Tivoli Alvor Algarve

We returned to this hotel (came 3 years ago) after cancelling our original hotel due to lots of sickness reviews. However, this hotel also then started getting the same reviews so i was pretty anxious about coming. But i contacted the hotel before hand and their response did put me at ease, until our last day where we witnessed a father from the UK advising his son to urinate in the splash pool 3 times as he couldn’t be bothered to take him to the toilets. I did inform a member of staff who advised they would get their external pool attendant to come and check the water but they didnt arrive whilst we were there and the staff did have a word with father. Disgusting and unacceptable which actually made me embarrassed to be English too! When we arrived we were given a lovely room, bigger and better than when we first stayed. My only recommendation for the rooms is to add some nice smelling scent to the room.

Pros, Our room, so much space. Land train which takes you to the town. The sit down service restaurants - good food. The prompt responses from staff. The local beaches - stunning Little chocolates they left on our pillows each day. Hair braiding tent Ice cream stand. Able to eat at hotel after check out, you just need to ask reception for a voucher. Lots of activities, mini golf, paddle and football court, a park and zipwire. Trampoline and bouncy castle.

The buffets were ok, but i dont think i couldnt have eaten there all of the days. The grounds, could be a bit cleaner. Some staff were engaging, others not so much.

Cons, Pools freezing, kids came out frozen but still seem to enjoy it.
Lack of toilets around the grounds, when you have little ones, they are quite far from the evening entertainment- reception needs some too. My partner also said the mens pool loos weren’t too nice either. The music around the main pool is very loud. Not enough seats in the entertainment tent in the evenings. The kids disco is very repetitive. The adult entertainment is quite boring even though the dancers are fabulous, needs more. The hotel is too busy, the pool areas are too overwhelming and not relaxing at all. Kids club - my kids tried it and wasnt a fan so didnt go back. Pool levels arent checked or cleaned enough for the level of children. The cost of a late check out €45ph!

All and all we had a lovely time and relieved no sickness. Theres been Some improvements from the first time we went but i don’t think we would go back, especially in the school holidays. But honestly i dont think Portugal is somewhere we would return to. Definitely not how i remembered it.

We stayed at Tivoli Alvor for 10 nights in mid-August as a family of four in a Premium Two-Bedroom unit. Overall, we had a good holiday, but having stayed in many five-star hotels and resorts, I would rate Tivoli as a good 4-star rather than a 5-star resort.

Arrival & first impression's Our check-in was quite chaotic, although I think we were unlucky with the timing as reception was quieter at other times during our stay. As Premium guests, we used the VIP check-in, which helped, but the receptionist had to leave the desk three times to collect things from normal reception. Everything needed for Premium check-in should really be available at the VIP desk.

We waited around two hours for our room and then another 40 minutes for a luggage cart to take us to our room once we received the key card. Not the best start!

The resort is also quite overwhelming when you first arrive — it is large, busy and the main pool has very loud music. However, after a few days we figured out the quieter areas and times and enjoyed it much more.

Accommodation We stayed in Unit 9, a Premium Two-Bedroom, and it was excellent. Very spacious, clean, comfortable and, importantly, very quiet. The WiFi was disappointing. It was quite slow and dropped frequently, which is something I wouldn’t expect from a hotel of this standard.

Though there was a drying line within the shower which wasn’t sufficient to dry wet swimming gear, I think Tivoli should add is a small outdoor drying rack. There is nowhere to properly dry wet swimwear and towels, so guests were hanging things over balcony furniture and chairs, an eyesore. For a 5-star resort, I think this should be provided. We were on the ground floor and occasionally heard furniture being dragged and high heels from the accommodation above. I’d recommend requesting a first-floor unit.

Pools There are three family pools all situated in the one area. The smallest one, away from the loud music, was definitely our favourite as it was much quieter. There were plenty of sunbeds and, thankfully, no real “sunbed wars”. However, the beds are quite tightly packed together. If you want a better position with an umbrella and more space, you need to be up early. The adults-only pool was beautiful, peaceful and much more luxurious. I escaped there for an hour or two on my own and absolutely loved it.

Food & All-Inclusive This was our first all-inclusive and we were impressed. There was lots of food and drink available throughout the day, with plenty of choice. Breakfast was excellent, lunch had great variety and the evening restaurants were very good. Premium allowed us to book any restaurant and the vouchers for external restaurants was a great option. We availed of this twice.

The drinks selection was also generous, and the kids loved choosing their own food, drinks and, of course, the ice cream available throughout the day.

Staff The staff were fantastic — friendly, hardworking and genuinely seemed to care. Considering we travelled during peak season and the resort was extremely busy, they did an excellent job.

I did wonder if the resort was slightly understaffed at peak times, but I think Tivoli could look at better systems and efficiencies to take some pressure off the staff.

Alvor & the beach Alvor is a lovely, pretty little town and the Tivoli tourist train running every 30 minutes was brilliant. We used it regularly.

The beach and boardwalk are the real highlight. It’s around a 1km walk from the hotel and we went down regularly for swims.

One simple improvement: Tivoli really needs a foot-washing tap/shower at the beach entrance. Walking back covered in sand, particularly with the hot ground, was a pain. I eventually started carrying a bottle of water to wash my feet.

A few things I would change

The huge entertainment tent at the very front of the resort is an eyesore and takes away from what could be a much prettier entrance. I’d move it to the back of the resort. We also paid approximately €830 per night for four people for our Premium stay. At that price, I expected more of a genuine five-star experience. We booked directly with Tivoli, but after seeing Jet2Holidays advertised at reception, I would definitely compare prices with travel companies before booking.

Who is this resort really suited for: I would recommend Tivoli Alvor primarily for families with younger children, roughly 14 and under.

I wouldn’t particularly recommend it for couples or families with older teenagers. The resort is very family-focused, busy and geared towards younger children. If you’re looking for a peaceful, luxurious five-star experience as a couple, or travelling with older children, I think there are better options.

Would I return? Probably not.

We had a good holiday and there are plenty of positives — excellent accommodation, generous food and drink, fantastic staff and a beautiful beach nearby.

But for the price we paid, I expected more. For me, Tivoli Alvor is a very good 4-star family resort rather than a 5-star resort.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5

Best suited to: Families with younger children Less suited to: Couples and families with older teenagers

Travelled with husband and teenager 17yrs old. Totally agree with those who also mention this resort is geared for family with younger children, if there was not an adult pool our holiday would have been a different story. 3 Kids pools are very close together and just screamed chaos mayhem, I’m sure the kids loved it, everyone seemed to be on top of each other and listening to thumping loud music most of the day. We could hear the noise from the adult pool, which was lovely quiet, always beds available and parasols so never needed to be up early laying out towels. Room clean and modern however, we were in Deluxe family room, does not state when you walk through the front door you are straight into bedroom ( with two beds). Sliding door takes you straight to bathroom and main bedroom and balcony. Daughter didn’t get much privacy. the air con unit seemed to blast out in one room and not continue through. Our accom was near the gym so we were from hustle and bustle which was nice. Balcony could have done with a built in airer for towels and swim wear. Noticed only two chairs and a table on balcony if a family of four you would struggle to enjoy the balcony. Overall, I would recommend this hotel for families with young children, teenagers not so. However I’m sure where you take teens on holidays now so if anyone has suggestions would be appreciated. We booked our holiday only a few weeks in advance and stayed for a week AI and we paid a lot of money to Jet2, definitely not worth what we paid. All staff friendly, restaurants had ample food throughout the day for all tastebuds. Evening entertainment geared for youngsters. We went back to our room around 2030hrs.