Tivoli Arade Hotel

We were unsure before we went as this was a quick budget holiday for us with 3 children for their first ever trip abroad. Some sites said the hotel was more club than family having been taken over by Nikki beach. However I cannot think of anything negative to say.
The rooms were spotless (despite other reviews - maybe the hotel reads these too?) and cleaned every morning thoroughly. The breakfasts were great, the staff were pleasant and helpful and the situation was a dream - in the middle of Portimao Marina.
The main (touristy) strip is up a whole lot of steps and full of Irish bars and English breakfasts - yuck! But there was no need to ever go up there, except to the cafe at the top in the Fort (great milkshakes), as there are excellent restaurants right by the hotel, near the beach, and I would recommend the Dolphin Restaurant and the Italian ice cream/pizza place. You can also get a boat across to the fish restaurant in Feragudo (pricey but very nice).
The hotel has 3 pools but only 2 are in the main complex. Sal****er and chilly but very refreshing. The family rooms are suites with 2 double/twin rooms and a sofa bed in the lounge. There is a kitchenette, bathroom with incredible shower, front balcony overlooking the marina and roof terrace. They are between the main hotel complex and the beach and well away from the hotel bar.
Would we go back? Definitely.
Would we recommend it? No - let's keep it secret, otherwise everybody will be going!

Having read the previous reviews I was a bit wary of booking this hotel. Having looked at the hotel on my visit the previous year I thought it looked good and location fantastic.
I booked directly with the hotel and found the staff helpful. The process was smooth and the information given was accurate. I also booked my airport transfer with them directly.
My visit to the same resort last year entailed a two hour bus journey with a driver who spoke no English. as I result I nearly got left at the wrong hotel and the journey back was as enjoyable picking up the people dropped off on the way there. The taxi clocked 80 Euros but the charge booked through the hotel was 50 Euros. So for the round trip 100 Euros which I would rather pay than site on a bus playing happy holiday maker with no air con for two hours.
We arrived at 11am and had to wait till 2pm to get in our room. No great hardship as we had a bite to eat and some drinks on the strip. But this will be when you get in your room regardless of when you arrive. We asked for a marina view and we got it at the north end of complex. A buggy took us and our luggage to it. Distance from the reception to the north end is circa 400 yards. The buggies run on regular basis but being electric ran out of juice most night about 9pm.
I like a walk to burn off some of the calories you take in on holiday. If you don’t like walking or are not fit to you may want to think about staying here. It was no problem for us both.
Rooms were large, clean, good air con, sat TV, balcony and had a great view. These were kept tidy every day and the mini bar stocked up as and when. Breakfast was between 8-11 and busy as you would expect at about 10 am where sometimes cutlery was sparse.
Breakfast selection was excellent with pretty much all you could want. Sitting on the decking next to river each morning was a pleasure. We never ate in the hotel in the evening as the food on the beach and the strip is very good.
They have a cool private beach bar at the bottom of the strip which would be brilliant and I would imagine busy in the summer. In September it was quite but it’s where I would be in July watching the sun go down. The pool is flanked by rooms which would be the alternative to a marina view.
The bar at the top of the pool serves a decent cocktail at a reasonable price. Most staff are friendly except one security guard/buggy driver who had an attitude. Maybe he didn’t like me? Overall it’s a nice environment. We were there for a week and would stay there if we visited for two weeks which is about as good a review as I will give. Think about it if you don’t like walking if not enjoy yourself.
They only thing I would say is I don’t like queue jumpers and some of the reception staff were influenced by Portuguese visitors who thought there need was greater than my own. A quick word from a Scotsman with a shaved head seemed to do the trick!

The location of the hotel and its apartments around the marina and Arade River is pretty hard to beat but, that's about all this hotel has going for it!
We arrived by train at Portimao to find no taxis at the rank and after waiting (with lots of locals) for some time it was evident that we were all going nowhere!
We telephoned the hotel and asked them if they could arrange a taxi to collect us - sure they said - no problem - 5 minutes they said. That’s what you expect from a 4* hotel but, it didn't happen. After an hour and a half we hitched a lift in one of the locals' taxi.
Our faith in humanity restored we arrived at the hotel only to be told we couldn't check in because we were 10 minutes too early and our room wasn't ready!
We had to ask for the porter and his buggy to take our luggage. We were clearly expected to walk the 300/400 metres to our apartment with all our luggage.
The room still wasn't ready - not by my standards anyway - and my name is not Kim or Aggie. The cheap plastic patio furniture was covered in dust and cobwebs and a used Elastoplasts adorned the patio floor - lovely!! Fluff and hairballs were gathered in every corner of the apartment kitchen/diner.
The reception staff were rude, unhelpful, and disinterested. What all the staff did seem to have in common was a Masters degree in not knowing their a***s from their elbows!!
Not wishing to spend another cent in the hotel we spent a memorable evening exploring the bars and eateries around the marina and Praia de Rocha - none of them have even half a star but they were all without exception, a bit more clued up on what customer service is all about.
Breakfast the next morning just confirmed our first impressions - more bun fight than buffet. The only tables available were still occupied by the previous incumbents' cutlery, crockery and other detritus. Still, the tables are quite large so we just picked one and pushed all the stuff to one side. It was all still there when we left.
I can honestly say that I have never seen so many hotel guests all searching for the same breakfast essentials, cutlery, plates, cups, knapkins. Some staff might have been useful to point us all in the right direction, but then again perhaps that was just a blessing in disguise!!
Checking out was as uncomfortable as checking in, with the only positive thing being that we stayed only one night and we were leaving - hurah!
I wouldn't give this hotel one grain of Portugal's finest sand, never mind four stars.

We booked a cheap end of season holiday flying from Kent International (Manston) and chose this hotel from the Kent Escapes brochure.
The service and facilities at Manston are a revelation, are unhurried, courteous and completely unlike the more popular airports. Travel via Manston if you can!
The Tour Operators collection and return to airport were satisfactory.
The hotel was a disappointment. We were allocated a very comfortable and large room in a block over 300 metres walk from our room to main reception or dining room. A very long return walk if one forgets one's teeth!.
There was, theoretically, an on demand electric buggy to take you. In practice this just did not happen. Complaining to reception about our distant accommodation, we were told that the hotel was full for the next four nights and they might then be able to find us a room nearer reception and restaurant.
The Tour Company rep was not able to help. Breakfast was good and the a la carte dinner very slow but excellent and not expensive.
Another disadvantage was that there was virtually no lounge or bar area for a pre or after dinner drink. The staff in reception were barely polite and failed to pass on receipt of an urgent telephone call from England.
We felt that the hotel was not sure if they were a holiday hotel, a conference hotel or even a sort of condominium. The brochure warned of none of these shortcomings.
If thinking of staying at the Tivoli be very careful!

Our first trip to the Algarve and we stayed in the Tivoli Arade Praia Do Rocha. Very picturesque situated around a marina. For those who like a peaceful holiday, this is the place to say. 10 mins walk from the town centre. Apartments are spotlessly clean and staff very friendly.
Dining room overlooks the sea with magnificent views. Short walk (3-4mins) from apartments to dining room (via the marina) but for anyone who’s unable to walk, there’s a buggy which runs approx every half hour. This a place I would definitely recommend.