Vila Gale Sintra

A fantastic hotel in general, and especially good for kids. My boys loved the pool and trampolines, and the staff were absolutely amazing. Dede in entertainment and Bruno and Jorge in bar and dining were fabulous. The chef and staff did such a good job catering to gluten free. It was a perfect start to our time in Portugal!

The setting is lush and has incredible views, and you'll need a car to get here. There are lots of facilities, including indoor and outdoor pools, parking, electric car chargers, plenty of space and a huge kids club with a jump park, carousel and indoor pool with slides. But this is a massive, resort-sized place with hundreds of rooms, and our experience was a letdown. We loved the facilities, and the staff spoke very good English and were super friendly. The restaurant was pretty good, serving modernized Portuguese cuisine, but breakfast was disappointing, about three-star level and well below the other Vila Gale four-stars. The coffee was bad, the baked goods were low quality and the fruit selection was basic. The room was in bad shape and needed refurbishment. We waited two hours for the key, and when we finally got in, the room still wasn't clean. The cleaning was poor, the floor was dirty when we arrived, and dirty cutlery had been left in the drawers. The walls are paper thin, so you hear everything from the next room. Noisy neighbours woke us every two hours, and I've never had that problem in a hotel rated four stars or above. Be aware that you may not sleep well here. The room felt tired and old, and the bathroom layout offered no privacy: the bathroom is in the room's corridor, and the toilet is separated from that corridor by a shower cabin glass partial door. There's only one small glass wall separating the toilet from the room. In reality, I'd rate this place at most three and a half stars. The resort facilities are great, with many pools, including two heated indoor pools, restaurants, kids' facilities and a great view. The rooms, though, are disastrous.

It's a handy base for the main attractions around Sintra, and the rooms are spacious. The breakfast buffet had a good range of choices, and the hotel works well for families traveling with children. The outdoor pool was cold even in summer because of strong winds, making it hard to use. In the mornings, there was a persistent sewage smell coming from the room's toilet, which was a significant problem.

I found the staff young and very friendly, and all in all they were very good, though that might explain why some earlier reviews felt they weren't always on the ball. The kids' facilities are top-notch, and the shower in our room was excellent, always a key thing for me. The indoor pool was amazing, with a perfect temperature and great views. The outdoor pool was great too, slightly heated but still cool and refreshing. The buffet dinner is a great choice for families with kids. I think I ate a whole cow, so I was happy too. The lunch menu had run out of hamburgers, but the kids liked the steak sandwich and hot dog. They also served food and drinks by the outdoor pool. I didn't get to try the tennis courts, but they looked in very good condition. Going by all that, it was definitely a five-star experience. I'll be back 🤖