Pestana Palm Gardens

We chose to stay at Pestana Palm Gardens, Carvoeiro because it was in close proximity to Benagil Caves. But due to unforeseen strong tide conditions that day, our boat cruise got canceled. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful stay at Pestana Palm Gardens. It exceeded our expectations. The rooms were beautiful — so spacious and clean too. Also, we wanted to send a Big Thank You to Graça (Grace) at front desk, who was super kind and welcoming to us. She took the time to explain what’s popular in the area which made it easier for us to find activities to do. Although our boat cruise didn’t work out, we still had the best time ever and definitely recommend Pestana Palm Gardens 💕

Location is great with easy access to the trail along the coast and it is within walking distance to downtown Carvoeiro. The staff at check in were nice and friendly. The surroundings with trees, palms, bushes and flowers are beautiful, but the buildings and interior seem a bit damaged and run down (Street lamp next to the reception was broken e.g.). The gym is free of charge and includes hand weights, a stair trainer and a bike but the rowing machine was broken. There are two pools one for adults and a smaller one for kids. Outdoor shovers are closed, with a sign saying it is due to water saving. Hygienic wise it is not very nice, and it forces you to shover in your room or at the gym. The hotel charges a 10 euro cash deposit for a pool towel (not payable by credit card) and there are no bathrobes. There is a bar and restaurant on the hotel grounds. I didn’t try to dine there except for breakfast. I find it rather strange that a 4-star hotel doesn’t serve fresh orange juice. Instead the breakfast has a rather disappointing machine made orange juice or pineapple juice, which I can only recommend to avoid. The breakfast buffet has fresh fruit including oranges and based on that the hotel must have access to fresh oranges. There is a nice selection of eggs (scrambled eggs and soft boiled eggs). There are well equipped supermarkets (Intermarche and Apolónia) close by (by car) and rooms come with a small kitchen, so basically it is probably better to shop for breakfast on your own and avoid what the hotel has to offer. The room we stayed in was quite dark with a few windows and no terrace. The roof had plastic domes which give some light but unfortunately give off a lot of noise when it rains on them. There was no extra toilet paper roll in the bathroom so we had to ask the housekeeper for an extra when we ran out. Thus, all in all the hotel should be rated a 3-star hotel not a 4-star given the critique given above.

Meh - all around. Worn out mattresses in the room. Staff generally careless and not customer focussed - from the arrogant front desk lady to the expressionless attendant at breakfast. Super noisy garbage truck showed up at 2am (!) outside of our villa to pick up garbage. Chain saw guy started at 9am trimming palm tree. Unacceptable. I do not recommend to stay there.

Just returned from a lovely week here with my family. Its a great place with everything you need. A short walk to a nearby beach in one direction and not too far to walk into Carvoeiro. The restaurant and pool bar are great. Ricardo, Ruben and the other staff are so welcoming and friendly and made a special effort for my Sons birthday during our stay. Will definitely be coming back. Thank you all.

Have been here before, loved the stay as always. Apartments refurbished, the stay was super calm, the houses have a common garden that allows to make meals outside. Absolutely perfect for family holidays ! Thank you ☺️