NAU Sao Rafael Suites – All Inclusive

The Good: 1. Clean and spacious rooms – a key reason the reviewer chose this resort. 2. Free and easy parking – readily available with no hassle. 3. Fast and easy check-in – smooth arrival process. 4. Quality toiletries – included L'Occitane en Provence products. 5. Spacious mini fridge – good for storing essentials. 6. Friendly pool bartenders – described as nice and knowledgeable. 7. Friendly entertainment staff – added to the overall positive atmosphere. The Bad: 1. Overpriced – did not meet expectations for the cost. 2. Room AC off at check-in – took 1.5 hours to cool down the room. 3. Beach towel policy changed mid-stay – limited to one towel per person from the third day onward; felt unhygienic. 4. Misleading “bottled water included” – only provided one bottle on the first day. 5. Room damage and cleanliness issues – bed and closet had visible damage; headboard was visibly dirty. 6. Exaggerated “sea view” – only a distant, partial view of the sea. 7. Poor food quality and variety – buffet was limited, unimpressive, and unclean. 8. Other local restaurants far superior – even fast food nearby was better than the hotel buffet. 9. Pest problem – flies and mosquitoes present throughout, even inside the restaurant. 10. No tissues/Kleenex in the room – had to purchase our own from local stores. 11. General disappointment – compared to experiences in Spain or Greece, this resort felt subpar and not generous or accommodating.

The food and service where acceptable but not 5* No facilities in the room, no kettle, tea, coffee, sugar or milk. No fresh water daily only on arrival. The room was very basic not even cushions on the sofa. Balcony was small with the most uncomfortable chairs ever. No wonder no one sat on the balcony’s. Loungers around the pool need to be replaced as dated, the pool wasn’t clean had green in the bottom in patches. When asking for a taxi the hotel call a transfer company, they are around 3 to 4 euros more expensive. Best get a taxi number and call yourself!

A very relaxing and rejuvenating facial and scalp massage from Elen, thank you very much. I would definitely recommend treating yourself if you are staying at Sao rafael suites. Included use of spa and pools too which was an unexpected bonus. Elen was really professional and very skilled.

Another fantastic stay, just returned from our 9th visit at the hotel, a lot of changes have been made this year through out the hotel, a new restaurant and bar area, a golf simulator room (if that’s your thing ) the reception area is very nice and spacious with plenty of seating food quality is good and premium drinks included with the all inclusive the only thing I think needs work is the pool area there’s a lot of broken flags around the top pool and the decking area at the pool bar is dirty, I’m sure it will get sorted as a lot of has been since my last visit in march, but it’s nice to see there is still some of the original staff from our very first visit and will always help if possible especially Richard in the restaurant he knows the area very well if you need advice. Look forward to our next stay Many thanks Lee

First of all I’d like to say we had a lovely holiday. Six of us as three couples stayed at the NAU Sao Rafael Suites the first week of June. No way on this earth is this hotel a 5 star. It was tired and in need of updating which we were told by staff members was going to happen at the end of the summer. Of the three rooms booked, ours alone was below what we expected. The bath was dirty and the bath was blocked. This was sorted when pointed out to the reception. We also found a cockroach running around in our room which we found very unpleasant. We took a picture of it but don’t want to embarrass the decent staff members who worked hard at the hotel The food was lovely and we enjoyed most meals but I would have expected a wider selection from a 5 star. There was always plenty of sun-beds around the pool and there are a couple of lovely beaches near by. What we all found a bit unsettling was the fact it was advertised by TUI as a 5 star and we paid roughly £1200 per person when we booked. I put in a complaint by email while on the holiday and had a phone call the same morning. I mentioned some of the things that we were unhappy about and queried the 5 star rating, I was told that TUI did not rate the hotels? I was then offered a voucher for £100. It seems holiday prices have gone up since the pandemic, but what we paid for this holiday was well over the top

Amazing hotel. Already 2nd time staying here. Front office team is amazing. They are very welcoming, friendly, professional. Huge thank you for such efforts to accommodate us in our room earlier. Room is huge, 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms, balcony, spacius,clean. Amazing service from housekeeping keeping our room clean. Loved the amenities in bathroom with branded L'Occitane products. Restaurant is great, food is super delicious, big varieties of different dishes. Loved the services at restaurant, all the staff is super attentive. 2 pools, plenty of space to stay around even if the hotel is fully booked. Good food at the snack bar by the pool. Loved the 'juice of the day', of course cocktails. Spa is good, worth to visit. Overall our stay was amazing, coming vack next year.

The hotel looks lovely online and for some this may be an exceptional option but for us, it was an unfortunate mistake. Upon arrival, the room had no power and maintenance needed to troubleshoot the issue. The pool was exceptionally cold. The hotel is lacking of signage to help find the way around. The beach is a hike and not as close as advertised. The beach is mostly seaweed with very little useable area. All inclusive means all things are included except what they exclude such as the sit down restaurant, drinks that aren’t in there all inclusive list, the golf simulator is 40 euro extra per person. The bar has no frozen drinks. No washcloths available for showering (which is common in some EU countries). The hotel is quite dated. The elevators many times were not working and when they were the buttons take a lot of force to engage. It’s very noisy on the 1st floor above the restaurant until at least 11pm as they cleanup and slide chairs across the floor. No eating food around the pool. As I say, this may be perfectly fine for some but comparing to many hotels we have visited, this is not for us and we can’t recommend.

The first few days of our stay were perfect for us as a family of 2 adults and 2 kids, however things went downhill once a large group of lads in their 20s arrived, staying right under our room. I would have to call reception at night before going to bed with the noise, and then again in the morning around 6.30 as the lads arrived back from their clubbing/pubbing. Loud music blaring from when they came in. Each time I complained I was told ‘we are dealing with them’. Not good enough!!! I will never return here again. Also, I had to ask every 2nd day for toilet roll, which never came so I ended up having g to take it out of either the cleaning lady’s trolley or the public toilet, shocking! Also, there was no conditioner in the dispenser when we arrived so had to request that. Also had to ask for hand wash for 3 consecutive days before finally the manager arranged to have it dropped to the room. I have never experienced customer service (or lack of) like this in any hotel in my life. NAU needs to decide if you’re a family hotel or a hotel for loud groups of lads who are there to party. Can’t mix both. Very disappointed to say the least.

Big group of girls for a hen weekend. I really enjoyed this hotel, had everything we needed. Rooms were huge, bed comfy and pillows 👌🏻 Clean and tidy. We arrived on an early flight and got to the hotel midday and we’re not able to tap into the all inclusive until 3pm, no drama but would have been nice! Restaurant was good, especially the breakfast. I personally didn’t use for dinner and used the snack bar later in afternoon as we went into town most nights. Others in our party did and enjoyed, snack bar plentiful with variety. Bar got pretty busy and not enough staff, also I would agree with some of the other reviewers, that some of the bar staff are very grumpy (not all). Also didn’t enjoy lawnmowers and strummers at 9am, not the best wake up call, I realise maintenance needs to be done but not everyone is up early on holiday. I would definitely return though, really enjoyed our stay

Amazing from start to finish. Staff food entertainment would fully recommend. 10 star 🌟.............................................best pastel de Nata......salad bar was amazing........................................