Troia Design Hotel

After reading some reviews, I lowered my expectations, but the truth is that this hotel exceeded all of them. It also helped to go in this calmer period, but really everything is five stars, from the hotel facilities, the attention and friendliness of the staff, the rooms, and the cleanliness. The room was huge, very well kept and clean. Mini fridge, dryer, coffee machine, a generous balcony with table and chairs, a huge and comfortable bed, in short it has everything necessary. We even had a little surprise because it was my boyfriend's birthday, which demonstrates the fantastic treatment they give to guests. As common areas, such as the indoor and outdoor pool, have plenty of space and also have a kids club, a small gym, direct access to the casino, bar and restaurant, and a fantastic breakfast with many varied and high-quality options. The location is great. Not even a 15-minute walk from Bico das Lulas beach and has all the marina restaurants right there. There is also a My Super 2 minutes walk away. They can park and not use the car, which is perfectly possible. We are going back, without a doubt, because what impacted us the most was being so well received and the hotel having such quality.

We had emailed the Troia Design hotel a couple of times before our arrival to request an early check in as we were only travelling from Lisbon. We never received a response from them. We had also tried to call the hotel but no-one answered the phone. We arrived about lunch time from Lisbon, after getting an Uber from there to Setubal and then the catamaran over to Troia and went to check-in. We were told that our room was not ready and to come back later about 4pm. We asked why no-one had bothered to email us back when we had requested an early check-in. A response in some form would have been nice but nothing! We got a shrug from reception and no explanation. Eventually, as we were not too happy with this, they found another room on a lower floor for us and we were able to go to the room, deposit our luggage and unpack a few things. Strangely enough, we then received an email response to our early check-in enquiry - a bit too late and not really good service! The hotel itself is lovely and in a great position, overlooking the marina, the bay and the natural reserve. It is very glamorous inside, however the room we had was looking a bit tired, with some peeling paint in a few areas, carpet in the bathroom which does not seem the most ideal option. Glass sliding doors to the bathroom area with net curtains. It may be a design concept but it is not the best for privacy, especially when travelling with a friend. Thankfully the toilet was separate and private. The room was spacious with a view over the natural reserve. We believed that we had booked a view overlooking the marina but were told these were only 2 and 3 bedroom units and we could upgrade at nearly 900 Euros per night. We requested some extra pillows from reception on the phone but they never arrived, so we went to the Concierge desk on the way out later and asked for some there, which were in our room upon our return. Reception and some staff members seemed to struggle with English as a language when we were dealing with them. We went to the beach and spent the afternoon there, sunbathing and exploring it all, which was fabulous. Then back to the hotel, where we had an hour at the pool with some snacks and drinks, then showered, changed and back on the catamaran to Setubal for a look around and some dinner. Breakfast the next day was again a buffet and excellent! Again great coffee and lots of choice, with an omelette station too, which I tried and it was delicious. It was a cloudy day but warm and we had a dolphin/local area tour booked for the morning. It was handy as the meeting place was right in front of the hotel in the marina. Excellent tour and we saw many dolphins, with only 3 boats maximum allowed near them at any time. Booked through GetmyGuide and it was cheaper than the price at the marina. Then we got the catamaran over to Setubal for a look around and did a bit of shopping. It was raining so we decided to return to the hotel and get ready for the evening in a more relaxed manner than the last few days. We then wandered around Troia, found shops, checked out the restaurants and decided to eat in the Italian restaurant nearby which was very good. Then back to the hotel for a reasonably early night as we were planning an early morning. We switched the TV on and started watching something which interested us both and then it just cut out and we could not get the TV to work again, so we gave up. It was late and we did not really want to try to communicate this with reception. A great breakfast again the next morning, sat by the pool again and had drinks and then showered changed and headed back to Lisbon. I would stay at the hotel again, as there is not much choice otherwise for accommodation in the area. Location wise it is excellent. They just need to improve their staff and communication skills, plus answer emails in a timely manner.

A flawless hotel, the hospitality, the accommodation, and the breakfast simply divine. We arrived before check-in time and they still accommodated us. There was an overbooking of the studio I reserved and they immediately put us in an even better apartment. It is very close to several good restaurants and Tróia Mar Praia. The view is spectacular. I will return and certainly indicate.