Vila Vita Parc Resort & Spa

There are simply not enough words to describe this wonderful resort. My husband and I wanted somewhere easy for our first trip with our 7 month old baby… and this was absolutely wonderful. Our room was prepped with all the equipment to make our stay as comfortable as possible… from a crib, to a pamper bin, changing mat, bottle warmer and steriliser. We even had a room right at the back of the main building to ensure it was quiet for our baby and that we did not disturb other guests. The staff in all restaurants accommodated us and made us feel comfortable - from giving us pieces of fruit at all times of the day for the baby’s tether, to smiling at us and offering reassurance when we asked if we can enter restaurants/cafes etc with a baby. I can’t explain how nerve wracking it can be travelling with children for the first time, and honestly - this team of wonderful people were kind, understanding and accommodating beyond words. Not to mention the beautiful, clean rooms, varied breakfast, lovely health club, wonderful grounds and restaurants. We especially loved Adega! We absolutely loved sitting on the balcony while baby slept with the beautiful garden views! I also had a wonderful experience at the spa for a de-stress massage also - a must try. Thank you to all staff - you are what makes this wonderful resort with your smiles and kindness. If you’re a family travelling with kids and after a little luxury in beautiful Portugal where you do not have to even leave the resort - look no further! We will definitely be back!

A wonderful stay with hospitality at a 100% level. Food was high end and everyone was helpful and pleasant.

Our first destination in Portugal was the Algarve, and we chose Vila Vita Parc based on a recommendation—and wow, what a beautiful place! The views, the rooms, the service (especially by European standards), and the variety of restaurant options were simply brilliant. The property has so many stunning spots to relax and take in the scenery. My daughter and I especially loved spending time by the pool, which offered breathtaking views of the coastline. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, each offering something different, but our favourites were the Italian and the Japanese restaurants. Both were exceptional and memorable dining experiences. I would absolutely love to go back—without a doubt, this is my top pick in the Algarve, and possibly even in all of Portugal.

Nice but…lacking. I’ll start with the rooms - soundproofing is relatively non existent, I was put in a room a few doors down from the bar area near reception and one night it was SO loud - like nightclub level noise with live music. Great if you’re an attendee at the event, not great if you’re trying to sleep. Honestly not at all what I’d expect of a 5* hotel. Also general noise eg people walking down the corridor, talking can be heard. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect excellent soundproofing at a hotel of this calibre. There’s a huge “tipping culture” here - I don’t mind tipping for excellent service but there is an expectation from every staff member for a tip at every interaction, it’s actually quite annoying. Restaurants were ok but the food didn’t blow me away, again, I’d expect at a hotel of this calibre and price point to be serving incredible food night in, night out but it was 6-7/10 in my opinion. Service in the restaurants felt rushed, impersonal and transactional. There was one evening when a waiter accidentally spilt something on one of our guests at the table and whilst they did apologise, there was no offer of dry cleaning or even a replacement drink of the one that was spilt (bare minimum in my opinion!). The beach is incredibly small and around the resort there’s millions of mosquitoes (these can be managed using natural methods eg. Natural predators, candles etc but it didn’t seem there was any attempt at this (four ducks for a whole resort isn’t going to make much of an impact!). Then in the daytime? Flies! Millions of them. I have travelled across Europe and stayed in fabulous hotels and never experienced the level of insects as I did at this hotel. Flies landing on me constantly whilst I laid on the lounger. Dead fish in the decorative water (left rotting in the sun for days), this water feature has a lot of fish in a very small space and I can’t see how the fish are living happily. This hotel has fantastic grounds, a fabulous breakfast, a good gym (8/10) and was very clean but the absence of soundproofing, the transactional and impersonal service and the sheer volume of insects means, it is my opinion, that this hotel does not deliver value for money whatsoever. Perhaps my expectations were too high but I feel a hotel at this price point should not only be exceeding the bar but setting it. But this hotel? Lacking.

Many restaurants and shops here. Unfortunately the number of consumers burden the number of capable staff, and the availability of services. We found that we spent most of our time waiting or tying to determine how to get off premises and where to go in order to eat or be served. We had to settle on room service mostly. It was always at least 90 minutes in coming to the room and always cold. The health spa was not healthy and very crowded with few towels, recliners or slippers available. There were loud and poorly disciplined children in adult spaces. The management was professional for the most part but their decisions were not honored or even recognized by their staff. Many of the patrons were bewildered, hungry, and angry about the conditions as were we. All in all, I would say that this may be advertised as a 5 Star resort but it functions as a 2 Star.