Pine Cliffs Ocean Suites, Algarve

We visited Pine Cliffs at the end of June during the first major heat wave of the summer affecting Southern Europe. What was meant to be a relaxing luxury stay turned into a series of frustrations, safety concerns, and disappointments that made this feel more like an overcrowded Marriott Vacation Club than a true Luxury Collection resort. We booked through Amex Travel (which promises noon early check-in), and before arrival, the concierge reached out to me proactively. I responded promptly, explaining that my plans had changed and I would need to upgrade to a larger room and merge two back-to-back reservations. No one ever replied. I then had to chase the issue via Marriott app chat, where I spent hours going back and forth with the front office staff—who clearly had no training in Titanium Elite benefits. Even when I offered to pay the difference, it became a long, frustrating ordeal just to confirm the obvious: that a larger room was available. This lack of basic coordination is embarrassing for a property that brands itself as luxury. At check-in, there was no acknowledgment of my Titanium Elite status—not even a thank you for loyalty—and despite the Amex Travel noon check-in benefit, our room was still not ready by 2 p.m. We waited in the lobby with three young children in 35+ degree heat. The resort layout is sprawling, but not in a good way. There are no designated walking paths, and cars, golf carts, and pedestrians are all forced to share the same narrow roads. This created a real safety hazard. In fact, my daughter fell off a shuttle because the driver accelerated too quickly with no warning and no seatbelt. There were no safety protocols in place, and this could have resulted in a serious injury. Once you get to the pool or beach, the issues continue: • You’re handed a towel card, which you need to exchange each time for a towel. This system feels more appropriate for a budget resort, not a luxury one. • There are no tables next to loungers at the beach to rest food or drinks on. When I asked for a bucket of ice for bottled water, I was told it’s only allowed for champagne. This level of inflexibility during a heat wave is not just inconvenient—it’s baffling. • Service was wildly inconsistent. At Piri Piri, a waitress rolled her eyes at me when I asked to take food to go. At multiple outlets, we had to wave down staff just to get water. The reservation system was a mess. Despite booking dinners ahead of time, several reservations were lost or confused. We had to rearrange our plans more than once due to mismanagement. The beach was chaotic and overcrowded, with not enough loungers or shaded areas. Vendors roamed the beach offering to braid hair, sell fake designer bags, and beach blankets, which guests were actually buying just to create makeshift shaded seating. It felt like a poorly managed public beach, not a private resort. The Ocean Suites hallways were bare and unwelcoming, more like a corporate Delta Hotel than anything luxurious. Around the pool, there were nails sticking up from the decking, posing a major safety risk for children. Again, unacceptable. That said, Miguel at Portofino was a standout—he accommodated us graciously on short notice when the rest of the team dropped the ball. The beach itself is beautiful, and the food at the beach restaurant was decent, but isolated moments of quality service are not enough to make up for the systemic mismanagement. Final verdict: This is not a Luxury Collection property in any meaningful sense. It’s a nice Marriott Vacation Club at best. The branding is misleading, the staff are poorly trained, and the overall experience was disorganized, unsafe, and frustrating. I would not return.

Food 2-3 times the price of other places. Service charge on everything, even evening buffet and half board meal already paid for. Do not pay for half board, you will be stuck with overpriced meal and service on top. No travel breakfast allowed if you check out before breakfast.

We have been to Vilamoura befote but never visited Pine Cliffs, on this occasion we booked their restaurant for dinner, O Pescaador. Beautiful restaurant in a stunning resort. So pleased we went there we had a lovely evening and will think about staying there the next time we are in the Algarve.

We have just returned from a 10 day stay in the Pine Cliffs, we are regular visitors to Olhos D'Agua and decided this year to stay in the Pine Cliffs. We stayed self catering in one of the older town houses. In general the stay was good, experience in Gym, Golf Course and beach all positive. Just a few small niggles, we asked for a Double bed for our selves and a twin beds for our teenage sons, we got two double beds, we phoned reception on discovering this, however they were having technical issues and said they would ring us back. They did not respond to this call or to our follow ups. We found it generally very difficult to get anyone to answer from various internal numbers and had to book golf, tennis and paddle in person. When we arrived in the town house we discovered the washing machine was not working, it took a number of calls and 5 days to get the machine replaced. In general the apartment was clean but showing some signs of age, hooks on back of bathroom door falling out and problems with switches tripping when using kettle and microwave together. The resort is lovely and the apartment was well laid out but just showing signs of age. Our experience was good but not what we expected from a 5 star resort.

**Overall Experience** We enjoyed our stay at Pine Cliffs Suites. While the property is quite large, it’s easy to navigate once you get your bearings. The shuttles around the site were readily available, but I understand this may not be the case during high season. Our accommodation was pleasant, but I wouldn’t classify it as ‘5-star’ quality—the interiors were somewhat dated, and we faced a few issues: the dishwasher didn’t work for the first few days, and the hot water took a long time to heat up. Additionally, we had a lot of issues with flies and ants in one bedroom, which I reported to the concierge, but I did not receive a response to my email. One disappointment during our stay was our location. As an adult-only family, we were assigned to a ground-floor suite in Block 6, right next to a pool primarily used by families with very young children. It was extremely noisy throughout the day, making it neither relaxing nor quiet! We were assured at check-in that this was "one of the quieter pools." **Dining** We were on a half-board meal plan and primarily dined at O Grill. We could not fault the quality of the food or the range of options available. The staff during both breakfast and dinner service were excellent—polite and attentive. As a coeliac, I appreciated that everything was clearly labeled, but just a heads up: some labels were not entirely accurate, so use your judgment as a coeliac when choosing. **Beach** The beach was excellent, and we always managed to find a place to lounge. Towels are available from the huts around the site. Please note that the lift down to the beach does not go all the way; there is a stepped walk down to the beach from the lift. However, the water is shallow right away, allowing for safe paddling. **Golf** We played nine holes of golf, and booking was easy. The course layout is nice but not overly long. It's well-maintained, and the 6th hole, which overlooks the cliff-side, is a standout. However, it’s not particularly cheap—€54 for adults and €40 for juniors—especially when you consider the club hire (€30 each) and trolley hire (€7 each). **Additional Costs** Be aware that a facilities fee of €15 or €20 per day (depending on your accommodation type) will be added to your final bill upon check-out. There is also a €6 per day tourist tax that we were not initially informed about. **Tipping** Another cost to consider is tipping. Any drinks you purchase (for example, €38 for a bottle of wine) will be added to your prepaid half-board package. Essentially, they request a tip for what you have already paid for at the end of your meal. They deduct the pre-paid half-board amount from the bill while suggesting that you tip 10% based on the overall total. **Conclusion** Pine Cliffs is very nice, and there are many positives, but we felt that the drinks were quite expensive, and our accommodation was more 4-star than 5-star. On a positive note, the accommodation was kept very clean, and we were regularly provided with fresh towels.