Victoria Golf Resort and Spa Managed by Accor

Very good hotel. Brilliant staff and excellent welcoming attitudes. Will definitely be back to try the golf course!

We had a wonderful stay at this 5-star Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort. The room was clean, spacious, and offered a very calm and relaxing environment — perfect for a restful getaway. We received a warm welcome from both the front desk staff and the porter, which made us feel right at home from the start. We opted for the half-board package and were very impressed. Dinner each evening was delicious, with a great variety of dishes to choose from, and breakfast also had something for everyone. (The only slight downside was the coffee, which could be improved.) The pool area was fantastic, and the spa facilities added an extra touch of luxury to our stay. All in all, a great experience — we would definitely come back!

Where do you start. We picked this hotel based on previous stays at the Anantara Group. This is definitely not up to the standard of Anantara nor is it a five star hotel. The outdoor pools are so cold you can’t swim in them. Both the Anantara and Jet2 literature state there is an indoor swimming pool, there is not. What there is within the spa is an infinity pool which to enter the hotel will charge you €25 per hour per person, absolutely insane from a five star hotel. What they don’t tell you is two out is the three restaurants are currently closed and whilst the food and service in the Ria restaurant is very good it becomes very monotonous over a ten day holiday. The general operation of this hotel falls short of Anantara and upon research the Minor Group who own Anantara purchased this hotel as a foothold into Europe from Tivoli Victoria. The hotel is tired and soulless. We had to point out to reception that pool towels had been left uncollected on sun beds for four days. The lack of lighting around the gardens and pool areas is appalling and dangerous. The hotel location is isolated with nothing in the vicinity. The hotel runs a courtesy bus to the marina but the first bus is at 11.00am, half your day is over. Within the bedroom the seat covers are stained and dirty as are the balcony beds, balcony curtains are torn and dirty. Toilet fittings loose and missing, and the toilet door doesn’t close. No idea what the housekeeping schedule is, you can go out in the morning and return after 4pm and still your room is not cleaned, and this is with a hotel which currently has very low occupancy. What Jet2 don’t tell you is this hotel accepts dogs. We were staying here when the clocks went forward we are still waiting 5 days later for housekeeping to change the electric clock in our room. In summary, this hotel has a long way to go to follow the recognised Anantara standards of service and attention to detail, however the staff try very hard to be helpful and friendly.