Aqualuz Lagos by The Editory

The rooms are nice and spacious, and there’s a good pool. Massages are offered on site, which was good. Some reception staff were polite and helpful, and Diogo and Jeremy in service were professional, attentive, and patient. The cleaning staff came daily, but missed many important details. For peace and quiet, this isn’t the place. Dogs bark in neighboring houses, and thin walls and floors mean you hear guests in their rooms and in the corridors. Breakfast is basic; lunch and dinner seemed questionable, even inedible if you like strongly seasoned food. The rooms also lacked the condiments you’d expect for a hotel of this caliber.

A cool place to stay, with a nice pool and nearby beaches within walking distance. Our room was fabulous. The food wasn’t so good, though: breakfast was basic and the pizza below average. There are great restaurants in town.

The location was good, but that was the only positive for me. The bathroom smell ruined the stay. It was a constant, heavy sewage odor that filled the whole room, even with the door shut and window open. It made me physically sick every day, and I dreaded showering or even brushing my teeth. I felt dirty and unwell in a place where I expected to rest. I also saw water bugs twice right outside my room, which left me even more uncomfortable and concerned about the hygiene and upkeep. The room was in terrible shape: cracked and stained walls, ceiling, and furniture, all looking neglected. The AC leaked water down the wall, screeched loudly, and blew dust when switched on. Hallway lights flickered or were out, so at night I had to use my phone flashlight to find my room. The towels were stiff, rough, and seemed unclean; the bidet was clogged and unusable; and the shower had a dangerously high step that made slipping or getting hurt feel possible. The bedding looked dingy and far from fresh. I only managed to sleep because I had my own sheet. Breakfast was another letdown, with flies on the food and bland, unappealing choices. The meal times were inaccurate: I was told lunch started at 11:30, but it didn’t begin until 12, and several menu items weren’t available. The self-service laundry was open to the public, which felt like a security concern, and my clothes came out stained even after washing. There was no minibar, the walls were paper thin, and hallway noise made it feel like I was sleeping in the corridor. Staff at check-in were dry and unwelcoming, and didn’t explain the amenities or facilities. That bathroom odor alone was enough to make this one of the most uncomfortable hotel stays I’ve ever had.

My wife and I stayed a few nights in September. “Vintage” is the word I’d use. It probably was a great hotel in the 80s or 90s, and it seems frozen in time now. There’s some charm and nostalgia to that, though it also feels a little lackluster. The hotel layout was one of our biggest problems. It felt like a maze once you got away from reception, with all the turns and ups and downs making it hard to tell where you were. The restaurant was the other. We only had a few pastries from the free breakfast, and lunch on arrival was okay, but dinner wasn’t worth the price. The food seemed fully microwaved: my steak was very rare inside, and my wife’s lasagna had no beef. The bowl was hot all over and the cheese had melted right onto it, as it does in a microwave. There are lots of restaurants nearby, so I’d eat out instead. The front staff were very nice when we checked in. But our room’s AC wasn’t working. They sent a technician, who said it was an internal issue and couldn’t be fixed. They offered us the one other available room, which had working AC. We preferred our own room, though, and on the third floor an open window let in a nice breeze.