Real Bellavista Hotel and Spa

Hi holiday inn was nice, a few things I’d like to mention, we did try 3 times to get a room with a balcony, we were on a tour and the room was nice overlooking the pool, at times pool was too busy and we would have enjoyed sitting on the balcony. Our room had 2 small but comfortable beds pushed together for 2 women it was okay but felt the beds were very narrow compared to other hotels we stayed at When we arrived there was no info about the back of the hotel with a quieter area, rooms on ground floor with patio and a quieter swimming pool. We did enjoy this area the last day. We also were interested in eating dinner at the hotel but found out only a small area was available which was packed and different menu with less selection. Salad was good though and brought out quickly. The restaurant seems to only cater to large work groups that have the 29.00 euro buffet. While we also could have enjoyed this, it looked like too much food. Front desk staff were excellent. Also the cleaning staff and restaurant staff are so hard working. I would suggest hiring a few more people and have them come to the pool area and serve drinks and pick up empty glasses. The bar was running around trying to do all this. We heard a few glasses break out by the pool most of the time everyone was using the plastic glasses. We did get help when asked about putting up umbrellas and or moving them for shade. The poolside had music and people seemed to be enjoying themselves. This hotel is up the hill away from restaurants and a too long of a walk to old town, even though we did it once. Plan on a Volt to take you and return you when visiting old town.

Clean and out of the way of the busy traffic, however, if you want to get back and forth to the beach specifically, that can be a lengthy walk. Thankfully, they have a bidirectional shuttle service every 3 hours 9am to 6pm so you don't have to keep taking Bolt or Uber, which is a 10 minute ride. You can use the pool so that's a good thing, and if you like to walk/hike, it's really good to get a nice walk and exercise in, which I did daily. Most people I knew took the shuttle back because it's going uphill to get from the beach to the hotel. If you stay out longer, it's very easy to a Bolt cab back up. It's a quaint hotel but everything works like a modern hotel and it was very clean. Great service here.

I stayed for two nights in room 425. The young female working at reception when I arrived did not greet me. I said hello first. The room was very nice, bright, spacious & airy with a large window that opened onto a balcony with a great view. There were no television channels in any language other than Portuguese & one in Spanish. The bathroom was spacious & the towels were good. The bed was very comfortable. The first thing I did was go down to the outside bar to pick up a salad to bring back to my room to eat on the balcony. It was a great salad. However, the smell of cigarette smoke outside on the balcony was a turnoff, so I ate inside my room with the window closed. Over the next two days, my time was spent either in my room, eating breakfast in the dining room and going to the gym. The grounds had lots of lounging chairs to relax on, but the ever-present smell of cigarette smoke nauseated me so much that I avoided the lounging area & outdoor pool. It could have been a nice experience, but second-hand cigarette smoke destroyed it for me. I did take advantage of the complimentary shuttle service to the beach one afternoon and I enjoyed the nice beach & swimming in the waves a lot. On my last night, I went to the dining room for a bite to eat. The dining room was very busy with buffet diners, who are seated separately from those ordering food from the menu. I ordered a veggie burger and a poached egg. I stated at least 3 times to my server that I did not want my egg to be overcooked, that I wanted my egg to be "just" cooked (soft in the middle). After twenty minutes of waiting, I asked my server what the delay was about. He was a little odd, almost laughing at me. I asked him why he was laughing. I approached the entrance to the kitchen and asked a man standing there if he was a manager. He said that he wasn't but he wanted to know why I had asked. A young woman, a greeter/server in the dining room, was also present. I said that I had been waiting for 20 minutes for a simple veggie burger & poached egg. I expressed that I was feeling like a "low priority" guest amongst a packed room of diners paying for the pricey buffet. I was bombarded with excuses and I returned to my table. Within a few minutes, the female greeter/server brought me a veggie burger & a side mini bowl of fries. The poached egg came later and surprise! It was not soft in the centre, the yolk was stiff, just the way I asked for it not to be. It was a miserable experience eating there. When I checked out the next morning, the young woman at reception (the same one who did not greet me when I checked in), did not thank me for choosing to stay at the hotel or say goodbye at all. She was silent. The hotel itself is lovely, with much to offer the visitor; however, the inescapable stench of cigarette smoke outdoors and the absolute lack of hospitality on the part of some of the hotel employees took away any enjoyment of my being there.