Prainha Clube Aparthotel

The location is great, and the pools on site are excellent. Unfortunately, the apartment itself was really dated and smelled of fish. It badly needed renovation to justify €300 a night. I noticed the smell when I checked in and called reception, but they said the cleaner had told them the room was fine. The bin had no lid, exposed live electrical wiring was visible in the bathroom, and the children's bed was broken and wouldn't fold flat.

After four previous stays in the villas, we tried the hotel apartments for the first time, staying nine nights in July 2025 in room 317. We left gutted and extremely disappointed, and I doubt I'll return, which is disheartening since I've recommended this place to many people over the years. The pool was a disgrace, with slime in the water and green algae on the surrounding tiles. Our balcony was tiny, with just two very old deck chairs, and looked onto a shabby roof where the former steam rooms used to be. At checkout, we were charged €20 for a key we couldn't find, and the receptionist didn't ask how the stay had been or wish us well. There were ants and cockroaches in the apartment. When I told the front desk, they said they had the same problem in reception. I bought powder, spray, and traps myself. The kitchen was in poor shape, with rusty handles, a broken hob, and cupboards falling apart. Bins were only changed after three days, and in the heat they started to stink. Bathroom flooring was lifting, there was mold on the tiles and a rusty shampoo holder, and the shower was in a slippery bath. It felt dangerous for my mother: there was no grab handle, and she couldn't reach or turn the shower head because it was too high and couldn't be adjusted. A few nights we couldn't sleep because of wild, out-of-control parties at the private villas behind our end of the apartments. The single-glazed windows made the noise seem as if they were open. Room 317 is also near a roundabout and the main road, where joyriders raced up and down around 3 or 4 a.m. on two nights.

So many stairs, no parking nearby, and you have to walk a long way to the pool or drive there. In April, the place was under construction and nothing was open. Restaurants were closed or had very few options, with the one by the pool offering only four dishes. The beach restaurant was closed, there were no pool towels, and the elevator near the beach wasn't working. The pool area had a little snack bar, but the food was plain and limited. You aren't allowed to use balls, floats, or pool games, so kids won't have much fun on their own. The hotel also had no sugar for coffee, dish towels, or dish soap. Pathetic.

The beds were very uncomfortable, and there was only one working plug, on just one side of the bed. You have to pay to use the very old safe. Cleaning came only twice in the week, and it wasn't clear which days they'd come. For a 4-star hotel, I expected daily cleaning. They'll probably say these are apartments, not rooms, but that doesn't make the service feel adequate. The beach situation was another letdown. It's at least a 10-minute walk, so it didn't feel beachfront. The beach reached by lift and through a restaurant, past people sitting and eating, was unusable: seaweed and dirt washed up over what seemed like weeks or months, leaving a strong smell and lots of flies. The beach next to the hotel, reached from outside, was perfectly fine, which made the neglect all the more obvious. The rooms and building badly need renovation. There was rust in several places, and things throughout felt old and poorly maintained. The sun loungers had dirty plastic fabric and mold around the edges, and most couldn't be adjusted. The chairs in our room were worn, and unlike some balconies, ours had no chairs for sitting outside. Bathroom hangers were above the toilet, away from the tub. Water pressure was just okay and sometimes low, presumably when other people were using it. The shower head was fixed too high and couldn't be adjusted, making it hard for a shorter person to take it down. The kitchen equipment was old but still worked. The pans and pots hadn't been cleaned properly before we arrived, and one pan still had oil left in it from previous guests. One of our charging cables also mysteriously disappeared. I reported it, but the cleaning staff spent at most a minute checking and said they didn't know. I'm sure it wasn't taken on purpose or with bad intent, perhaps it was an accident, but I expected at least an apology and got nothing. There was no emergency plan in the room either, which you'd expect in a hotel. We were disappointed by pretty much everything. Maybe it was nice 10 years ago, but it hasn't been looked after and the wear shows. It felt like a big waste of money and didn't deserve the 4-star status. It seems they chose the cheapest things just to tick a box and left them as they were. If you're looking for a 4-star hotel, look elsewhere. Do not recommend.