Sao Rafael Suites

Terrible. Outdated. Not enough pool lounge chairs. Bad food selection. Mold in the bathroom and shower. Outdated amenities… the list goes on.

Not a 5* The food and service where acceptable but not 5* No facilities in the room, no kettle, tea, coffee, sugar or milk. No fresh water daily only on arrival. The room was very basic not even cushions on the sofa. Balcony was small with the most uncomfortable chairs ever. No wonder no one sat on the balcony’s. Loungers around the pool need to be replaced as dated, the pool wasn’t clean had green in the bottom in patches. When asking for a taxi the hotel call a transfer company, they are around 3 to 4 euros more expensive. Best get a taxi number and call yourself!

The hotel looks lovely online and for some this may be an exceptional option but for us, it was an unfortunate mistake. Upon arrival, the room had no power and maintenance needed to troubleshoot the issue. The pool was exceptionally cold. The hotel is lacking of signage to help find the way around. The beach is a hike and not as close as advertised. The beach is mostly seaweed with very little useable area. All inclusive means all things are included except what they exclude such as the sit down restaurant, drinks that aren’t in there all inclusive list, the golf simulator is 40 euro extra per person. The bar has no frozen drinks. No washcloths available for showering (which is common in some EU countries). The hotel is quite dated. The elevators many times were not working and when they were the buttons take a lot of force to engage. It’s very noisy on the 1st floor above the restaurant until at least 11pm as they cleanup and slide chairs across the floor. No eating food around the pool. As I say, this may be perfectly fine for some but comparing to many hotels we have visited, this is not for us and we can’t recommend.

Great stay, would say it’s a 4 star over a 5 star. There was a few attention to detail that were overlooked. Toilet by the pool messy and out of toilet roll, not checked regularly enough. Decking area in the pool bar needed jet washing. Some of the sun loungers needed an upgrade due to being stretched. It’s the little details that make Hotels 5 star. This was lacking a few of them. However overall a great Hotel, good location. Staff very good and all really friendly. Would have been nice to have been able to dine in both restaurants on the all inclusive even if you only offered one night in the Tapas restaurant so you could try it. Rooms are ready for an upgrade but entrance area and restaurant are lovely. Worth a visit!

Disappointing Stay at NAU Sao Rafael Suites While the bedrooms at NAU Sao Rafael certainly offered a generous amount of space, unfortunately, the quality of the accommodations left much to be desired. The balcony doors proved to be a daily struggle, stiff and difficult to manoeuvre. Stepping onto the balcony itself was equally unappealing, as it was noticeably dirty and showed signs of disrepair, with elements appearing to be falling apart. Inside, the poor quality continued with the beds. One side of our bed had a significant structural issue, causing a noticeable slope that made for an uncomfortable night's sleep. Adding to this discomfort were the pillows, which offered virtually no support. When I raised this issue with the front desk, I was simply informed that no alternative pillows were available, which was quite disappointing. The bathrooms, while spacious, lacked any form of ventilation, the in-room fridge was out of order, with a freezer door that wouldn't close properly, resulting in any refrigerated items becoming frozen solid. The pools were indeed large, but sadly, they also suffered from poor quality. The sun loungers were filthy, and a number were broken. The pools were dirty, which deterred us from taking a swim. The food offered was of acceptable quality, although the repetitive nature of the meals became tiresome. On occasion, the fruit selection appeared to have been sitting for an extended period, becoming soggy and unappetising. The desserts, however, were a pleasant exception.

Horrible experience Horrible place. The hotel is completely worn down. It’s dirty and the staff are the most unfriendly I’ve met in Portugal, especially in the reception. It’s not a family hotel, the kids room is placed in a dirty basement with no windows and is extremely dirty. Disgusting