Hotel Apartamentos Dunamar

There’s a long sandy beach right behind the hotel, and plenty of people chose it over the pool. Shops, bars and restaurants are only a couple of minutes away. The pool area was fine, though it could use more sunbeds. Nobody seemed to rush down to reserve them with towels, and we found beds at 10:30am. Reserving wasn’t allowed, and around 95% of people took their towels away when they left. Around the pool there’s a large seating area by the bar, but no landscaped gardens or flowers and palm trees. This was our first self-catering stay at Hotel Dunamar. We arrived at 1pm and were told the room would be ready at 3pm, but didn’t get the key cards until 4:30pm. The apartment was a little dated but usable, with a kitchen that had a kettle, hob, toaster, microwave and Krups coffee machine, plus plates, cups, glasses and cooking pots in different sizes. There was a sofa and dining table with four chairs in the living area, and a separate bedroom with a wardrobe and safe. The bathroom had a walk-in shower, basin and bidet. We didn’t use the restaurant, so I can’t comment on the food or service. The TV stayed off during our stay because there weren’t any English channels, not even a news channel. The available channels were in Dutch, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

The hotel is lovely, close to the beach, shops and restaurants.

The hotel's beach access was a real highlight for our family. A walkway takes you there in about two minutes, handy for quick swims and sandcastles, and restaurants and cafes are within a 10-minute walk. There’s also a small supermarket nearby, even with plant-based milk. We had a partial sea view from our west-facing balcony, as advertised, but street vendors set up in the area below, so we didn’t feel as comfortable relaxing out there. A little clothesline on the balcony would have helped, though the one over the bath was useful for swimwear. We had a great week in July at Hotel - Apartamentos Dunamar with our two children, aged 8 and 3. The apartment was spotless and had what we needed for self-catering. The decor felt a bit dated, but it worked fine as a base. Because of food allergies, we booked accommodation without meals, which suited us well. The underground garage was especially handy for our electric car. Charging was straightforward, and there were always empty chargers. It cost €8 per charge regardless of how much electricity we used, which seemed fair for the convenience. The laundrette was useful too, at €6 for washing and €6 for drying. We had lunch at the pool bar a couple of times and really enjoyed the tasty food and quick service. We also tried breakfast on our last two mornings and liked the variety. The charge differed between the days: 2 adults and 1 child the first day, then 2 adults and 2 children the next. That was a small issue in an otherwise good stay. Most of the staff were kind and helpful. A couple of people at reception seemed less interested in engaging, even when we spoke Portuguese, but that wasn’t typical of the staff. There were a few minor issues, but the location and facilities made this a comfortable, convenient family holiday. We’d recommend it, especially for families.

With our 1.5-year-old, the hotel was a great fit for our stay in the first week of October 2024. It has a good pool with a separate one for children, plus a restaurant and bar, and the beach is easy to reach. It was fairly quiet beside the hotel, so finding space wasn’t a problem. There may not be many options for families with older children, but it was perfect for us with a small child. The staff made everything easy and relaxing. We had a lovely time and would definitely recommend staying here.