Apartamentos Soldoiro

The location worked really well for us, close to both the strip and the beach. We had a sea view from the balcony, and the basic apartment was clean with everything working. Reception staff were very helpful.

The apartment was uncomfortable and poorly maintained. It was stuffy, the air conditioning didn’t work, and a number of sockets were dead, including those across the air conditioner and kitchen area. Even boiling a kettle became awkward, since we had to put it on the floor or use a socket in the bathroom or bedroom. Cleaning was poor too: we found a large cockroach in the room and a spider in the bathroom. At check-in, we were also told to pay a €100 deposit in cash only, separate from the booking payment, even though the website says cards are accepted. That left us dealing with unused cash and currency exchange at checkout. Service was mixed. One staff member was polite, but Elena was rude and repeatedly spoke Portuguese to a colleague while we stood there, which felt disrespectful and unprofessional. We had to ask her to speak English. The stay fell short on comfort, cleanliness and service, and I wouldn’t rate the property above 2 out of 5.

The only plus was being near the strip. We arrived as a group and the rooms didn’t match our numbers because the document staff had was old and hadn’t been updated. There wasn’t enough toilet paper, and the cleaner didn’t bring more, so I had to ask reception. After a few nights, the manager shouted at us for being too loud and threatened to kick us out and make us “sleep on the beach.” As a group of young girls, we felt vulnerable and targeted. They also threatened to keep each of our €100 deposits over noise, although there was no damage. For the last few evenings we stayed in our flats so they couldn’t accuse us of more noise. At checkout they said we’d lose the deposits for the last night. The manager then said we’d only get half back and demanded proof we hadn’t been loud. They checked the security cameras and saw that we’d been respectful. One of us was accused of stealing deposit money after getting €90 back instead of €100, and the room with eight beds only received half its deposits. The cleaners came just once in five days and didn’t change the towels. When we left, they said a mark on a towel meant a €29 charge. The staff and manager were rude and inconsiderate, and it felt like they just wanted to get as much money from us as possible.

The only positive was that the apartments in the new town are close to the beach. We arrived in December to find no hot water or working heat. Maintenance got the AC working for one night, then on Sunday we accepted an offer to move rooms. The second room had hot water on Tuesday, but not after that. Nobody had warned us about the hot-water problem when we checked in, and staff weren’t helpful when we raised it or able to explain what was going on. We spent seven days there and the room was never cleaned. We weren’t given towels; once, after we asked, they brought some up but left the wet ones, saying another colleague would collect them. That never happened. We had to heat water in the kettle and use kitchen jugs to wash and rinse our hair, which was disgraceful, and the bins were never emptied. The beds left us with sore backs, and the TV didn’t work despite our telling staff. At 4am on the last night, screaming and shouting from another room woke me. The leaflet says reception is open 24 hours, but the phone didn’t work when we tried calling. I mentioned that at checkout. Other guests told me they’d had similar experiences. One male staff member was polite and apologetic, but the rest were unhelpful and rude when I raised our concerns at checkout.