Soldoiro Apartamentos

⭐ 1 STAR – AVOID AT ALL COSTS – AN ABSOLUTE SHAMBLES

If I could give Soldero Apartments in Albufeira zero stars, I would.

This was not a case of one or two minor issues. This was a complete catalogue of failures from arrival to departure, and the attitude of management made an already appalling experience even worse.

We arrived early, fully aware that official check-in wasn't until 4pm. However, we were told that one of our three rooms was already ready, while the other two were not. We therefore placed our bags in the one available room while waiting for the rest of our party to be able to check in. 4pm came and neither of the remaining rooms was ready. At 5pm, one room was finally made available. We then waited until approximately 6:30pm for the final room — only to discover that the door lock was broken. So much for a smooth check-in.

And then we saw the rooms.

Cockroaches. Damp bedsheets. Poor cleanliness. Grotty surroundings. One of the TVs looked like it had been rescued from a 1980s computer laboratory. You genuinely have to wonder when some of the furniture and equipment were last replaced.

Then there was the issue that should concern every guest: the lock on our door was broken. We had to wait approximately two hours for it to be fixed. Apparently, being able to properly secure your room isn't considered much of an emergency here.

The communal walkways were equally disgusting. There were dried blood-like stains and layers of dirt and grime, which gave the impression that nobody had bothered properly cleaning or maintaining these areas for an exceptionally long time. It was grim.

But perhaps the biggest problem wasn't even the state of the accommodation — it was the complete lack of concern from management.

When I raised the issues with the manager and told her I would be making an official complaint, her response was essentially to shrug her shoulders.

That's it.

No meaningful apology. No urgency. No attempt to resolve the situation. No indication that she actually cared.

Just a shrug.

And, of course, I fully expect management to post the inevitable carefully worded, generic apology underneath this review, followed by a series of explanations designed to make everything sound considerably less serious than it actually was.

I genuinely look forward to reading it.

It will be fascinating to see what gloss they decide to put on this particular disaster and how they intend to explain away cockroaches, damp bedding, filthy communal areas, a broken door lock, hours waiting for rooms and a manager who apparently couldn't care less when a formal complaint was mentioned.

Perhaps they'll tell future guests that these things were all isolated incidents. Perhaps they'll explain that everything was being dealt with. Perhaps they'll assure everyone that cleanliness and guest satisfaction are their highest priorities.

If so, our experience certainly didn't reflect it.

This wasn't bad luck. It was a failure of basic standards, basic maintenance and basic customer service.

Anyone considering booking this place should think very carefully before handing over their money. There are plenty of other places to stay in Albufeira where you can reasonably expect a clean room, dry bedding, a functioning door lock and a manager who actually gives a damn when something goes wrong.

We certainly won't be returning.

Soldero Apartments: avoid at all costs. You've been warned.

Went as a group and was told that the room would be together by the front desk, however on check in only one room was ready, the told us it would be ready soon, 4 hours later and I got a phone call saying they were ready, nope 1 room was ready on the other side of the hotel which was infested with other cockroaches 🪳, we asked about the 3rd room went it would be ready this said they don’t know, 2 hours later it was ready, 6 hours waiting for a room to be ready, unacceptable.

The comfort of the room was shocking the beds were rock hard would have been more comfy sleeping on a camping bed.

Damaged floor and doors, rooms looked like you walking into a world war 2 bunk for one of the rooms, main door wouldn’t lock took 4 hours to fix watching them opening and closing the door over and over for no reason to see if it would latch.

If you want to get an iron good luck, they have 6 for the entire hotel which has about 60 odd room and when you ask them were are they so you could go get it they say they don’t know.

Not family friendly, it is made for groups of people that are hitting nightlife.

Only good thing I can say is the location 100m from the beach and strip, that’s is it.

Where do you even start?

The place can only really be described as a run down, cockroach infested third world hovel. 🪳

The accommodation is tired, dated and desperately in need of some serious attention. The doors don’t even lock correctly, which adds a particularly exciting element to your stay. You’re never entirely sure whether your belongings will still be there when you get back, or whether the door itself will still be attached.

The staff generally seem absolutely miserable to be there and unfortunately make you feel much the same. Customer service appears to be treated more as an optional extra than part of the accommodation.

The cockroaches, on the other hand, appear to be thriving. They’re seemingly the happiest and most established residents of the complex and, judging by the numbers, possibly have a better occupancy rate than the paying guests.

The general state of repair has a certain war torn charm to it. At times you genuinely feel like you should have received a hostile environment briefing before checking in. I’d imagine there are buildings in war torn countries that have received more maintenance and attention than this place.

At certain points during the stay, a fearful approach to your own life expectancy seems entirely reasonable.

Quite frankly, a weekend in Ukraine would probably still have been a more relaxing getaway.

If you’re after luxury, comfort, security or even some fairly basic standards, I’d strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

If you’re after Albufeira combined with the atmosphere of a condemned building, questionable security and an unexpected wildlife safari, Soldoiro Apartments might be exactly what you’re looking for.

One star, mainly because zero apparently isn’t an option. 😂