Pure Monchique Hotel – Villa Termal Spa Resort

I planned a Valentine's weekend with my girlfriend and chose this place for the spa. Our check-in was Friday, February 13, and we were due to leave on the 15th. When I arrived at 10 p.m. on check-in day, I was told the spa had closed because of an unexpected problem. They also couldn't host us for the second night for the same reason, and could only advise us. I got a refund for that night, of course, but nothing else for the distress caused. Management handled it poorly. At least the room and breakfast on the first night were good.

The suite looked really nice, but it needed some repairs. The curtains weren't hung properly, the closet doors didn't work well, and there was unpleasant mold that needed cleaning from the shower base. Our room also wasn't cleaned the day after we arrived. It seemed they were short staffed. Breakfast was only average for a four-star place, with juice that wasn't fresh and food that was mostly processed and poor quality.

We came away with a memorable stay, partly thanks to the people we met. If you're open to it, you can make some lovely connections here. The hotel restaurant was nice, though it's worth heading into Monchique village too. Uber makes it easy, and there are some wonderful little restaurants tucked into the hills. The staff were always welcoming and friendly, even if their laid-back attitude sometimes felt almost too relaxed. Once we settled into the slower pace, it became part of the charm. It occasionally felt like stepping into a live version of Fawlty Towers, in the best way. We loved the hotel's beautiful, peaceful mountain setting, which was just the break we wanted. We had to wait a little for our room, but it was beautiful and spotlessly clean. We liked the spa, even though it wasn't quite what we'd imagined. We'd read comments about broken tiles and trash, and did spot the famous tile, but there was no trash and the grounds were in good shape. If you can slow down and let go of the rush, this place is worth a chance.

This place felt like a neglected, run-down college dorm. The bed was painfully hard, and the sheets felt like sandpaper and didn't fit. The shower barely worked and leaked all over the floor. The TV was about the size of my laptop screen, so I wasn't sure why it was even there. The AC was terrible, and the nasty rug was curled up, a trip hazard, and covered in big red stains. The hallways felt like a creepy, dingy hospital ward you shouldn't be walking through. Compared with US hotels, it was like a Red Roof Inn.