Amarante Golf Plaza

The hotel could use a proper renovation, particularly in the rooms, though they’ve made a real effort to improve the furnishings. What stood out most was the staff: everyone, from reception to the restaurant and bar to the technical team, was cheerful, helpful, and very friendly. We’d be happy to come back.

We really liked the magnificent view from the room, the delicious breakfast, and the spa, which was great for relaxing. The staff were helpful and friendly too. Cleanliness could have been better, and some things, including the TV and shower head, weren’t working properly, though they fixed them when we asked. Those problems could have been spotted during cleaning before we arrived. Parking costs €10 per night, so I left my car on the roadside, as many others did.

I was very disappointed by this short stay. The hotel felt nowhere near 4-star quality, and the decor was very dated. The room was poorly cleaned: the bottom of the bathtub was black, there was limescale on the taps and grime in the grout, and the hot water took 15 minutes to come through. Even the shower gel had already been used by the previous guest. In the morning they made the bed but didn’t replace the towels or the disposable slippers for the pool. There was no food. The only accessible area was called the “relaxation area,” but it didn’t invite you in: there was no steam room, the sauna was dark and unbearably hot, and the fitness room was basically just two exercise bikes.

The only real bright spots were the spa staff, who were warm, welcoming, and professional, and the view from the hotel. The spa girls were TOP-NOTCH, thank you to them. The rest was awful. The place is old and badly kept, with a disgusting sofa in the hall, rotten carpet, and a ceiling sagging by the room entrance. There were no bathroom outlets, so we had to use their hairdryer, which was incredibly weak. The welcome itself was neither good nor bad. At breakfast they kept interrupting us and took our cutlery before we’d finished. Dinner was bland and forgettable: the beef fillet with morel sauce had no flavor, and the speculoos tiramisu was tasteless. Nobody gave us the evening menu, so we thought we were choosing starters, mains, and desserts from the à la carte menu. When we saw the bill the next morning, we asked why and were told they should have shown us the daily menus, but even the manager hadn’t done that. AVOID this mediocrity, run away!