Pine Cliffs Village

First of all here is a summary of our experience. This is a huge place, and you need to get one of the complimentary 'buggies' to get you from A - B. We only used one of the many swimming pools, which was down by the Residents Area - big pool, plenty sun beds. We also had breakfast here, which was so much lovelier than the one up by the main reception. Room was fabulous, ours had a kitchen, so we took the opportunity to cook. BEWARE...food and drinks are very expensive. A beer is the equivalent of around £7 We ate in the Italian restaurant the first night, mainly because we were tired, and a pizza was around £24-50 A basic fish dish in their seafood restaurant started at around £39. Every time you order food and drink, 10% gets added to your bill, but you can just cross through this and either pay no service or put your own amount in. All the staff were wonderful, helpful and friendly. Now, a bit more detail....on arrival the receptionist was very helpful and explained everything well, including the service charges as explained above. Our apartment was huge. 2 bedrooms, open plan kitchen, dining and lounge. Kitchen had everything. Big TV in the lounge, and one in each bedroom. Air Con excellent. Main terrace was spacious. Bathrooms large and the bath was really big. Breakfast is amazing. Such a variety of food and drink. Omelets and fried eggs made to order. Excellent service. The Champagne Bar is well worth a visit, especially towards sunset, but go much earlier as it does get packed. As stated, food and drink are expensive. Just across from the hotel are a couple of bars, where you can also get snacks / meals. A pint of local (delicious) beer is around £3-30. There is a great supermarket there as well, which we used a couple of times. Had everything we wanted, from seafood and meat to bread, wine, beer, fruit, vegetables, and much, much more. We went many times to the nearby town of Olhos De Agua (use an Uber - only cost us around £4 one way). Walk down to the seafront; you won't be disappointed. At the far end of the seafront is a great bar (has a red roof). Don't be put off by its 'shabbyness' - drinks are great, as is the food, and had a great laugh with the staff. At the opposite end is a restaurant overlooking the sea. Brilliant food. Restaurant Olhos is a must, but go with a proper appetite!! Fab food and atmosphere. Staff again were brilliant. We had a Saturday morning out at Loule, which is market day. If you want to cook and love seafood, then go here. Several seafood places in the indoor market, with prices you won't believe. We had tuna steaks, which would have fed 3 to 4 people, for £11. Fruit and vegetables were stunning. Again, use an Uber - £14 each way (about 15 miles one way). We got out of Pine Cliffs what we wanted, and enjoyed it immensely.

The most amazing resort ! Everything was perfect. It's definitely 5 star. The service, quality of accommodation, restaurant choices and food quality were all outstanding. 30 mins from Faro airport. Ubers widely available. We visited Albufeira and Vilamoura for mornings out but wish we had just stayed in Pine Cliffs as it's so beautiful. The beach is incredible and Mare restaurant for lunch is wonderful. Played golf, nice coirse although pros will want a longer game. Weather perfect too, hot sunshine all day.

We just returned from a glorious holiday at Pine Cliffs resort, where we stayed in one of the beautiful and very spacious deluxe golf suites. Our family of 2 adults and 3 children had stayed previously at the Pine Cliffs residences, so we already knew what a wonderful resort Pine Cliffs is, but this time we chose the 2 bedroom golf suite, which had a lovely view over the club house and first tee off. Amazing to wake up to the sunshine and luscious greens and gardens in front of our room. From the start the check in was fast and everything explained clearly. The front desk staff were all professional, friendly and always at hand to help. We did have an issue on the third day that we communicated to the front desk, and were immediately introduced to the duty manager, who sorted it out perfectly for us in around an hour. Nothing is ever an issue when you make a request, and you can see that staff have been trained to do everything possible for us to be happy. It was well noted by my wife and I how professionally we were treated. We chose to have the buffet breakfast every morning for the 9 days we were there, and it is a total highlight of our holiday. Everything imaginable for breakfast is available, and they have a small kids breakfast corner that was a great touch. ALL the breakfast staff are courteous, friendly and always at hand to offer their services. Really makes one feel special. I would love to mention all the breakfast staff who were so great, but two that stood out were Valquiria and Felipe (thank you all) . We sat outdoors every morning, and the atmosphere of the gardens and food was a pleasure. One of the best parts of Pine Cliffs (and there are many) is the access to one of the best beaches in the world (Ive seen many beaches around all parts of the world in my 49 years, and this one is incredible) . Took my two young boys (6 and 9) for a run every morning along the beach, and we all loved that start to the day. There are sun loungers and towels that Pine Cliffs guests are offered, and the Mare restaurant serves really good food. A short walk along and there is another cafe/bar to enjoy if you want a change, however we would highly recommend just a leasurley stroll anytime. Pine Cliffs is Massive, and like a small city in itself. There is free parking everywhere, there are 6 different swimming pools to enjoy, all with plenty of sunbeds, kids play areas and some with swim up bars. There are restaurants all around, a huge kids area/kids club/kids playground , that has all sorts of different play apparatus for kids, tennis courts, basketball court, indoor swimming pool and a full sized gym. If you prefer to eat out, there are many choices a short walk outside of the complex, as well as two large supermarkets that are very reasonably priced (most accommodation at Pine Cliffs comes with a kitchen, apart from the hotel rooms. There are I believe 5 different types of accommodation to book, from hotel rooms, to small to

Absolutely shocking for a 5 star. Totally dated. Mats are dirty. Weird encasement around the windows. The kitchen is like something from 1989. Miles from places suitable for those with children. We stayed at residences last year and paid €500 less for the week and that included meals! A complete and utter dump and a joke they’d call this 5 star.

I write to say how fabulous the Pine Cliffs golf apartments this May trip has been . Pine Cliifs staff all -brilliant Apartment - updated internally and as ever quality fittings . Pine Cliffs facilities - second to none Pine cliffs grounds / pools excellent We have regularly reviewed over years and Pine Cliffs in this time has probably trebled in number of differing style rooms/ apartments/ Town houses/ Villas / Ocean sweets etc and all the while the grounds have continued to look incredible . The whole location and Staff are deserving of the best reviews

So, we stayed in a 3 bedroom villa opposite the golf clubhouse. The villa was lovely, although the taps on the bathroom sinks barely reach the bowl. The showers are stuck in the corner of the baths, so you have to stand in the curve of the bath to get under them. The kitchen is well furnished. The service is poor, multiple pools, however, I only witnessed pool drink and food service at one pool, and that was 2 staff serving 100 plus by the pool and on the lawns. A seabass was £45, served on the bone and at the table and then filleted. The server was having a continuous conversation with the barman whilst butchering the seabass. On arrival, after a long flight, I asked where we could get a drink. I was sent to the Champagne bar, a 5 minute walk, which was closed. There is a bar in the lobby, but it is closed 3 days of the week and only opens at 9pm when it is open. Why? What a waste of space, right by where people are checking in. We won't be returning. Looking forward to Ikos opening.

First the good, we travelled as two families (kids 7 & 4) and stayed in a 2 bedroom townhouse that are a part of the PC Villas & Golf Suites. The accommodation was well suited to our needs; it’s pretty much self-catering that’s well equipped & as there is a small intermarche just outside, it’s pretty easy (and cost efficient) to look after one’s self. Also, as it’s in the heart of the resort its conveniently located to everything (tennis, playground, pools, restaurants, beach…). The Resort itself is ideal for families – it’s well located (40 mins from the airport), large (never feeling crowed during our stay), numerous facilities (anyone mention the 7 outdoor pools?) with a range of food options. That kind of leads to the less good – the dining & drink options are pricey but alternatives are available (see above); getting a morning barista coffee is unnecessarily difficult (you’ll have to go to the golf club) as the espresso bar is open 5 days a week from 9am; the resorts’ kids club needs to be pre-booked. And finally the ugly – whilst we were there was a 3 day Indian wedding being held; on the Sat night a party was held in the Lemon square right next to many people’s accommodation; the noise kept the kids up and lasted ‘til gone past 2230. I am not sure this was a necessary inconvenience given the size of the resort I am sure the party could have been held elsewhere. This experience left a bitter taste as it heightened the sense that PC were looking to maximise the bottom line (and not the guest experience)

Lovely grounds and spacious apartment. Golf academy very impressive with driving range, multiple putting greens and short game area. Golf course is well maintained and while short and only 9 holes it is good for a holiday round. Disappointed to be asked to join up with 2 strangers on the 1st tee. This is something my young son would not have been comfortable with at all. Eventually able to sort so that could play as planned however not the start was hoping for. Biggest issue with the golf course was it closing very early. Latest tee off was 5pm and seems a big waste to have the course empty at what I’d consider a perfect time to play. Would have liked to have played rounds starting at 6 or 7pm and weather perfectly fine to do so but told not possible. Allowing golf all day would be much better. Food was fine while not quite having the wow factor might expect from 5*. Price of on site restaurants also very high. Swimming pools are a good size with clear shallow and deep ends, however they are cold. Probably fine in July / August, however at other times of the year, heating these would be a significant improvement. Sun loungers full a lot of the time and the signs that they couldn’t be reserved completely ignored. Good holiday, however there are areas that could definitely be improved.