Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve

We never thought we would be scammed by the hotel itself but we were. We were made aware before we came to Portugal that the tap water is very clean/safe and to be aware that many restaurants will try to tell you they only sell bottled water despite there being a law (52-2021) that states if tap water is requested it is to be provided free of charge when ordering food with it. The first night of our stay we ate at the restaurant and ordered tap water as they have clean, filtered water provided without a cost throughout the hotel and knew the water was safe and perfectly fine. We were brought an unlabelled and unsealed bottle, not a branded bottle either. To our surprise when the bill came we were charged $3.20 EUR and were told by our server that their restaurants only provide water for a cost and that he “did us a favour by not charging us for a refill” after I asked why there was a charge when we ordered tap water. Not only was this not a labelled and sealed branded bottle of water, it was a plain bottle filled with their filtered tap water provided at stations without a charge throughout their hotel (they conveniently don’t have a print out of their drink menu as they are “paperless” but have no problem printing out the food menus where they could easily put a drink menu on the other side without wasting more paper - they ask you to scan a QR code for drinks but only the wine menu pops up). We went to the front desk to question our water charge and were provided the same excuse that the hotel restaurants charge for tap water and that she had never heard of the law that requires them to provide free tap water. It wasn’t until the Manager came to talk to us that he agreed we should not have been charged and notified us that his staff is not trained about the law…(I can see why this law was introduced as hotels like this try to use this scam to add charges to not only people dining at their restaurants but their own hotel guests). Other issues we have also experienced as well as other reviews also mention, they do not provide any information about the property at check in (we weren’t even provided where the breakfast buffet is located in such a large property) and it is extremely complicated to get around their property with different elevators only going to certain buildings despite all elevators listing that they can take you to an area of the hotel that an elevator doesn’t. When we got into our room the shower had body wash on the floor, hair in the bathtub and the bath mat was wet when we went to unfold it which makes us question how well the room was cleaned prior. The hotel also does not use air conditioning in the restaurants, hallways or anywhere other than your room which makes dining and walking around the large hotel very uncomfortable. The shower door and shared toilet door do not fully close which leaves no privacy for non-couples and there are no room amenities other than soap, shampoo/conditioner, lotion and a hair dryer. Everything they lack they use the excuse of being “eco friendly” yet lack the use of solar panels and other large initiatives to actually truly be eco friendly and are instead just cheap (despite a high price point). They are the first hotel we have visited on our month long travels without a recycling bin in their guest rooms, and the only hotel that advertises how “eco friendly” they are. When asked for a map or information about the hotel, tours and surrounding areas we were told they do not provide this (other than one partner tour’s brochure) as they are “paperless” and advised us to just go into Lagos and walk around - despite their front desk saying they are also a “concierge”. The outdoor pools are not heated and extremely cold even after laying out in the hot weather, and the beach is a lot further than advertised and requires you to walk across a road and a railroad track - it is definitely not beachfront as advertised (it is a 15 minute walk). Staff is uncaring, unaccommodating, the pool chairs are dirty (bird poop) with the staff just sitting around not wiping any of the cushions off and no one came around even once to offer any food or beverages around the pool at the pool bar. On our last full day we raced back to the hotel to make it back to the one activity that they offer that sounded interesting to us to find out that they changed the local food tasting to an alcohol tasting. Not only is this a completely different activity, no update was sent to guests to notify them of this change. Had we been aware of this we could have avoided paying two cab fares to and from Old Town where we had been enjoying our day away from the hotel. In addition, the breakfast buffet hot items were cold every day, plates were dirty and vegetables and fruit had been spoiled. No staff came to clear used plates and we were expected to just keep stacking them - one morning coffee wasn’t even offered. We notified the hotel of these multiple issues at the beginning of our 4 night stay and no one responded to our complaints until the morning we checked out. Not only did they not address anything, they were not understanding at all, did not seem to care or think any of these concerns were valid and certainly did not try in any way to correct or address any of these concerns or take any accountability.
I have worked in the travel industry and travelled around the world and this is far from a 5-star property. We will never return to not only this property but an Iberostar ever again after this experience.

Perfect hotel ! Rooms and amenities great. Staff very attentive. Special shout out to the kitchen staff who made us a delicious curry (paneer tikka masala)

We usually stay at the Marina as it's within walking distance of Lagos old town but our usual hotel was full. We booked this one as I had seen it on previous visits walking up to Meia Preia. This hotel was superb it's in a quiet location so apart from the hotel if you want bars and nightlife you need to get a taxi into town which is only £3-4. We had a car for 4 days so went to Alvor and Silves.

Rooms: we had a sea view which was lovely and roomy with a big bath robes and slippers. We did look at the suites but for the extra money the Bali beds are just not worth it unless you don't want to leave your room. Half of them are in the shade after midday and because they're next to main pool not much privacy.

Board: good flexible option was offered to us on check in which Jet 2 doesn't offer. We did half the week B&B as we wanted to get out and about in hire care then they allowed us to upgrade to all inclusive just for the last 2 days which was perfect. it was approx £80 per room per night so last 2.5 days were spent poolside chilling. Many guests we spoke to never left the hotel because they were AI which is a shame as there some stunning places nearby to visit and even without a car Meia Preia station is a 5 min walk and you can get train to Albefeira Quateira etc. Ponte del Piadade is stunning at sunset and just outside old town Lagos.

Staff: Fernanda and Eduardo are excellent they work restaurant and pool bar. Always friendly always helpful giving us tips on how to maximise the AI and recommending cocktails. Drinks are all branded Baileys is proper baileys! ☘️

Spa: Absolutely fabulous pricy compared to uk but 5 star hotels always are. Therapist was superb but didn't get her name.

Food: Excellent so much choice, vegan options, gluten free options and steaks and fresh fish every day.

Pools: Main pool is close to all the action but there is a quieter one overlooking the beach with a kids club and its own back bar.

Overall a fabulous hotel and would definitely stay here again. Reception Claudia super helpful and the young lady with the red hair.