Pestana Grand Premium Ocean Resort

Beautiful setting near all amenities. Gardens stunning and kept pristine. Hotel very good but not 5*. Lots of areas that could do with an upgrade. Biggest failure - BEDS. Sooo uncomfortable. Unbelievable that a 5* hotel would have such shoddy mattresses. Did speak to a 'Deputy Manager' about this at the end of my stay. I should have done it sooner. She did say I could have been changed to a different room or been given a mattresses topper. Begs the question - do different rooms have better beds? Are they not all excellent beds in a 5* hotel? For this reason, I would never go back. Shame, because I liked the setting, but not at the cost of lack of sleep and comfort.

The hotel os simply amazing. The location was perfect, we could see ocean from our rooms. The amenities are also very nice. We played pool, TT and had swimming time here also. In the evening the sunset from the swimming pool was just majestic. But above all our stay was perfect because of one person, Rui Faria. He was very approachable and helped us with everything and even made sure my wife's birthday was upto the expectations.

Check in and the room were good, along with a great view. The saltwater pool is pretty nice. I bought the package that included breakfast and dinner. Since the restaurant didn't have any more reservations due to the restaurant's small size I had to go to the buffet. This is where it started going wrong. I have eaten at plenty of buffets but this one was without a doubt, the absolute worst. I tried most of the dishes and not a single one was good. Definitely not acceptable for a hotel that has five stars on the side of the building. The following morning I woke up to a very hot room because the AC had stopped working sometime during the night. Before leaving the hotel I contacted the front desk and they assured me that they would take care of it. I spent all day out and came back for dinner. While in the room prior to dinner the AC was working. I should mention that because we had a reservation at the Italian restaurant, dinner was the complete opposite of the previous night. Went out after dinner and only returned about 1:00 in the morning. Again, the room was hot and the AC was not working. Contacted the front desk and they told me that maintenance only works during the day so pretty much I was out of luck. Again, not even close to being five stars. Next morning I talked to the manager and all she did was apologize. What exactly does an apology do while you're paying around $400 a night for a hotel and sleep without AC for two nights. The one star is just for the Italian restaurant and the pool. Zero stars for the rest, starting and ending with the manager.

Dear Hotel Manager and the entire Pestana Grand team, We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your exceptional hospitality during our stay. We were deeply touched by the wonderful surprise you prepared for my birthday on June 25 and for my partner's birthday on June 28. Receiving a bottle of champagne in our room on both occasions made these special days even more memorable. Your kindness, attention to detail, professionalism, and the excellent service provided by every member of your team have made us feel truly welcome and valued. Thank you for everything you have done to make our stay so enjoyable. We will always remember your hospitality with great appreciation and will gladly recommend Pestana Grand to our family and friends. With sincere thanks and best wishes, Oliviu & Iuliana