Hotel berhampiran Casa das Portas, Tavira

I stayed here on my first solo trip/my birthday. The hotel was perfect and the staff were lovely & helpful! They offered suggestions on places to visit and things to do. I even got a surprise bottle of prosecco and cake delivered to my room on my birthday morning! Very quiet & peaceful area, with so many places nearby (10 min walk or less) but if you don’t feel like exploring, the poolside area, spa & rooftop bar could be more then enough. Breakfast was delicious with a wide range of options too. 10/10 from me!

I booked a rooftop room with shared bathroom. There's no lift so it was a bit of a climb with my 2 bags. It was really clean room but so small. Not enough room to stand up straight unless you were near the door. Nowhere to hang any clothes no drawers or cupboards. Tiny T. V. & small camper fridge. 1 chair and bed. It should be much cheaper than 55 Euros I paid. There are 2 ”rooms” on the roof so sharing the bathroom which had to be locked after every use was not always convenient. The rooftop is for ALL the residents of the hotel so you often have small gatherings of people taking photos and having a drink. The bathroom was cleaned daily but the shower head could not be in the attachment on the wall because it was too high and it went straight over the curtain rail. So it was a case of wet, soap, rinse. In all the place was OK if you were backpacking and needed a place to crash. The rate was breakfast included which was the usual cheese meats and cakes. Fresh orange juice and bad coffee from one of those little machines you see in all service stations. The place is saved by the fact it is directly opposite to the jetty where you take the boat to the stunning beaches of Tavira. The staff were solemn and rarely had a genuine smile or asked how you were doing. Ols world charm I suppose!

We have just returned from a short stay at the Vile Gale Tavira. It's location is great and close to shops, restaurants and cafes. The hotel is large and the standard rooms are small. Clean and well looked after, but small for three. Our room was located on the side of the restaurant and bar/entertainment room. The noise was noticeable from early evening until 11pm but it may not bother everyone. On the plus side we had a great view of the salt pans and the local flamingo family, that was wonderful! The food at the pool bar was ok, we ate there once during our stay and did return the overcooked burger. The breakfast was lovely, a good selection of food and an omelette station too. The staff were helpful on the front desk but the ones working at the pool bar were more mixed! For example, my daughter wanted an ice cream and I went to order at the bar only to be told it was self service. On another day I did the same, returning to the bar to pay, to be told it wasn't self service! Sunbeds - plenty of them and most were easy to secure earlier in the day. However, from around 3pm onwards the pool area became quite busy and there were in short supply. Something, which I haven't read elsewhere in other reviews, is the smell. The hotel is next door to a salt factory, it doesn't impact negatively on your stay but there was a strong smell of gas. It wasn't there all the time but it was became strong enough to make you feel quite nauseous. Like I say I never found the source and the hotel staff had no idea what it was or where it came from, but it was very strong and was off putting when sitting around the pool. Overall, we had lovely break and the bonus is the close proximity to the lovely town of Tavira.

Great hotel - very comfortable rooms, a large swimming pool area, and designed in a 1970s modernist style. There is a free shuttle service to Cabanas de Tavira, from where you can get a short ferry across to the island beach. There is also a well-signposted 3km running route across the Tavira salt flats starting just outside the hotel, with amazing views if you go early in the morning. We booked a family room, and the sofa bed was just about big enough for our two children (aged 13 and 10) but it would probably be two small for older teenagers. Breakfast was very good, and is served in the rooftop restaurant.