We enjoyed a lovely break in Vilamora in August 2006. We were confident that the Vila Gale Marina would meet our expectations and fortunately were not disappointed when we arrived! The double room was spacious, clean and with a nice sized balcony for that early evening drink! Satellite TV and Air Conditioning was an added bonus ... what more can you ask for. One tip for you, hire a mini bar from the hotel reception (two euros a day but well worth it).

If you would like a room with a very nice view of the harbour ask for a room on a high floor. We were on the 6th floor in the centre of the horse-shoe (shape of the hotel) and the view was fantastic.

The hotel has an adequate sized swimming pool with a smaller area for young children. There is also an indoor pool, jacuzzi and sauna area (you have to pay extra for the last two). A gym is provided for the fitness types. Light snacks and drinks are available by the pool all day. One criticism frequently posted on this site is that sun beds are not readily available and that some of them are in the shade all day. This is quite true (due to the horse shoe shape of the hotel) but should not present too much of a problem if you are prepared to get up at a reasonable time! PS. get your sun bed mats from the indoor pool area.

The reception/bar area is comfortable and live entertainment is provided in the evenings. I never experienced the entertainment first hand but it appeared limited. I'd say therefore that this hotel is not ideal for people who want to stay in the hotel in the evening and not venture too far away.

Vilamoura itself is full of good quality restaurants and a mixture of bars. Boat trips can be booked at the far end of the harbour (opposite the hotel). The most popular location for restaurants/bars is situated around the pretty harbour area which is lively until after midnight. People have commented that the harbour restaurants are expensive, but I think they are similar to British prices. I say that you get what you pay for.

No British louts in sight, lots of Portugese people enjoying their own country, which was nice to see, and somewhat reassuring. For something different try a visit to Val do Lobo (25 mins drive along the coast), a purpose built resort with nice restaurants and impressive/romantic sea views

We will return to Vilamoura one day and I would be happy to return to this hotel.

This was our third time at Vila Gale Marina and the first time in one of their suites. Overall the suites are good value for money - very spacious and well laid out, but the hotel is starting to look tired. Even compared to twelve months ago there are definite signs of wear and tear that you would expect to have been corrected. Eg the seals around the baths are mouldy in places, the non slip coverings in the baths are worn off.
The breakfasts are still plentiful and varied but getting a cup for your morning tea or coffee can be taxing. On one occasion it took three requests to get enough cups for our party of four.
If you're a non smoker be warned. The foyer is full of smoke and reeks of stale tobacco.
The hotel is really well situated for the marina and a short stroll to the lovely beach. Wat ch out for the beach club cafe though, two cokes came to 7.20 euros!
Vilamoura is still a pleasant place to go but is a bit short on activities and if you have young children (mine's 4) then the kiddie rides are becoming a nuisance. I'm sure they've increased from just a few to about thirty just around the marina. If your children are any older than this then they will probably be very bored as there isn't much for them to do.
All in all, I probably won't go back in the near future, but this is due to the needs of my family rather than the hotel itself. I didn't feel overcharged and still enjoyed my stay.

We stayed four nights in the Vila Gale Marina and could not fault the hotel or staff on anything. I really don't know what other visitors are talking about when they say the breakfast was worst ever-there was plenty choice for everyone and was excellent! The staff couldn't have been more helpful with any queries we had and that was only to ask directions and assistance with day trips. Rooms cleaned and new bedding and towels daily. Perhaps in the height of summer, the pool would be on the small side but you are only a 5min walk from a beautiful large sandy beach. Our favourite restaurant for eating out in the evening was The Mayflower, looking onto the Marina. Vilamoura is beautiful, clean and from what we saw, trouble free. We will definetely be booking Vila Gale Marina again.

We stayed in September 2006 for our one year anniversary, the hotel itself is very nice although a bit too imposing for our taste. We found the staff at the hotel to be extremely unhelpful and borderline wretched!!

There are no fridges or minibars in the rooms, when we requested a bucket of ice to cool our drinks we were told that the cost for this would be 12 euros - for cubed water! We were then told we could hire a fridge for 3.50 euros per day which we did, also on top of that is the 3 euros per day for the safe deposit box key.

The pool area is far too small and very cramped, getting a decent sun lounger is like running a gauntlet! Am sure people were setting their alarms for 5.00am to get the best beds - although we never stooped to this level - it was tempting though.

The food was awful, breakfast was the worst I have ever had, stale bread, terrible cooked foods and the feeling of being back in the school dinner queue (although lumpy school gravy would have been a bonus in this place).

Also, cleanliness is not next to godliness in this place, the rooms are very nice and spacious but the cleaners dont seem to do much apart from make the beds.

Beware if you looking for a nice relaxing break with your loved one, this may not be the place, seems to be invaded by large groups of golf loving men who find "bombing" the pool a great source of amusement.

Vilamoura itself is lovely and very picturesque, lots of nice places to eat and generally very nice.