- Algarve Holidays
- Albufeira
- Monica Isabel Beach Club
This centrally located club complex lies just 100 metres from pristine white sandy beaches and Faro airport is less than 25 kilometres from the hotel. Providing captivating views and endless coastline, guests will enjoy breath-taking views. Designed with bright blues and energetic greens, guests will feel a sense of rejuvenation and tranquillity. The outdoor complex contains a swimming pool with a children's pool area as well as a sun terrace where guests can relax and unwind. For guests wishing to indulge in an invigorating workout, there is an indoor pool as well as tennis courts available in the neighbouring hotel. Creating an exciting vacation experience, impressed with accommodations that are air-conditioned and boast an access to balcony, most of which overlook the Atlantic Ocean, each flat provides home appliances. Families will love to vacation at the beach club with all the amenities and attractions it provides.
Don't miss out on the many recreational opportunities, including outdoor tennis courts, an outdoor pool and an indoor pool. Additional features at this resort include complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services and an arcade/games room. Getting to nearby attractions is a breeze with the complimentary local area shuttle.
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
I very rarely leave reviews, whether positive or negative. But this time, I feel it is important to share our experience so that future guests know what to expect.
We paid approximately £2,900 for 2 adults and 1 teenager, which is a considerable amount of money, and we expected a much better value for money.
Arrival and room
We arrived at around 12pm after a long journey, but had to wait until 3pm because check-in was not possible before then. After several hours of travelling, having to wait three hours before being able to take a shower and relax was really unpleasant.
The room was very outdated, especially the bathroom, which was old and not very welcoming. Cleanliness was also an issue: we found hairs in the bathtub as soon as we arrived.
There was also no kettle or any facilities to make tea or coffee in the room. We were only provided with one bottle of still water and two glasses, even though there were three of us. Even more surprisingly, we had to keep the same glasses throughout our entire stay, as they were never replaced. We were expected to wash them ourselves, despite there being nothing provided to properly wash or clean the glasses.
Food
The food offered very little choice and was average in quality. The afternoon snack was also very limited and lacked variety, and we had to eat directly at the pool bar.
The meal times were particularly restrictive:
While on holiday, you feel more like you are racing against the meal times than actually relaxing.
All-inclusive package
Drinks are included only until 11pm; after that, you have to pay. Some cocktails, such as mojitos, also have to be paid for even before 11pm. For a package advertised as all inclusive, this is unclear and quite disappointing.
Pools and beach
The hotel has two swimming pools, but you cannot take a drink from the bar to the other pool. You therefore have to walk back up a steep hill to the reception bar to get your drinks.
On the beach, no sun loungers are free. We paid €20 for three people on the first day, then €25 for the same three people the following day, with no clear explanation for the price difference.
Entertainment and staff
The evening entertainment was very disappointing, uninteresting and lacking atmosphere.
We also found the staff to be quite unfriendly, whether at reception, at the bar or among the housekeeping staff.
The only real positives were the beautiful view from our room and the location, approximately 10 minutes’ walk from Albufeira Old Town.
For almost £2,900 for three people, we clearly expected much better.
I am simply sharing our experience so that future guests can make an informed decision before booking.
For us, the value for money was not satisfactory and we would not stay at this hotel again.
The worst hotel we have stayed in. extremely outdated bleak and dismal place. First day got taken to our room which was up and down lots of steps and alleyways that stunk of drain. Downpioes had bin bags at bottom full of stagnant water. Concern where it was from as no rainfall. Horrible room bathroom like something out of physco movie. When we tried to find pool staff were u helpful some woman shouted at us to go in hotel take lift and cross the road. After having to walk through dismal corridors. Restaurant awful. Tatty old tables. Good very basic and not appetising will never go inclusive again. After few days we avoiddd hotel and ate elsewhere. The cocktails were ok but could only have cocktail of the day. Pool was ok but very basic. They said they had an Italian restaurant on site. Too booked up to book on day so book next days room was almost empty no atmosphere just same buffet type food expect pizza were cooked in pizza oven on site Very disappointing experience. The beach was fabulous and the old town 25 minutes walk away was lovely Monica Isobel not worth what we paid. We won’t return.
Location good.. 5/10min walk down beach and right into the old town Rooms weren’t cleaned daily! We were there 5 days and not cleaned once! Only had towels changed once in the whole time there! We had 3 staying in the room and only had 2 of everything like cups, plates etc… Food very basic… Some staff were spot on and friendly others not so much… We paid about £800 for all inclusive and only had breakfast there twice and lunch on the day of arrival ended up eating out all the time….
We had a wonderful stay at Monica Isabel in Portugal. The property is basic and a little dated, but it is exceptionally clean and perfectly maintained. The rooms are very spacious and comfortable, and our balcony had amazing views – perfect for morning coffee or an evening drink. The location is outstanding: literally about 10 seconds from the beach and surrounded by beautiful scenery. What really made the trip was the staff: friendly, attentive and genuinely helpful from check‑in to check‑out. For the price we paid, the value was outstanding. We’d happily stay here again and would recommend it to anyone who cares more about cleanliness, space, comfort, location and service than modern décor.
I’ve seen some negative reviews and can only say our experience was the opposite – perhaps expectations were set for a luxury resort, whereas this is a simple, well‑run hotel that delivers exactly what it promises.
We’ve just finished our stay at Mónica Isabel Beach Club. Although the location is fantastic and there are certainly some positives, there are quite a few areas where we feel the hotel could do much better.
The food was very basic and the choice was quite limited. Chicken was hardly ever available, and we found the overall selection disappointing. Breakfast was also quite naff, with no proper sausages and very fatty bacon. There definitely needs to be more variety and better-quality food.
The biggest issue for us was the lack of sunbeds and umbrellas. Guests regularly reserve them and leave them unattended, despite the hotel having rules saying that sunbeds shouldn’t be reserved. Unfortunately, these rules don’t seem to be enforced.
What makes the situation even worse is that when you try to use an umbrella that has clearly been left unattended for a long period, you can get confronted by other guests who have apparently claimed it. This creates unnecessary arguments and an uncomfortable atmosphere around the pool. There simply aren’t enough umbrellas, so if you don’t get one early, you can end up cooking like an egg and getting burnt.
There are also very few chairs and tables outside in the evening. You often have to hunt around just to find a chair, and getting a table can be almost impossible unless you’re lucky. We ended up having to put our drinks on the floor, which isn’t ideal. We also unfortunately saw cockroaches in our room during our stay, which obviously wasn’t pleasant.
The adult entertainment is very limited, with only around an hour of entertainment in the evening. The karaoke itself was good fun, but the TV was so small and positioned in such a way that hardly anyone could see the words. Better equipment and a more varied entertainment programme would make a big difference.
We also found that some of the bar staff could be quite unfriendly and unhelpful. Not all of them, as there were some lovely members of staff, but unfortunately a few interactions left us feeling that the customer service could have been much better.
The location is definitely the hotel’s biggest positive — right by the beach and within easy reach of Albufeira, with plenty to do nearby.
Overall, we enjoyed our holiday and made some lovely memories, but we feel the hotel has a lot of room for improvement, particularly when it comes to the food, pool facilities, enforcement of the sunbed rules, outdoor seating, customer service and evening entertainment.
