Hotel Montechoro

just got back,and apart from the rubbish shows and having to bare piano man.in wot day and age can you have a family sitting in a 4 star hotel which i would say its not, like beening in a waiting room.rooms are good and very clean,but you have to fight for the pool beds.every thing you buy in the hotel is triple priced and if they can make a few more euros out of you they will.mia from manchester

8 readers found this review helpful

I'm a wheelchair user and booked this holiday for myself, my wife and my 3yr old son. I booked this hotel with Disabled Accessible Holidays who were a complete disaster. I specified that the bathroom and bedroom would be suited to my needs. We flew from Belfast and got an accessible taxi to the Hotel Montechero from the airport which was all great. We arrived at the hotel and this is where things started to go awfully wrong. On checking in we were told our room was not ready and we waited for nearly 3 hrs until I was losing patience, I explained I'd been sitting in my wheelchair for nearly 12hrs and we were then brought to our room.
We went into the room to see two single beds which was wrong to start with only to look into the bathroom to see a shower which had a step up into it with a glass screen around it. We told the man from reception it was totally wrong and he took us to a 2nd room. This had a double bed but as I went into the bathroom I discovered my wheelchair didn't fit through the door. The man suggested they took the door off the hinges,I couldn't believe it.
He left us alone and as I lay on the bed exhausted and in disbelief, I realised my wife was in bits crying. I twice rang reception and asked for the General manager but nobody ever showed up then or over the two wks. My wife went down to reception in tears and so we were brought to a 3rd room as bad. We had no choice now with my back aching and us after missing our 1st afternoons sun. It was so dissappointing, I'd saved for 2 yrs for this and my wife recently had surgery. It was supposed to be 2 wks of forgetting how limited our lives are because of my disability and it ended up being an awful reminder.
We tried getting in touch w Mike Davis for 3days before he finally answered.
There were no grab rails in the bathroom, a big crack on the base of the toilet which will smash in time, I couldnt get my knees under the sink so when I shaved or brushed my teeth etc I'd get soaked, I had to shower by sitting on the side of the bath whilre my wife held me up and got sprayed from the 5 foot high showerhead. How humiliating for both me and her.
when we looked over the balcony there was a roof to look on with cig butts and even a dirty nappy there. There were 3 lifts which fit 4 people in each, so I gave up going down to breakfast as I'd be left sitting on the landing for three hrs daily. I have it all and more on video and can send if needed? I would not have any other person go through the ordeal we did

4 readers found this review helpful

nice hotel,
however rather shabby for a 4 star hotel, the carpets should have been replaced years ago!! The decor is very 70's,(I knew I should have packed my flares and kipper tie!!)
You have to pay 7.50 euros (daily, or 25 euros per week))to use the Gym, you pay for the tennis courts. the basketball court is not for guests. You pay for the kids club.
This may sound negative, but we did have a smashing time, the room was large, bright and clean. the breakfast a bit basic, but nice, and overall we had a fantastic holiday..Bus service from the hotel to the beach /old town was good

Very nice hotel with kind people working. Good entertainment... Every day there is LIVE music, but three times a week there was a superb pianist playing in the Blue Bar, called António Maia. This was the best pianist I ever heard.
Good swimmingpool and for people who wants to watch football or other sports... This hotel has two plasmas in different bars.
On the 10th floor is a restaurant with a view over whole Albufeira. Also here plays a pianist which makes the atmosphere very comfortable. In one word spectacular ! And even the prices are ok.
This hotel is perfect for a relaxing holiday and not far from the beach "Praia da Oura". On the way to Praia da Oura there are a lot of shops, restaurants, bars, etc.
As everybody can read, this is a hotel to recommend.

2 readers found this review helpful

This was a really nice hotel to stay at. But being 20 i wanted a bit more life which i found just seconds away at the STRIP loads of bars and shops.
This hotel is suitable for older people who want to relax as there is not much going on in the place. there was no night time entertainment, the food was o.k and i only spoke to 1 member of staff a gorgeous barman.
Really clean and comfortable hotel i would recommend it to people on a relaxing holiday.

5 readers found this review helpful

I went to this hotel with my boyfriend and we had a great time. We never had any trouble getting a sun bed there were always plenty. Getting served at the bar was nice and easy. We were B&B which was fine as there were plenty of places to eat out nearby. Well worth a trip to the Water Park as it was great fun! The hotel was nice, clean and the rooms were big. I would recommend hiring a fridge as we kept water, soft drinks and some snacks and of course the vino verdi! There is a supermarket very nearby which has a good stock of everything.
There is a free bus to and from the beach everyday as it is about a 15/20 min walk from the hotel. Although we did walk it sometimes as it was quite a pleasant journey! The beach was lovely and there were some nice cafes so you could sit and have a coffee and watch the world go by!
You can get the little street train into the old town but they do cram people on it and it takes about 20 minutes, however when you get to the old town it is well worth it as it is much more traditional and less commercialised then the "strip". You do have to queue for taxis if you prefer that way of transport but the queue goes down quite quickly and it is more pleasant than the train! We went to the old town and went to a really nice beach restaurant. You can go to one of the restaurants actually on the beach or there is a selection that overlook and it is a gorgeous view!
The Montechoro is located at the top of the "strip" and this was too commercialised for us but you could still get a decent meal. There are lots of traditional English and Irish places (E.g Ye Olde English Chippy and Erins Isle!) which is a shame but we tended to go out to eat and then back tot he hotel bar for drinks before bed! There isn't really much entertainment but a pianist in the bar that couple would get up and have a little waltz to!
For us it was ideal as it was a good price, the overall hotel was nice and there was plenty to do out and about. The only reason we wouldn't go back is the area is too anglicised and we prefer something more traditional. However if you're thinking of going it is lovely and we had a really great time. The advantage is that you can go to lively bars or stay in the hotel and be a little quieter and also have the choice of the old which is lovely.
Overall a really nice holiday and definitely good value for money!

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2 readers found this review helpful

The hotel Montechoro was very nice but needs updating -- faded and threadbare carpets worn furniture are not the mark of an 4star hotel- but saying that the staff couldn’t be more helpful and the rooms are large and clean.
The hotel is at the top of the Strip where all the bars and restaurants start and remind me of Blackpool-- the old town was far better lots of street entertainment and cheaper than the strip.
We hired a car for a week and toured all over the place from Lagos to Praia da Rocha-- Monchique up in the mountains (wonderful view) -- Silves with its fort overlooking the town on to Sagres - we also visited Vilamoura-- Olrao-- and Faro.
The Montechoro is a way from the beach-- a 15 mins walk from the hotel but well worth it -- the beach is one of the best we've seen -- if you visit you must try Sinatra's bar at the top of the strip-- if you like 50's 60's 70's music you'll love it.
We had a great holiday and we will return one day.

Myself and my son(15) returned on the 26th July 07 from a fantastic 1 week holiday in Portugal.
We were supposed to go to the caleta dorada bungalows but after reading the reviews I decided to cancel.
We stayed in the Hotel Montechoro, which while a bit dated was spotlessly clean. Transfer from the airport was about half hour. Rooms are huge, breakfasts were fine. Staff very polite. There were a lot of kids, so my son was occupied night and day.
The area we stayed in was very quiet, but a 5 min walk brought you to the strip which got more lively the further you went.
I would stir clear of the Irish bar that's across the road from the hotel, as they really rub it in with the prices, and being Irish, I wasn't impressed.! Martinique’s across the road is a fab place to eat, and senor frogs is great for pizzas etc. Also the American Diner is great for steaks, burgers etc.
We went to the zoo marine, who was great, but by 2.30pm we were ready to go, but the bus wasn't coming until 4.30pm so we got a taxi which was very reasonable.
The only negative thing that I have to say about the Hotel, is that there were never enough sunbeds. If you were not out by 9am, you may as well forget about getting a bed. When we checked in there were notices everywhere saying that holding beds with towels would not be allowed. But this was not the case as everyone did it.
Overall it was the best holiday we have ever had, and we were really sorry that we didn't book for two weeks. We will definitely go back.