Mirachoro Praia da Rocha

“Avoid April”

For 2 nights and 3 days these apartments were taken over by Spanish university students who wanted to party like it was Ibiza. When 3 of the 7 coaches that brought them on Friday, a guest asked what was going on to be told not to worry as this was an annual event and they had so many activities b... more

For 2 nights and 3 days these apartments were taken over by Spanish university students who wanted to party like it was Ibiza. When 3 of the 7 coaches that brought them on Friday, a guest asked what was going on to be told not to worry as this was an annual event and they had so many activities booked they would not notice them around. Their activities when they returned after their days out were what you might expect from a university halls of residence and it was clear on Saturday night that the one security guard was not enough to deal with the incidents being reported. Did I want the equivalent of an Ibiza (or as they were Spanish a Benidorm or Magaluf) experience and was I told about this when I booked? No, I was not. Was I told that most of the building I was in would be used for this purpose when I booked? No I was not. Having complained both to the hotel on Saturday after one of the two sleepless nights we had, and our tour rep on Sunday ( I tried a number of times to contact them on Saturday with no reply) and anapology was forthcoming on Sunday but this does not make up for the three nights ( we were so tired on Sunday we went to bed rather than out) and two days of holiday list? No, it does not. On Sunday we were told that this large group had used their booking tool, booking in small groups and that is how they had managed to book as such a large group( that being thee case their booking tool must have gone into.meltdown! 7 coaches x 69 /5 max per room equals....). They have a policy of no hen or stag parties here. What is the difference between these and the university students partying here, in my experience none. We were having a good holiday here before this, which has put a massive damper on it. So given that one guest was told this occurrence is once a year by staff here, and irrespective of how this university booked, my advice would be to avoid booking this time of year, unless of course you like the party scene and what it brings with it.

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“Rude bar woman”

Was an okay room to stay in, until when we went to the bar and a little woman was very rude shouting at us every time we got a drink. Personally when I want a refreshing drink of Coca Cola I don’t want abuse for it. Also if you get a room more than two you’ll be given a sofa bed for the 3rd/4th p... more

Was an okay room to stay in, until when we went to the bar and a little woman was very rude shouting at us every time we got a drink. Personally when I want a refreshing drink of Coca Cola I don’t want abuse for it. Also if you get a room more than two you’ll be given a sofa bed for the 3rd/4th person and won’t have pillows unless you have generous friends or family who will share the pillow from the bedrooms.

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“Good value for money”

These apartments are good value for money but there's a few pros and cons. The pros are lovely staff, clean rooms that are generously sized. The pros are, location, it's in a residential area so nothing on your doorstep. There's a commercial centre, Lidl, Aldi etc about 15 mins away. Constant dog... more

These apartments are good value for money but there's a few pros and cons. The pros are lovely staff, clean rooms that are generously sized. The pros are, location, it's in a residential area so nothing on your doorstep. There's a commercial centre, Lidl, Aldi etc about 15 mins away. Constant dog barking from nearby apartments (I appreciate this is out of the resorts control) but dogs barking from 5am to midnight is quite off putting. The apartments must be in the middle of a refurbishment as nice furniture and new tv but balcony doors, kitchen, bathrooms are on their last leg. The pool area is pretty small and once 1 or 2 families are in the pool, it gets pretty noisy and splashy. There is a garden area that's a bit quieter with a jacuzzi but because the pool was cold lots of families were using it as a pool for their kids. Portimao has some nice restaurants at Priaia de Rocha. I would also recommend Alvor, lovely beach, restaurants and cafes. We ubered a lot, very reasonable €3-6 for most trips and you never have to wait long. Not sure if I would come back, I'd probably prefer to spend more for a nicer pool area and better location but if you are looking for cheap and cheerful it's great value for money.

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