Hotel Alisios

We keep coming back to hotel Alisios, and it’s the people who make the difference. The facilities, restaurant and beachfront setting are all lovely, but the staff are what make us feel genuinely welcome year after year. It’s a 4* hotel that deserves a 5* review, and a great place to see customer service done right.

Everyone looked after us so well, and I’m grateful to the whole team. At Hotel Alisios, the staff somehow manage to be both professional and friendly, making you feel like a valued customer and an old friend at once. Portugal has wonderful people, and these are the nicest of them.

The best part was the view from the bar when I had a late afternoon drink. The indoor pool was fine, though it got very warm sitting around it, and I regretted not choosing somewhere with an outdoor pool. A few things made the stay frustrating. There’s no iron or ironing board in the room, so I spent the trip in creased clothes, and no tea or coffee facilities either. Instead there were three oranges in an odd spot. The pool requires swimming hats, even though people can come straight in from the beach covered in sand. After the beach, getting back inside was confusing too: the key card reader is on the other side of the door, but there’s no sign explaining where to swipe, so we wasted time figuring it out. I understand why they take a deposit for beach towels, but it was cash only. We didn’t have cash, and it seems like the deposit could be recorded and charged to a card at checkout if the towel isn’t returned. We booked at the last minute based on the reviews and came away disappointed. For a 4* hotel, it felt like there were too many silly rules and ways to get more money from guests. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

The beach is directly accessible from the hotel, and the staff were cheerful, welcoming and always helpful. Those are the reasons I gave it two stars. We’d expected more from a hotel advertised as 4 stars. Breakfast was disappointing and fell short of that standard. Our room faced the restaurant, and it got very loud when breakfast service started, so anyone sensitive to noise should avoid those rooms. We also had a difficult night with mosquitoes after opening the balcony door.