Vau Costa Apartments

My boyfriend and I stayed here for 5 days in June. We had a fabulous time and the weather was amazing. However, the hotel was not up to much.
The room we were given was small and cramped and did not have a bed in it. Instead we had 2 small sofa beds that we had to make up ourselves.
The small balcony that we had looked out over the side access road and the bins for the kitchen. The small balcony was also taken up by the massive air conditioning unit.
Our kitchen facilities were basic and all the plug sockets within the apartment were in a state of neglect. All of the shelving in the kitchen was dusty and in need of a desperate clean up...this is not the thing you should have to do on your holiday...spring clean your apartment!
The bathroom was ok but we found that the water heater wasn't up to much and couldn't supply enough water for a quick 5 minute shower. We actually used the whole tank of hot water to fill our bath half full one day. The next morning, the water tank indicated that the hot water content was only 3/4 full.
During our stay the maids were in the room twice, but apart from a quick mop of the floor on both occasions and one change of towels, the bedding was never touched and everything in the room had to be washed thoroughly by us before we could use it.
The hallway to the room was dark, dingy and at night time, any noise made by other guests was echoed down the hallway. We heard every word of a couple’s argument one night as well as numerous other conversations from other guests.
Due to our basic apartment, we tried to spend as much time away from the hotel as we possibly could.
We would not recommend this hotel to any of our friends.

We found the accommodation very clean and spacious. The reception staff were very friendly. Did not try the restaurant - it seemed very quiet and expensive; this seems a shame because it has lots of potential - could do with a make-over.
The bar was friendly but, alas, a bit smokey! The entertainment (karaoke and live music)was great fun! Good place to meet other people.
Beach was excellent and you can hire pedalos and canoes (quite reasonable). I would recommend the latter, simply because of the stunning coastline and many caves. Exploring these and the isolated beaches was fun although the sea was a little choppy. it's also easy to hire a bike so as to explore Portimao and Alvor.
It's worth trying the trains to Lagos and Silves, as these are quite cheap and you see lots. The stations tend to be a lttle out of town so you will have to take a taxi or bus. Alvor is a must - try the fish restaurants on the sea front.
Pool was good and sun beds plentiful.
It's worth trying the Continete supermarket (a 3 minute taxi ride) to stock up. It has a wide range of food, lots of choice, especially fruit and fish. The shopping complex in which the supermarket is located is air-conditioned and has a cinema and clean toilets. There's a taxi rank just outside.
I would definitely go there again.

My boyfriend and I (aged 23 and 24) stayed in the Vau Costa apartments for the first two weeks of Sept and had a lovely time. The staff were very helpful and spoke good English. The apartments were nice, clean and well equipped. We were there for 2 weeks and spent a few nights just in the apartment, as they were nice enough do that.
There is a restaurant, however the food is very expensive, and a cosy bar with a terrace area, they play regular football matches on the TV (keep the boys happy!!!)
We were lucky and had a view over both the pool and to sea. The pool is lovely (but is very deep at the deep end) with inflatables provided, we actually spent everyday nearly by the pool as opposed to the beach. September was the right month to go as it wasn’t very busy so plenty of beds and not over crowded.
The beach is only about 3 mins away and has stunning views.
If you fancy going on any trips ask at the reception as they are cheaper than with the holiday company. We didn’t actually go on any, we did do the Slide and Splash water park and it was the best day out, you didn’t have to cue for the slides, and we were able to leave our belongings on the grass (as opposed to having a locker), with no problems, its about 20 euros for the day, and very close to Vau Costa.
The only drawback is that in the evening if you want to go out you have to go into Rocha itself, as the apartments are just outside the town, so a 4 euro taxi ride is needed or a walk which some reviews say is about 20 mins but it is a clear 30 - 40 min walk. But the taxis run to and fro constantly so it’s not an issue.
For food get a taxi to Mondelo or Lidl in Portamaio, again about 5 mins away.
Overall we had an excellent holiday, I recommend the apartments and I think the location is good as you are in the quiet area and can choose to be apart of the hustle and bustle when you want.

Just back from these apartments. Would never stay there again, apartments not clean, bed linen not changed in the 7 days that we stayed there.
Entertainment on 3 nights only, apart from the pool there was nothing for the children to do at night. Was charged 7.50 euro on the day we were leaving because a towel from our room had makeup on it. Receptionist not very nice when we complained about our rooms.
Told us we got what we paid for. Paid £2660 euro for the holiday for 1 week for 2 adults and 4 children and we expected a bit more for that kind of money.

1 reader found this review helpful

Where do I start? Arrived at Vau Costa to find curtains, in room, hanging off the rails. The toilet seat looked like it had been chewed by a large, ferocious dog. The floors in the apartment, although were swept each day by the maids, obviously had not been swept behind the furniture, as we found out when we had to move the sofa bed.
Talking of the sofa bed, the sheets on it were for a single bed and not a double and had cigarette burns on them.
The sofa bed itself was filthy. There were ants in the bathroom. There was a water leak in the kitchen area. The pool area was ok, except for the constant foot injuries, caused by loose paving slabs around the pool and loose tiles in the pool itself. Our first week there we had clothing stolen from our room, due to the reception staff not looking after our room key properly and losing it.
The reception staff were not very helpful, although the rep did her best. The kids club was fabulous and there was plenty of entertainment for the kids, including films in the evenings and games. The food from the poolside bar was acceptable and Christine, who served at the bar was such a lovely and helpful person, we still miss her!!! The beach was very close to the apartments and was totally out of this world, soft sand and red rock cliffs. Access to the beach could be a little difficult for those with walking difficulties, but well worth the effort!!
We visited Alvor that was beautiful and down near the sea the views were outstanding. We also visited Portimao, old world and everyone was very friendly, loved it. While in Portimao we ate at the copper kettle, run by a British family, an absolute must, the food was wonderful. We would not go back to the Vau Costa but would certainly holiday in Portugal again!

Just back enjoyed the holiday did not enjoy the apartments, very basic. Towel change twice in the week, no linen change, no floor sweeping for three days, saw no cleaning staff only in the distance. Weather lovely, people lovely, food very good. Won’t be back in apartments again. Bar in the apartments very grubby. Beach not easy to get to for anyone who is not good on their feet and it is worse coming back.

Found these apartments very basic but clean, linen changed every day as was towels cleaners were in everyday I found the desk staff very helpful. Also our rep ***** was in the lobby twice daily to assist us in anyway possible I found her very nice to talk to. The Vau Costa apartments are outside the town but a taxi takes you in for about 4 euros it is a lovely walk into town and takes about 30 minutes at a nice pace.
The pool in the apartments was great not to busy so you could actually enjoy yourself, I found it to be very family friendly and everyone was very nice, rubber rings lilos etc were just left in the pool so every one just used what was there. The kiddies pool was small and ideal for the young ones the big pool however, was deep but small enough to be able to watch the kids I am actually very nervous about my kids being around pools but at this pool I could relax as I could see my kids aged 7 & 12 at all times and there was no messing around.
The town its self was lovely loads of shops and restaurants we tried the sea view Chinese restaurant and found it very reasonable and the food was lovely, also Flanagan’s do a lovely dinner I recommend the onion rings and cauliflower cheese this would do 4 people, we also tried dirty nellies this was a good crack but one night does as its the same act every night drink can be a bit dearer also Katy dailys has a hypnotist twice a week worth while going to see did not try the food there but what we saw looked great.
Overall we really enjoyed our holiday in Portugal and will be back next year with more people and I do recommend the Vau Costa apartments especially if you have a young family.