BELA VISTA HOTEL & SPA - RELAIS & CHATEAUX Luxe

A beautiful location in the middle of the very busy and popular Portimao at southern cost of Portugal. The building is a well preserved jewel, and the facilities luxurious and up to date. The service is impeccable. The food is good and interesting for one night. I would definitely go back.

We stayed for 4 nights a the hotel and we have a mixed review: We loved the building and location and I would somewhat differ to other reviews as the hotel can't influence its surrounding (beach promenade, less attractive buildings in the background, etc.) but we also had a bad experience with the room, it being small, somewhat dated, and most importantly very noisy because of the opposite hotel's regular dance night. The staff was OK, sometime too friendly and loud and a bit slow, but that was certainly made up by their food which is exquisite.

We stayed here for 6 nights and stayed on the property a lot so I have several things to say about this place. Property / Room: There is the old house part and the modern wing over the spa. Our room did not have a balcony or patio and that was certainly something that I would want here. The bedroom overlooked the parking lot and a slice of ocean, so that's what partial sea view means; and the bathroom had 2 windows over the main street which gets very loud on the weekend, even in off-season. The closet and bathroom are both poorly designed. To get the light in the closet to work you have to leave the first door open - only one contact for a three-door closet - clearly a price decision outweighed the guest comfort factor. The bathroom sinks were impossible to use without spilling water everywhere since the faucet is too short for the sink bowl. The toilet has a built-in bidet which is a nice touch and the tub is adequate but the window in the tub means that you can't shower without getting the blind soaking wet. Design issues bug me as there are professionals to help in these cases and it's annoying to have to mop up the counter when you pay this level of price. Positive side though: This hotel wins my award for "Best Air Conditioning" among all the places we stayed in Portugal over 3 weeks. The public areas are quite nice - the pool has music so be warned that you'll hear satellite radio at various volumes - not ideal for relaxing, but perhaps that's just me. Food & Beverage: Breakfast, like everything here is inconsistent: Get Deborah to take care of you and there are no problems. There's another server who is excellent, but the rest stand around unless prodded to do something. I could never get soft scrambled eggs no matter that they offer: runny, soft, and firm. They all came out the same. I would not advise sitting on the lovely terrace as the sea gulls swoop down and eat off the plates - my partner had his egg dish attacked and spilled. There is no netting to prevent this. Outdoor bar / indoor bar/ pool bar: Again inconsistent service. Duart is a great server and I would highly recommend the Bela Vista pizza. Again, on the terrace, you need to be aware of the gulls, but there are umbrellas in this area that discourage most of them. The guy who was working the indoor bar was efficient when he could be - he was pulled off duty there to help in the restaurant and outside, so we had to go searching for him. Vista Restaurant: We had the tasting menu and it was very good. This meal gets my runner-up for our best meal in Portugal. The amuse-bouches are artfully presented and exquisite and full of flavour. The rest of the menu is well done. Despite being informed at reservation and again at the beginning of the meal, my allergies were not attended to, so I had to send back one dish and was unable to eat the treats at the end. The F&B Director apologized and comped a drink for us the following night, so that was fine, but for the money and the large number of servers, and the small number of guests, they should be able to keep track. This was pre-season, so perhaps there are a lot of new people on staff. The chef is definitely worth watching - he has a skilled hand. Spa: They make a big deal that it's L'Occitane en provence, so maybe that's a difficult brand in Portugal - it isn't in Canada. At any rate, we had a great experience here. My massage was with Pedro and he is the absolute best masseur I have ever had in a hotel. My partner had a good experience with another masseuse, so I hope this suggests that all the staff are quite good and very responsive to the client's needs. The spa has a dry sauna, steam room and whirlpool that guests can access for a small fee and I would recommend this at the very least. It's a lovely area. Overall, this was an agreeable stay but I would search for something else if I were ever there again. I would though, go back to the spa and the restaurant!

Without doubt the BELA VISTA Hotel ticks every box you could possibly ask for. We stayed here for seven nights From 1st of May and from the moment we arrived experienced superb service enjoying a fabulous location in a wonderful Hotel. The staff are exceptional!! Every member of staff is there to ensure our stay was beyond expectation. Very difficult to achieve ...but they did that with ease . The food(we ate in the dining room twice ..) and experienced the most amazing flavours from land and sea . We chose to have our wines paired for us ..and again expectation was exceeded.Attention to detail in this superb room overlooking the ocean is superb. We also enjoyed the less formal dining option on three nights in the lounge. Starting with bespoke cocktails made by the " scientist"...what fun and enjoyment we had every evening. The food was excellent and again the dining staff came back and forth ensuring we were enjoying our evening....in no way was it overwhelming...just genuine care and attention to detail. I could go on and on about our experiences here ...but will make it simple...and a challenge ..If you can find a hotel which offers location 10/10...accommodation 10/10..food 10/10 staff 12/10.....!!! please let us know... We will return to the Bela Vista later in the year...... and so look forward to returning.

Well, I have been lucky enough to visit a few Michelin star restaurants and this tasting menu was definitely up there!! Amazing service, exquisite food with amazing tastes and flavours and we would recommend having the wines to match from the knowledgeable Sommelier. We had many additional surprises added and my friend received a birthday cake ( i only mentioned it once via email when I booked ) the team of staff appear very proud to work for the chef. We would recommend the 5 or 7 courses as Chef chose them for us and we are convinced you will not be disappointed. I have some photos but these do not really do the food justice. So don't be put off by my poor photography 😆 one suggestion ummmmm, no hand cream in the ladies 😆 Uber small point. Well done to all of the team and we will be back x