Grand House - Relais & Chateaux

We only had 1 night here and wished we had 2 or 3. One of the best hotels I’ve stayed at and I’ve stayed at a lot. Service was impeccable including takeaway break as flight early. Earl Grey tea served on the roof area. Fabulous cocktails shaken not stirred. A Range Rover transporting us to the simply beautiful beach club. We are coming back! 10/10

No longer ‘ a grand ‘ hotel . We stayed as a family group for a weekend in October. From check-in I was concerned, as we arrived the manageress walked out to walk her dog . The single receptionist apologised she was alone in the hotel and could not show us to our room or take our bags … Later in our 3 day stay we realised many of the advertised items in the bedrooms ‘ guide ‘ or website were available as they have very limited staff . No afternoon tea & pastries , no room service during the day , no food or drinks before 6pm… breakfast & dinner service were horrendously slow even though the hotel had only 7 rooms during our weekend . When I emailed my concerns after the stay , I was told we got a bedroom upgrade and that’s that … no attempt to recognise each one of the perhaps 6 or 8 issues we had during the stay , just a brief reply . On looking up the hotel details it seems many of the long term F&B team have moved on & services & staff are greatly reduced. It’s a shame as when I stayed 3 years ago it was a top class hotel .

What an incredible evening, Tiago back in the restaurant as head chef… WOW the culinary delights were amazing. If this man does not get his Michelin star then there is something very wrong with their system. Food was simply amazing, already booked to go back for our wedding anniversary. If you like fantastic food then this is a “must visit” place.

We had high expectations for this hotel, given the price and 5-star status, and they unfortunately were not met. The hotel room was nice - no qualms there. Breakfast and dinner also quite tasty. The staff was nice too. The reason for three stars is the overall operations of the hotel, which all stem from staffing issues. — the beach club closes at 5pm (kitchen at 4) and is not open on Mondays. It’s also a 30 min walk to the beach club, and you pass a homeless camp with a huge intimidating dog barking at you on the way. They used to have a jeep that would drive you, but they had a malfunctioning part and it’s been out of service for a year (why not buy a diff one?). Definitely drive if you go, I wish the staff had told us this. — the bar (which looks lovely and is original from 1920s) is only open from 7pm to 11pm. — the restaurant (very tasty and pretty) had only one waiter for 6 tables, and that person also had to be bartender - tough job - it meant that 90 mins into dinner we still did not have our mains, so we took them to the room instead. — the grand cafe is closed since March, not enough staff. Other notes is that there isn’t really a shared public space large enough to comfortably hang out. I was between 3-4 star rating, but the price point to experience ratio was too low for me to recommend 4 stars. We ended up leaving a day early, and were not able get refunded for the last day (understandable given short lead time and the fact they are a small hotel). The manager was accommodating and offered us a voucher to come back within the year, but I wouldn’t come back until the cafe is open and the beach club is open til midnight (as used to be the case). The location of the hotel was scenic, right on the water, with a view of the boats and yachts, but the surrounding areas are pretty run down with not a lot to do. Other areas of the Algarve have more to offer I think. The manager explained that the staffing issues arise from the fact there are not enough locals in the city to work there, and that they sometimes need to find housing for the workers that come from other areas, which is too expensive to scale. These problems are not specific to the Grand House, it’s the whole hospitality industry that is still recovering from the pandemic, so we all need to keep that in mind as we book these types of hotels in the next years. I understand the excuses, but for a 5 star resort on our honeymoon trip, im frankly not looking to hear any excuses given the price we paid.

Standard rooms are VERY small and lack basic amenities (like a robe fridge etc). There is no pool in the hotel it’s part of the beach club 30 mins away which is closed mondays. I happened to be there Sunday Monday and the Sunday it was “suddenly closed” after I had to ask. The pictures are misleading I was disappointed and would not recommend especially for the price