We stayed at Pestana Blue for 9 nights and, in my mind, this is not a five-star hotel — which is such a shame, because with attention to the details it could be incredible. It’s stunning, right by some of the most beautiful beaches.
The staff are friendly and polite, the entertainment team work incredibly hard, and the kids’ club was faultless.
The food, though, is average at best. On many occasions they ran out of dessert spoons, and bowls at breakfast. When I asked a waiter for a bowl, I was handed one with a large chip in it.
One evening I found plastic in my food.
I reported it, and the manager was lovely, he offered us a cabana and left cake and a bottle of wine in our room to compensate. I assumed this would prompt a real lift in the restaurant’s standards, but the food and service stayed below what we’re used to at five-star. We booked through TUI.
The towels are tired and hard, and on our last two days there were no fresh towels at all only thin beach blankets.
On our final day we checked out at 12, but our flight wasn’t until the evening. When I asked for somewhere to give my daughter a shower, I was told there was nowhere as the rooms were fully booked, and to use the shower by the pool. I pushed back and asked to speak to a manager — at which point a room suddenly became available.
As I said, it’s a real shame, because it’s a beautiful hotel that clearly does very well.
They could easily afford to invest in the basics — towels, spoons, bowls — and in their food and service, to reach the five-star standard they’re graded at.
