Villa Ao Mar

Gorgeous views from the rooftop, with the beach right next door. There are restaurants next to the beach too. Great location.

The people here are so friendly, and all the accommodations we tried were great. The apartments were tidy, spacious, and had enough utensils. We spent the first couple of days in a beachside penthouse as a group of five, which was awesome, then moved to two separate apartments for the last few days. Each one was great. People often stop along the beachfront to look and write down the name, probably to book a future trip. Highly recommended!

Being right on the beach in Santa Maria is a big plus, and the apartments are spacious and very clean. They’re cleaned and the linen changed every third day. The kitchen had what we needed for cooking or making a snack, including a sandwich toaster, microwave, Italian espresso ☕️ stove, large fridge and freezer, pots, pans, cutlery, and crockery. Sara, who looks after the apartments, and her parents were professional and very helpful. Thanks to all of you, Sara. Prices are higher than for most other apartments in Santa Maria, and our street-facing apartment was noisy. The bedroom was okay, but during the day trucks delivering drinks to the neighboring restaurant, the diving school below filling oxygen tanks for hours, and busy car and truck traffic made it hard to relax on the balcony. The compressor was very, very loud. For the price of a seaside apartment, I’d expect better. Noise all day and half the night seems common in Santa Maria, except in the hotel resorts. Luckily, we’ve only had two windless days so far, so fingers crossed we get wind for the rest of the week. On the beach it’s relaxing and not noisy at all, with happy people having fun.

We paid a higher rate to stay here over New Year’s, expecting something special, but the experience didn’t match the price or the listing. We booked a ground-floor apartment with direct beach access and a veranda, but were given a first-floor unit without those features. Receptionist Nadir acknowledged that bookings had been mismanaged, which confirmed the gap between what was advertised and what we received. Even basic amenities cost extra, including the washing machine. The cleaning staff were unprofessional and disrespectful during our stay. The location is an advantage, but I can’t recommend the place.