Perfect Retreat Overlooking Pinhal Golf Course, Private pool, Off-street parking

Very quiet location. A good half hour walk to the marina area. Property a little dated but adequate. Some of the fittings could do with up-dating. The pool temperature early October was too cold to use. All said, an enjoyable stay.

Villa needs serious attention and is badly managed. Tatty & run down inside. We gave a list of 13-15 problems on arrival - the managing agent fixed some but shouted that we were being difficult. On 3rd of 10 day stay, we were offered another villa but it was unsuitable. Issues raised with the agent - no bath/ basin plugs, toilet & basin moved when used, no hot water in bidet. no food storage space, too few drinking glasses but too many wine & plastic glasses, no dish clothes or table cloth (apparently cleaners didn’t replace them, but only after we were old we were lying), fridge too close to oven so unable to open oven door safely, no oven gloves provided so used our own face clothes to remove hot dish & burnt hands. No instructions for old tatty dishwasher - we were told cleaning ladies would show us. They did not know. We tried all the settings & still had dirty dishes. Towels not to be removed from villa - the advert said towels were provided! No basic cleaning supplies even though we asked, we were told it was self-catering and serviced. Agents rectified a few items during our stay but these should have been checked before. We gave up complaining as the agents refused to speak to us by phone or email. The Villa was serviced once in 10 days. Cleaning ladies came once for 20 minutes & then came back a few days later, we asked them to return the next day as we were eating lunch & they said they would, but never did. When we complained we were told we chased them away & our bedding was not changed at all; the agent argued with us about when the cleaning ladies had come and told us no cleaning was to be done as it was late & the next day was a holiday. Very old uncomfortable corner sofa in sitting room with peeling leather, covered by old sheets. Front door security gate was very difficult to open and had to be fixed by the managing agents. Security shutters in bedroom difficult to open, and then only by someone who is strong. Blankets were stained & bedding fitted badly. I had asked if there was a double bed and agent said there was but there were 2 single beds together. Major electricity issues. Oven & kettle could not be used at the same time as the power trips, also when heaters are switched on. We had a very cold house for 2 days. The managing agent ignored our request for help to fix the power. Internet only on the lower floor & not upstairs, the outside garden furniture was damaged and the umbrellas were broken. Villa has potential

good points nice pool good area (quiet) easy walk into centre bad points very tired basic accommodation no ventilation/heating in living room, dining room and kitchen windows and doors need upgrading needs new suite in living room no safe

A lovely quiet villa situated on a dead end road, meaning no traffic drone. The pool is great, and the garden is far more spacious than the photos suggest. There is an almost tame Jay that will land on your breakfast table, eye you up and down, walk across the table to your plate, and swipe a piece of chopped melon! And then again! It will also land on your head with a squawk and fly off. Enchanting! PLEASE NO-ONE GET RID OF IT!! The bedrooms were very comfortable, the bathrooms airy and clean. The downstairs bathroom has a shower but no wall attachment, so it is impossible to have a decent shower with the handheld unit. Neither of the baths have non-slip surface stickers, or a non slip rubber mat in the tub. The floors of the villa are tiled, so lovely and cool, but coming down the stairs they are so well aligned that the last step you tend to overstep it if not careful. A non-slip visible edge on every step would be a great improvement. One thing that was VERY unsafe indeed is no hand rail on the stairs. It is unnerving having nothing to hold on to walking downstairs. The maintenance man could install a hand rail very easily. The villa is near enough to the centre of Vilamoura to make it tranquil, and a joy to return to every day. The hand drawn map that is sent to you initially is completely useless! Request the map Vilamoura Resort Map ISBN 972-8554-77-X. It cost us €8.50 and is absolutely essential. (eBay has it at £22, and A$44.) Worth it's weight in gold. The plane was delayed and then we got lost (NO MAP!!) and we found the agent Paulo patiently waiting for about 3 hours at near midnight! He is efficient, reliable, helpful and willing to answer any queries. (Note: when calling the provided numbers, put 00 before the country code.) The stove top ignition needed to be explained to me, there is a drip-coffee maker, but no cafetiere as they are unknown in Portugal. And there is no bottle opener or corkscrew. Bring one if you need it! Watching golfers on the fairway from the lawn was great, added to the calm enjoyment. It is a welcoming villa well maintained, well laid out, light and secure and within easy distance of many other places to visit. We enjoyed our stay so much we intend to repeat it next year. Vilamoura is clean, tidy and delightful, the Marina bliss for strolling, the restaurants providing delicious meals at decent prices. All highly recommended. Enjoy it. We certainly did!