- Algarve Holidays
- Armacao de Pera
- Vilalara Thalassa Resort
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Vilalara Thalassa Resort
Portugal, Europe
Armacao de Pera
The five-star Vilalara Thalassa Resort is an exclusive space in a unique landscape with access to a golden sand beach, and totally dedicated to your well-being. Everything in Vilalara is thought to your total comfort, all blended in to the surrounding hills and cliff tops. In-between magnificent 11 hectares of seaside garden cared to perfection and amongst five delightful swimming pools, you even have a wellness center that is home to one of the five best Thalassotherapy Centers in the world and to a Longevity Medical Spa. Choose to stay in a place surrounded by natural beauty, with a private sandy beach and amazing sea view.
Facilities
- Tennis*
- Billiards
- Spa treatments*
- Massage*
- Steam bath
- Sauna
- Entertainment programme for adults
- Sun loungers
- Children’s swimming area
- Outdoor freshwater pool
- Please note some facilities may incur an additional fee
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
The Local Area
Tripadvisor Reviews
4.5 Excellent1,055 reviews
Excellent
71%
Very Good
18%
Average
6%
Poor
2%
Terrible
2%
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
A wonderful hotel
We (an American couple) stayed 5 nights at Vilalara and had a wonderful and relaxing time. As others have written, the complex is very large, and some rooms take about 5 minutes to reach, with steps and uphill treks. Not the end of the world, but something to keep in mind. The breakfast buffet and breakfast setting are spectacular and set the stage for your day. Pool lounge chairs/sunbeds can be difficult to secure and the practice of placing a book or towel on a pair of them is common. We did not eat at the hotel restaurants as we prefer to venture into town for dinner where there were a number of simple but wonderful fish restaurants on the beaches. A car is needed, and the nearby town, Armação de Pera, is a different world from Vilalara. We stayed at Vilalara over a Friday and Saturday night where an adjacent hotel has a live band that played from about 6PM to 11 PM. Be warned as I was told this is a weekly event.
Review by georgehW1275WY New Hope, Pennsylvania
Fabulous hotel in beautiful surroundings
We have just come back from 6 days here and we had a really good time. The staff are so knowledgable and friendly and Danielle the concierge was brilliant. We ate at the Trattoria twice and the food was excellent both times, Antonio the manager was so welcoming, one of the reasons we went back there! Breakfast was great too, never had to wait more than two minutes to get a table and the choice was extensive, anything you could wish to eat at breakfast time with an amazing view of the pool and ocean. We swam in the pool by Vento and it was so easy to get a sun bed there every day and the pool was huge. The only downside is the fact that there wasn’t a rail to help you get into the pool if you can’t manage the steps unaided. It was the same with the pool by the trattoria. I didn’t venture to the beach as there were 150 steps and I couldn’t manage it but We had a really lovely time and will leave with wonderful memories.
Review by Melissa1611 London, United Kingdom
Lovely and Tranquil Resort with Great Team Members.
Tranquil, beautiful and charming resort on the coast in Porches. Great staff and teams. 3+ pools, plus a lovely beach with trails along the bluff tops. Main pool and spa pools are lovely, the pool by the Italian restaurant is in need of extensive tile repair and a good scrubbing, but it's the most quiet. Very relaxing (albeit pricey for Portugal) atmosphere overall. It was relatively quiet during our stay. Clean rooms, crisp A/C, good wifi. We were upgraded to the 1500 square foot suite, which was a real treat, with full kitchen, washer, full patio and 2 beds/2 baths. The grounds are extensive, so keep a map handy the first few days to find your way. Paddle boards and kayaks are available, but unfortunately there is an additional fee which is above average for Portugal pricing, and they did not open early enough for my tastes. If you are going to dine at the onsite restaurants, be sure to book upon arrival. There are some "walkable" local restaurants if you are ambulatory and can walk a few miles r/t. Breakfast was included with our room rate, and we really enjoyed their extensive selection, including champagne, overlooking the pool and the coast. Parking was very easy, staff will park your car underground or you can park by your room. Again, lovely place with an outstanding team of employees.
Review by EmenPea San Diego, California
A 5 star experience with something for everybody to enjoy.
We’ve just returned from 6 nights at this beautiful hotel & are very happy to report that we didn’t experience any of the issues which some other reviewers have described. As an older couple with no kids & more used to boutique hotels we were feeling apprehensive after reading these comments. The hotel is large but the grounds and gardens are very spacious & beautiful & never feel overcrowded . The staff do an amazing job at breakfast - we arrived each morning between 9.00-9.30am , ate outside & the longest wait time was 3 mins -so no queuing down the stairs! The buffet has a great choice with many foods locally sourced & replenished constantly. Drink orders arrive promptly & any ‘off buffet’ requests ( thank you for my poached eggs) are happily met & then remembered. We ate in all 5 restaurants & enjoyed each one. The quality of food & service is excellent & each offers something different, with Coral & the Trattoria being our personal favourites. We had prebooked ( easy to do on the hotel’s website) & the hotel also emailed us in advance making that suggestion - so no problem with getting a table at our preferred time. We chose an Ocean View Suite which was perfect & whilst probably the furthest away from the beach & restaurants location wise it wasn’t a problem for this fit 75 & 67 year old! Finally the sun beds . Yes there will always be those people who want to nab their favoured sunbeds before arriving at breakfast but this behaviour seemed to be confined to a few & at the pool above the beach. We can’t comment about the family pool though, as not too surprisingly we never ventured there! As we prefer pool over beach we used the pool by the Italian restaurant & always had our choice of sunbeds. This pool was used mainly by couples & the parents of babies ( the daybeds provide great space & shade) & remained blissfully quiet for the majority of our stay. We were only disturbed twice by noisy families arriving & treating it like their own personal back garden pool. Our suggestion would be to make this your ‘quiet pool’ with no children’s games allowed - thus hopefully offering something for everybody. Thanks again for a great stay.
Review by muffett50 Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Setting the record straight
I would just like to set the record straight, having had the pleasure of visiting this hotel over a 20 year period, and read the reviews on trip advisor there are two **supposed issues which some guests raise, i have noticed a few guests make a big deal out of having to wait for a table outside for breakfast, and literally the world has come to an end for them because they have to wait 5 minutes. Well having been here in high season and low season over a 20 year period it is so exaggerated, you may have to wait for 5 to 10 minutes, but that is the max, and the staff are ultra nice, so please get a grip, its a minute inconvenience not worth mentioning, also we never have had to wait for a sunbed by the pool in high or low season, there are 3 pools, and even if there were none by the pool there are numerous cabana type sun beds dotted throughout the beautiful gardens, just thought i would set the record straight on this because some guests are just so full of their own importance. This is a truly great hotel with incredible staff. Best regards form ireland
