Domes Lake Algarve and Residences

“Exceptional experience and service!!!”

We just returned from a golf trip to the Algarve with a group of 12, and Domes Lake Resort was the absolute star of the show. If you are planning a golf getaway or any group travel to this region, this resort is a "must-see." ​ ​A huge shoutout to Sonia Machado and her entire staff. She handled our… more

We just returned from a golf trip to the Algarve with a group of 12, and Domes Lake Resort was the absolute star of the show. If you are planning a golf getaway or any group travel to this region, this resort is a "must-see." ​ ​A huge shoutout to Sonia Machado and her entire staff. She handled our 12-person group with incredible precision and an "unbelievable" level of care. From the logistics to the small details, they made sure everything ran smoothly, allowing us to focus entirely on the golf and the experience. This is truly customer service at its finest. ​ If you are coming to the Algarve, do not look anywhere else. The combination of the resort’s beauty, the proximity to the marina, and the elite service provided by Sonia and her team makes this the premier choice for a luxury golf trip. We will definitely be back!

less

“A mixed third visit.”

We had previously stayed here twice back in 2016 when it was the Lake Spa Resort and were really looking forward to returning to what was one of the best hotels we've stayed in. We have stayed in many 5 star hotels in Europe and beyond, and sadly cannot rate 5 star this time as there were several… more

We had previously stayed here twice back in 2016 when it was the Lake Spa Resort and were really looking forward to returning to what was one of the best hotels we've stayed in. We have stayed in many 5 star hotels in Europe and beyond, and sadly cannot rate 5 star this time as there were several frustrating issues mostly at the start of our holiday, which I will detail below. Happily, there was an overall dramatic improvement and things got much better after halfway through and were sad to leave. We stayed in room 360, which is east facing and catches the early-mid morning sun. Quite shaded during the afternoon but in very hot weather this is probably a good thing. Starting with the positives: Huge, very comfortable bed - slept well. Powerful, faultless air conditioning. Lovely deep bathtub in room. Very clean throughout. Excellent buffet food at breakfast and dinner - something for everyone. It was also a pleasure to see Maria most mornings at breakfast, she was very friendly and was very prompt in taking coffee orders. It was also easy to order more coffee from the attentive, helpful staff. With a couple of exceptions, very helpful polite staff throughout, and when I became ill towards the end of the holiday I was even offered a doctor and refreshments to the room - none of these were needed, but the offer was very appreciated. We loved Antonino's, and the manager there was incredible. We didn’t get his name but he was extremely helpful and friendly. Unfortunately there was a broken chair at our table which wasn't noticed until the chair was sat on, but the manager dealt with this very well - he is a real credit to the hotel and Antonino's. Valet parking by helpful, very efficient and prompt porters was really appreciated, especially upon arrival and departure. Soma Spa: staff here were also extremely helpful, especially the man (whose name again I didn't get). The prebooking system to use the spa was good, and at quiet times it was possible to stay for longer than the prebooked one hour slot. It was a little disappointing that the steam room was out of service, but otherwise, just like in 2016, I really enjoyed my visits to the spa. I didn't have any treatments but my visits were still deeply relaxing. We would also recommend joining a wine tasting session, we really enjoyed this (courtesy of Nadia). Location: only a few minutes walk from a beautiful sandy beach, where it is possible to walk for miles. The marina is a 10 minute stroll. There is also a small but well stocked Co-Op shop within about 5 minutes walk. The negatives: Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of our stay was that my birthday was completely overlooked by the hotel. When checking in the receptionist had noticed from my passport that I would be having my birthday during our stay. We didn't follow up as I didn't want any fuss, but even a simple "happy birthday" acknowledgement would have been good. Particularly disappointing given that other reviewers have had their special occasions recognised by the hotel with balloons, bubbly etc. Migratory Bar - formerly Zanzibar - we were disappointed to discover this bar is is no longer open daytimes unless there is bad weather, in which case it replaces the pool bar. The bar is also not big enough for the size of the hotel. Only one person serving on busy evening. Also rowdy groups at the bar in the evenings completely spoiling the otherwise relaxed ambience of the bar and lobby. Repeated housekeeping timing inconsistencies at start, very frustrating. However, after several conversations with Nadia, our requested clean time was honoured and we had the pleasure of Lina cleaning our room most days - she was absolutely lovely. No welcome drink offered on arrival - this would have been appreciated. Upon returning to our room one evening we were shocked and to see that someone else's clothing had been left on the bed.This turned out to be a signifcant mistake by reception, but very much ruined the evening. Doors frequently slamming in the corridor outside our room and the fire exit next to our room - soft stoppers needed. Slightly low water pressure in shower but adequate. Noise from outside vent near to our room was annoying and somewhat spoiled the ambience of the outside. Towards the end of our stay the hotel was at full capacity and becoming noisy at breakfast and dinner, although we were sad to go home, we were also pleased to be away from the increasingly crowded and noisy environment. In my opinion the hotel would benefit from being adults only.

less

“Good but not 5 star luxury”

Stayed 6 nights on a BA package on a B&B basis, 2 adults and 8 year old after Easter.   Going to caveat this review, by saying that we have previously stayed in Martinhal Sagres, as well as Ikos resorts and a number of 5* hotels in the UK.   There are lots of good things about this hotel, but for… more

Stayed 6 nights on a BA package on a B&B basis, 2 adults and 8 year old after Easter.   Going to caveat this review, by saying that we have previously stayed in Martinhal Sagres, as well as Ikos resorts and a number of 5* hotels in the UK.   There are lots of good things about this hotel, but for us it didn't feel special enough to be a 5* luxury lifestyle destination. The positives: *Great communication via email before our stay.  We asked some questions and these were all answered which was very helpful. *Kind, polite and helpful front of house/reception staff.  Anything you want and they will help with.  They arranged a surprise birthday cake for our son and found him a bucket and spade to play with.   *We had an Emerald Retreat room.  Biggest bed we have ever had, great powerful hot shower and separate bath. *Easy access to a great beach - a short walk away from the hotel.  The beach had lifeguards in April and was very clean.  We enjoyed going to the O Rocha Baixinha bar/restaurant on the beach where you can sit outside and have a drink/ice-cream, and eat a nice meal overlooking the beach. *Good coffee at breakfast from the filter coffee pots (not the machine). *The interior communal areas of the hotel, lobby, bar seating, etc are relaxing and comfortable. *Spa area booking system - this meant that the spa area was not too busy and there was a clearly defined adults only time. *Sports area - there is a multisport court with a tennis net and football goals.  It can be booked for 1 hour slots and reception has basic equipment to borrow.  There's also a table tennis and pool table. *Hotel is in a quiet location but only a short walk away from the marina with bars/restaurants. *We didn't experience any problems with availability of towels or sun loungers. * Housekeeping was acceptable, although as soon as we entered our room, our child spotted a toy under a chair, left by a previous guest. The turndown service didn't always happen and sometimes they left a chocolate, sometimes they didn't! The negatives: *Kids Club - this is advertised for children up to 12 years old, and we had hoped that our child could attend some sessions.  There was no issue booking sessions, however the club and the equipment were not suitable for children over 6/7 years old.  This was confirmed by a staff member when we went there to have a look around, who basically said they didn't have any toys/equipment for older children to play with.  This was disappointing. *Availability of water throughout the resort - only bottled water is available for 5 euros a bottle.  We care about the environment, and it is generally accepted that bottled water is not sustainable and is wasteful in a country like Portugal where tap water is safe to drink.  We would happily pay a charitable donation for filtered tap water. *Environmental values - despite following instructions and leaving towels to use again in the appropriate place, they were continually replaced by house-keeping. *Seagulls - whilst the hotel has deterrent measures in place to try and control seagulls we witnessed a seagull take a child's burger by the pool.  Possibly a wider Algarve issue and not limited to this hotel. *We didn't have access to the Haute Living Lounge.  This looked like a nice place to relax, but it's at the front of the hotel, and not by the pool/gardens and unsure if you are able to take food/drinks out of the lounge to the pool/other areas of the hotel.   *Breakfast buffet - as expected for a chain hotel.  Great selection, but not convinced that it is of the highest quality expected at a 5* star hotel.  One morning the fresh orange juice was fizzy and unpalatable.  Breakfast time is quite chaotic! *Dinner buffet - we ate here once.  It was average, and we have been to other places with more extensive buffets and fresher food.  We also felt rushed.  It's great that the servers were good at clearing plates/tables, but sometimes it felt that they swiped your plate away as soon as you put down your cutlery!  The cost was 45 euros for adults (25 euros for children) without any drinks. *Litter around the gardens/pool.  We saw a lot of litter during our stay around the grounds, as well as glasses and plates of food just left around for hours without being cleared. *Heated pool was apparently heated to 28 degrees during our stay, however this wasn't really warm enough to enough it properly at this time of year. *Security - we saw one security guard walking around the site, however the site boundaries are not secure. *Hiring a canoe on the hotel's lake is an additional charge. *It would be great if the hotel could add some seating next to the playground and sports pitch so parents can sit and watch their children play. We had a nice holiday, but overall we felt this hotel lacked any sort of vibe and I don't think we would return (we would rather pay a bit more and go back to Ikos).  This could be due to the fact that it is a hotel (and not a resort) used by a variety of different people.  During our stay, there was a big corporate group, families, couples, golfers.  Guests were staying for short breaks as well as longer holidays and are of different nationalities.   We also felt that the hotel lacked the finesse of other 5 star hotels, and is definetly not on the same level as Ikos hotels.

less

“7 night stay in April 2026”

We stayed at Domes Lake Algarve for one week in April 2026 as a family of three. The positives of our stay: - the hotel itself is lovely, very tastefully decorated, set in beautiful grounds and kept very clean. A beautiful beach is very easily accessed a short walk from the hotel, as is the marina… more

We stayed at Domes Lake Algarve for one week in April 2026 as a family of three. The positives of our stay: - the hotel itself is lovely, very tastefully decorated, set in beautiful grounds and kept very clean. A beautiful beach is very easily accessed a short walk from the hotel, as is the marina area. - almost all of the staff members we encountered were fantastic - friendly, warm and very helpful - showers were powerful and hot and towels were very soft and fluffy! - the hotel was quiet at night and beds were very comfortable - breakfast each morning was to a high standard, albeit some mornings there was a short wait to be seated (never took us longer than 5 minutes in the queue, even at peak times). Another point is we struggled to get coffee some mornings and our breakfast was almost finished before we managed to get some. It might be worth installing some machines guests can use if staff don’t consistently take orders as soon as guests are seated for breakfast. The negatives: - the room itself wasn’t anything special for a 5* hotel and the balcony furniture in particular was quite worn and inadequate for three guests - housekeeping was very hit and miss. A turndown service was provided but this wasn’t done every night for some reason. One day our room wasn’t cleaned and we were in need of more toilet paper and some other supplies. After asking a member of housekeeping staff on our floor, and later asking at Reception, it still wasn’t done. We were told a quick tidy could be done at turndown service time instead but this was one of the nights a turndown service wasn’t done, so we had to ask again the following day. This time it was done but night clothes that were on two beds were taken mistakenly along with bed linen and we had to ask for them to be retrieved, which they were. - sun loungers were an issue. Despite the hotel’s policy of loungers could not be left unused for more than 30 minutes, this isn’t enforced at all. One busy day we witnessed a family reserve three loungers by leaving their belongings on them and not returning for four hours! Twice we had to ask staff if they could help source us loungers which they managed to do, but it was tricky and I can only imagine the situation is a lot worse in high season - we didn’t get to use the spa as we tried to book a slot within the family friendly hours a few times but were unsuccessful. Overall we very much enjoyed our stay in this lovely hotel, and would like to commend the staff for being so pleasant throughout. With a few minor improvements it really could have been a perfect stay!

less