Reviews of Luz Ocean Club, Praia Da Luz

stayed the 17 to 31st july with 2 adults 2 children 16/14 ,ocean club is spread all

over luz but being a small village it didnt take long to walk anywhere the hotel

staff were very nice .our room was really good nice sea views .the beach was lovely

,nice little bar/cafes to get drinks ,not any sign of trouble the people were all very

plesent places to eat resturants are spread about luz we ate in a different one nearly

every night they were all really good.if you like a relaxing holiday you wont be disapointed .

Had a week staying here mid March, at a time when the UK was basking in floods and chaos, we were basking in the warmth sun, blue skies and blue seas. A super time to visit.



However, we had initially booked this holiday as the hotel was advertised as being in Lagos, so on arrival at 10 pm, after having driven through the outskirts of Lagos, which was approximately 1 1/2 hrs from airport (probably allowing for drop offs), we were somewhat apprehensive to say the least, when we found that we were not staying in Lagos, but somewhere which seemed to be literally in the middle of nowhere.



As things turned out, we were very glad we were not staying in Lagos, as Lagos was not what we had thought, i.e. it was a large working town with not much local character or flavour.



On arrival therefore we were very concerned as to the distance from Lagos, as not wanting to hire a car (it is no holiday to us to drive on holiday), it was obvious that Lagos was certainly not walking distance and in the dark, 10 pm on a Sunday night we were apprehensive to say the least!



Next day, in the daylight, we found that we were actually staying in Praia da Luz, a small place with a definite Portugese atmosphere (not to be found elsewhere on the Algarve), and we had definitely been lucky in finding ourselves there and not Lagos.



However..... Ocean Bay Club.



This purports to be a 4* Hotel. 4* it certainly is not - at least in March. It may well improve for the proper summer season, but in March, it was definitely nearer 2* for the facilities on offer - (not those advertised).



Easiest to point +'s and -'s



PLUS'S

1. Bedroom and all public rooms were spotlessly clean, and seen to be cleaned, although due to lack of staff, room was not cleaned until 4 pm each day.

2. Staff (not many of them in March), were helpful, friendly and polite.

3. Appearance of hotel attractive.

4. Attractive gardens.

5. Buffet breakfast quite good - plenty of choice although same each day.



MINUS'S

1. Only one Restaurant, open limited hours for breakfast and dinner.

2. Evening dinner poor - limited choice, no atmosphere in dining room.(however, there is a good Italian restaurant up the road, turn left)

2. No other snackbar/bar at any other time of the day i.e. on arrival at 10 pm, we could not even get a packet of crisps or kit kat!

3. Sporting facilities as advertised, were non existent. The tennis courts were in a state of total disrepair, torn/missing nets, courts overgrown with weeds

4. A sauna and turkish bath were advertised. Both were out of use, and obviously had been for months. In fact, I think the turkish bath is more what we would call a small indoor pool and it was totally devoid of water!

5. It was lovely weather whilst we were there, and the outdoor pool was in use. However, no pool bar was open, despite being advertised.

6. Hotel is a long way from anywere - Praia da Luz has limited services, a few restaurants, 2 small supermarkets.

7. Car hire is really essential - although we did not hire a car we made use of a regular bus.

8. Children`s play area was derelict and had obviously been out of use for a considerable time.

9. We went on 2 or 3 whole day trips, missing breakfast. The Hotel gave a pack lunch inlieu of breakfast, which quite frankly was diabolical - totally inedible (last night`s bread roll, slice of cheese, and a drink!). I appreciate pack lunches are rather limited, but a 4* hotel could have done better than that, i.e. some fruit, biscuits, or sliced meats.



One point about Praia de Luz generally, if you want to go on organised trips (we don`t usually, but this time they were such good value, we succumbed), as Praia de Luz is so far from the other side of the Algarve, the tour companies pick up in Praia de Luz first, and drop off last - therefore you are staring your day at approx 7 am (missing breakfast), and arriving back approx 7 pm. Very good value but tiring.



In all, we had a pleasant week, which turned out better than it could have done as we were lucky with the weather.



I would say that this hotel would be very nice in summer for a family with children probably aged 3-14 who want a quiet holiday away from crowds/loud music etc.



However, this hotel should pull its socks up regarding facilities - or should stop advertising what is not available, or should not claim to be 4*

Lovely quiet resort but lacking in restaurants for dinner and the food in the main resort restaurant is very ordinary. The resort itself is clean and quiet. There is a lovely beach with a handful of inexpensive beach bars.



We booked with Mark Warner and the staff were excellent and happily moved us from our first apartment (which overlooked the roof of the indoor pool!) to one overlooking the main pool & Tapas bar, which although not as modern, had fantastic views over the pool and the beach beyond. If you want the most modern and more "upmarket" apartments, ask for those close to the main reception (where we were first located). They don't have anything like as nice views (being closer to the beach and at the bottom of the hilly resort) but they're definitely a cut above the ones overlooking the pool & Tapas Bar. They've either been more recently built or recently renovated (better decor, better bathroom fittings and much larger kitchens with all mod cons).



As usual, the Mark Warner kids club was fantastic & staffed with brilliant English nannies.



The 3 outdoor pools were clean and well maintained, but badly let down by a distinct lack of shade/umbrellas and the most appallingly uncomfortable sun beds made of pre-formed cheap white plastic (apart from around the adult only pool which had more comfortable beds and more umbrellas).



Finally, a word of warning to those more mature and/or physically disabled. The resort is built on a hillside with the beach and main reception at the bottom of the resort and the main restaurant at at the top. We had a toddler in a buggy which was a pain on our more active days! Although not a problem for most people, my elderly (but relatively fit) mother would definitely have struggled. We spent 2 weeks there and I was fed up walking up/down hill by the end of it! It's something to consider if anyone in your party is elderly or disabled (it's most definitely not a wheelchair friendly resort).

Praia de Luz is an excellent small away from it all location. If you have children, go there. The beach is safe and at the weekend the Portugese come down and mix with the tourists. The dolphin trip is definitely worth the money, but don't go if you are sea sick.



We rented a villa so didn't have to rely to much on the Ocean Club restaurant, but when we did it was very good and a wide variety. Staff always friendly and warm. Facilities excellent.



Only draw back to the area is the lack of restaurants in Praia de Luz itself, however a little (cheap) taxi ride to Lagos puts that right.



Will be going back again and again.

This holiday was absolutely brilliant! Ocean club is a very big complex and very well kept, very friendly people!



Good clean apartments, washing machine, fridge freezer etc everything included!

Also there is a really big supermarket nearby which is really cheap.



The evening dinner menu is really recommended. Really enjoyed our stay!!!

The resort was fine, despite worries about the topical media issues; Luz is a pretty, quiet, clean resort. Ocean Club changed our apartment when we were not happy with being placed in the midst of the press.



We travelled with Thomas Cook who, despite my calls to them about my concerns that we were travelling with a foster child and could not be caught by the media, did nothing to ensure that we were not placed near the press.



Also, having booked and paid for an air conditioned car via Thomas Cook, we were given one without air con and told we would have to pay another up-grade and sort it out back in England (still not resolved). The TC rep was polite but did little to get the problem resolved.



The children's club seemed to revolve around junk food games and were a little irregular; however we were there just before half term so not so many kids about.



When dealing with Thomas Cook, be prepared for long waits on 0870 numbers.

Ocean Club is great, lots of space, the pools a little cold but they always are in Portugal.



This is not the Canaries or Spain; it is up market to that.



There is not a lot to do at night but this allows you to look after yourself or dine in Luz, Burgau or the ever more cosmopolitan city of Lagos.



There are 5 tennis courts with dedicated coaches, 5 pools and the apartments/houses are immaculate, privately owned and rented by the club.



This is a fantastic place, now part of the Mark Warner banner so you can see the quality is no problem.



Loved it and will be going back again & again!



This is real Portugal not like Villamoura or Albufeira!



What a fabulous resort. The weather was beautiful and the people very friendly.



This is the best time to visit Portugal as the sea is warm from the summer sun over the previous 3 - 4 months.

We booked our holiday through Thomas Cook. It went off to a bad start when they overbooked our flight leaving us without a holiday 4w before travel, however they rebooked us from another airport 3hr drive away after pestering them for 4 hrs. The flight was then delayed for 4 hrs adding to my bad humour.



This was all forgotten however when we arrived at this gorgeous resort, even at 1am I could see we had landed on our feet. We had a 2 bedroom apartment built on 2 floors and even had an ensuite as well as the family bathroom. The kitchen was equipped with everything including a washing machine.



The welcome meeting was poor, however the kids club was fun although too few sessions available and no club for under 3s.



There were 4 swimming pools, one over 12s only and 1 indoor, which we made good use of despite the lovely weather as outdoor pools were cold. There is a small splash pool about 50cm deep for the toddlers but you may be a long way from the pool depending where your apartment is in the huge complex.



There is a supermarket next door to the complex which appeared to be independent and sold an impressive range of good quality items, again variable as to how far you would be from this.



The beach is a 5-10 minute walk downhill but easy for pushchairs, some of the beach is even decked to get your pushchair further down. It’s all lovely golden sand and watched by lifeguards, however the waves can be strong, excellent for surfing on a body board but a bit much some days for the little children. There is a lovely restaurant right on the beach whose toilet facilities you are welcome to use form the beach. I would recommend the house kebab of pork and king prawns.



The only slight drawback would be the lack of evening entertainment, but if you can live with sitting on your balcony with a glass of wine then I would highly recommend this resort, although not necessarily the travel operators!!