! ( a non alco one for him of course!)
There are always lots of staff walking around to take your drinks orders. they also come round frequently with fresh fruit and cold towels - little touches like these do make the hotel worthy of its 5 stars.
Baby Copa (crèche) - quite good facilities - painting, plasticine, lots of buckets/spades/balls and pool inflatable’s (so you don't need to buy your own) obviously my son being only 2 and a half I didn't leave him unattended so I don't know what activities the staff organise but it was good to wile away a couple of hours during the midday day heat in here
Play park area - located near to the baby pool - again good facility keeps the children entertained - a play apparatus with slides and climbing - there is also a sandpit adjacent.
Beach - if you're not going to pay to lounge in Nikki Beach then you'll need to take your own parasol in the public areas.
Nikki Beach - you have to pay for the sunbeds and parasols - 10 Euros per sunbed 10 Euros per parasol. then it increases if you want a bed or a 4 poster (aprox 100 euros for a 4 poster but you get a free bottle of champagne).. however top tip - if you go on an afternoon and find some beds that someone has just left i.e. they have left the towels that Nikki Beach issues you on the empty beds then you don't normally get asked to pay! Plus it's so busy on an afternoon they can't possibly keep up with whos coming and going who has paid and who hasn't! However point to note on a late afternoon Nikki Beach suddenly becomes Ibiza chill out zone! Ibiza tunes blast from the resident DJ and all the beautiful (usually topless) people start to party! It's an experience to watch but not exactly a relaxing atmosphere!
All entrances to the hotel either via the gate to and from the beach or the doors onto the marina are all opened only by your room card - which is a plus point from my perspective for security - especially with young kids.
Nikki Beach restaurant - you can access via the pool area of the hotel, fabulous setting very Moroccan/Tikki, great food and service, great to eat or even just for cocktails. A bit pricey but worth it if you can't be bothered with the hustle and bustle of the Marina every night.
The Marina - I wrote an indepth review of the marina in my review of the vila gale ampalius hotel last year so please feel free to refer to it or indeed email me.
Lots of great restaurants too many to mention all but particular highlights - Old Navy, Casa i steak house (far end of the marina), Zu Yi and our favourite for lunch/early dinner - Deck Royal - superb food / superb setting on a deck jutting out onto the water.
Ones I don't recommend - Harbour View chinese - food just awful! Nastro Italian - service incredibly slow, totally disorganised and the staff are clearly not thrilled by their job which translates through their lack of customer care!
Must Do's - Zoo Marine especially if your little ones are a similar age to mine - so clean and well organised caters for all with swimming pool area, water slides, children’s rides and fantastic marine shows. Facilities are fantastic there are drinks/food/ice cream stands literally every 10 yards. We have been back twice now and loved it even more each time.
Recommend you buy the tickets from the Zoomarine shop on the marina you get tickets for 20 Euros a saving of 3 Euros per ticket.
We got a cab there this time - we took the bus last year but to be honest it made so many stops on the way it doubled the journey time and was quite tiring not to mention no flexibility in terms of your pick up time. Bus is a lot cheaper of course but a cab cost us 34 Euros each way round trip 68 Euros - it was worth it! Concierge will organise for you.
Quinta do Lago - nice little shopping complex - especially good for childrenswear Ikks, Catimini, Ralph Lauren, Oneill, for boys Boss/Ralph Lauren. for girls mostly swimwear missoni, chloe etc and a store which stock custom barcelona and more quirky edgy clothes. Some nice little restaurants and bars.
The Weather - beautiful, very hot during the day but not opressively hot. Breeze seems to stir on an afternoon and during an evening and can get quite chilly on an evening pack a wrap or cardy and a blanket or hoody for the children, having said that halfway through our stay the wind dropped and it was lovely and calm on a night.
I know this review is a bit lengthy but if you're a fussy parent like me it's good to know what to expect when you take young babies/toddlers - for us Vilamoura was a natural choice for the past 2 years in a row as its child friendly, safe, clean with lots of superb choices to eat and facilities. Next year we'll venture a little further afield once our little boy is a little older until then you can't go wrong with Vilamoura!
Please feel free to email me if you want any further info or have any specific questions - more than happy to help! saigz98@hotmail.com

I am just back from a wonderful holiday in Portugal. I have never been to Portugal before and was really working in the dark with where to stay etc.

I had been scouring the internet and brochure sites for guidence on hotels with a luxury edge and had passed over this on the basis of the pictures I had seen of the exterior. And I know it is the oldest mistake to make; never judge a book by its cover...but the pics of the hotel which show an old yellow, orange building just do not even begin to give an accurate representation!!! If you want to see the hotel in its true light actually go to the website, as it features the up to date pics and internal pics which give a flavour of this gem of a hotel.

Lots of people from all over Europe, Germany, England, Spain, Italy and Portugal itself - so to me that was a good sign as well.

As soon as you walk in through the automatic glass doors the grandour of the place is striking. The minimalist, contemporary decor and cool air combine to simply take your breath away. The staff were excellent, as soon as we arrived the staff took our bags, ensured a swift check-in and then guided us to our room.

I saw someone else split their review into positives and negatives and have decided to adopt the same format;

Positives -

1. The room - wow!! what can I say - we had a sea view room on the 6th floor, recently renovated and completely spotless. The room featured two queen beds, a huge flat screen tv with a multitude of channels in all languages (plenty of english channels as well), bathrobes, fresh towels, amazing tea and coffee facilities, easy to operate air conditioning, ipod stereo which had excellent sound and also acted as a charger so that you could take your ipod/mp3 to the beach/pool by day and a spacious balcony.

2. The beds actually have to get their own mention...so so so comfortable. I always have trouble sleeping on hols...but not in these babies...you just sink right into them...making you feel like you are wrapped in luxury all through the night. And there was a turn down service every evening with chocolates and extra towels.

3. Maid Service - the maids were lovely, very good clean twice a day. Never any problems to leave extra towels and they even folded my pjs and ledt them under my pillow!! They also parted with extra chocolates for my travelling companion and never were obtrusive or impolite.

4. The quality and amount of staff - thought the hotel was exceptionally well staffed - there was always someone near if you had any questions at all. Staff were friendly and efficient.

5. The location - the hotel is right on the Marina - everything is on your doorstep, literally. which was great. We were two friends late 20s early 30s who just wanted a good break. There was plenty to do in the evening, from dining, to drinking to partying. The whole area was child friendly and the restaurants around the Marina were lovely. I particullay loved the Chinese restaurant Zu Yi (This was really something...), Il Lamparo (International Cousine ), The Thai Restaurant and the Italian Pizza restaurant on the Marina.

6. The Breakfasts - excellent choice...could not ask for more - and the chef is on hand to prepare you whatever you want including omlettes, crepes...really whatever you can think of. But the choice is vast and inspires overindulgance right from the break of day!!! A great breakfast is always an indication of a good holiday...as it starts the day on completely the right foot!!!

7. Very clean - the public areas of the hotel are immaculate. And the public toilets are excellent - very clean and spacious...the ones on the same floor as reception are like little mini private bathrooms, very grand...(this may be an odd positive, but I judge the quality of places on the state and statndard of their bathrooms - odd, I know)

Negatives

1. Not really anything...i suppose the wind at night was very strong (surprising for late July) so bring a wrap of some description

2. There was some building work - but its nearly finished and to be honest I wasn't bothered by it at all. I think it is due to complete in August in any event.

3. No sun on balconys - just because they are designed to be in the shade, again, not really a negative for most. There are at least 3 bars around the pool area which have shaded and non-shaded areas and there are ample sun-beds. We just like to sit in the sun on our own balconys and thats why it was a slight negative from our point of view.


Overall top location...so much we didn't get to see and do!!! But would recommend it...

Just got back from this hotel after a fortnight's stay. Hotel is excellent. We were on the 7th floor seaview which hasn't been upgraded yet but it was still clean, roomy and comfortable. We had two children with us and so had 2 interconnecting rooms which was great. The maid service is excellent - twice daily and chocolates in the evening. Some how they found out it was my husband's birthday and brought him a bottle of champagne and a birthday cake that evening to the room and free of charge - a very nice touch! The pool area is clean and well maintained. All the staff were very helpful and attentive. The only downside was the building work. The first week it was hardly noticeable atall but on week 2 it seemed to be going on all day and one night until midnight but it in no way ruined our stay!
Nikki beach was used a lot more than in previous reviews and while expensive we had a really lovely day there and felt very pampered.
Tried the Mayflower but found the service not that great and a better atmosphere in lots of other restaurants around the marina. We particularly liked Don Alfonzo on the road behind the Mayflower. We also had a couple of good meals with excellent service in Ciao an Italian restaurant on the marina front.
The activities team in the hotel really do try to include all the children in what they are doing. Mine weren't that interested as they were older than the majority of the children that were attending at the time but they did enjoy playing table tennis both insided the hotel and by the swimming pool. They were just installing pool tables and games machines in time for the school summer holidays. We had an excellent time here and would definately return in the future!!