São Rafael Atlântico is a very well-maintained 5-star hotel and resort. It is located in the Algarve, South of Portugal.
São Rafael Atlântico is part of the NAU Hotels & Resorts group which has several hotels and resorts in Portugal, and specially in the Algarve. The hotel has direct access to the beach and is about 10 minutes driving from Albufeira city center.
Hotel and Resort Main Facilities:
- 3 Outdoor Swimming Pools
- 2 Indoor Swimming Pools
- Spa and Wellness Facilities
- Fitness Center
- Conference Rooms
- 2 Restaurants / 3 Bars
- 24 Hours Room Service
- Free Parking
The Room
The room was very spacious and clean. The decoration was a bit plain but had a lot of high quality details, which we really love. The shower was definitely the highlight – it was spacious, had two shower heads and the perfect amount of pressure.
We had a lot of space to storage our clothes and all the other belongings we brought in. This was great to keep the room clean and tidy (we know how easy is to get messy when on holidays…).
The bed was huge and very comfortable, we had 2 great nights of sleep. The duvet could be little a bit thicker since it was cold at night, but there was a bedspread available which was good enough. The bed and bath linen had very good quality and the pillows were excellent.
The central air-conditioning was a great add up and warmed up the room quite quickly. It was very easy to setup the desired temperature and it went automatically off when we opened the balcony door.
Normally we like to go out for dinner, but since we arrived a little bit too late for that, we decided to order room service. It was definitely a great decision! I had grilled chicken with potato and mushrooms and Miguel got a very tasty Carbonara.
Breakfast
Breakfast was good and had all the basic products you should expect from a 5-Star Hotel and even some more. They had a good selection of bread, cereals, sweets, ham, cheese and specially of fruits. There was also boiled eggs, fried eggs, bacon, beans, sausage, etc. The tea and coffee options were good, but the juices were a bit of a disappointment. They had orange, apple, pineapple, multi-fruits, but they were definitely not fresh.
On a positive note, they had sparkling wine available which is a great way to start the day feeling fancy 🙂
The breakfast area itself was big, clean and very well serviced by the staff.
Facilities
As every good beach resort, the highlights are definitely outdoors. There are 3 swimming pools surrounded by palm trees, lavish gardens and direct access to the beach. This was the perfect place to enjoy the natural environment, while relaxing on the sunbeds and catching some sun.
The Spa in the hotel is very well-designed and very nice looking. There were 2 swimming pools, but unfortunately the temperature was not as high as I would like (only 28 and 30 degrees each). The Jacuzzi was small but felt really good. The Turkish Bath and Sauna were good, with the right amount of warmth and steam.
These tour guides will make sure that your holidays in the Algarve will be better than ever!
Overall Experience
Arriving to this hotel felt nice already – the building is surrounded by big palm trees which gives a real vacation feeling. When you enter the hotel, you step into a huge reception space with very minimal decoration, but very warm and welcoming which I totally love.
The front office staff welcomed us in a very friendly and polite manner, giving us all the information about the hotel room and facilities. Unfortunately, we haven’t got a room with sea view, but we were pretty happy with the room we got.
Location - 9/10 Cleaning - 8/10 Comfort - 9/10 Facilities - 7/10 Staff - 9/10 Price - €€€
We rate this amazing 5 star Hotel and Resort in Algarve with an Excellent 9 out of 10!
