Riu Palace Algarve

The really good parts of this hotel: the most beautiful rooms, beautiful areas, lovely food and amazing service from the staff. The staff at the sunset bar are incredible and to be honest you would believe you’re in a 5 star resort. Just a few little things from a family with younger children that we noticed, especially as this is now a family hotel: We understand the hotel used to be an adults only hotel- the main pool is extremely deep (1.6m) and no inflatables are allowed, this is also checked and lifeguards ask for them to be removed. The alternative is a tiny children’s pool made basically for babies. Being that there is a whole adults area in the hotel, I found it extremely bizarre that children are not catered for to cover this like other hotels. Equally, there were no kids menus for the restaurants but we did notice some in the sister hotel.. We did feel the odd ones out within a majority adult populated hotel and this was the school holidays (a few comments from passer-bys which I had to bite my tongue about as I only noticed impeccably behaved children during our stay) This being said, yes we would return- you can’t change the silly comments made by small minded guests, arguably the best hotel in Olhos de Agua! Perhaps just a few tweaks for the younger guests.

I booked this hotel for a mother daughter trip with my 17 year old. A week away to relax in quiet luxury. I booked direct with the hotel and received a complimentary half board upgrade which turned out to be excellent value. The hotel is new, it opened in 2025 and it’s beautifully designed. The reception is lovely, the staff are professional and polite and we checked in without any issues. Our twin room on the second floor was perfect. A decent size, beautifully decorated and with a side sea view was just what we’d hoped for. The shower room is spacious with twin sinks and a large walk in shower. The food in the buffet restaurant is top notch, I was actually pleasantly surprised at the standard. Avoiding busy times is key and we managed to get it spot on. No queues, a relaxed atmosphere and don’t miss the deserts, they’re delicious. The whole hotel is immaculate, our room was tended to daily and the pool areas are very well managed. We spent most of our time on the adults only deck as the sunbeds are super comfortable, however the infinity pool temperature is very warm. On our last day we used the large swimming pool and actually the temperature was way nicer although the sun beds are not quite as luxurious. The location is great, a 15 minute stroll and you’re in the small seaside village with plenty of restaurants to choose from. Happy hour 5.30-6.30pm in the outdoor lounge area was our daily highlight! Gorgeous cocktails for €5 and the staff are just so friendly. The sunset bar is also worth a visit with gorgeous views and relaxing sofas. I can honestly say this has been a wonderful stay at the Porto Bay Blue Ocean and I would definitely book to stay again.

Great hotel, very friendly staff