Miramar Hotel & Spa

The breakfast was delicious, with warm eggs, some meats, a gluten-free section, and all sorts of dairy milk alternatives. The only letdown was what seemed to be sweetened orange juice from a can or bottle. The room’s mini split kept the temperature comfortable. The hotel sits above the town in a beautiful setting, with well-kept grounds and beautiful facilities. The indoor and outdoor pools and sauna were clean and perfect in every aspect. Bring a bathing cap or pay 3€ at reception. Some things need attention. One towel in our room was badly stained, as if someone had wiped oily hands on it after changing car oil. I had to search for outlets, then contort myself to plug my charger in under the desk. The common area rugs need replacing, and the rooms are dated, though clean. Moisture is clearly an ongoing battle in this humid coastal area. The cotton candy red soap in the common areas should be replaced with something that doesn’t leave your hands smelling like a gas station bathroom. I’d give the pool and spa a 5, and the hotel a 3.

Don’t go. This is a zero-star hotel. We stayed in two rooms, and both were disgusting, with stains everywhere: walls, tables, couch, beds, and floor. The hotel was dirty throughout, from the halls to the rooms, and the beds were poor quality. The male receptionist who was due to work the midnight shift was drunk at the desk. Everything was absurd and a scam.

The view is killer, and the spa facilities are great, with a bathroom, sauna, and hot and cold water. But getting there and finding parking is a serious problem. The apartments need work, too. There’s no extra blanket and nowhere to put or dry towels, either on the balcony or in the toilet.

We drove 2.5 hours from Porto and arrived around 8pm, only to learn that the hotel had no record of our reservation. I’d booked through Travel Center (Booking.com) using my US Bank card. After an hour going back and forth on the phone with a Travel Center agent and the hotel front desk, we found the hotel was fully booked but had never removed its listing from the booking platforms, so we’d effectively been double booked. We were traveling with a 4 y/o after hours on the road, and the hotel team completely ignored our difficult situation. Booking.com simply refunded us and told us to find somewhere else to stay. Both Miramar Hotel and Booking.com acted very unprofessionally. I’d never book this hotel again and can’t recommend it to anyone.