Porto Mare

We had chosen this hotel because we had stayed there more than 20 years ago (at that moment the hotel was brand new – we were there when it had been open for 6 months).

The quality of the hotel is still just as good as it was in 2004.

I booked directly through the hotel reception, which went just as smoothly as booking through potential intermediaries or tour operators. All questions via email were answered immediately and thoroughly.

The rooms are very spacious and the beds are fine (and very wide).

We had booked half-board, and both the breakfast and evening buffets were of more than excellent quality. There was a huge selection and everything was perfectly prepared by staff who have mastered the art of cooking. The gigantic swimming pool is nice and warm, and the surrounding garden is beautiful. There are more than enough sun loungers available, although some egocentric guests still feel the need to extensively reserve their preferred loungers at exactly 8:00 a.m. despite of a prohibition issued by the hotel. If you have a rental car, I do recommend reserving a parking space in the garages, as parking in the surrounding area can be a frustrating experience during peak season.

Generally speaking, the hotel is perfection itself, with one minor flaw: 3-4 times a week (plus extra times if there is a wedding or something similar) there is 'entertainment' at the pool bar, where the music is so indecently loud that it is impossible (even with the windows closed) to have a normal conversation in the room, let alone go to sleep early after a day of strenuous hiking. The noise level of this entertainment is unacceptable.

But don't let this spoil the fun: otherwise, the hotel is truly perfect and highly recommended!

Staff were very helpful upon arrival, it’s quite a large hotel as it’s joined up with two other hotels, so they gave us a map and explained where everything was. Our room was nice, clean and spacious. The bathroom was equipped with Rituals products which was a nice surprise. Rooms were cleaned everyday to a good standard. Our room faced the street so could be a little noisy as the restaurant opposite had live music on an evening but this tended to finish by 11pm and was only an issue if you’re a light sleeper. We didn’t have many pool days because we were out and about exploring, but when we did the pool bar service was mixed. One day we ordered lunch by going up to the bar and they agreed to bring it over to our loungers. 30 minutes went by, nothing. Then an hour… my partner went to check where our order was to which he was just told they were busy. 1hr30 later he goes back up to ask them to cancel the order because it was taking too long, which they said was fine, called the manager over to do it on the system, only to find out the order was never put through to the kitchen. Safe to say we were annoyed and hungry by this point. No apology given by the staff either. This was the only real downside to our stay. They should have double checked the system the first time my partner went up, we only ordered two lots of fries… On another note, the hotel is well located. We found lots of restaurants to eat nearby, I’d recommend: Porka, Avista, Sabor da India (we ate twice here). It’s about €6 in a Bolt to get to the marina in town. We didn’t try any of the hotel restaurants so can’t review those. The live music on an evening was a highlight, all the performers seemed very good. No silly magic shows or anything like that, all the performers were talented live singers and bands. Also recommend going to the bar for 5-6pm for half price drinks, the cocktails are pretty pricy otherwise. Breakfast was nice, usual options available, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, omelette, fruit, pastries etc. Waiters would only sometimes ask if we wanted tea or coffee, other days they didn’t. Overall we enjoyed our stay, agree with the 4* rating as the level of service needed to be slightly better for a 5*.