Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve Photos
Recommended Reviews - Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve
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Overall: This hotel is as if a cheap contractor was given blueprints for a luxury resort and the keys were handed off to a 3-star hotel operator. The front desk staff seems to genuinely not care about your enjoyment once the credit card is run. The housekeeping overlooks replacing the few things included with the room. Management doesn't seem to care if the rooms are well-maintained; however, maybe they take care of them before busy season and just let them get abused until tourism slows down. If this were a 3-star hotel charging €200/night, they would get 3 stars from me. Instead, it's a "5-star hotel" charging nearly double that when I went, so it feels generous to rate them 2 stars. I am two nights in, and am blown away by the lack of professionalism and quality of this hotel. For the price, I would highly recommend trying another upscale hotel. Customer Service: We tried to check in at the front desk and were able to check into our room in about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the room we were assigned to was a handicap-accessible room with a completely different bathroom than what we selected and paid for. We went back to the front desk to say we wanted the room we paid ~$400 a night in early September for. We were told "well, that is a version of the standard room. I will see if I can find another room soon." We moved our car and came back, waiting another 10 minutes to be seen. Thankfully, we were able to get another room. The front desk staff also tried to push a "discounted all-inclusive" package for €55/person per night. That's a tacky, yet overpriced, feature not typically associated with 5-star hotels. We got put into another room that had wine stained all over the rug and some on the ceiling. We then went to the pool, about an hour and 15 minutes after we first tried to check in and saw the towel service was over. We asked the front desk for towels and were told towel service had ended. I reminded them of the lengthy check in process and we were given towels. Housekeeping: The housekeepers pull the card out of the dock by the door so your AC doesn't run while you're out and your room is hot when you get back. Our room did not have conditioner and the shampoo dispenser wasn't working. We left both nozzles off to alert housekeeping and just had the shampoo fixed. They left the conditioner empty and put the nozzle back. The pillows were also thin and uncomfortable, so the next night on our way back from dinner, we asked for pillows and were told their maid service was done and we couldn't have another pillow. We also mentioned the conditioner being out. The next day, after housekeeping came, the conditioner was still empty. Our coffee pods were also not replaced. When we asked for those, we were asked if we had the all-inclusive package. I have never been to even a 3-star hotel where replacing the cheap coffee pods was considered to be an add-on. As a side note, they replaced the coffee pods but still not the conditioner. Location: The location is far from anything interesting, but you can see that from the map when booking. Thankfully, ubers are only €5-€10 to get in and out of Lagos Old Town. The hotel in theory has everything you need- a pool, a restaurant charging €45/person for dinner, and beach access; however, the beach is half a kilometer away and is quite a far walk on a long walkway from the hotel and doesn't have any of the rock formations Lagos and Algarve is famous for. We found ourselves traveling to Lagos Old Town every day of our stay. Amenities: The lobby is spacious and comfortable, as is the balcony overlooking the main pool with a view of the beach half a kilometer away. We did not try the restaurant for dinner but had the breakfast, which was quite good. The main pool area in early September was not at all crowded and was very nice. The second pool with a pool bar looked nice but we did not spend any time there. If outlets in your room are considered an amenity, some of those did not work either.
After a relaxing five day stay in Madeira, my wife and I headed to Lagos to continue our mini-tour of Portugal. For this leg of our trip, we would be staying at the Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve. When our Uber driver pulled up to the front of the resort, I knew that my wife had aced the exam (she is an all-inclusive resort whisperer). Upon entering the lobby, we were greeted by the clean lines of an upscale business that you may see featured in the latest episode of Architectural Digest. The employee at the front desk warmly greeted us as he started the check-in process. After providing us with a brief breakdown of the resort's amenities, he handed us our room keycards. I'm not sure if this was protocol (or if we just looked thirsty), but he also handed us both a glass of sparkling wine to enjoy as we made our way to our room. When you enter the room, you have to insert one of your keycards into a slot to turn on the electricity in the room (this is an energy saving approach that a lot of European hotels use). Once we turned on the lights, we were greeted by a very clean room complete with a fairly large hot tub (I'm still disappointed that I was only able to use it once), a refrigerator (for keeping two bottles of wine cool), and a beautiful view of the nearby ocean. The food at this resort is top notch! During our five day stay, we had almost no complaints about the food (there was one breakfast that seemed a bit off) at the buffet. Pretty much any popular food is provided at the brunch: seafood, pork, beef, chicken, salads, potatoes, fresh fruit, cheeses (I love a wide-array of cheeses), vegetables, etc. With the exception of breakfast (they have a self-serve sparkling wine area if you want to make mimosas), staff does a great job of ensuring that your glass remains full of delicious Portuguese wine. Outside of the entrance to the buffet area is an activity board with the activities for the day. One activity that we participated in on a regular basis, was the water aerobics that was held at the smaller pool (there is also a kiddie pool in this area). It was fun taking a break from the traditional gym, and being lead through a pretty challenging workout by two engaging employees. On our last full day, we just happened to stumble upon staff setting up a soap workshop. We never thought making soap could be so fun (or maybe it was the vodka tonics adding a layer of excitement)! Later that evening, we enjoyed the sounds of a really talented cover band. The smaller pool where the water aerobics classes took place, just happened to be the pool that we favored for relaxing and enjoying adult beverages. In the same area, there is a gazebo with seating and a walk-up bar. Whenever we needed a drink, there was always a friendly employee there ready to make a stiff beverage. Also, usually there was some great tunes being played via XM Satellite radio. In comparison to the larger pool without music and a crowd, this pool area seems more tailored for folks that want to relax and not be "seen." Now I want to speak to something that has absolutely nothing to do with the resort; however, I feel like it's necessary that I warn potential patrons about something that my wife and I experienced. As Black Americans (I cannot speak to the experience of other racial/ethnic groups) from the moment we stepped foot onto the resort, we were receiving intense stares from other patrons. Whether we were simply enjoying a drink near the bar, walking through the resort, eating at the buffet...folks were staring! Regardless of the cause of the stares (fascination, hate, lust), it's a bit unsettling to be enjoying your holiday only to look over and see someone making unwavering eye contact. I bring this up for two reasons: As a warning to fellow Black Americans who may be considering booking a stay at any resort in Lagos (we did not experience this in Lisbon), and to issue a friendly reminder to the demographics that were staring...it's not nice to stare, and if you must, at least speak to the person that you're staring at... :) Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve. One thing that I really want to highlight about this resort is how receptive they are to feedback. For example, early in our stay my wife complained (I use this word lightly) about the lack of a potato option (there was a survey that staff was distributing during dinner). The following morning, there was an assortment of potato options available...now that's what I call customer service aka listening to your customer and implementing feedback (yes I know that it is not realistic to implement all customer feedback)! I want to give a special shout out to the following staff: Uday, Antonio, Natalia, Natasha, Juan, and Caria....you all provided an excellent customer service experience that we are thankful for!
Excellent hotel. The food was wonderful the staff was very friendly. Everything was perfect. This is a beautiful place to spend a few days or a week.
1 year ago
I loved staying at this resort. The highlight is really the staff. They are so accommodating, kind and thoughtful. We checked in online in the app, making that part of the process easier. Our bags were taken to our room and we were given basic info and welcome glasses of champagne. Our room was gorgeous, with a bathtub, shower, toilet room, jack and Jill sinks and a large king bed. The TV was great for casting music as well. The mini bar came stocked and was included in our all inclusive package. The food at the main restaurant for dinner was great, much better than you'd typically expect at an all inclusive buffet. The chef spoke to me briefly and he's wonderful. The pools are a little confusing as there are technically 3, but all are labeled around the building as Pool, so I ended up at the bean/kid pool several times on accident. Poolside drink and snack service is available but if you're hungry you can eat at the pool side restaurant which is nearby the main pool. The resort also has direct beach access. There are some sports courts, a gym and free exercise programming, along with fun and inclusive programming like fado dinner, cooking classes and kids art classes. Drinks here are great and another highlight of the resort. There are water refill areas throughout the resort which are very handy. This resort also has one meeting room space for events and can seat up to 230 and has lots of natural light. The front desk staff can arrange taxi rides for you but the car service is not directly associated with the hotel. This hotel is also an IHG property, so you can earn rewards during your stay. read more
4 days ago
1 year ago
No towels two days running for the pool. BYOT. And the most sour face girl ever delivering the news. You don't get that shit at our hotels! read more
Overall: This hotel is as if a cheap contractor was given blueprints for a luxury resort and the keys were handed off to a 3-star hotel operator. The front desk staff seems to genuinely not care about your enjoyment once the credit card is run. The housekeeping overlooks replacing the few things included with the room. Management doesn't seem to care if the rooms are well-maintained; however, maybe they take care of them before busy season and just let them get abused until tourism slows down. If this were a 3-star hotel charging €200/night, they would get 3 stars from me. Instead, it's a "5-star hotel" charging nearly double that when I went, so it feels generous to rate them 2 stars. I am two nights in, and am blown away by the lack of professionalism and quality of this hotel. For the price, I would highly recommend trying another upscale hotel. Customer Service: We tried to check in at the front desk and were able to check into our room in about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the room we were assigned to was a handicap-accessible room with a completely different bathroom than what we selected and paid for. We went back to the front desk to say we wanted the room we paid ~$400 a night in early September for. We were told "well, that is a version of the standard room. I will see if I can find another room soon." We moved our car and came back, waiting another 10 minutes to be seen. Thankfully, we were able to get another room. The front desk staff also tried to push a "discounted all-inclusive" package for €55/person per night. That's a tacky, yet overpriced, feature not typically associated with 5-star hotels. We got put into another room that had wine stained all over the rug and some on the ceiling. We then went to the pool, about an hour and 15 minutes after we first tried to check in and saw the towel service was over. We asked the front desk for towels and were told towel service had ended. I reminded them of the lengthy check in process and we were given towels. Housekeeping: The housekeepers pull the card out of the dock by the door so your AC doesn't run while you're out and your room is hot when you get back. Our room did not have conditioner and the shampoo dispenser wasn't working. We left both nozzles off to alert housekeeping and just had the shampoo fixed. They left the conditioner empty and put the nozzle back. The pillows were also thin and uncomfortable, so the next night on our way back from dinner, we asked for pillows and were told their maid service was done and we couldn't have another pillow. We also mentioned the conditioner being out. The next day, after housekeeping came, the conditioner was still empty. Our coffee pods were also not replaced. When we asked for those, we were asked if we had the all-inclusive package. I have never been to even a 3-star hotel where replacing the cheap coffee pods was considered to be an add-on. As a side note, they replaced the coffee pods but still not the conditioner. Location: The location is far from anything interesting, but you can see that from the map when booking. Thankfully, ubers are only €5-€10 to get in and out of Lagos Old Town. The hotel in theory has everything you need- a pool, a restaurant charging €45/person for dinner, and beach access; however, the beach is half a kilometer away and is quite a far walk on a long walkway from the hotel and doesn't have any of the rock formations Lagos and Algarve is famous for. We found ourselves traveling to Lagos Old Town every day of our stay. Amenities: The lobby is spacious and comfortable, as is the balcony overlooking the main pool with a view of the beach half a kilometer away. We did not try the restaurant for dinner but had the breakfast, which was quite good. The main pool area in early September was not at all crowded and was very nice. The second pool with a pool bar looked nice but we did not spend any time there. If outlets in your room are considered an amenity, some of those did not work either. read more
After a relaxing five day stay in Madeira, my wife and I headed to Lagos to continue our mini-tour of Portugal. For this leg of our trip, we would be staying at the Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve. When our Uber driver pulled up to the front of the resort, I knew that my wife had aced the exam (she is an all-inclusive resort whisperer). Upon entering the lobby, we were greeted by the clean lines of an upscale business that you may see featured in the latest episode of Architectural Digest. The employee at the front desk warmly greeted us as he started the check-in process. After providing us with a brief breakdown of the resort's amenities, he handed us our room keycards. I'm not sure if this was protocol (or if we just looked thirsty), but he also handed us both a glass of sparkling wine to enjoy as we made our way to our room. When you enter the room, you have to insert one of your keycards into a slot to turn on the electricity in the room (this is an energy saving approach that a lot of European hotels use). Once we turned on the lights, we were greeted by a very clean room complete with a fairly large hot tub (I'm still disappointed that I was only able to use it once), a refrigerator (for keeping two bottles of wine cool), and a beautiful view of the nearby ocean. The food at this resort is top notch! During our five day stay, we had almost no complaints about the food (there was one breakfast that seemed a bit off) at the buffet. Pretty much any popular food is provided at the brunch: seafood, pork, beef, chicken, salads, potatoes, fresh fruit, cheeses (I love a wide-array of cheeses), vegetables, etc. With the exception of breakfast (they have a self-serve sparkling wine area if you want to make mimosas), staff does a great job of ensuring that your glass remains full of delicious Portuguese wine. Outside of the entrance to the buffet area is an activity board with the activities for the day. One activity that we participated in on a regular basis, was the water aerobics that was held at the smaller pool (there is also a kiddie pool in this area). It was fun taking a break from the traditional gym, and being lead through a pretty challenging workout by two engaging employees. On our last full day, we just happened to stumble upon staff setting up a soap workshop. We never thought making soap could be so fun (or maybe it was the vodka tonics adding a layer of excitement)! Later that evening, we enjoyed the sounds of a really talented cover band. The smaller pool where the water aerobics classes took place, just happened to be the pool that we favored for relaxing and enjoying adult beverages. In the same area, there is a gazebo with seating and a walk-up bar. Whenever we needed a drink, there was always a friendly employee there ready to make a stiff beverage. Also, usually there was some great tunes being played via XM Satellite radio. In comparison to the larger pool without music and a crowd, this pool area seems more tailored for folks that want to relax and not be "seen." Now I want to speak to something that has absolutely nothing to do with the resort; however, I feel like it's necessary that I warn potential patrons about something that my wife and I experienced. As Black Americans (I cannot speak to the experience of other racial/ethnic groups) from the moment we stepped foot onto the resort, we were receiving intense stares from other patrons. Whether we were simply enjoying a drink near the bar, walking through the resort, eating at the buffet...folks were staring! Regardless of the cause of the stares (fascination, hate, lust), it's a bit unsettling to be enjoying your holiday only to look over and see someone making unwavering eye contact. I bring this up for two reasons: As a warning to fellow Black Americans who may be considering booking a stay at any resort in Lagos (we did not experience this in Lisbon), and to issue a friendly reminder to the demographics that were staring...it's not nice to stare, and if you must, at least speak to the person that you're staring at... :) Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve. One thing that I really want to highlight about this resort is how receptive they are to feedback. For example, early in our stay my wife complained (I use this word lightly) about the lack of a potato option (there was a survey that staff was distributing during dinner). The following morning, there was an assortment of potato options available...now that's what I call customer service aka listening to your customer and implementing feedback (yes I know that it is not realistic to implement all customer feedback)! I want to give a special shout out to the following staff: Uday, Antonio, Natalia, Natasha, Juan, and Caria....you all provided an excellent customer service experience that we are thankful for! read more
3 years ago
Excellent hotel. The food was wonderful the staff was very friendly. Everything was perfect. This is a beautiful place to spend a few days or a week. read more
2 years ago
Sheets with holes, stained carpet, windows with broken seals... The Staff wouldn't refill our mini bar until the next morning 10am read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
