Octant Vila Monte

We visited on Christmas time, when the hotel was opened just for a few weeks off-season, as they do some remodeling, etc. The location is nice and quiet, full of fruity Orange trees (you can pick oranges yourself - and they are tasty!). The food was great - exceptional dinners with excellent wine recommendations, good lunches with live pizza cooking and very nice breakfast experience. I would highlight breakfast especially - as the mix of small, but extremely tasty buffet, with additional a la carte options. The Chef is outstanding. We also enjoyed the real fireplace at the lobby, which was almost always on those days and that created a fantastic coziness in the lobby area - great for the book reading, along with tea-time. The pool also was truly heated - like pools are heated in Alps! We enjoyed, since the weather was so-so, and having such a warm inviting pool was a true pleasure. Our kid had a lot of fun and engagement with the staff, they did amazing care for him and took him into multiple activities. Room was spacious and always very-well cleaned. We would love to come back to this place within more of the season, to truly see all the facilities. I liked the generosity of the hotel and ultra friendly attitude of all the staff members.

The rooms are more like made for summer heat - with concrete floors and only heating via A/C, which takes a while to heat up (albeit we did managed to make it nicely warmed through the days). The rooms are also very expensive - especially for the off-season time (I'm comparing with place like Vila Vita Parc where we went next). There is also unusual practice of 15% gratitude "auto-suggestion" for all the restaurant bills, which has more like USA approach, but nothing I've ever met in Europe before. I believe this is pretty hefty gratitude by any European and Portugal standards.

Setting is lovely and the grounds immaculate. Staff are young, professional, warm and very helpful. Very welcoming and friendly. Excellent restaurant with fresh, grilled seafood, an excellent wine list and good advice from the sommelier.

A minor criticism is the signage to and from the guest parking. For example one sign says "reception" and from the car park "lobby". On arrival it could be made clearer where guest parking should be. Also: the standard recommended tip is 15%. This is NOT typical of the practice in Portugal and seems designed to be relevant to guests from the USA. I have not seen this elsewhere in Portugal.

Room was nice. Breakfast was lovely - location and range of options. The pools were lovely - very relaxing setting in the gardens. Most of the grounds were beautiful and well kept.

Bathrooms should be replaced. Some of the landscaping could be improved - the area down by the gym could do with tidying up (the white ponds round there with fountains need attention as lots of algae)

The property is beautifully presented from the long gravel drive leading up to the main house to the sleeping accommodations, gardens and pools. The room was exceptionally spacious and well equipped. Service was exceptional from a team that visibly enjoyed working together. We chose to eat supper in the hotel every evening because it couldn't be bettered anywhere else.

Nothing.

We had the most magical start to our honeymoon at Vila Monte. The staff were wonderful, from check in to check out, the grounds were absolutely stunning and our room was perfection. So beautiful. The restaurant, while obviously a little more expensive than we were used to, did fantastic food and wine, and the breakfast buffet was really extensive, and we appreciated the amount of vegan friendly options there. There were also nice touches like drinks with the manager, fresh juices being handed out and great facilities like the gym and tennis court. The stargazing experience was also a highlight of our stay. We would love to stay again!

The restaurant, while having some good vegan options for dinner (the mushroom xerém was exceptional), could have done with a few more - if I had been staying a week I would have got a little bored. Also while not the fault of the hotel, we had issues with our transfers both ends - on arrival the driver was nowhere to be found which entailed a call to the hotel to find where he was - he did eventually appear, and on departure the driver refused to drop us in the location we had requested in Faro. Considering the price of the transfers this was a little disappointing.

Every detail was thought of on the property and in the room. The room was gorgeous and clean and we liked all of the touches from being able to plug in our phones without an adapter to having 2 separate sets of amenities in the bathroom. We loved the welcome wine, treats and note which made us feel special and very welcome and the hats were a really cute and nice touch. The property was absolutely stunning and we really enjoyed the activities including the sangria making! Breakfast was amazing and the staff was so friendly.

Lots of kids, which is great for families but wish they would quiet them down a little for those that were having couple time. There is a separate adult pool which was beautiful but you could still hear the kids in the distance. I wouldn't say it was a problem, but if asked it was the only somewhat negative thing.

Kids club was amazing, feeding the turtles and fish every day. Bouncy castle, right next to the pool. Heated pool is great. Surroundings are beautiful!!! Staff is amazing, room was clean and beautiful. Our daughter 2 years loved everything.

Would like more variety of cheese and ham for breakfast. Room smelled a bit moist coming from the bathroom. A bit expensive to be there and have every meal there.

One of the best hotels in south of Portugal. Above our expectations: + Beautifull green territory + Very quiet + Amazing kitchen. Try seafood and apple pie, it's unbelievable! + Cozy restaurant area + Great breakfast with a view (different restaurant from the dinner option) + Very friendly staff + A few activities per day + Good road to the resort

- No covered parking spaces - The shower needs some renovation

Lovely hotel for families with children (very well equipped with plenty activities for children). The staff were very professional and welcoming. Thank you especially to Pedro for literally making a mosquito net out of curtains for our 3 month old little girl!

Interior finishes a bit worn down and cushions were dirty on our terrace. Quality of food was surprisingly quite average

We were pleasantly surprised by the helpful and welcoming staff and the facilities. Everything was easy to coordinate and we enjoyed every moment of our stay here. The room was authentically designed with Portuguese elements. Also the food at the restaurant was exceptional and a great value.

The only downside was the AC unit compressor making a bit of noise at night.