Longevity Health and Wellness Hotel

After a tough time recently I decided to do a solo break. I paid a lot of money to get away and was disappointed. Hotel is nice but not 5 star For me the staff were some of the unfriendliest I’ve ever come across and ironically it was the Reception staff. If you requested something you felt like you were annoying them. My shower wasn’t draining properly after only a minute or so, but after the second day I didn’t want to hassle them as couldn’t bear their attitude. Two staff at restaurant one day were arguing for about 10 / 15 minutes really loudly, this was very unpleasant and unprofessional. Service was slow and inconsistent. Didn’t spend much time at the hotel as was a strange atmosphere. Pool area was tiny and bird droppings put me off. Breakfast nice as was spa. Cleaners were the nicest of them all.

We have just returned from a 5 week holiday in the Algarve visiting Carvoeiro, Lagos and our end destination the beautiful village of Alvor. During our holiday we stayed in 5 different hotels and the final 4 days were spent at the Longevity Health & Wellness Hotel which portrays itself as a 5 star hotel. We were so glad that we only booked 4 days ! To put things in perspective, of the other 4 hotels we had the pleasure to stay in, one was 5 star and three were 4 star but overall the Longevity Health & Wellness Hotel did not achieve the same standards in terms of service, efficiency, cleanliness and friendliness as even the three 4 star hotels and was by far the most disappointing experience.
On a positive note the spa facilities were excellent and the breakfast satisfactory but here are the negatives based on our personal experience.

1. On our second day after a restless night we requested 2 additional bed pillows in person at reception, these did not arrive.
2. On our third day we made the same request in the morning in person at reception but by 8pm we were still waiting so despite feeling that we were being a nuisance made the same request for the third time in person at reception and eventually they arrived.
3. Also on our third day we returned from the pool area to find our room door fully open, although nothing was missing it was a little concerning.
4. On our fourth and last day we had to request toilet roll from reception and after a 6 hour wait gave up and took a roll off a passing service trolley ! During our conversation the receptionist asked us if we were enjoying our stay to which we replied " it's ok " she asked us why only ok so we explained the above issues to her to which she replied " why haven't you told us " to which i replied " we have " lol.

Her response was to offer us a complimentary dinner in the restaurant but we declined on the basis that we did not wish to appear appeased by this. Now onto the 5 star rating - I agree with the many other guests that commented negatively on the reception staff, the poor cleanliness and efficiency and helpfulness of staff and on this basis alone would strongly contest the 5 star rating. I understand the rating system is based on many factors but surely the categories above are fundamental basics that have to be met to provide the foundations for a 5 star experience. It is clear that the hotel management lack vision in terms of the overall guest experience, no one appears to be looking at the detail. It is not all about shower gel, body lotion and bath robes. The hallway carpets are badly stained, our balcony glass was filthy, the balcony ledge was covered in yellow moss, the bathroom bin was rusty, the bathroom floor tiles were stained, the decorative bed cushions were stained, there were cobwebs everywhere although we didn't see any spiders ( they had probably had enough and gone to another hotel ). This is not 5 star standard. Some other general comments which may be helpful for potential guests are that the pool is tiny, it is also only 1 metre deep, there are 20 sunbeds available which are packed together in a small area by the pool, there are no sun shades/umbrellas so if you like a swim, a little privacy when sunbathing and some shade when by the pool then this is not the place for you. Also there is a smoking area adjacent to the outdoor dining area ( yes this is a wellness hotel ). In conclusion, we visit Alvor 4 times a year and have stayed in most of the 4 and 5 star hotels available on more than one occasion , some on several occasions but unfortunately we will not be returning to the Longevity Health & Wellness Hotel, there are so many better experiences available.