This hotel surpasses any we have stayed in before, although not starred, it truly deserves 5* plus! The Location is beautiful and a true haven for people wanting to totally chill out, relax in sumptious surroundings with staff that are not just helpful and efficient, but take pleasure in serving you and looking after you with a constant smile on their face.
The food goes without saying is tremendous, due to its 2 michelin star restaurant, where local produce is often sourced and simple things like a glass of fresh orange juice never has tasted so good, never mind the 5 course dinners each night ( sorry 6 courses - you always get a chef's surprise to start with!).
We will be back without hesitation.

This hotel is an Oasis in the Algarve, which is often associated with the wrong sort of tourism. It has its own secluded beach, all fabulous 14 rooms face the sea, the decoration is an Algarvian-Moorish style, which is cool and bright, the service is attentive (its PR is quite something) and food is state-of-the-art. This hotel happens to have the only 2-star Michelin restaurant in Portugal and is worth every star, very inventive and tasty cuisine indeed, even though we thought the sommelier still has a lot to learn about world wines and for an 8-course gastronomic menu each course should have been a bit smaller (we could not eat the last two courses, which was a great shame). This restaurant, although quite expensive for Portuguese standards, is still thin its category's prices, and as it is practically full every day it's worth booking ahead. All tables are at the terrace facing the sea, if the weather is good (which happens 10 out of 12 months). The hotel's room prices include breakfast and dinner, which is very good value. If you want to adventure out of this fabulous hotel, there is a gorgeous beach outside called Praia Gale, it is quite a stretch of a white sandy beach and not too busy. If you like luxury, a romantic setting and excellent cuisine this is your place, but make sure you can afford it...

This hotel is undergoing somewhat of a transformation at the moment. An already fantastic property and location with the only two michelin starred restaurant in Portugal, it already has unrivalled exclusivity in the Algarve. Owner Joy Jung is adding probably the most renowned SIX SENSES spa to the property and is reducing the number of suites to 14. The suites are without exception beautiful and amazingly appointed. Bang & Olufsen CD player and TV and unguents by Molton Brown. Our Royal Suite 2001 was simply breathtaking..totally over the top luxury..FENDI furniture..a huge round four seater tub with star lighting over head and a huge terrace with tables and chairs and sun loungers. The view was the best I have ever seen..and I have stayed in some fantastic hotels. This is a real and much needed departure for an Algarve that has rested on its laurels for too long. If you are serious about food and staying in ultimate luxury coupled with extremely charming and sophisticated service, then I urge you to visit. The room rate currently includes a fabulous continental breakfast ( no dodgy croissants here!) AND dinner for two. The menu as you would expect changes every night. Despite worrying about dining at the same venue every evening, it was a true pleasure. Why would you want to dine anywhere else when it simply wouldn't be anywhere near as good..Or with that incredible view. Residents are mainly German ( as Joy and her family are German and have owned this property since the late 1970's) couples and few families. My husband and I and young son were made extremely welcome...the suite was perfect for us as it has its own entrance to the gardens and was next to the restaurant terrace..making life easy at breakfast time and for listening out during dinner. The beach front location is beautiful and again kept our son very happy indeed. If your little darlings aren't used to leaving beautiful ornaments/furniture alone, you might spend the whole time worrying what might get broken...there are also lots of steps down to the garden and pool and beach..and no lift...this is a minor difficulty.
Hurry up and go, otherwise you might be disappointed..with only 14 suites this well kept secret looks set for a lot of attention.