EDEN RESORT Luxe

So after finding a cheap half term deal on Expedia we booked the 'Eden Resort' we paid £1300 for all inclusive for a week in a 3 bed villa. Bargain! Ok the resort is nice, 3 pools an inside pool, little shop, inside and poolside bars. Kids club and little tiny kids park. The food was decent enough, freshly cooked I think and some good variety. The resort itself was tidy, clean and well maintained. HOWEVER, out villa was infested with ants, and I don't mean the odd Spanish stray looking for some sugar, we are talking basically the entire squad of an ant nest. So I complain and ask to move villas as our 5 year old wants to "keep them as pets" and our 2 year old wants to eat them. They say no and weren't in the slightest apologetic for it, so for the entire week they gave us a can of bug spray and we sprayed until we were almost high every day, multiple times a day, trying to kill them off. That said if that hadn't of happened it's a nice resort you aren't paying the big bucks so don't expect a 5* resort. But it amused the kids for a week, the surrounding Alvarez hills are beautiful and the old town and beach were lovely. There is also a water park about 15mins away. We didn't go but heard that it's very good. We booked a jeep safari where they take you out for a few hours and it was great the tour guide was a legend and the scenery and little locals stops we went to were fantastic one of which being an old village called Alte which was not only gorgeous but the cake place they take you made up for the fact my toddler stepped in literally the only fresh dog **** in the village, and then got in on my shorts. Let's not go there. The only thing I would say is the safari is extremely bumpy and at one point we were concerned our kids were going to get brain damage! Apart from that all good - would I go back, no, but it was nice for a week and created a few nice memories!

First of all, I need to say that Faro Airport is an absolute nightmare. I know there is refurbishment work going on but it is without doubt the worst airport I have ever experienced. So much so that we have vowed never to return to The Algarve until the airport issues are resolved. I know this is nothing to do with the Eden Resort, but it was the start and finish of our holiday and it absolutely ruined it. The Eden Resort is situated on a hill overlooking beautiful Portuguese countryside. You have no concept of being near to the sea but it is less than a 5 minute taxi ride to Albufeira Old Town. First impressions are great, the villas and apartments look new, but on closer inspection, they are starting to show signs of neglect. External surfaces have moss growing on them and many need a lick of paint. Our villa was a two bedroom two bathroom on two floors. There were loads of black marks on the walls, mainly on the wall next to the stairs. Presumably these were caused by suitcases being dragged up the stairs. There were holes in some of the curtains and veneer was starting to come off the units in the kitchen. The two settees needed a good clean. The villa was very spacious with a very well equipped kitchen. Beds were comfy and the bathrooms were large and modern. Air conditioning was a bit disappointing. The air blown out of the units was not particularly cold. (Not great in a heatwave!) Villa was cleaned 5 days a week. Towels were changed regularly but bed linen was only changed once a week. If you want bed linen changed more often there is a charge. Sheets are €2 and a pillowcase is €1. This is something I have never come across in all my years of holiday making! We initially booked bed and breakfast but changed our minds and upgraded to all inclusive. We are still not sure if this was a good idea. Food in the restaurant was nice but a bit repetitive and not very hot. Salads were lovely. Best meal of the day was the breakfast. The all inclusive package was not brilliant. Spirits are very poor quality and only a few cocktails are included. Slushes are not included. We saw people being served Pepsi Max out of a bottle and asked for some only to be told it was for "paying guests"! When you buy something from the snack bar, if you are all inclusive, it is served on a plastic plate. Non all inclusive guests are given a takeaway box. When we asked why, again we were told the boxes were for "paying guests". Having paid an awful lot of money for our holiday, we were starting to feel like we were second class. Most of the staff are excellent, especially the waiters in the restaurant and most of the bar staff. There were one or two female exceptions who need lessons in customer service. There are three pools and they are all lovely. The main pool is the one with the pool bar and this is chaotic with loud music and loads of activities. We chose to stay by this pool as we didn't mind the chaos and didn't want long trips to the bar. The Thomas Cook entertainment team of Tom, Ellee and Tamara work their socks off to keep everyone entertained day and night. They are a credit to Thomas Cook and the Eden Resort. The pool attendants, Armando and Kailan, also work non-stop making sure everyone gets a sun bed, a towel and a parasol. Taxis are €4 to €5 into the old town which is amazing. There is also a courtesy bus during the day. All of the entertainment takes place at the pool bar and there is a nice bar in the main building called the Apple Bar. However, there is no air conditioning and the room is very stuffy. There are two roof terraces off the Apple Bar and we loved sitting on the terrace looking out over the countryside. This resort is rated 4 star and I agree with that. However, with just a bit of maintenance and TLC it could easily be 5 star.

Nothing to fault at all- Highly recommended. We stayed s/c in a one bedroom apartment..it was spacious, modern and very clean. We used the minibus that takes a few minutes into the old town, taxis were cheap and easily available too. We enjoyed our stay that much we have booked to go back this year! 🏖

Pros: spacious 2 bedroom apartment with 2 bathrooms, fully fitted kitchen. Good pool areas (separate adult only pool if required). Shuttle bus provided by hotel to and from the old town Cons: our apartment was a little tired, furniture stained and holes in curtains. The walk to the old town is possible - however not ideal for children. There isn't anything within the immediate perimeter of the hotel. Trips on offer are very overpriced in my opinion. The old town has plenty of bars and restaurants-(some better than others, "shalom" a must for great ribs/meat dishes)without the rowdiness of the strip (new town), there are also plenty of your usual souvenir shops. There is a Lidl and Aldi within a short taxi ride from the hotel. We used them both as we stayed B&B. Drinks at the hotel bar are overpriced for those guests who chose not to stay AI so we made use of the fridge freezer in the apartment and purchased drinks/ice creams from the supermarket. We would consider staying here again, however would definitely hire a car. The hotel could be 'spot on' with a little more attention to cleanliness/maintenance.

We have just returned from 10 days at Eden resort. Cannot say a bad word about the place. Myself, my husband and 4 children aged between 3 and 12 had a fantastic time. We had a 2 bedroom apartment which was so big plenty of space for us all. The garden is great and safe for children to play in. We were all inclusive and again this was fantastic, plenty of choice and snack times were great for the kids, toasties, chips etc at 11 and then nuggets, pizza, burgers etc at 4 from the pool bar. Restaurant meals plenty of choice and wasn't repeated the whole time we were there. Waiters in restaurant brilliant with children. The pool attendant is great, really helpful and friendly and again the kids loved him. Reception will organise a taxi for you to go anywhere, a taxi for 6 of us was around €8 to the old town, so really reasonable. Pools are spotlessly clean and plenty of sun loungers. You are given tokens for towels at reception upon check in and you exchange them with the pool attendant as and when you need clean pool towels. The whole resort is massive and so clean and well kept. We did not see one scrap of rubbish. Grounds are immaculate. The maid came every day except Thursday and Sunday. Kept the room clean, with clean towels and sheets, mopped floor etc. Excellent service. We had an evening flight on the day of check out, so rather than leave our room at 11 we payed to have our room until we left at 7, again this was no problem with reception. I can honestly say this has been the best holiday we have been on, and will definitely be returning next year!