Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve

I wish I could write a positive review, but our experience at Iberostar Lagos Algarve was beyond unacceptable — it was deeply traumatizing and completely inhumane. Having a confirmed reservation from July 11 to 19, and knowing that check-in starts at 3 PM that day, we arrived at the hotel shortly after midnight due to our early flight on July 11 (after hours of flights and ground transport) and politely asked the front desk about pricing options for accessing our room earlier if possible. After being quoted with a higher rate than our booking price for the night, we told the desk staff that we would like to sit in the lobby for a few minutes to rest after long hours of transporation and calmly discuss our options. Instead of being treated with even basic hospitality, after sitting a few mins in the lobby, we were aggressively told by desk staff either to “pay the room price or leave,” denied a seat, and then — shockingly — the police were called on us. Can you imagine that? Desk personal called police to kick us out of the facility at the wee hours of the day, simply for the reason that tired hotel guests discussing about whether or not early check-in after hours of transportation to the hotel. This was not a misunderstanding: we were registered guests, and the very same desk staff confirmed our reservation on booking screen. The humiliation and psychological distress we experienced, as confirmed guests treated like intruders in the middle of the night, is hard to describe. Eventually we decided to pay for the night (since we had no other option in the midnight of our first vacation day in a foreign country where police was called upon us) and stay for the rest of our reservation period. Later during our stay, guest relations constantly pressured us to sign a disclaimer for a room upgrade (supposed to be saying sorry I guess for this scandal) which their own staff admitted that it was meant to prevent us from filing or publicizing a complaint. Of course we did not sign that. We gave the corporate management 5 full business days to respond meaningfully after our departure. Instead, the only explanation we received was that this was a mere “service quality” issue — as if calling police on confirmed guests at midnight is a minor customer service glitch. This is not a matter of compensation or booking error — it is a matter of basic human dignity and accountability. Iberostar’s corporate response showed zero recognition of the trauma caused by their staff's behavior. We are now making this public and have filed complaints with the Portuguese tourism board and consumer protection agencies. Final word; travelers, please think twice before booking with this hotel. Their desk staff can call police for you as if you are an intruder in the middle of the night, just for sitting in the lobby to think about your check-in options after hours of flight. It was a dehumanizing and shocking experience— and no guest should ever be made to feel this way.

I wish I could leave anything other than a one-star review, but our stay at Iberostar Lagos Algarve was not only unacceptable — it was deeply disturbing and traumatizing experience for rest of our lives. We arrived shortly after midnight on July 11 with a confirmed reservation for July 11–19 due to our flight time. Knowing that the check-in starts at 3 PM and exhausted after hours of travel, we politely asked about the rate for early check-in. To stress here again -we didn’t request anything for free — we simply inquired about the price to access our room a few hours early. After being quoted a higher rate of our daily reservation price, we told the staff that we would rest briefly in the lobby while we discuss about the options. That’s when everything spiraled. The front desk staff aggressively told us to “pay the room price or leave the premises” denied us even a seat to rest, and within minutes — unbelievably — called the police on us (Furthermore, after our inquiry of this absurd escalation, desk staff told us that she consulted her manager and got the blessing of calling police to kick us out and denied us talking to manager saying -desk manager does not want to talk to you-). This wasn’t a misunderstanding or communication breakdown. Our reservation was acknowledged on their system. We were confirmed guests, treated like intruders and forcibly removed in the middle of the night. Eventually, police really arrived to the scene!!! Since we did not have any other options in the wee hours of the night at a foreign country, being threatened with a police arrest for sitting in the lobby of a hotel -for which we had a valid reservation- we decided to pay the price for the night and keep our ongoing reservation for the rest of the days, in order just not to ruin the rest of our vacation plans. What followed during our stay was just as appalling: guest relations pressured us to sign a “disclaimer”, in exchange of a "room upgrade" (as a -sorry- for calling up the police in the midnight for registered guests) ,which, as their own representative admitted, was intended to prevent us from filing or publicizing any complaint — not to resolve anything. After our departure, we explained everything in detail to corporate management per mail and gave Iberostar 5 business days to respond properly. They did not. Instead of taking responsibility, they tried to frame the incident as a mere “service quality issue,” completely ignoring the gravity of having police called on registered guests simply for sitting in the hotel lobby. To be transparent here again; issue is not about a compensation or whatsoever. It’s about basic human dignity and brand accountability. No one deserves to be humiliated as a tourist in a foreign country just for sitting in the lobby of a hotel after long hours of travel. We’ve now filed formal complaints with Portuguese tourism and consumer protection authorities, as well as German tourism and customer protection authorities as ou

recently took part in both an aqua gym session and an earring-making workshop, and they were honestly such great experiences. Sofia, who ran the earring-making, was full of energy and made the whole thing so fun. She was really friendly the entire time and clearly cared about making sure everyone had a good time. She went the extra mile to make people feel comfortable and included, and you could tell she genuinely enjoyed what she was doing — it made such a difference. The aqua gym with Kris was also a highlight. It was her biggest class yet, but she handled it effortlessly. She’s super funny and approachable, and still managed to give us a proper workout. The session had such a good vibe thanks to her. Big thanks especially to Sofia for making the experience so enjoyable and memorable.