NAU Sao Rafael Suites – All Inclusive

My husband and I stayed at this hotel for 5 nights from 23/09. We used Golf Escapes as an agent to book it. (I wouldn't recommend them). Check-in We arrived around 11am, and depsite our nerves based on previous reviews, were pleasantly surprised with the reception and welcome - this didn't last long. We were told that our room would be ready at 4pm, and we could use the All Inclusive from 3pm. We could have lunch either day of arrival or day of departure so we chose to have it that day. We had booked golf for my husband as well on the first day, so we were picked up at 12:45pm, which meant waiting for the room/AI availability didn't really affect us. Whilst we waited we went to the pool bar and ordered a beer - which we paid for - and were served cider, not sure how wires were crossed there but we didn't complain - just happy to have a drink, and the staff weren't very friendly! The pool bar was dirty and dark. The floor looked filthy and the furniture was old and scruffy. Food The food wasn't great. Breakfast options were hot food including scrambled egg (no flavour, weird texture), sausages (fatty) and bacon (not for me, greasy and fatty). Pastries, toast etc. There was an 'egg station' you could get poached or fried eggs. Serve yourself coffee from the machine - again, not great. Staff unfriendly, unwelcoming. Drinks The all inclusive drinks are poor. On 3 separate occasions, we were told they had run out of vodka! You can get drinks from the pool bar and the main bar. The main bar of an evening was crazy busy, since the bar is tiny and only has a maximum 2 bar staff on (usually only 1). Service is slow and again, not very professional. A lady before me in the queue asked for a soda water and was served a beer. Bar man said he didn't speak English. Again this was a common theme with staff - I heard that a lot. Surprised that Malibu was not included. Wine & beer perfectly fine to drink, just either wear shoes to the pool bar, and prepare for a long wait at the main bar. Room The room / suite was much bigger than we imagined. We had room 116, with a pool/sea view, front room with sofa bed, bathroom, bedroom and en suite. The room was ok - just a bit dated and worn, and probably not as clean as I would like it. Loads of wardrobe space, almost too much!! One cupboard had a big water tank in it which was weird but didnt bother us. The bathroom is alright, the shower / bath is really dark though, so feels a bit dingy. Air con is not explained nor are there instructions, so to save you a trip to reception, there is a tiny button on top of the box that you need to press to turn it on! There was no tea/coffee/water in the room when we arrived. We had to ask for a kettle and then take tea from breakfast. We found this odd for AI, especially lack of water! The bedroom door wouldn't shut properly, which again wasn't an issue for us but might be if more people are sharing the room. Layout This hotel is not accessible. There is 1 working lift in order, and you still have stairs / a fair walk to access all areas. The stairs aren't signed, so we felt like we were sneaking around the hotel using secret stairs! It's a very strange layout. Pool There are 2 pools and a kids pool. They were ok, though again not that clean. The sunbeds were old and saggy / uncomfortable. Dirty straws and cups are left hanging around. Also, every morning they used a leaf-blower for ages which drove me crazy! Staff The only friendly staff we encountered were at reception. The restaurant staff seem like they don't want to be there and certainly don't want to serve you. As mentioned we heard a few times 'I don't speak english' which may be true, but felt like a cop out. Golf My husband really enjoyed the golf - he had 3 rounds booked and that all went smoothly. Power cut Whilst lunch was on one day, there was a powercut which lasted a few hours - understandably out of their control but that stopped all drinks bar wine and water. Clientele This hotel should be advertised as a 3 star tops, and should be exclusively for golfers! The hotel was mainly men / boys in groups, out for golf in the morning / afternoon, otherwise drinking and being loud. I wouldn't recommend staying here unless you're looking for a place to sleep whilst on a golf trip. Prepare / expect to eat out.

Reception are as good as useless. Our party of 12 have Been here since 11am. 2 rooms were ready at 14.30 our room is still not ready at 16.10 and they can’t tell us when we will get our room. Not a great way to start our holiday 👎🏻

We absolutely loved our stay at NAU São Rafael Suites in September. Everything — and I mean everything — was PERFECT! We spent peaceful days swimming in the sea, reading books, and enjoying the stunning design of the hotel as well as the natural beauty of Albufeira and the Marina. Our suite (105, on the top floor) was spotless, spacious, and beautifully designed — it truly felt like a home away from home. The views were incredible, and the atmosphere was so calm and relaxing. A special mention goes to the wonderful staff: incredibly warm, friendly, and always helpful. Their hospitality made all the difference and elevated our experience from great to unforgettable. If you're looking for a peaceful environment, large rooms with amazing views, and genuine hospitality, you must stay here. Massive thanks to the entire management team for a truly memorable vacation. We will definitely be back!

The lady reception is so lovely i really dont remember her name she has red hair she is one in a million so our the other reception staff they go above and beyond 2 nights i stayed but will be back Thank you for everything

Awful post-stay customer service. When I visited a cleaner discarded an item of mine, when raised to the front desk they promised that I could get a new one when at home and have this reimbursed. I spent months going back and fourth with them over this, doing everything they asked but constantly got ignored. I would actively avoid staying here as any good customer service received only extends to the point at which they have your money, they don't care after that.

We stayed at the hotel as a group of friends in a triple connecting room, room 209. As we were getting closer to the trip, I was a little bit concerned about some of the negative reviews recently left on Google reviews; given the price, I didn’t go in to expect a platinum five star hotel, and in all honesty, I set my expectations a lot lower! I needn’t have done this, we had a fantastic stay, Thursday to Sunday. The aesthetics as you approach the hotel had already started to put my mind at ease. The triple room was amazing and surpassed our expectations, three en suites, a huge balcony spanning the width too, we loved it. Clean, with everything you could need. No noise from adjoining rooms at all. We had the premium all inclusive option which meant we had access to the spa, premium drinks options and could dine one night for free at the a la carte restaurant. Would return and highly recommend!

The room was very spacious. Clean and comfortable bed. Air conditioner was amazing.

Warning- this hotel is a long long way from 5 star. Food was 3 star at best. All inclusive was not all inclusive. Even a glass of port was not included until we complained. The room we were given was poorly soundproofed, close to the bar that had evening entertainment and was noisy. Even people passing by could clearly be heard. We expected luxury - but were very disappointed. Cannot possibly recommend this hotel.

while the holiday was good, it was unfortunately not the 5 star experience we were expecting and did not offer value for money. having paid more than £8000 for 4 people, it was quite disappointing to discover the very limited range of alcohol for example, we were expecting to have to pay for name brand alcohol, but even a simple rum and coke was chargeable at around €13. the selection of all inclusive alcohol seemed quite random - usually we would expect spirits and mixers to be included and cocktails to be chargeable, but it seemed to be reversed here. the late checkout option was also more expensive than expected - €200 to retain access to drinks and snack bar or €100 for the room only. as our transfer to the airport was at 7pm, we had little choice but to pay. access to drinks etc should be included until the transfer arrives and should not cost an extra €100. in addition to this, we arrived on the first day at about 1:30pm, and were told that we could choose to have lunch either then or on the final day, but could not have both. we opted for the last day, thinking we could go to the snack bar when we arrived, only to be told that our room was not ready and we could not use the all inclusive service until it was. this meant we had to wait, in our travelling clothes, and without access to food or drinks. fortunately we were only waiting until 3, but had we arrived any earlier or had to wait until later i feel that this would’ve spoiled the start of our holiday. facilities wise, the pools themselves were kept clean and the landscaping was well kept. unfortunately the sun loungers seemed cheap and many of them were broken. the parasols around the pool have extremely heavy bases, meaning they cannot easily be moved to suit the position of the sun - again, a small inconvenience, but we noticed that some parasols did have wheels so it would be nice if they could all be this way. the rooms were spacious with comfortable beds, and the fridge was useful to have. while we are not big tea/coffee drinkers, i do think a kettle would be nice to have in the room for those who do want this. the rooms were cleaned every day bar one, however it seemed that the staff could never get the number of towels right. one day we had 6 bath towels, but on another we only had 3 meaning one person in our family didn’t have one. we also noticed a lot of ants in the room, particularly in one of the bathrooms. they could not have been missed by the housekeeping staff, they were everywhere. pest control also seemed to be an issue in the restaurant. while i understand that the doors are open to the balcony area, this has been the case in many hotels i have stayed at over the years and i have never seen quite so many flies around the food itself. it was quite off putting to see flies crawling around in the bread and fruits. the restaurant also had limited hot food choices for vegetarians - usually there were 2-3 meat dishes and 2-3 fish dishes, then there was usually only 1 vegetarian dish with the other “options” being plain rice, potatoes, chips, pasta, and pizza. one member of our group is a vegetarian but is allergic to mushrooms, so could not eat the only main course option at most meals as mushrooms featured heavily - again, this would not be a problem if there were more options. the desserts however were excellent, as was the show cooking in the evening. the choices at breakfast were also good, the only thing missing is a selection of jams/honey, as there was nothing to spread on toast other than butter. while we were somewhat disappointed with the facilities offered, i would just like to add that the staff are in no way at fault and were mostly excellent. Bruno the bartender was particularly impressive and went above and beyond to make our evenings special. all in all, i think this hotel would be better marketed as a 3 or 4 star, as i do not see the cash grabbing attitude with the hidden extra costs as 5 star service, particularly when adding to that the cleanliness and poolside equipment issues. i did not feel that this hotel offered value for money, i would have no problem paying the amount we did for a 5 star experience but that is not what we had.

Lovely big room, pool area clean with plenty of loungers. Dining options were a little limited, even though all inclusive there were not always everything available. The indoor spa area was a real let down. We got upgraded which was a nice touch and the staff were excellent