The Navigator – Palm Oasis Alvor

“Mostly Enjoyable”

10 day break. Overall enjoyable having read reviews before arriving we had low expectations, however in general we found clean hotel and room serviced daily, very friendly and lovely bar staff, all other staff very helpful and polite. About 15/20 min walk to village of Alvor or taxi for about 6 E… more

10 day break. Overall enjoyable having read reviews before arriving we had low expectations, however in general we found clean hotel and room serviced daily, very friendly and lovely bar staff, all other staff very helpful and polite. About 15/20 min walk to village of Alvor or taxi for about 6 Euros beautiful port with lovely walk to the sea, shops and many cafe/restaurant. THERE IS A COURTESY MINI BUS TO VILLAGE OR BEACH AT SET TIMES. A taxi to portimao is about 10 min from Alvor and costs about 10 euros each way. The few negative points for us were mainly when coach loads of people arrived although staff coped extremely well it was too many for the restaurant and the one and only operating bar by the pool. Queues and pushing from new guests could be over whelming. We were lucky that during our stay this only happened weekends but the rest of the time was perfect with great service. One thing to note is nothing to do with hotel but Jet 2. There was no rep present, although you do get a contact number . Also you get dropped off at the hotel along a path before The Yellow Garden. This isn't too bad walking with wheeled cases to the hotel as it's only a short walk and down hill but return is ridiculous considering you need to be at original drop off point for pick up half hour before and if, as it did on occasions rain, there is no shelter. Again although the walk is short its up hill and too far away to wait at hotel and quickly get to the coach when it arrives. The driver wouldn't see us behind the greenery between Pick up and our hotel. Can't understand why jet 2 coaches don't stop outside hotel when others during the week did . Overall lovely time

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“Not what it seems”

The hotel has great potential and needs a major overhaul. It’s extremely tired and outdated and the decor leaves a lot to be desired. It quite a distance away from anything unless of course you desire extremely quiet getaways. There is absolutely no entertainment and a very small bar which is only … more

The hotel has great potential and needs a major overhaul. It’s extremely tired and outdated and the decor leaves a lot to be desired. It quite a distance away from anything unless of course you desire extremely quiet getaways. There is absolutely no entertainment and a very small bar which is only open between 7pm and 11pm. All inclusive is not what you’d expect and food is limited with no choices as it is repetitive. There’s no options for tea or coffee on sight once the restaurant closes and the only drinks available are water coolers and paper cups. For bottled water they charge €2. The room I stayed in had a cockroach crawling around the floor and the bed sheets we not changed during the stay I know this due to a stain on the sheet since the start to finish of my stay. The cocktails from the pool bar are machine and really not that nice. There is a bus service from the hotel but you have to get there half hour before to get a ticket as it only has 7/8 seats. The staff were quite friendly and helpful but I would never return. No rep was seen any time during my stay. This has one to many stars as it is far from the luxury it’s made out to be. Alvor is a lovely place however the town of portimao is whey overpriced.

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“A little disappointing”

The hotel gardens are well kept and maintained. The pools were clean. We spent 4 nights here and the cleaners only knocked on 1 occasion at 5.30 in the afternoon when my partner and grandson were having a nap. No cleaning was attempted on any of the other days. The food is very repetitive and th… more

The hotel gardens are well kept and maintained. The pools were clean. We spent 4 nights here and the cleaners only knocked on 1 occasion at 5.30 in the afternoon when my partner and grandson were having a nap. No cleaning was attempted on any of the other days. The food is very repetitive and there is very little to no catering for children - although the cakes were nice. The evening entertainment was also disappointing and in all honesty rather boring (a gentleman singing and playing a keyboard- sometimes accompanied by a female singer) and the games room is very basic with just 1 pool table, an air hockey table and a tv. The night before our departure day I asked reception about our transfer as there was nothing in the jet 2 folder (nothing at all not just relating to our transfer) and the guy at reception rather abruptly said I should have that information already (all I had was an email and a text from her 2 saying the transfer information would be at the hotel reception 24 hours before departure) eventually after me sharing my dissatisfaction the receptionist located this information for me and brought this up to our room, which was nice of him. He advised we would be picked up at the entrance to the complex which was a fair walk with suitcases, bags and a 4 year old in tow under the sun only for it to transpire that our transfer drove past us and the driver had attempted to pick us up at the hotel reception. The bar and restaurant staff were very friendly and worked extremely hard. The location of the hotel is not bad although it’s a bit far to walk in to the town if you have small children. It was my grandsons first holiday abroad and he enjoyed it which was the main thing but in all honesty I wouldn’t stay here again at the price we paid. Over all the service from jet 2 cannot be faulted and with a few tweaks this hotel would be hugely improved.

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