"Perfect start to our long weekend away staying at the Castelo Suites.
Sailed through bag drop and security, followed by a smooth flight with Jet2 from Stansted.
Forty five minute private transfer from Faro; arrived just after 1pm to a lovely warm welcome from the wonderful reception team who gave me all the information needed and informed me our suite was already ready.
I had emailed the hotel prior to arrival and upgraded our room and booked a massage for the following morning - the email responses were prompt and efficient and much appreciated.
Our suite was beautifully modern, spacious and well-appointed.
Carefully thought out with large, walk-in, double shower, useful plug points under main mirror in bathroom, along with USB and USBC within the sockets in case you forget an adaptor.
Small observation; a shelf in the shower for additional products and hook or rail in bathroom for a towel would've been beneficial.
Loved the Ritual toiletries but missed basic extras such as cotton pads/buds, shower cap etc.
I'm sure these would've been available with a phone call to reception, but they aren't present in the room.
TV in main mirror is a cool concept but only usable with blackout blinds closed - small point as who spends daytimes watching TV in a place like this?
Similarly, bathtub in the room is cool & quirky, but the shower attachment is so powerful, you have to be careful not to soak yourself (and the entire bedroom) when turning it on for the first time.
Aircon was brilliant and much needed.
Terrace with table/chairs and loungers was lovely.
Considerate cleaning with bedding only changed every 3 days but environmentally thoughtful, including paper bins and the kind cleaner brought my son a child size robe and slippers which was a lovely touch.
Whole hotel has a very laid back vibe with beautifully calm and neutral aesthetics and colour ways; genuinely classy.
The day starts late here with breakfast until 10.30 and no sunbeds reserved or used until at least that time. Very relaxing.
Pool and gardens kept spotlessly clean. Main Pool bar staff friendly and waiting staff around the pool were helpful enough but could've been a bit more proactive, in my opinion (maybe ask customers if they'd like another drink, as opposed to just collecting empty glasses.)
Rooftop pool was also very chilled out, nice background music and helpful staff. Beautiful views, a lovely place to chill out for the afternoon.
Restaurant was well served, manager was friendly and attentive - again, some of the waiting team could've been a bit more engaging, but I have not long holidayed at the 5* Boutique Five in Rhodes where every member of staff went out of their way to talk to you, remember your names and favourite food & drink, regularly check if there was anything you needed, ask if you were enjoying your day/meal etc, so perhaps I am making an unfair comparison....
Just a few tweaks with the staff training here could make such a difference.
Breakfast was fresh and varied; the best meal of the day IMO - fresh juices and smoothies and the pastries were delicious, as well as the cooked-to-order omelettes.
Dinner was hit and miss for us, although I travelled with my young son who maybe isn't as open to the idea of trying new things every mealtime as some.
The 1st night was awesome; delicious steak and fish cooked fresh on the outdoor grill. The remaining 3 nights weren't quite as nice, but we always found something and there was always a fresh pasta/risotto station available, as well as several restaurants within walking distance.
Small selection of mains, desserts, fruits etc, but I think quality over quantity was the objective here.
We spent a day at Praia de Castelo; only a 10 minute walk away. Lovely beach club/bar for drinks and lunch and we hired a kayak and a pedalo, great fun.
I used the gym most mornings, it's not particularly well equipped with resistance machines, but has some nordic cardio kit (treadmill, bike, rower) and some free weights (DB & KB), bands and mats.
I was alone on every visit, which was a bonus as I had to train in not much more than underwear due to no air-conditioning, just a propped open door to the stairwell. Very hot, even at 7.30am.
I had a massage with Rachel one morning - it was truly amazing and, even though I did question at one point whether she was trying to pull my head off 🤣, my shoulders and neck have never felt so good afterwards.
Slightly off setup with the therapy room being an unused bedroom, but it was perfectly functional and did not detract from the quality of the service at all, I am just used to a spa setting.
I visited the spa briefly (no U16's so I couldn't leave my son for long) and the small indoor pool seemed nice (much warmer than the non-heated outdoor pools!), as did the small but clean sauna & steam room.
I didn't use the ice bath as I'm not a complete loony.
Overall a lovely place for a quiet few days, with lots of bars, restaurants and things to do nearby if you want to venture out. There are free shuttle buses to the local beach and the the old town - we chose to walk instead.
I would return but probably alone, or with my partner as opposed to with my children as it can be a bit boring for young teens with no activities etc.
I would also opt for B&B as opposed to paying for HB as we didn't particularly enjoy the dinners and I imagine there to be good value eating establishments nearby.
One thing I did think was a bit audacious is that every order of food and drink you make during the day (of which there are many, especially if you are with children) incurs an automatic 5% service charge, even for a bottle of water that you have walked to the bar to order and collect yourself.
I am all for tipping, I tipped several of the staff here for going above and beyond, including the lovely young chap who showed us to our room and answered lots of questions and was, in general, helpful and friendly, but I like to have the choice to do that and for it to reflect the attitude and performance demonstrated.
I paid our entire bill without quibble, of course, but I do think it's excessive to pay a service charge on a single can or bottle of soft drink which I have approached the bar to buy.
I also waited for drinks at the lobby bar in the evening on more than one occasion as the server was responsible for serving all restaurant diners' drinks simultaneously.
If given the choice, I would not have paid a service charge to stand at the bar and wait, instead of being invited to take a seat and have our order brought to us.
Maybe this is something guests could be made aware of on arrival.
To sum up - for a long weekend in August, Castelo Suites exceeded my expectations for the price we paid, but a few tweaks and considerations could turn this from a nice 4* establishment, into a 5* - QR codes on sunbeds to order food & drinks from would be a nice touch and in keeping with 'almost there' luxury feel of this hotel.
I will 100% recommend to friends and family and it is likely I'll return."
