Monchique Resort - Activities Included

Loved the hotel and the room, which was large and had the bonus of 2 bathrooms. We had a suite with terrace and courtyard view in block A, which was very peaceful as only overlooked the courtyard, which was an open, landscaped area but only used as a walkthrough. Could still see the mountains at the end and it was lovely to have the space of the terrace, but still have the balcony section too. (Wasn't bothered by lack of separation of terrace areas - felt fine to me). Room also had a Nespresso machine. The hotel itself is comprised of 3 blocks and initially feels like a bit of a warren but figured it out fairly quickly. (If you arrive and park in the underground car park, look for the exit to block A and take the lift to floor 11 for reception- press the * button in the lift). Block A also has the gym, the Salle de Zen where lots of activities were held, and the pool table, as well as the breakfast restaurant. Activities included were things like morning viewpoint walks, yoga, exercise classes, cocktail making, ping pong tournament and movie nights. (You need to book ahead as they fill up quickly). Breakfast was great, particularly sitting outside on the terrace with the amazing view. There's a hiking trail right from the front of the hotel and was easy to follow this and take a route into the local town of Caldas de Monchique, which is very pretty with a lovely courtyard cafe and a couple of nice gift shops. (Used Alltrails to do 2 hikes from the hotel - just short ones 3-5 km - but there are also signs on the walls in the hotel to give advice and suggested routes). By driving into Monchique, you can access further routes. The hike to Picota was fabulous. Staff at the hotel all very friendly and helpful. Really enjoyed the pizzas at the pizza restaurant, though be aware that it's closed on Sundays and Mondays. Overall, we had a wonderful stay and would visit again.

On 2 afternoons at around 4pm, DJs came and played club style music at the main pool. I'm sure some people enjoy this but this made me pack up and head to the family pool. Sofa bed wasn't the best for 2 older kids to share. On booking.com it says it's not possible to request an extra bed, but at the hotel it said it was possible for an extra charge. In hindsight, I would have done this.

Staff is very friendly and attentive. Main pool with the waterfall is great. Kids love the family swimming pool. Food is overall very good and varied. Rooms are very spacious and comfortable. Everything is extremely clean.

The building is a bit confusing, feels like a maze at times. The facilities are spread out in 3 different main blocks which means you can waste some time navigating from place to place. Seasonal staff very friendly but slightly inexperienced. Pool can get crowded with floats and inflatables.

Maria on reception was very friendly, Older gentleman Joao who gave us a tour around the hotel and helped with our bags was amazing. Pizzaria restaurant on the grounds of the hotel was unbelievable and all the staff there were amazing! All staff were super friendly and went above and beyond. Free pool table to use which is a nice touch. Breakfast was really nice. Spa on the grounds is really good and only €25 per person for 2 hours which was definitely worth it! Nice swimming pool area and bar at the pool.

At first, was a little confusing to find reception as we drove straight into the underground parking. We found reception with the help of some staff and everything was perfect!

Staff friendliness, room size, kitchen well equiped Bosch and Smeg equipment, coffee and bottle of water included, view, pool water temperature. Pizza and pasta restaurant was the best food in the hotel. Family friendly. Staff cleaning all the time.

I had to work some days while staying and Internet was crashing 10-20 times a day, this router through TV is not stable at all. Was very hard to manage a stable meeting. Pool on block C was great for families but in the coverage structure had some windows missing and couldn't be open or closed at all, missing that in windy days clear lack of maintenance/investment there.. Bar opening hours are very specific and cover only partial day. The room I've stayed with terrace had no separation from neighbour, so anyone in the same row of rooms could watch and access neighbour room. We took the all inclusive package and the food was just ok, no wow effect in any meal, for the price charged could have better quality ingredients. Shower was not able to stay fixed, I had to hold it with my hand.

- The facilities were great, the suite was great, it was very clean and it had a little kitchen. - The breakfast was good, I especially enjoyed the omelettes prepared by the chef. - The spa: we had it for ourselves, a lot of variety and clean. - The staff was welcoming and nice. - The fact that there were "snacks" available between the main meals.

- The food didn't match our expectations. We didn't go to the pizzeria but the buffet was not really varied and the quality was not one of a 5 star hotel. - We would have appreciated to have more activities included, also on the late afternoon. - The sofa bed was not comfortable for an adult sleeping there for 4 nights.

This hotel is in the perfect location (if you have a car) to all the main tourist hot spots in the Algarve. The room was huge, beautifully clean and the terrace we had exceeded all expectations and was a highlight for us! It’s definitely worth the upgrade if you can!! The staff are friendly and the breakfast was exactly what you’d expect. We would return.

The floors need some ‘up keep’ as we saw a lot of people tripping. The hotel has quite a ‘corporate’ feel, not necessarily as downside but it does mean it lacks some culture. Our main advice would be for couples, it’s best to note that there were a lot of children around the pool. We personally didn’t mind as we didn’t spend a lot of time there, but the family pool is inside so naturally a lot of people prefer to be around the top pool with their children, meaning there are lots of games and jumping in. On that note, for families with children.. we would say that this hotel didn’t feel as family friendly as a beach resort would be. For example, there was no defined kids club area and lots of children seemed to only be playing with their siblings, rather than making friends etc.

We spent two nights at Hotel Monchique with our children and everything was great. Excellent and rich breakfast, very helpful staff, clean, well-equipped apartment with a wonderful terrace. Although the hotel is not the newest, it is well maintained. Both pools were very good (the cooler outdoor and the warmer indoor pool by the children's playground). We also tried the basic spa for an additional fee of 25 euros. The hotel had restaurants and bars with a sufficient range of refreshments. I just have to say that the hotel is huge, divided into several blocks and it takes a while to get your bearings.

Amazing facilities and beautiful pool that wasn't too busy. People dind't "reserve" their loungers unless they were actually there, so there were always plenty available. Spa was the best bit of the hotel, amazing massage and amazing Spa circuit with foot spa, steam room, sauna, ice cave and hydrotherapy pool! Amazing service from Joao as well. Food was great, buffet was varied and lots of options and breakfast restaurant location was beautiful with a panoramic view out. Room was exceptional - we had panoramic view suite, so really spacious with TWO bathrooms and amazing terrace. Absolutely loved it and would go again!

The only thing that could have been better was another cooked vegetable option at dinner. That's the only thing!

A great hotel in the mountains. You would be advised to get a car as it’s about 4 miles from the nearest village. Rooms lovely, spacious and clean. Equipped with small kitchen if you require it. The pool is small and I personally thought very cold. It was busy with children so you often got splashed as they jumped in. I think if they could fit an adult pool in around the back area between the buildings that would improve the experience. The whole area is windy after about 4pm and just one small thing there was no bins at the side of Sunbed so you couldn’t put your rubbish everywhere apart from your bag! Staff all great. Restaurant food lovely, breakfast was good but if you go later then hot food was just warm. These are all small things and will not put us off booking again!! Definitely worth booking!!

The location was beautiful, very good views from the bar area. Rooms were clean and comfortable and very big! The food was great with loads of healthy options. Breakfast was my favourite. Main pool was good with live DJ events during the day made it that extra special.

Cocktails by the pool were good but after dinner night Cocktails were not as great. Staff seemed to not enjoy making them. We paid for the all inclusive and staff would make us feel uncomfortable when ordering drinks with our wrist bracelets. It felt like they would make horrible Cocktails on purpose for us to stop ordering drinks. Also there is no entertainment at night.