Palacio de Tavira, a Small Luxury Hotel of the World

We had a quick 2 night stay at this amazing hotel as a treat for ourselves before we flew home after travelling from the western Algarve,Alvor, over to the east, ending up in Tavira. The hotel staff are a standout feature for us of this place. They are all very welcoming and nothing is too much trouble to ask. We are in the restaurant before we left and the food, especially the Tenderloin was spot on. Veriety and quality of the breakfast was great,they have a menu for cooked options but are happy to prepare any variant from the ingredients listed on that menu. There's bathrobes, slippers, beach and pool towels all of top quality in the room for you to use. As I nice touch there was a complimentary bottle of a very nice red wine for us as well as a nice glass bottle of water. Parking there can be an issue as the spots on the road as very limited and full up quickly. Luckily for us we managed to find spaces but the staff can direct you to a nearby carpark. We didn't use the spa so can't comment on that. It is a lovely and unique place right in the centre but also it remains a place of calmness and tranquility. It's is pricey but as a special treat to ourselves it was well worth it and would love to come back sometime and can hand on heart recommend it.

Pros - beautiful new hotel. Clean. The breakfast included was excellent with great service. Well appointed room. Ours had a cozy private enclosed outdoor area with shower. The hotel had a nice bar area with outdoor courtyard sitting area. Cons- there are 2 pools and they r tiny. Like only big enough for 1-2 people to soak in at a time. Probably around 5ft x 10-12ft long. The photos online make them look larger. And the deck area to lounge is very tiny. So if anyone is already lounging, you won’t want to stay as u feel on top of them. The staff could still use some finishing tweaks. We did not request our room to be cleaned the 2nd day so I asked for a bottle of water at the front desk (which every single nice hotel we stayed at in Europe willingly provided). We got a half winded answer of “I will have to check with housekeeping”. Which never happened. We never received the bottle of water lol. It’s minor but it’s also an expected amenity at a nicer hotel. So thumbs down for that. Also we found the bed a bit hard and uncomfortable on our backs so I asked if they had a foam or mattress topper they could add to the room. Again I was told they would check with housekeeping and they would “call us.” I kept my phone close, we went out and they never called or messaged (they had been using what’s app for messages). When we went back to the front desk 3 hours later to inquire again, they said they came to our room but we had the do not disturb on so they didn’t enter. (Minor but they told us they would call so we went out waiting for a call) we easily could have removed it. So we said, ok let us go tidy the room and remove the sign and they can come back. Well… fast forward 2 more days and the topper never came. Again not great service for a hotel of this caliber. We also never had a manager say hi and ask us how our stay was going away any point. These r minor in the scope however I feel it’s good feedback so they can improve on these things moving forward which are expected as basic standards at nicer hotels. So all in all it’s great. But lacking on some customer service and follow up items.