We normally stay at The Eden Resort in Albufeira when we wish to relax in Portugal. The convenience of this is that it is a short walk to Albufeira. However, the hotel is under going a refurbishment. Therefore we needed to choose somewhere else.
We have stayed in Olhos D'Agua before, a quiet fishing village and loved it. So we looked for a hotel to stay in. We chose TUI Blue Falesia as we booked through TUI and flew British Airways.
On arrival we found the hotel to be at the back of a hotel complex. Tucked away, so to speak. But walking into the hotel left us speechless apart from the words WOW.
The lobby of the hotel is stunning in marble, was seriously clean and beautiful. During our stay, the rest of the hotel was just as beautiful and stunning, beautifully decorated, clean and fresh.
We were looked after initially by Petro, who was welcoming, friendly, knowledgeable and informative. When we got to our room, 3009, and on entering, we, again, were wow'ed. The bed is huge!! Bigger than our superking. However, both sides of the bed had dips from previous sleepers with the middle a bit of a hill. The view was incredible. Overlooking the nearby beach with Villamoura in the distance, the Atlantic opposite and the sun facing our balcany during the day. The other downside was the tv. All channels except for 2 were German or French. Would be nice to have an even choice rather than just BBC1 and 2 as English options. The shower and toilet room was just as beautiful, with a rain and handheld shower option, a bidet, eco flush toilet. Two large wardrobes and a small safe finished off the room. Apart from the bed and tv, the room was beautiful and perfect.
As we were staying off season, it was half board for us. This meant breakfast, coffee, tea, juice, smoothies were available and then dinner was buffet style but drinks including water were extra, either in cash or charged to your room for payment on checkout. The food was delicious. Freshly caught fish always available. And we have to mention the fruit crumble and home made ice cream. Compliments to the kitchen for that.
There was evening entertainment which was varied. We enjoyed a duo guitar rock duo that took requests. Sweet Caroline from us soon got the other guests up and dancing!
The hotel is a 10 minute walk from Olhos D'Agua shopping centre with great restaurants, bars and gift shops. We visited every day. You can access the beach there or, right next door to the hotel is a wodden walkway that leads down to another beach in which, should you wish, can walk along and visit Villamoura. Be warned though, that is a 6 km hike! You can also get a bus from the main road to Albufeira as well.
Because we visited in February, the number of guests were minimal and mostly from Germany. This made the hotel quiet and empty. Just the way we liked it, all to ourselves! In March you will see the number of guests increase and the hotel is fully booked from March to November. There is ample things to do, from outdoor pools, indoor heated pool, spa, hairdressing, nails, gym and lots of TUI activities. You will be spoiled for choice.
Finally, the staff all need a mention. They appreciate it if you try to talk to them in Portuguese but do speak English. I am not sure about other languages but guess they do in French and German too. We were looked after by Luis, Nelson and Venda in the restaurant and they are excellent. Our housekeeper was Oksana. They all looked after us magnificently, treated us like family, nothing was too much for them and always went the extra mile.
So, based on our stay, the hotel and especially the staff, we both will be staying there again next year and cannot wait to do so.
We visited in the 'off peak' season (it was about 10% capacity) as we prefer it quieter and like the adult only hotel to help relax. Check in was prompt and the room was a nice modern look. There was a nice large bed (two singles joint together), chairs with a small table, a dressing area with a chair and the cupboard had a small fridge in it. There was a small wall hung television and the safe was contained in the cupboard. Room slippers and robes were also provided for use in the sauna/steam/indoor pool area. There was parking available (not sure how much there would be in peak). A large outside pool and Jacuzzi which are not heated so were too cold for use at the time of year we visited. There is a gym and indoor pool (although the indoor pool was heated we still found it too cold). There are activities depending on different levels ie beginner bodyweight in the gym area. Thought this is just the time it starts not the duration of the activity (use the app or tablets for more information about the activity). The fitness team know what they are doing and differ the classes so its not the same. The food was a selection of hot and cold for breakfast. The evening was a selection too, but something that can get fairly repetitive depending on the length of your stay, which is worse if you have dietary requirements vegetarian as more restricted to pizza/pasta/chips. Although, there was a small area with a vegan selection. Things to possibly take on board that we would have preferred: - the reception and corridors being warmer, a little cooler in the restaurant, a warmer indoor pool, the activities timings to be clearer on the printed sheet.
A fantastic hotel with great amenities. It's located on a cliff which provides great views of the lovely town of olhos d'agua. The hotel was really nice and modern, a indoor pool, gym, outdoor pool, all which were great to have. The food was very good but towards the end of a week can become a little samey! But still very tasty. The staff were very good.
We went with my parents for their 30th wedding anniversary and the hotel gave us a complimentary bottle of fizz, the staff on the a la carte went above and beyond to make it a memorable occasion.
100% we stay here again
We thoroughly enjoyed our short break here. It's a quality hotel with excellent service, a place where you can absolutely relax and get away from it all. Equally, if you like activities/sports then there are free fitness classes and activities on offer and many opportunities to get out and explore.Â
The classes are excellent and cater to every fitness level. There is a large gym including an outdoor functional fitness area. The sauna and steam room are spacious and if you time it right you can have these and the indoor pool to yourselves. I paid for a massage at the spa and that was excellent.
We also played tennis and table tennis and there were no hidden extras in terms of equipment hire or deposits, which was refreshing.
All the staff we met everywhere in the hotel were brilliant; thoughtful, attentive and engaging.
The food was fabulous. Breakfast was a plentiful array of fruit, meat, cheese, freshly cooked omlettes and meats, smoothies, cakes, bread, porridge, to name a few. Healthy options (gluten free etc)Â were also highlighted.Â
Dinner was so varied and delicious. Mr Sjonazzle and I enjoyed doing a 'tour' together of the options on offer to help us make our selection. If you have a sweet tooth then goodness help you!Â
In terms of location it's a walker's/geologist's dream. The steps/clamber down to the beach can be challenging if you're mobility impaired or scared of heights. But for the more adventurous the clifftop walks are bracing, and once you're down on the beach there are fabulous long sandy walks on offer, with stunning views of the rock formations in the cliffs on one side, and the sea on the other side. We enjoyed our beach walk to Villamoura, which is worth a visit for the swanky marina, bars and restaurants.
The actual town/village centre of Olhos De Agua itself includes a small beach and a handful of bars, restaurants and touristy shops. Off season it was a bit bland as it was chilly in the evening and many places had closed. On season I'm sure the feel would be very different.
Of an evening the bar staff at the hotel run a seemless service and looked after us brilliantly. The entertainment quality was varied. We enjoyed the traditional Portuguese evening and if you generally like to be entertained by music then you'll be fine.
Our room was spacious, clean and with great facilities as you'd expect of a hotel of this calibre. Easy and plentiful car parking too.
We would definitely recommend this hotel and we are planning our return next year as it was great value for money.
My boyfriend and I stayed here for 6 nights in October and had a lovely stay. The hotel is impeccably clean and I couldn't fault any of the amenities provided. The staff were really friendly and helpful too. There was a huge range of activities that we could have taken part in and there was entertainment every night. We used the gym one morning which was well equipped.
We went half board and the food for breakfast and dinner was honestly amazing. So much choice and everything was really fresh and delicious. I was really impressed with the amount of vegan options available too as it can be difficult to find good choices when travelling. A glass of wine only costs €3, and it's a large glass at that, so paying for the drinks was not a problem.
The only reason I haven't given the hotel 5 stars, and I suppose this isn't the hotels fault, but it was very quiet. We're a young couple and would have liked a but more life and energy around the place, especially at the pool. However, the hotel seems to cater to a lot more older people, closer to our grandparents age and so there wasn't much fun to be had in the hotel. The town of Albufeira is only about 10 minutes away in a taxi, so that solved or problem!