Pine Cliffs Residence, a Luxury Collection Resort, Algarve

Such an amazing experience! Pine Cliffs never fail to go the extra mile for all of their customers. It truly is an experience that you don’t want to miss. All of the staff are so lovely and make you feel at ease, no ask is ever too much for them. My personal favourite part of the trip was going to the O’Grill for breakfast. There was SUCH a large variety of options including gluten free and vegan options too. The front of house was exceptional and even remembered us out of the hundreds of people she must see a day to assign us to the same breakfast spot every morning. If you’re thinking of booking, don’t hesitate, just book!

Can’t fault this place, unless you want a quiet vacation with your better half and no kids. In June the place was packed with families and kids. If I rocked up here expecting a romantic break with the wife then I’d be disappointed. No adults only areas and all the pools full of inflatable doughnuts and rubber rings! The view from the champagne bar is delightful of an evening. Breakfast really good.

We are fans of pine cliffs and have stayed here many times over the years. This was our second stay this year. The hotel and residences are beautiful but on this visit we were surprised at the number of large groups and stag party groups who were staying there. Of course, we have no problem with large groups but we choose pine cliffs for the lovely quiet atmosphere. I love to relax on a sun lounger under the pine trees but this time I had large groups either side of me so I couldn’t relax and instead retreated to my balcony. As we haven’t seen this before at pine cliffs I did some research online and I noticed Pine cliffs advertised on a stag party website so I guess that’s why. One of the groups next to me were very loud and they left their bottles and glasses etc all over the grass, which I then cleared up for them. On our first night we were excited to go for a drink at the champagne bar as that’s one of the reasons we choose pine cliffs. It’s a wonderful experience. Unfortunately it was closed for a private event. The gin bar was also closed as was the beach bar which also has a private event. This is frustrating but clearly pine cliffs is appealing to larger groups. It’s just a shame that couples cannot use all the facilities on offer. The restaurants are expensive so we walk into olhos dagua where there are some lovely restaurants. Versatile restaurant is classy and excellent value so we chose to walk there. Via the beach the walk takes half an hour and is very pleasant but an Uber only takes 5 minutes and is only 5 euros. Our residence was wonderful and a great size. Housekeeping is great and everything is spotlessly clean and well equipped. Our room was next to a road though so incredibly noisy as it was the main road through the resort to the mini market and o grill so there were many deliveries early in the morning. Also adjacent to a busy road just outside of the resort. We kept the ceiling fan on at night to drown out the noise. Balcony was huge with sun and shade so that’s a bonus. The beach is the best part. You can walk for miles and the steps down to the beach are not too arduous. I love pine cliffs but hope they are not changing into more of an events hotel than one where couples and families can relax and enjoy.

We’ve been here 1 night out of 8. We booked a townhouse which is spacious but I would certainly not return. The house I don’t think has been decorated since the 80s, it’s very tired, the sofas are the most uncomfortable ever and the TV is so dated that you can’t get Netflix. The gardens are nice but so many people, the pools are too busy, restaurants and drinks are so overpriced. €12 for a mocktail. Everything is extra - football camp is €70 for 2 hours! Padel tennis is €55 for an hour. Kids activities all extra. I don’t mind paying extra for things but there is no value for money here and certainly not a 5* resort. Incredibly disappointed and frankly cant wait to go home!