Falesia Hotel

First, let me say that we have been going to the Falesia since 2015 and we have the happiest of memories of our time there. We had heard it was under new management but were open minded about this and intended to return each year as we have been doing. Sadly, that has now changed, and this will be our last visit. On arrival our room wasn’t ready because they were making up an extra bed as requested. We told them we hadn’t asked for it, so they removed it and the room was ready shortly afterward. This, we thought, was fine, just a slightly odd misunderstanding. As it was lunchtime and we’d been up since 0400, we deposited our suitcases (noting in passing that in past years, a member of staff would have delivered them) and went to the bar on the terrace to get some lunch and a beer.
We were hot and tired and happy to be there, looking forward especially to a cold beer. Unfortunately, the service was extremely slow and even when we had ordered, we waited the longest 20 minutes of our lives for the beer! It appeared that there was only one waiter covering the whole area and working with a notepad rather than the tablets which are usually in use there. The poor guy was completely overwhelmed and said that there were two women at the bar and he didn’t know why they weren’t helping him. He also commented, when we asked about the change of management, that they were “taking the hotel in a new direction”. This was the first of several times that we heard this statement, but there was no detail about what that new direction might look like, except “hopefully better” and a note that the prices were going up. Over the two weeks we were there it became clear that the hotel is severely understaffed and apart from a few members of staff such as Rachel, Carolina and Joseph, the rest are new and inexperienced. The dining room had undergone some changes, a lesser dining experience re the tables, which used to be beautifully laid. Now, the tablecloths are gone and because only one knife and fork is on your table you have to remember to locate and pick up more cutlery for your other courses. The background music in the bar and restaurant is frankly woeful to listen to: it is mostly bland and closely resembles ‘elevator music’. In the past when you walked in you were always made to feel welcome by the restaurant manager who welcomed all guests, switching seamlessly from English to French to German as required. The majority of staff are polite, and some are friendly but have little English. One staff member when I asked about the wines said he didn’t know anything about red wines. One also had trouble removing the cork, leaving bits from the damaged cork in the E36 wine. Another had great difficulty understanding what a wine list was (they are no longer on the tables) and had to go to the other end of the restaurant to locate one. Halfway through our stay a waiter pointed at the QR code on the table and said we could get the drinks menu from that.
The new policy of requiring guests to book a time slot for dinner at breakfast is odd and awkward. Dinner is a buffet and the restaurant was almost empty every evening, so this requirement was puzzling and inconvenient as it puts you on a deadline – no staying an extra hour at the pool on a whim. This seems only to suit the hotel and manage minimum staffing. The biggest disappointment came at dinner on our first evening and did not change for the rest of the holiday. One of the things we had loved about the Falesia was the fantastic choice of options at dinner – sometimes we just chose a few salad dishes, which were different every day, and skipped the main course, but if we had a main course there were always several tempting options. The grill offered meat and fish ready to go while more was cooked, and there was often an additional station offering something different such as paella or a whole salmon. Then there was a large selection of desserts – our only concern was how much weight we might gain! Now, the choice of salads and desserts is reduced by two thirds; there are 5 made-up salad dishes, and every day one is chicken Caesar salad, one is coleslaw and one is cous-cous. Then there is a pasta dish which rotates 3 or 4 versions and one other dish. The food selection for main course is more like the offering of a cheap canteen: mac and cheese, cottage pie, fish in sauce, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots. Occasionally there was a meat based option but the meat was so overcooked that it was tough. Small strips of meat and fish are cooked on the griddle at the “show cooking” but only on demand so you can’t see what you’re getting until it’s on the griddle. The portions are so small you have to ask for more and they take some time so don’t get your vegetables beforehand or they will be cold – the serving trays are not kept very hot and the plates are no longer warmed. On our second evening I really struggled to find something that I wanted to eat. The person we believe to be the restaurant manager (no name badges are worn so we can’t be sure) asked how everything was. It takes a lot to make me complain but on this occasion I answered quite directly that this was the worst meal I’d had in 10 years of staying here. We both raised the lack of variety and severely reduced choice. The response was to justify the change by better waste management, and to allege that the previous management had not managed waste at all well, and they were in fact being good environmentalists. This was later repeated by the TUI rep. It struck us as odd that the response to a concern raised by customers who had returned year after year was to criticise the very management that had welcomed us back each year. There is now a 10% gratuity put on every receipt, and you have to tick a box if you don't want to apply it. We were not told about this until we saw it on the bill. 10% on every transaction would add significantly to the bill over two weeks. The response to this is that it is entirely voluntary – but the default position is to charge it – you have to mark every bill to prevent this from being charged. At the bar staff seemed more interested in talking to themselves than the customer and in the covered area outside the bar there was daily confusion with drinks, slow service and long waits. Frequently one of the staff would turn up at a table with another table’s order. The new staff have very limited language skills. I know this is Portugal of course, but this is a hotel in a tourist resort where a significant percentage of customers are English speaking, not a rustic guest house in a rural setting; this has never been an issue before. The English television channels in the room are non-existent or operate for a couple of minutes, cutting out and then back in for another couple of minutes, making them unwatchable. A friend gave up watching the World Cup in his room as he was lucky if he saw more than two minutes. The pool didn’t look as clean as it was. At the weekend no cleaning of the pool area was carried out. On our first Saturday, the sun loungers were not straightened (people move them around during the day of course), glasses were not cleared and bins not emptied. I’m sure this is an issue around staff shortages, and it didn’t inconvenience us, but it adds to a picture of cost cutting and decline in standards. There are new pool towels, which are very nice, but they can now only be exchanged at the spa between 1000 and 1400, instead of at Reception at any hour. The most likely time to change towels is when you come in from the pool, not in the middle of the day. I pointed out to Reception that this was less convenient than before and received a shrug in response. We also spoke to the TUI rep, Paula, who totally took the hotel’s side and said she could do nothing as people were generally happy. Paula was keen to tell us that the Thomson Gold days weren’t ever coming back (we didn’t want them to) and we weren’t ever getting the chocolate fountain in the restaurant again (we hadn’t asked about it). All we asked was whether she’d had many comments about the change in management, and she proceeded to tell us all the things she assumed we wanted to say and confirmed that the new regime was here to stay and it was all fine and it was only people like us with unrealistic expectations from previous years who had a problem. My expectations are simple – I paid for a 4 star hotel and that’s the level of service I expect. This is now 3 star at best. I expect to be made to feel welcome, and I expect the TUI rep to focus on customer service and try to resolve issues. We have talked to guests who have been coming for years and have all said that they won't return as they are sad at how the hotel has deteriorated. A friend who has now stopped going to the Falesia said someone has ripped the soul out of this hotel and that is so true. It feels like the hotel management is trying to maximise profits and not “minimising food wastage” as they insist the previous management failed to do. We heard the statement that “we are taking the hotel in a new direction” several times. What is that direction? They are certainly stripping out costs and increasing prices. They are running on minimum staffing levels and have brought in staff who appear to lack the knowledge and experience of the previous team and are left to sink or swim. There seems to be no redundancy in staffing levels, so if someone is not there, things don’t get done and people have to wait. At the same time, the spa and indoor pool have been upgraded, and a small a la carte restaurant added (for significant additional charge). The promotional video makes the hotel look like a luxury spa hotel with fine dining. I’m not sure what the strategy is here but it seems to me that part of the plan is to drive away people like us – British people, perhaps of a certain age – who have been happily going to the Falesia for years, in favour of another demographic as yet unclear to us.
We wish the Falesia well in whatever this “new direction” is, but we are quite clear that it will not include us.

Holiday | Couple Just returned from a week’s stay. Clean, modern, and peaceful, hotel. Front desk staff are super friendly and the cleaning team have great attention to detail and are very efficient.

You get a welcome drink on arrival which was a nice touch. I am 6 months pregnant and they accommodated a lovely room for us close to the lifts. Very comfortable rooms and beds.

The breakfast had good variety and could be eaten in the calming gardens or indoors. We didn’t do the dinner option, so can’t comment. There is evening entertainment if that’s your thing.

Plenty of sun beds around the pool and gardens. The gardens are well manicured, soothing, and quiet. The hotel has lots of lovely areas (indoor and outdoor) if you want to sit and relax.

There is an indoor pool, spa and gym. We used the indoor and outdoor pools. The whole hotel has a pleasant smell emanating throughout!

There are some shops and a strip of restaurants within 5-7 mins walk. The hotel provides a shuttle bus which goes to Falésia Beach. There is also a shuttle bus going to Loulé, Vilamoura and Albufeira Old Town, for a charge. However we had hired a car and didn’t use the service. The hotel has plenty of parking if you rent a car.

Thank you for a relaxing and memorable stay before the arrival of our baby!

This was mine and my partners first holiday in 7 years and we wanted it to be a special one. We chose this hotel due to the adults only cliental.

Upon arrival we were told that we would need to wait until 3pm for room. I explained that I had just flown my first flight with oxygen and that I was exhausted. We got a call about half an hour later which was a blessing and we were extremely grateful. The hotel itself and grounds are absolutely outstanding, it was peaceful - no screaming children, no loud music just what we wanted. Our room did overlook the garden and slight to the left where the workers used but that did not bother us as they were quiet and we hardly heard any noise. The main bar is a lovely open space with seats and sofas dotted around the room. The staff were extremely friendly and professional.

There are a few areas that let the hotel down in our opinion. The main one is the buffet was awful - bit like hospital food - mainly cold!! There seemed to be a good choice every day but after day 3 we decided to go out. Talking to the staff it used to be a la carte and some of them want it to go back that way. There is a good selection of salads and cold meats. Also the bar says it serves food but when I asked twice I was only given the bites menu. Then on Saturday saw burgers and pasta being served to guests. Being a vegetarian I was desperately after some nice warm food.

The outside pool is a bit grimy in places - probably due to the fact that they now use a machine that goes around the pool by itself.

We did have a good holiday but would not return mainly due to food issues. If you are looking for somewhere relaxing then this is the hotel for you!