- Algarve Holidays
- Armacao de Pera
- Vilalara Thalassa Resort
The five-star Vilalara Thalassa Resort is an exclusive space in a unique landscape with access to a golden sand beach, and totally dedicated to your well-being. Everything in Vilalara is thought to your total comfort, all blended in to the surrounding hills and cliff tops. In-between magnificent 11 hectares of seaside garden cared to perfection and amongst five delightful swimming pools, you even have a wellness center that is home to one of the five best Thalassotherapy Centers in the world and to a Longevity Medical Spa. Choose to stay in a place surrounded by natural beauty, with a private sandy beach and amazing sea view.
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
While the position, grounds of the property and garden are really nice, the structure is old and the infrastructure is under sized for the numbers of rooms. That means waiting time at breakfast or no space by the pool and beach. Gym fills very quickly and clearly is not cleaned very often. The furniture a bit everywhere but defined on the beach and the pool is at least 15 years old, or more. Service across the property very mediocre, other than room cleaning which was good.
I wanted to be able to share a review on the Coral Restaurant which does not seem to have his own entry on TripAdvisor and I could not create it. We know the area well and have visited the adjoining complex at Vila Vita several times for dinner. We were unaware of this restaurant and always seeking new opportunities we read some reviews (not TA) and were impressed enough to try and give it a go
You were greeted at the main entrance of the hotel and then walked to the restaurant via a small courtyard. As you enter the restaurant and walk through it to the external area you greeted with some stunning views (see pictures). This definitely adds to the setting and environment.
On offer are the choice of two set menus (guests can choose different ones) and each has the offering of wine pairing although they also have an extensive wine list.
This is food of a high-quality, in a lovely setting and with first class staff. The staff are very knowledgeable and for at least 50% of our courses the chef himself came out and explained the food to us and also spent a super amount of time generally talking about the food in the area. A really nice person that added to the evening.
As regular visitors to the area, this is a nice new find and one we will definitely be returning to.
I would just like to set the record straight, having had the pleasure of visiting this hotel over a 20 year period, and read the reviews on trip advisor there are two **supposed issues which some guests raise, i have noticed a few guests make a big deal out of having to wait for a table outside for breakfast, and literally the world has come to an end for them because they have to wait 5 minutes. Well having been here in high season and low season over a 20 year period it is so exaggerated, you may have to wait for 5 to 10 minutes, but that is the max, and the staff are ultra nice, so please get a grip, its a minute inconvenience not worth mentioning, also we never have had to wait for a sunbed by the pool in high or low season, there are 3 pools, and even if there were none by the pool there are numerous cabana type sun beds dotted throughout the beautiful gardens, just thought i would set the record straight on this because some guests are just so full of their own importance. This is a truly great hotel with incredible staff. Best regards form ireland
We’ve just returned from 6 nights at this beautiful hotel & are very happy to report that we didn’t experience any of the issues which some other reviewers have described. As an older couple with no kids & more used to boutique hotels we were feeling apprehensive after reading these comments. The hotel is large but the grounds and gardens are very spacious & beautiful & never feel overcrowded . The staff do an amazing job at breakfast - we arrived each morning between 9.00-9.30am , ate outside & the longest wait time was 3 mins -so no queuing down the stairs! The buffet has a great choice with many foods locally sourced & replenished constantly. Drink orders arrive promptly & any ‘off buffet’ requests ( thank you for my poached eggs) are happily met & then remembered. We ate in all 5 restaurants & enjoyed each one. The quality of food & service is excellent & each offers something different, with Coral & the Trattoria being our personal favourites. We had prebooked ( easy to do on the hotel’s website) & the hotel also emailed us in advance making that suggestion - so no problem with getting a table at our preferred time. We chose an Ocean View Suite which was perfect & whilst probably the furthest away from the beach & restaurants location wise it wasn’t a problem for this fit 75 & 67 year old! Finally the sun beds . Yes there will always be those people who want to nab their favoured sunbeds before arriving at breakfast but this behaviour seemed to be confined to a few & at the pool above the beach. We can’t comment about the family pool though, as not too surprisingly we never ventured there! As we prefer pool over beach we used the pool by the Italian restaurant & always had our choice of sunbeds. This pool was used mainly by couples & the parents of babies ( the daybeds provide great space & shade) & remained blissfully quiet for the majority of our stay. We were only disturbed twice by noisy families arriving & treating it like their own personal back garden pool. Our suggestion would be to make this your ‘quiet pool’ with no children’s games allowed - thus hopefully offering something for everybody. Thanks again for a great stay.
Tranquil, beautiful and charming resort on the coast in Porches. Great staff and teams. 3+ pools, plus a lovely beach with trails along the bluff tops. Main pool and spa pools are lovely, the pool by the Italian restaurant is in need of extensive tile repair and a good scrubbing, but it's the most quiet. Very relaxing (albeit pricey for Portugal) atmosphere overall. It was relatively quiet during our stay. Clean rooms, crisp A/C, good wifi. We were upgraded to the 1500 square foot suite, which was a real treat, with full kitchen, washer, full patio and 2 beds/2 baths. The grounds are extensive, so keep a map handy the first few days to find your way. Paddle boards and kayaks are available, but unfortunately there is an additional fee which is above average for Portugal pricing, and they did not open early enough for my tastes. If you are going to dine at the onsite restaurants, be sure to book upon arrival. There are some "walkable" local restaurants if you are ambulatory and can walk a few miles r/t. Breakfast was included with our room rate, and we really enjoyed their extensive selection, including champagne, overlooking the pool and the coast. Parking was very easy, staff will park your car underground or you can park by your room. Again, lovely place with an outstanding team of employees.
