Santa Eulalia Beach Club

I have just returned from Santa Eulalia Beach Club in Portugal yesterday. This is a really hard review to write as all the good points mentioned about this hotel are correct. The position of it is ideal the rooms are very spacious and clean. The pool area and sunbathing area are very nice. I went for 1 week with my husband,14 year old son, 16 year old daughter and her 16 year old friend and my friend and husband and their two boys aged 14 and 10. As all the good points are listed in the other reviews I will point out the not so good which I wish someone had before we went. Firstly the balconys are not balconys but basically somewhere to hang your wet towel. We had 3 rooms between us all on ground level and not one of the balconys was big enough to sit and sunbathe on. Our balcony had 1 plastic chair on and standing room only for 2. The pool area was really busy during the day and by half seven every morning every single sunbed had a towel on it and some were not even used then until late afternoon. We complained to reception as hotel policy was 'no reserving sunbeds' but they would not do anything about it and this happened throughout our holiday till the only way to get 2 sunbeds between the 9 of us was to set your alarm and go put towels on ourselves. There is very little entertainment in the hotel at day or night and on Saturday night after a meal out we went back to the hotel for a nightcap and the bar shut at 11.45. They would not serve us a drink and you were not allowed to sit in the bar area or outside. Everyone was complaining as everyone had kids with them and no-one really wanted to go to bed but we were told hotel policy was for quiet after 12.00. Good you may be thinking - this quiet lasts until the groups of rowdy teenagers come in from 1.30 am onwards singing, slamming doors, running up and down corridors and then 3 times out of the week doing unmentionables in the pool very loudly in the early hours. I would definately reccomend this hotel for stage / hen parties as they seem to bend over backwards to accomodate the many groups of them there but I would not say it caters for families.

tracy , west yorkshire
Young Couple (18-35)

We were so looking forward to this holiday due to health problems and it lived up to just about everything we were looking for. The apartments were really spacious very nicely presented and the decor was very relaxing. The hotel reception staff, bar people and cleaners were very helpful and had a pleasant attitude. The only downside believe it or not was the creaking door leading onto the pool area which drove you mad when you were trying to relax. The beaches around the complex are superb and we will be returning next year all being well.

Jan Grant, Wallsend
Mature Couple (36+)

After staying at the hotel for a week at the end of March, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the hotel for the price it was offered on Alpharooms. There was a nice pool area with an ample number of sun loungers (not sure if the same would be true on season in summer). We were treated kindly by the Portuguese weather, and equally kindly by the knowledgeable staff. We stayed on a self catered basis, and thought the kitchen facilities were basic, but perfectly suitable for cooking light meals as we were provided with two electric hobs, a microwave grill, and all the necessary crockery, cutlery, and usual implements. The local Santa Eulalia beach is beautiful, and only a short downhill walk away. Local restaurants provide good reasonably priced food, but catering for a more British taste than traditional Portuguese, but some more traditional menu items can be found. The hotel is located a short walk from the strip of restaurants and bars, but not too close to be obtrusive. Overall as an affordable young couple trip I would recommend both the hotel and location unless you are searching for a more traditional Portuguese experience.

Neill, Central London
Young Couple (18-35)

me and my partner stayed here and it was a last minute booking so we thought it would be a really small box room but to our surprise the room slept 4 and we had our own room that shut off from the living/dinner and it was really nice,the bathrooms were nicely tiled and decorated and for the time you spend in a room on holiday it was lovely!!the staff were friendly and we had a maid everyday which was a shock.really close to the beach and close enough to the bars but far enough so not noisy and the local bars around are really cheap so you don't need to pay over the odds on the strip!!so overall really nice place well worth the money and a really good location to be!!

samantha, england
Young Couple (18-35)

We only stayed three nights but found the hotel well situated for beach (very nice) about 10 mins walk and restaurants and bars (just round the corner).  The pool was lovely and reception area large and welcoming.  Friendly and helpful staff.  For all those who want to be English abroad the bar had everything you could need (football and karaoke etc) - although we didn't use bar so not sure about prices).
Used the hotel as a base to play golf and it was about 20 mins drive to the main courses.
Large and secure carpark was very handy.

Rebecca Lomas, Derbyshire England
Group of Young Friends/Couples

The Santa Eulalia well situated in an area close to the Strip and good resteraunts close by, the beach is a short 10 minutes walk down hill but very good when you get there. Room 1 bed apartment was a good size clean and comfortable, I paid extra for a sea view which was OK but for being located over the main road, very noisy. The Santa Eulalia loses points with me for the kitchen area this had a fridge and only 2 small hot rings,kettle and other pans had to be used here,very basic, toasters were on hire in reception I guess you get what you pay for all in all a good basic Hotel clean and pleasant.

John Mullen, Northumberland / England
Group of Mature Friends/Couples

This hotel was clean.  I am afraid that is the only positive comment that can be made.

We booked the hotel for two evenings and only stayed for one!  

If you want to relax by the pool, forget it!  Unless you plan to get up at 3am in the morning to reserve a piece of grass with a towel - you will be walking to the beach!

The beach is a good 15 minute walk, there are no showers, furthermore it is aboslutely jam packed!

If you fancy a nice meal - get your walking boots on, there are a couple of lousy cafe's near the hotel but for a decent meal you will need to walk into town which is a 30-40 minute walk depending on your fitness level.

Sonia Wootton, Shropshire
Family with Children 11 and Under

Sept 2003 - The hotel was alright.  It was very noisy at night with chairs scraping along the floor.  Some of the staff were helpful.  It was clean and in a perfect position for walking to entertainment - the Coyote Bar up the road and Casa Vehla do good food.  A quite good hotel, but I thought it is expensive for what you get.

Amanda Lawrence, Wigan, Lancs, England
Family with Children 11 and Under

This was our second visit to the Santa Eulaia Beach Club Apartments, and they were still as good as the first time. We went in October so it was a bit quieter than when we went the last time, which was June 2004 for the Euro football. Apartments were one bedroom, and very spacious, small kitchenette with 2 electric rings - that seemed to take forever to heat up - but hey who wants to cook??? Rooms were swept and mopped daily, towels and sheets changed weekly. No creepy crawlies seen in the apartment. Had to vacate rooms by 10am but for 20 Euros you could keep room on till 4pm. You could take your own drinks and food down to the pool - which is a rareity. Pool area is nice and clean and pool is lovely, bit cold but you soon warm up when you've been in it a while. Our only complaint is there is no air conditioning, but we bought a cheap fan for £8 in UK and took it with us, I think you could hire them at the apts for around 20 Euros a week. For a nice meal try Annabels, come out the apts turn right, go on till the roundabout and turn right again and its on the left hand side of the road about 200 yds on. They do a varied menu, very reasonable, good portions and run by an English couple who were very friendly. Apts are very well located for the Strip, about a 10 min walk. We had 2 kids with us aged 11 and 16 and found something for every-one. Had a great holiday and if we decide to return to the Algarve we will definitely return to Santa Eulalia Beach Club Apartments. We would also book again with Alpharooms.com the booking procedure was easy to follow, everything went smooth with no problems.

Tina Jones, Cleethorpes/England
Family with teenagers 12+

We are a group of seven, ranging from ages 20-25 and we stayed at santa Eulalia beach club between 23rd and 30th August 2005. The apartments were fine, nothing special but for the price we can't complain. Only little grubble was that the maids could have changed the towels more often. The area was fantastic, the restaurants were good ESPECIALLY the japanese. The bars were brillaint and the people couldn't have been more friendly. I would also advise EVERYONE to go on the zebra safari. It was the best day of the holiday!!! You got to see alot of the algarve which is beautiful. I have been abroad on many occasions but I must say this one has been the best ever

Zoe Smith, Leeds
Group of Young Friends/Couples

HAVING READ A FEW REVIEWS OF THE HOTEL ON OTHER WEBSITES WE WERE A LITTLE UNSURE AS TO WHAT WE WOULD FIND, THE APARTMENT WAS SPACIOUS AND VERY CLEAN, MAID SERVICE WAS EXCELLENT. THE HOTEL HAD SEVERAL EVENINGS ENTERTAINMENT, SOME WE HAVE TO SAY WAS BETTER THAN OTHERS BUT YOU CANNOT SATISFY ALL TASTES ALL THE TIME, THE GUITARIST ON THE LATIN NIGHT IN PARTICULAR WAS ONE OF THE FINEST IVE HEARD FOR YEARS. THE BAR STAFF WERE VERY FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL THE STRIP AND SURROUNDING AREAS CERTAINLY OFFER SOMETHING FOR ALL TASTES, DO MAKE USE OF THE MANY HAPPY HOURS, ALSO TRY A FEW DIFFERENT RESTAURANTS. OVERALL THE FOOD WAS VERY GOOD AND REASONABLE VALUE.THE OLD TOWN IS WELL WORTH THE VISIT AT NIGHT VERY COSMOPOLITAN AND STREET ENTERTAINERS ARE VERY GOOD. BEST WAY TO GET THERE IS BY THE ROADTRAIN WHICH PICKS UP AT THE TOP OF THE STRIP.ABOUT THE ONLY NEGATIVE THING I WOULD SAY IS THE NUMBER OF TIMESHARE REPS, THEY DO GET ON YOUR NERVES BUT BEST TO JUST BE POSITIVE AND STICK TO A FIRM NO THANKS!! OVERALL A VERY GOOD HOLIDAY AND EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY.

ALAN BARNES, BEDFORD
Mature Couple (36+)

We stayed here 16.05.05 to 30.05.05. There were 6 of us in 2 appartments - a four person and a two person.  The appartments were very clean and spacious.  We did not take part in any of the arranged activities but there was lots of entertainment if we wanted it.  Two of our party attended the Brazilian and Portuguese nights and thought it was good value for money.  The complex is ideally situated for the Oura beach which has some good restaurants.  The pool area on the complex is well maintained.  The pool area provides a varied snack menu with reasonably priced nice food.  At night there are lots of restaurants close by.  We loved Tres Palmeiras (lovely John Labisa - best restaurant in Algarve), The Royal (Chinese), Charma (traditional portuguese), Frogs (lovely pizza - reasonable at lunch for a snack), Cockerel (had breakfast here for 3.5 Euros - wished we had gone here for dinner but ran out of time).  A train takes you from the "Strip" to Albufeira for 2 Euros return.  The gardens of CPO are beautifully maintained providing a nice outlook for the apartments.  We had 13 days of wonderful weather.   Try the Oura bar across the road from the complex - happy hour until 8pm large beer 1 Euro.  We will definItely go back to this accommodation.  We booked a local taxi to transfer to airport 35 euros for 6 of us.

Jayne McCluskey, Redditch/England
Other

VERY FRIENDLY STAFF GOOD BAR APARTMENTS GOOD BUT ALSO THIS IS A DISABLED FRIENDLY HOTEL WITH RAMP PLUS LIFTS

MRS SANDRA KIPLING, SHEFFIELD ENGLAND
Other