Hotel Alto Lido

Casual, holiday vibe .

Being sent off to find your room which was in another block with only a map for guidance.

The location and overall look of the hotel are good, and the outdoor pool area is nice.

Although the hotel has been renovated, the room itself still felt quite old and not particularly clean. The curtains and walls were dirty, some of the lights didn’t work, and the phone in the room wasn’t working either. There were also quite a few unexpected limitations and extra charges. Parking and the safe are both paid separately. We only received complimentary water once during our stay. The sauna has to be booked in advance, and the gym is very limited, with just one strength machine and a few treadmills. Breakfast was repetitive, with very limited meat options. The fruit was often either overripe or not ripe yet. Our pool/beach towels were never replaced during the stay, and it wasn’t clear where we could exchange them ourselves.

Food excellent. Staff attentive and professional

Position of hotel, would have preferred closer to seafront

The room itself was nice, bed was large and comfy (although two single beds together) and the view was top tier. Like the attention of a bottle of port and a little cake on arrival. Special mention for the a la carte restaurant (Tale) of the hotel that was out of this world. Both service and food were immaculate, best meal I have had in a long time - and definitely what is bringing that rating up. The receptionist who checked me out was really friendly. The breakfast was good, lots of variety and consistently refilled.

First of all check-in. Come 2pm (checkin time) my room isn't ready and I get no apologies, no compensation, just answers that they are "busy" (which hotels do, they should just be staffed accordingly...). I was only able to check-in almost an hour later. And this after sitting in the lobby for 1h30, watching them check in a huge tour bus before me. Then there was the Spa situation. I booked it almost two weeks prior directly with the hotel and they emailed me a few days before my stay to tell me it would in fact be closed on the day I was there and that they would have to move me to their sister hotel down the road (6/7min away). Not ideal but ok. When I went to their pool I realised their spa WAS open. When I inquired about it, the spa receptionist told me they "unexpectedly" opened again earlier. I asked to be booked here instead but she told me they were full. So instead of prioritising the hotel guests who booked way in advance, they take new bookings, probably outside paying customers, first and leave me to be relocated down the street ? The receptionist kept telling me "you don't understand" but no, I understood perfectly, I was just a bit gobsmacked. Well the reception staff at the other hotel was much friendlier and helpful so that's that. And when it comes to actual 4* standards and value for money, this hotel is simply not it. The walls in the room are paper thin and I could hear my neighbour's TV until 1AM. The bathroom is very basic, no shower gel or shampoo, just handgel by the sink AND in the shower - which is pretty odd, is one expected to shower with handgel ? The TV itself is also just not on standards - I have stayed in guesthouses that had a much better service. Just Portuguese channels and movies to rent (for a hefty price), not a smart TV to access platforms like Netflix.