More Traveller Reviews of Estrela Do Vau Hotel
Excellent choice
from Irishliverbird
Have just returned from a weeks stay at Estrela do Vau hotel. On arrival at the hotel the receptionist was very helpul as we had booked with another famliy and our rooms werent together, however she changed this and got 2 rooms on the ground floor and this was ideal with small children. We had originally booked to stay in Albuferia but this was cancelled through travel agents but was more than happy with the alternative although it was in a different resort. Had a excellent time and the hotel was lovely and set in beautiful grounds. The hotel is quite out of town and a taxi costs approx 4 euros into Praia da rocha or Alvor, but you have to make this journey for a good meal. Found food at hotels restaurant quite pricey and not a great selection! The supermarket on site was also very expensive. There is plenty to do for kids with 3 pools, table tennis, mini golf and a tennis court. Hotel also has a kids club available. The hotel was very clean and towels were changed every day. They only change sheets once a week but think sheets would need changed every 3-4 days especially during summer months. I would definitely return to the hotel in the future and would recemmond it to families.
Apartamentos Estrela do Vau - not impressed
from TripFairy1
We stayed at the Estrela DO Vau apartments in the Algarve for 9 nights and were not impressed with the hotel at all. This hotel definitely wasn’t a 4 star, it should be lower in our opinion. Our room was never cleaned properly during our stay, the maids only changed the towels every 2 days and our bedding was never changed during the 9 nights that we stayed at the apartments. The bathroom floor was cleaned on a daily basis but the living room and bedroom were never cleaned by the maids during our stay. We went to Portugal during late March and found the hotel in general to be very cold, our room didn’t have any facilities for heating and we were not supplied with duvets but just sheets and thin blankets, the beds were very hard and very uncomfortable. The tiled floors were slippery and the safety of young children would be a major concern. We were also annoyed at the water heating system in the hotel rooms, myself, my husband and my son had to take turns at different times of the day to have showers as the hot water only lasted 15min max and took hours to heat up for the next person. We stayed half board but regretted this as after the 3rd night the meals were the same and no choice, on a positive note, the staff at the front desk and in the restaurant were very attentative and friendly. The hotel however was in a remote area and taxis were needed to go out into town, we spent about £100 in taxis during our stay, and transfers to the hotel took at least 1 hour from Faro airport.
Estrela do Vau - highly rated!
from SF007
This is a great hotel and my wife, kids (aged 10, 9 & 7) and I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 weeks spent here. The staff are very friendly and helpful. We stayed in a 2-bedroom apt, which was very large, clean, well-equipped, and comfortable. Clientelle 60% Irish, 30% Brit, others German, Portuguese & Dutch. All friendly people generating a good atmosphere. Almost all were families with kids of all ages. Two Portuguese reps organised daytime & evening activities - enjoyable but low key during evening. Pools are good and the on-site gym is ok. Bar expensive. Huge choice of bars and restaurants in Praia da Rocha and its Marina area - experienced incredibly friendly service throughout (too many to recommend, but our particular favourites were Casa da Romana for fish, and Sitting Bull for quality steaks at surprisingly reasonable prices). Also, Alvor is within 10km for amazing fish dishes. Good atmosphere in all resorts. Our meals were typically ~50 to 80Euro for 2 adults + 3 kids. Alto Golf Course is next door and looks good (but didn't try it). It's too far to walk to P-da Rocha, so taxis are essential, but expect a long wait. We hired a car which gives you freedom and, when you consider cost of airport transfers (70km) and other excursions (eg neighbouring resorts, beaches and water parks), works out cheaper overall when booked thro' HolidayAutos, AutoEurope or similar. Advise purchasing additional 'excess waiver' to avoid potentially massive damage costs. Water park: prefer Slide & Splash to Aqualand - shop around for 15% discount. Would normally never revisit a hotel/resort because there are too many places to visit, but may make an exception with this one. Finally, Faro airport quite expensive for snacks so stock up before your return flight.
Brilliant for families
from donnyleigh
We have just returned from this hotel and thought it was a real bargain for the money! People keep saying it is quite, yes it is but 2 minutes in a taxi and you can be in Prai Da Rocha, Alvor or Portimao which are anything but quite. We loved it because during the days you could just relax by the pool or go down to the local beach which is a 10 minute walk away. In the evening you can go as wild as you want really. We preferred Alvor because we have 2 kids aged 9 & 10 so Prai Da Rocha was a bit too busy for us, Da Rocha is your typical brits abroad place (Blackpool only warmer). In Alvor you can eat in any number of restaurants which specialize in seafood, shellfish, pork and steaks. We tried about 10 different places and they were all great really. I can highly reccommend Conico restaurant in Praihna (about 1KM from Prai Do Vau) wow this place is amazing. You get a lift down through the cliffs to get to it, once you walk down a couple of corridors it opens out into the most amazing private beach and Canico restaurant. The food is amazing and after your meal you can go onto the private beach for a few cocktails - You must try this one!! The kids will love it, let them go onto the beach whilst you sit back and relax (you can see the kids from the restaurant balcony, plus the beach is enclosed). If you have around £1500 - £2000 to spend on a 2 week holiday then I would say give this place a go, we thought it was excellent. Only one negative comment to make about the hotel - Be prepared for the water aerobics, its about every 2 days in one of the pools. The problem is they insist on belting out music across the whole pool area for about 1 hour, you do get used to it but I did see a couple of older guy's having a right stropp!! We have loads of pictures so if you want any emailing drop me an email on leighdnvn@hotmail.com
Ok - but taxi's needed to get anywhere!
from SurreyGirlyCamberley
Me and my boyfriend (23 and 28) stayed here for a week - the apartment was well equiped - one bedroom, air con, TV, microwave, toaster, kettle etc kitchen was like a british full kitchen (but no oven). We did not get clean towels for 6 days - the maids took our bath towels on the 5th day, so we complained and they replaced them with dirty ones! On the 6th day we moaned to our rep who sorted it out and we got new towels. Another problem is the apartment above us was a family living in a 1 bed apartment - which mean they were dragging out the pull out beds at 1am and then putting them away at 7am (not good when you want a lie in on holiday!) - because of the tiled floors everything they did was very loud! Pool was nice (but hazardous - they were doing loads of repairs whilst we were there)...good facilities - they have tennis, crazy golf, tv room, good kids club, water aerobics, gym etc! Main problem was that we had to get a taxi to Praia da rocha every night - which was less than 5euros - but after 14 trips in a week that's £50...in a way it was nice because you felt like you were going out every night. If you want a quiet holiday this is a good place...I'm not sure we'd go back here simply because of it's remoteness from everywhere! Good luck if you are going there - receptionists are very nice, so are pool bar staff. If you are going you MUST try the Sitting Bull steak house in praia da rocha - we loved it!!!
Nice Time in a friendly apartment
from PumpDesigner
Clean, friendly with loads of space. These are the ideal apartments for a family holiday. Air conditioning in rooms is great and we even had a dish washer. Would visit again.
Excellent family hotel
from FamilyMan45
We thoroughly enjoyed this hotel. After reading various mixed reports we went with an open mind but hoping for the best. The holiday started with a long bus journey which took 1.5 Hrs but the bus was cool and the rep was friendly. At the hotel reception the very nice man changed our room (without asking) as he thought it would be more suitable for the family. The 1-bed apartment was clean and spacious. The bathroom was OK and the shower was excellent. The morning introduction with the rep was informative but I did wonder why they brought a timeshare tout for a local hotel. The pools, play area, snack bar, gift shop, and bar were all excellent. We went half board and apart from limited choice for the adults I could not fault the standard. Also the waiters were all very pleasent and responded at our attempts at speaking the lingo. The area was nice, we did not go far but the Taxi service to the hotel was excellent. When we did venture out we realised that Estrela do Vau was one of the better hotels around, fortunate that it was away from busy roads and other properties. The beach down the road is a little gem and should not be missed. We took a pushchair down without problem but it is a dirt track and does get a little steep in places. The supermarket is expensive on site but as we were half board we did not need alot. The wine was reasonably priced but most things seemed expensive. Entertainment was limited at the hotel, they did do a good BBQ night but the parrot show was twice mysteriously cancelled much to my childrens displeasure. We did not go to the Karaoke night as it was too late for our little ones. The hotel was noisy until 1:00am after the BBQ night but some strong notes put up around the hotel the morning after quashed any further disruption. The apartment was cleaned, beds made & towels changed every day which helped alot. On our last day we had to vacate the room by 10:00am but we asked for a late check out because of our young family and as we were not leaving until 3:45pm. We were very happy when they allowed us to stay in the room until 2:00pm. This really made the last day go so smoothly and typified the attitude and helpfulness of the staff. To sum up I would totally recommend this hotel to families with young children who want to spend time with them but not to couples or people wanting late night entertainment.
Excellent setting especially for families
from A TripAdvisor Member
An excellent place for a family hoiday. My wife and our 3 kids, 5, 3 & 1 had a great time at this really well run hotel. The apartment was extremely spacious with 3 large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a hugh living area. There were also 3 balconies overlooking the pool areas. The rooms were cleaned every day by the very friendly staff. The pool area was well set up with 2 large pools for Adults and a shallow kids pool. We only ate once in the hotel and the food was OK. But you are 5 mins form both Pria do Rocha and also 5 mins from the lovely little village of Alvor both of which have beautiful restaurants. Overall we could not recommend this hotel enough.
Couldn't want for better, fantastic
from A TripAdvisor Member
When we booked our last minute holiday to the Algarve we didn't no what to expect. When we arrived we were very impressed by the location was quiet but in reach of places such as alvor because the taxis were afordable and of a high standard. The apartments were spacious and furnished to a high standard. The apartments consisted off:2 bathrooms,2 bedrooms along with 2 balcones and an open plan kitchen,lounge. All of which were cleaned every day by the friendly cleaning staff un-like some other places we have stayed in the past. The were 2 big pools along with a baby pool for those with young children all of which were very clean and the food in the pool side bar along with the staff were great. The main bar it'self was good but could've been bigger but never the less was of a good standard. In conclusion this has to be one of the best places we have stayed other than america. This was the opinion of all 4 of us :2 adults and 2 children and we will definently be paying them another visit:)
good value family hotel in quiet setting
from A TripAdvisor Member
booked this as a last minute holiday,pleasantly surprised quiet location but taxis cheap to alvor or portimao ,food and snack pool bar was good.maids cleaned on a daily basis,reception staff always helpful ,entertainment was fine at the bar overall we would go back the kids aged 11,13 thought it was great the apartments were lovely
More hotel photos
This hotel is terrible.There is no shops nearby ,poor breakfast even without tea ,poor dinner.If you want something to drink after dinner you have to pay.Waiters are very unkind.They standing next to you waiting as you finish eating!Long way to the beach.The table to the... more