Hotel berhampiran Governor's Castle (Castelo dos Governadores), Lagos

Great location, about 10 mins walk to Lagos Old Town and the Lagos Marina. Lots of nice eateries nearby. Emmanuel from the front desk was very helpful to us and showed us the way clearly, recommended some good pastry shops as well. The staff that delivered our dental kits to the room was super unfriendly though.. maybe he just doesn’t like us haha. You can actually get lost in this hotel as it was quite a maze. However the fixtures were so dated and old. The wardrobe in my room was so old it felt like it was going to collapse anytime. There was also a weird super strong chlorine smell in the room and it didn’t dissipate even after a day. Sigh, we realised it could be from the day curtains as they likely had washed it with bleach to remove stains or something.. my husband made a fuss and wanted to change rooms but the hotel seemed full house with tour groups from France, UK and more. Breakfast spread was ok, same food was served for the 2 nights that I stayed. Would be great if they can do some maintainence works such as repainting the entire building. Doors of rooms should be changed too as they were so hard to open and close - you’ll be hearing guests slamming doors to close all the time! Very strange why all of these improvisations were not done when travel was not permitted during COVID times. The hotel would be an absolute beauty otherwise.

We spent 3 nights in late September at this hotel. We had a room facing the marina, which is better than the other side (facing the bus station). The room itself was well appointed with a comfy bed and some shutters for the night. From our room on the 3rd floor, street noise was almost non existent. During our stay, we visited the restaurant downstairs for breakfast every morning (solid breakfast with great choice of eggs, omelet, pancake, selection of beverage incl. sparkling wine). We also visited the pool on the top floor. Pool was a bit cold for being heated. There were plenty of chairs to lounge the days we were there. All the staff was quite pleasant and provided some recommendations for food and activities. While I rated this as a 5* review, there are a few things that I would note (and are unlikely to change) 1. Room layout/lack of privacy - You effectively enter in a bathroom and there is no door to separate the bedroom. Not too bad for a couple... we were able to manage but could be awkward for others 2. Parking - Only 3 spots at the back are available at 10Eur per day. You can park across the marina for free

Please be careful with what kind of accommodation you book, I made the mistake of booking a “twin room” for my elderly parents, it was the most basic of rooms and the only outside space was a tiny triangle of patio at the front of the flat (see pics) my parents had to ask for seats so they could sit out there. Again this is my fault NOT the hotel but I thought I needed to add this in for people who might be thinking of booking the budget room. Cons - The restaurant - if you want to eat at the restaurant you won’t be able to see what’s available on the menu until you have been seated, which can lead to embarrassment if like myself you're allergic to onions and everything on the menu seemed to contain onion so I had to get up in front of everyone and explain to the staff why I was leaving! I asked if there was an alternative which there was but was told if I wanted this I had to pay, having already paid for half board accommodation I found this to be very unfair as it’s an allergy not a choice.! I would suggest that in future to save any embarrassment you would put up the evenings menu where people can make a choice before entering the restaurant. The room itself was very basic no kettle meaning no options to make yourself a drink when wanted. The shower screen was leaking, had someone come out to fix this twice but it was still leaking and so had to keep putting towels on floor. No shuttle bus from hotel to town/beach as advertised on their website. Apparently it finished at the end of their season which isn’t what it said when I booked the holiday and the hotel was fully booked so really can’t understand why it wasn’t running. As other people have stated in these comments the pool chairs were filthy there were some really awful ones full of black stuff!! Pros- A choice of 2 swimming pools, the complex as a whole was very nice like a little village. The reception staff were very helpful and polite.

Our stay at Costa D’Oiro was exactly as we hoped it would be! The grounds are beautiful, rooms are super clean, and all of the staff - reception, housekeeping, restaurant, etc. are very friendly and helpful. We had a couple of very minor issues while here and they were addressed extremely quickly. The breakfast spread is AMAZING and our dinner in the restaurant was also superb. We also loved the location - easy walks to Ponta da Piedade and the Old Town and beaches of Lagos. Would definitely stay here again on future trips!

Can't tell you how amazing this hotel is - we go to it every 6 months. I wouldn't go anywhere else now. Im ridiculously fussy and drive myself mad to be honest, I've always had issues with my childs health from he was little so we have always needed to bleach everywhere and travel with Dettol wipes and anti- mite plug ins and goodness what else but I have come to learn that i dont need to do this in this hotel, you could eat your dinner off the floor as we say in Belfast. We took my pops away this time with us because unbelievablyhe has never had a foreign holiday, and he's nearly 70 years old - he was blew away. Food is amazing - My son Jack has ADHD &Autism, and he is extremely fussy about his food, what it looks like, what it feels like, the textures, the colours. It's a nightmare, but he loves the grub at Vila Galé. There's never an issue. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, pool bar, Alá Carté restaurant, ”The Masafina”. There is so much to choose from. My daughter Annie loves the food too, she's usually eats like a mouse but eats like a horse when we stay here, haha. There's nothing better for a parent in my humble opinion, to see your children sitting down to lovely big plates of healthy food from all different continents. There's a spa, 3 different steam rooms, massage rooms, yoga room, a big Gym, jacuzzi, large heated indoor pool, tennis courts, golf course, splash pool Park especially for the children(and big kids ie: adults haha), volleyball pitch, football pitch, table tennis, adventure park, big trampoline (which is really good fun), fruit tree orchards, herb gardens, pool tables, darts tables. There's things I will be leaving out because they weren't as important to us. This hotel works hard for conservation, they grow their own fruit. There's olive trees everywhere all over the hotel grounds too. The grounds that surround the hotel span a couple of miles- it's a beautiful walk. Obviously they have an outdoor pool too, but you see it in the brochures and yes, it really does look that stunning. I should probably mention that the pool bar don't just do ”run of the mill” food- we are all vegetarians so we always get stuck with things that way. They do the most gorgeous veggie wraps, salads, veg burgers etc. The pool bar menu is stunning. The ice cream is Carté Ďor and they have an amazing sugar free range as a family member is a type 1 diabetic, which has led us all not to take sugary drinks. The public toilets are always in immaculate condition, always spotless, shining, soap, toilet roll. No problems there. Rooms are lovely too. Housemaid are amazing and do an amazing job. The restaurant staff are amazing. The hotel staff at reception are great too. I hope this review helps, I highly recommend the Vila Galé Lagos, Preia Meia, Portugal. Its expensive in some peoples opinion but- to me I always believe you get what you pay for and if my children are looked after and happy, that's all I want. I'm 100% happy. Book a room- you won't regret it. Mi

Stayed at this small hotel for the third time This year we were in a king room with outside access over the pool area with sea view There had been some comments about the doors and although they were slightly difficult to open we had no real problems The room was well equipped and maintained to a good standard The layout had changed from a previous visit due to the new doors and this meant you could not see the TV from the sofa but not a major problem There is a shortage of space for clothes if you are staying for more than a couple of days The hotel breakfast is good with eggs cooked to order a wide range of pastries, fruit and yoghurt and a choice of milk to suit those with intolerances There is a pool bar providing drinks and snacks all day The hotel is a little way out of town but we enjoyed our daily half hour walk to the marina and old town area There is a wide choice of restaurants in the old town The hotel has good free parking with shaded canopies Reception was efficient and checking in very easy with no need to use the app which was mentioned in the pre booking information If you wish for a friendly good value hotel in a quiet position with lots of sun beds available then this is a good choice for a short stay holiday near Lagos

This place was pretty perfect for us! It had everything you need and plenty more too but without being unwelcoming or unfriendly. The staff were so lovely and seemed pleased to help whenever we asked anything of them. The room we stayed in was large, lovely, beautifully clean and provided all we could need as well as looking out over the ocean. We spent 5 nights without any issues at all and really loved our time there. The breakfast each morning was something we looked forward to as it was varied and great quality with variation each day and felt like a real treat. The decor is classy and understated in a way that makes you feel at home but also like you are getting a treat. Upon arrival we learned there was a sauna you could book and use which was small but perfect for us in an evening after good hikes during the day. The pool was cool but kept very well and, with everything, very relaxed and not loud or busy. The place was clearly pretty booked up but never felt busy or anything other than very relaxed and restful for us. Would recommend to anyone looking for a place to rest and enjoy in the area!