Mirachoro Portimão (ex III)

The staff were all so friendly, and the hotel and rooms were really clean. Towels were changed regularly, and we had no complaints. We've had a great holiday here, possibly our best value for money so far, and we'd definitely consider coming back.

The hotel's spotless, with daily maid service and bed sheets changed on request. The main thing that made the stay for us was the staff: Marcus Eduardo, Val, Pedro, and Dora at the bar were always happy to help. After the recent refit, the bar was a comfortable place to spend many evenings in January's bad weather. Staff were informative and joined in with our group's conversations. Both my partner and I are over 66, and we were in a self-catering apartment, so having a large supermarket 10 minutes downhill was handy. We didn't cook, but had breakfast and the odd sandwich there; all the facilities were available, and other couples staying longer did cook. Our apartment was very large, with two balconies, though the January weather meant we couldn't sit outside. The hotel has three blocks of six floors; one was closed and another being renovated, but neither affected our stay. If you're reasonably fit, Praia Rocha is about a 20-minute walk and Portamao about 25 minutes. There's also a hotel bus every day except Sunday, and the local bus stop is 100 yards away. It goes to Lagos, Praia de vua, or Portmao for €1.75 per person, so it's very cheap. The hotel serves meals from 8am, including a full English, plus afternoon and evening snacks. I'd definitely stay again. I gave it four out of five only because of the location: it's not on the beach and is a bit of a walk with young children.

The friendly staff made the stay for us, especially the helpful receptionist, who was always happy to sort things out. The breakfast restaurant staff and the younger man working evenings at the bar were very friendly too. We were surprised the hotel was rated two stars and felt it deserved at least three, if not four. The outside looked inviting and reception was clean and welcoming when our transfer dropped us off. Our room wasn't ready yet, so we were offered a drink in the bar while we waited. The apartments are a short walk from reception, with two small lifts that can fit luggage. After reading reviews, we weren't sure what to expect, but we were really impressed. Yes, we'd book and stay again.

The only good thing was how big the rooms were. Silverfish bugs turned up in the toilet, kitchen drawer, and on the living room floor. The things labelled as sanitised were dirty, and the dishes were dirty too, with no equipment provided to wash them. The shower drained badly. We reported it and were told it would be fixed, but nothing changed, probably because of the building's age and plumbing. The area was very noisy in the morning, and the rooms were the opposite of soundproof. The door was hard to open after closing, even though it wasn't locked.