Epic Sana Algarve

We’ve just returned from a 7 night stay at Epic Sana and it was a truly magnificent stay, worthy of its 5 star reputation.

The hotel itself is beautiful, with three excellent pools, 5 restaurants and a bar. It is also a stone’s throw away from a beautiful, if busy, beach with a dramatic walk down through the cliffs adding to the experience.

We dined in three restaurants; the main buffet one (Abyad), Lima (Italian) and Uddo (Japanese). As we were in one of the family suites we also had access to Lima during the day for breakfast and lunch, where it doubles up as another buffet option for those mealtimes. The food across the board was seriously good - the buffet had a great range of fresh, local produce and on two nights there were special themes - a Portuguese night and a Ocean night where there were additional dishes that were delicious. For special nights though, the food available in Lima and Uddo are highly recommended.

What really makes it 5 stars though is the level of service from the staff. Jose in Lima at breakfast and lunch couldn’t have done more to make our group of 6 feel accommodated, he’s a real credit to the hotel. Then in the evenings Beatriz, Patricia, Rafaela and Diego in Lima were incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. In Uddo, Eduardo gave excellent wine recommendations, answered all our questions and made our meals even more enjoyable as a result. The team around the main pool were super attentive too and on some days there was a DJ around the pool that added to a great atmosphere.

Finally, I also used the spa on one day, having a 75 minute treatment that was perfect - again, the staff all being really friendly and skilled.

I would highly recommend this resort to anyone - it’s great for families, has a kids club with a weekly schedule of different activities to suit all kinds of kids (craft, sport, cooking, yoga, kids DJ sets etc) but also doesn’t feel chaotic or overloaded like other, bigger resorts do.

Easiest 5 stars ever, we hope to be back next year.

Exceptionally enjoyed my 3 days stay there.

EPIC SANA Algarve is a very large hotel with genuinely impressive facilities. The property itself is beautiful, well maintained and offers many of the amenities one would expect from a five-star resort.

Unfortunately, the weakest part of our stay was also the one I consider most important in a hotel of this category: hospitality.

The service often felt procedural rather than naturally attentive, and this became particularly apparent during our dinner at UDDO. We spent over €200 on dinner and left extremely disappointed with the way the situation was handled by the staff. When we raised an issue with one of the dishes, one member of staff did nothing about it, while another told us he would speak to the chef and never returned to us. For the remainder of the evening, we felt actively avoided rather than looked after.

Service throughout the dinner was slow and inattentive. At one point, my empty drink was removed without anyone asking whether I would like another. More importantly, when something went wrong, the response felt defensive and, at times, simply rude. This is not the level of service I expect from a five-star hotel, particularly at this price point.

And ultimately, that is what defines my overall impression of EPIC SANA Algarve. Beautiful facilities are important, but luxury hospitality is about much more than the physical product. It is about how guests are treated, particularly when something doesn’t go perfectly.

Having experienced other five-star hotels in the Algarve, the difference in hospitality standards is noticeable. For that reason, despite the quality of the property itself, I cannot recommend EPIC SANA Algarve to friends or family, and I would not choose to return.