Suite Hotel Eden Mar, by PortoBay

The hotel is beautiful, with stunning views, high quality amenities and excellent housekeeping. It is exceptionally well maintained, and this was my second visit. Still, this stay left a lasting bad impression, and we won't return. I was there with my family, including my two-year-old. Around 9:30 pm, we realized we had run out of milk and I asked a restaurant staff member for a little for my child's bottle. The response was rather abrupt: I was told it would cost extra. Considering what we were paying for the stay, along with the extra cost of lunches and drinks beyond our half-board package, I found that disappointing. At reception, I raised the issue and was told it was hotel “policy.” I find that hard to believe at a family-friendly hotel where several young children were staying. Other hotels have never made such a small request an issue, and I'd expected the same courtesy and flexibility here. The staff felt short on personal warmth, empathy and understanding, which took away from what could have been an excellent stay.

The food remains a real highlight: lots of choice, good standards, fresh presentation and regular top-ups. Happy hours and evening music, including live background bands, add to the lively feel. There's a broad campus of restaurants, bars and activities, and the rooms are generous in size and well serviced. Staff are highly capable. Breakfast Head Chef Joao was especially professional, efficient and always welcoming, with a smile and no fuss. We've stayed before, and this year the whole family came along for a total of 26 ‘room nights’. That's quite an endorsement. Our experience was positive overall and we've made happy family memories. We did run into a few needless niggles because we chose Full Board, mainly around Prestige Club policies and a small sandwich charge on our last day because we'd checked out of the room 30 minutes earlier, despite skipping most lunches during the stay. Both of us seniors caught a mild seasonal health issue that took a while to shake off. To be fair, we have no complaint about the precautions the hotel then adopted for all guests. Our thanks to GM, Andre Caldeira.

The room in 'The residence' was spacious, and the view from it was superb. We enjoyed the indoor pool, and there's plenty of space and facilities. You can reserve minigolf and squash, and the three connected hotels make it easy to get some walking in. The breakfast buffet and service were very good. A four-star hotel with five-star amenities, I'd say.

We stayed for one week with our 1.5-year-old, who loved the pools. The staff were amazingly friendly to him at breakfast and dinner. They also provided a high chair and baby cot in our room at no extra charge, which was really useful. There are lots of play areas for babies around the hotel.