"We’ve just returned from a week at Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort, our first time visiting Alvor, and we had a fantastic holiday. We travelled as a family with our three-year-old son, and there was so much to enjoy. The hotel was one of the reasons we would happily return to Portugal, and we would definitely consider staying at Tivoli again.
The positives
One of the biggest highlights was the water park, which is included in your hotel stay at no extra cost. It was really easy to book through Guest Relations and was a fantastic added extra for families. It made a lovely change to have something like this included rather than having to pay separately for days out.
The facilities for children were brilliant. I particularly liked the platforms in the pools, which allowed little ones to play in ankle-deep water before moving into deeper areas when they felt comfortable. The pools themselves were lovely, with the infinity edges giving them a really nice look, and the adults-only pool looked beautiful too. The daily inflatable in the lower pool near Shore Bar was another great touch, and our son absolutely loved it.
The à la carte restaurants were lovely, particularly Roastic, where we had the sharing platter. The food there was a real highlight. The drinks and cocktails were also excellent, and you could genuinely tell the difference compared with some other all-inclusive hotels we’ve visited.
If we returned, I would seriously consider upgrading to All Inclusive Premium. It seems to offer a real fast-track experience, with shorter queues, better-looking drinks, nicer cups, more cocktail options and separate dining for breakfast at Mad Med. From what we saw, it looked like it offered some lovely additional touches and could be well worth the extra cost.
Our room was stunning, and the ability to cast from your phone directly to the television was a brilliant added extra, particularly when travelling with a young child. A little more storage space would have been useful, but overall the room was beautiful and very comfortable.
Another huge positive was the sunbeds. This is genuinely the first holiday we’ve been on where we haven’t had to get up early to reserve sunbeds or compete with other guests. We never struggled to find a bed, even at the front, and there was no fighting over them. It made such a difference to being able to relax and enjoy the holiday without that unnecessary stress.
The beach was lovely, and the little train into Alvor was a fantastic added touch. Alvor itself is beautiful, with a lovely old-town atmosphere, and we really enjoyed visiting. It was one of our favourite parts of the holiday and somewhere we would happily return to.
Although the resort is quite hilly, we managed well with a pram. There are slopes as well as steps, so getting around the resort was generally straightforward. We were allocated a room on the second floor, though, and there were no lifts in our building, meaning we had to carry the pram up and down the stairs during the day and each evening. This was manageable, but it is something families with young children may want to bear in mind when booking.
The staff were lovely, and the other guests were friendly too. We had a particularly good experience at breakfast one morning when we arrived early and were served coffee and orange juice at our table. It was a lovely touch, although this level of service seemed to disappear as breakfast became busier.
We had also let EasyJet know when booking that we were visiting to celebrate my partner’s birthday. When we arrived, there was prosecco and a gift waiting in the room, which was a lovely surprise. There had clearly been a small miscommunication, as the card said “Happy Wedding Anniversary” rather than referring to the birthday, but it was still a thoughtful gesture and much appreciated.
Areas for improvement
One disappointment was the food in the buffet restaurant. Unfortunately, I often found it was only lukewarm rather than properly hot. There was also a limited choice for children. Our son is generally a good eater, so we managed fine, and there was usually pasta and chips available, but I can imagine families with fussier eaters struggling a little more.
Lunch at Salty Bar was another area that could be improved. The seating was quite limited, and the food selection was essentially the same every day, which became a little repetitive over the course of a week. More seating and greater variety at lunchtime would make a real difference.
I was also disappointed that Mad Med was only open during July and August. Given how many guests were staying at the resort during our visit in October, I would have thought there was enough demand to justify keeping it open for longer into the season.
The room itself was beautiful, but I don’t feel the floor was swept or vacuumed as regularly as I would have expected. It wasn’t a major issue, but it was something I noticed and would have liked to see improved at a five-star resort.
Evening entertainment was enjoyable, and there was plenty for the children, which I couldn’t fault. I did feel there was something missing for adults in terms of activities such as darts and similar games during the day, although this didn’t affect our overall enjoyment of the holiday.
The birthday arrangement was another small area where the hotel could perhaps add an extra special touch. The prosecco and gift were lovely, but for a five-star experience, it would have been nice if the birthday had been acknowledged more specifically, perhaps with a birthday card, decorations or a banner on the door. It wasn’t a big deal at all, but small personalised touches like this can really help a hotel stand out.
The evening bar arrangements could also be improved slightly. After 7 pm, the other bars around the resort closed, leaving the entertainment tent as the main place to get drinks. It could become busy at times, and seating was limited. However, this wasn’t the biggest issue for us, particularly as we were travelling with a young child and tended to have quieter evenings.
Keeping Shore Bar open for drinks in the evening could help spread guests around the resort and make the entertainment area feel less crowded.
Would we return?
Absolutely. We would return to Alvor, and we would definitely consider returning to Tivoli. It was our first visit to Portugal as a family, and we loved the area, the beach, the old town and how easy it was to get around.
The hotel was one of the reasons we enjoyed Portugal so much and would like to come back. The facilities for children were fantastic, the cocktails were great, the à la carte restaurants were enjoyable, the rooms were stunning and the lack of sunbed competition was a massive bonus.
There are a few areas where the hotel could add extra polish, particularly the buffet food temperatures, lunchtime variety, housekeeping, storage space and personalised celebration touches. However, none of these issues stopped us from having a wonderful holiday.
If we returned, I would seriously consider All Inclusive Premium, as the additional benefits looked excellent and seemed to offer a more elevated experience, with faster service, better drinks, more cocktail choices and separate dining options.
Overall, we had a fantastic family holiday and would happily recommend Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort. We would give it five stars because we had such a great experience, made lovely family memories and would genuinely return.
Thank you for a wonderful holiday! 🇵🇹"
