Algarve Vacation Recenzje 

Before booking I had read some worrying reviews that had been posted, mostly about deposits being withheld for damage that renters say they did not cause.

Anyway in July I booked Villa Santa Rosa in Armacao de Pera for my family, 14 of us for October. A couple of weeks after after paying my deposit and entering my personal information, including passport details and that of a couple of other family members, on the villa check-in website, I was contacted by someone impersonating Algarve Vacations asking me to verify my credit card details again the ensure my booking would be secured. They also had all the details of my booking. I contacted Algarve Vacations about it and got WhatsApp response advising me to block the number. Clearly a data breach had occurred which I wasn't informed about and was later told that we had to resubmit all our personal information again on another website.

Then 3 weeks before the booking I received a message from Algarve Vacations informing me that most of the facilities at the villa including the jacuzzi's, sauna and ice bath are no longer available due to a technical problem and had been removed. By this point the family are beginning to feel anxious about the whole booking.

Anyway we arrived in Portugal and was met by the transfer agent who took us the the welcome center as agreed. We were later taken to the villa, which was great and would have been amazing if all the facilities had been available. Nevertheless it was modern, well furnished, well equipped and spacious enough for 14 of us, all the bedrooms were comfy. The pool area was great with loads of loungers and two large BBQs.

Martin visited on day one to check we had no issues and was very helpful in providing information about the local area.

I was constantly mindful of the reviews that I had read about the deposit being withheld because of damage so we all spent the first 30mins trying to find all the faults and videoing all the rooms. We did find a couple of issues - sink in the kitchen was blocked and broken tiles in the pool floor exposing sharp edges. The issues were reported with pictures, they were acknowledged pretty quickly but not dealt with during our stay. Then on the evening before our booking ended I get an email warning that any rubbish left in the villa, when we leave, would result in the deposit being retained. Although this didn't cause us an issue as we were removing our rubbish on a daily basis, I can see how some people would get caught out on the last day.

My deposit was returned 2 weeks after the booking. Not sure why it should be taken 2 weeks before the booking and returned 2 weeks after the booking.

Anyway the family had a great end of summer vacation. The villa was great, the location was perfect for shops, restaurants and the beach. We even managed to do a day trip to Lisbon on the Flix bus, with no hassle at all.

If i could suggest two improvements,

- Provide renters with a check-in damage report.

- Take the damage deposit one week before check-in and return it one week after checkout.

When it's all said and done, I would book with them again.

Absolutely terrible!
The worst service we have ever had from a rental company and we rent villas several times every year.
Communicating with Algarva Vacation is like communicating with a 14 year old. No service, No politeness, No nothing.
Several things in the villa was broken, a shower Door was missing. One shower was so low you had to be a Child to fit under it. No change of towels - the told us to go to the unoccupied rooms and take the unused towels from there. TV were not working, neither was the stove. Upon complaining their reply was that they never before had Any complaints. Ehhh....?
An absolute discrace of a company! Do not rent from Them.

Algarve Vacations were generally very good as a company. Communication with them was always quick and they responded to any issues promptly. The Villa we stayed at had obviously been photographed several years before as looking back at the photos the villa is quite different now. There is an exercise bike and a running machine left at the property that obviously haven't been used in many years and need moving, similarly a pile of rubbish at the back corner of the garden. The kitchen has no baking trays to use in the oven, we tried to cook pizza after deciding to stay in one night and there was nothing to use but a glass pyrex dish. It is also overrun with ants, don't leave anything sweet out overnight. The sink in the downstairs bathroom is leaking and has been leaking for a while as you can see all the water stains and mould underneath it. The floor in the toilet is always wet. The furniture in general is quite old and tired but the villa is in a good location and within walking distance of local supermarket and several restaurants/bars. The heated pool (costing extra) was well worth it, a lovely area that gets sun all day. Two of the external doors are missing handles and several of the windows don't lock shut so if you go out you have to put down the external electric shutters. A lot of the bedding is marked, similarly the towels are thin and past their best. You get one bath towel and one hand towel per week. There are no pool towels. The pool umberellas are covered in tape and string holding them together, I could go on. This isn't particularly Algarve Vacations fault, it is the owners. A little money spent on small things would go far in this villa. It is Algarve Vacations fault that they show the villa in a different light than the condition the villa is really in, that is why I gave them three stars and not more. Finally, I am still traumatised after seeing the stains on the mattress after the sheet came loose overnight in the master bedroom. If you can't change the mattress at least get mattress covers. Not really acceptable. I don't know how long it's been since Algarve Vacations have visited the villa we were in but I think perhaps they should update their website.

Before arrival, tell tail signs were there. Deposit taken far too soon, ominous forms, lots of automated Comms, etc. On arrival, the address provided wasn't the address we were staying at, so after waiting hours since the flight to check in, were sent to the wrong address. Several calls later, we were at the right address, and then it began, from filthy floors to cockroaches, blood on towels to fault dishwasher, it was abysmal. Feel the need to document everything faulty with the place, which was endless as new issues found daily, just to get the deposit back. Left the place in a better state than when arriving. Definitely wouldn't stay with this company again and strongly advise against it. Also, blocked toilets and shower drains are no fun.

Ahh where do we begin. The photos of Villa nespereria do not look like what you get in real life. The place is so dated. We had a problem with the drains and it smelt absolutley rotten, when you flush the toilet a ton of crap comes up through the shower drain and then the bathroom floor floods. Ants in the kitchen.

We saw cockroaches on the first day downstairs and on the top floor. We were told that this is normal due to the temperature, having lived in a hot climate for years before - this is not true. Absolutley vile.

The floor had not been mopped, you could see drink stains on the floor and dust on every surface.
Cracks in the shower, one door had clearly been punched through, peeling headboards and stains everywhere.
This place is so dated and desperatly needs a revamp. Didnt touch the bbq outside, looks hideous. On the plus the pool was nice for the kids to enjoy.

If you are a group of lads on a holiday with no care for hygeine then this probably works for you. If you have a family and like sanitry conditions then avoid this place at all costs. A lesson to always check reviews before booking elsewhere in the future.

We stayed at Villa Del Pescador. The property is lovely. The location could not have been better. Small town feel with a short walk to Old Town Albufeira, where there are lots of dining and shopping options. Our contact, Olivia Grimes, was EXTREMELY responsive, quickly addressing any questions we had. We would absolutely book here again. The Algarve is my new happy place!

At Villa Gamboa a jacuzzi is not a jacuzzi and a bathtub with jets is simply a regular bathtub.

The jets weren´t working neither in the jacuzzi nor the bathtubs with jets.
Upon contacting Algarve Vacation they told us this was due to both the jacuzzi and the bathtub with jets being normal bathtubs.

The logic being, when jets doesn´t work jaccuzis and jet-bathtubs becomes regular bathtubs and therefor you can not require the jets to work. Makes perfect send, right :O)

So when you see the pictures of the jacuzzi´s at this property, please be aware they are not jacuzzi´s they are regular bathtubs.

Several TV´s didn´t work, dishwasher did not clean the dishes properly and the stove had a glitch so it was very difficult to turn on.

Staff not nice to communicate with.

We had a fantastic holiday in Portugal. Picked up from airport when we arrived.The villa was beautiful. Sandra came to meet us at the villa next day So friendly and showed us all the great trips and restaurants. Anything we needed we just rang her .Great service and fantastic staff .We we're also picked up at villa when we we're going home lovey friendly driver's. Can't wait until we return this is our fifth holiday with Algarve vacation 5 star treatment ❤️

The Villa Coral Bay property was nice. This is a relatively new build. Very clean and spacious. However, there were some issues.

The pool heating is not something I would recommend. We were charged 50 Euro per day and it did not function for at least 4 of our 7 days. This was communicated to the host throughout the stay. They are refusing to refund us for the days it did not work and argued it worked properly but for 4 days the pool was cold, the heater was off and the pool pump was not functioning. Once the technician returned for the second time, the pool warmed up again.

Kitchen and house supplies were lacking. The mixing bowl was a plastic basin that looks like it may have been used for cleaning. Kitchen knives were cheap and dull. The garbage container lid was broken and would rip the bags. The toilet paper holders were covered in rust. The shower had a cheap plastic triangle caulked in place to fill a gap and leaked. The pool table, dart board and BBQ were extremely poor quality and not really usable.

Dealing with the property managers was complicated. Payment process was difficult. Creating an account was problematic. Checking into the house was not well explained. The house has a security alarm which required a FOB. The location of the FOB was not identified.

The host's website security is also concerning. After providing my information, I started receiving fraudulent messages impersonating the host's company. These messages were asking for credit card information to confirm my stay.

Multiple neighborhood dogs barked steady.

Some water damage in places around the house.

Be warned that this property is a "self-catered" and the host is very stingy with garbage bags, toilet paper, condiments and other typical essentials that I am used to being provided when I stay at other vacation rental properties.

Would not recommend, wish I’d read the reviews prior to booking. We stayed at villa Nespereira. Family of 5 adults be 2 children. There were cockroaches and ants. The floor hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. Overall was very dirty and unhygenic. The furniture is stained. The drainage in the downstairs bathroom was faulty so smelt of sewage and was blocked/shower wouldn’t drain properly. Whilst the villa is big it’s very poorly maintained. Cracked tiles, loose toilet seat, dirty towels were provided, the glass was missing from a table so it was only the frame. The headboard was peeling, the property requires serious attention to repair and requires a deep clean. Every fabric chair has stains on it. Complained and was told this is a sought after location. The company dos not care. Absolutely horrendous experience would not recommend at all. Deposit was also taken almost a month before our stay and we have to wait 2 weeks for it to be returned. Appalling

Perfect, very friendly contact, immediated response! We had a pleansant week!

This was our first trip to Europe/Portugal and it was a memorable one! Algrave vacations lived up to its reputation and delivered on every aspect of our vacation from pickup at the airport, time to shop while our luggage was secured and drop off at our vacation house. The 2 excursions we booked were excellent! Our fishing excursion was amazing. Captain Dioga Carvalho and his officer were spectacular. They made sure we were safe and comfortable. Their fishing expertise resulted in us caching numerous types of fish. We were able to take them back and cook them up at hour vacation rental. The land tour was also fantastic. Be prepared for a full day of adventure, shopping and great food. Our tour guide was very personable, knowledgeable and catered to our needs. He is very knowledgeable! We learned so much about Portugal and were able to taste some of their local cuisine, sample some firewater and took hundreds of picture. We saw some cork trees and how they harvest them, we samples some of the purest water in the world and so much more. Martin Chambers and Olivia Grimes were awesome hosts taking care of our bookings and transfers. Martin was on site when we arrived at the city centre where our luggage was securely stored while we shopped for groceries and had lunch, before being dropped off at our vacation house. They were very punctual (on time) every step of the way. We will surely be back to Portugal and will definitely book our vacation adventure through Algrave Vacations.

We had a great time in Albufeira where we stayed in Villa Moluca of Algarve Vacations.
The booking process and subsequent steps went very fine. The villa was amazing with all luxury and comfort one can wish. We stayed there with 6 adults and one 3 year old kid. All enjoyed it.
We will definitely book again at Algarve Vacations.

WATCH OUT! This company is not trustworthy! They keep the deposit on false grounds, and even photo evidence showing the damage wasn’t there when we left the proberty is not helping. Rent a house/apartment somewhere else!

Warning to Future Guests
While the property itself is generally in good condition, we would like to issue a serious warning regarding the rental agency.
They are withholding deposits for alleged damages that are either fabricated or caused by others. In our case, we were accused—ten days after our departure—of having damaged one of the refrigerator doors. Despite providing clear photographic evidence showing that the door was intact when we left, the agency refused to return our deposit. The did not show us any proof of when they had taken the fotos of the damage and it could have been taken at any time, which made it impossible to verify their claim. On our arrival we had a leaking toilet which was repaired more than 36 hours later. No compensation was discussed.
Unfortunately, even thorough documentation of the property’s condition upon checkout offers no protection in such situations.
For this reason, we strongly advise against renting this property— Villa Isla Bella in Albufeira or any other managed by Algarve Vacation. Seek accommodation through a reputable and professional host instead. If more information is needed we advise you to read the reviews on TrustPilot. 27 % of the 387 reviews are a 1 star and are mainly about deposits (very recent ones).
This review is updated after complaint from Algarve Vacaion

Here comes a response to Algarve Vacations' response after their submission. After your response to my post, it is not time for you to do a review of your so-called property manager first before you start on us as renters. both you and we can be scammed.

Had a very relaxing week at Ipanema 1 apartment in the Santa Eulalia area of Albufeira. The apartment was centrally located but very quiet at night. The apartment was very spacious and clean and had three balconies so herself could chase the sun all day..!!!

Found Algarve Vacation very easy to deal with and had excellent communication both before and during our stay. There were a few minor maintenance issues but they did not impact our stay and I let AV know when we got home.

We didn't get a code for the front door of the building when we collected our key but Sandra quickly remedied that when she was informed.

The apartment was left in the same condition that we got it so now looking forward to the return of our deposit in full.

Update: Just received our deposit in full and would not hesitate to stay in this apartment again with Algarve Vacation.

We had a nice stay at Villa Saint John near Albufeira. Everything went fine until after the stay. We were charged around €110 for damages we didn't even make. I tried to explain that the items were already damaged on arrival but they persisted that we made all the damages. So it was a real shame after a nice experience. If you visit a property from Algarve vacation. Check if every item is fine and report immediately if something on arrival is broken!

The Villa was even bigger than on the pictures. Excellent rooms and facilities , 2 swimming pools.
Sandy beach and beachside restaurants within 300meter.
Nice environment, beautiful nature and gravel-biking opportunities

Firstly the major element. After reading so many reviews on here after reserving through Booking.com I was highly concerned over the deposit return issues, along with the data breach upon being contacted with full details from a third party. I had lengthy dialogue with Olivia Grimes who was always prompt, courteous and whilst not able to be flexible in any way did at least acknowledge my concerns. She is an asset to the business.
Onto the holiday at Villa Oasis del Mar - The Villa itself was very large and spacious, located brilliantly and importantly 'as described' in the particulars. However, with a little more effort in finishing and furnishing the experience, and ability to charge a more premium rental, could have been so much better. The living areas were ok, but the beds were so uncomfortable, particularly the upstairs ones, and a good nights sleep is important when you are away, which none of us achieved.
The concerns over deposit return were highlighted when we were informed that any rubbish left in the house would result in a deposit retention, the day before exit. I would not expect that as a standard 'damage' event, and i expect many just don't notice it and get caught later. However, because of my earlier issues I was scrupulous and took video of every room upon leaving, but an unnecessarily stressful end to the holiday. The deposit has since been returned, slightly later than agreed, and I feel sure that my proactive correspondence played a part in that. I wouldn't use the company again, but buyer beware is good advice for when using them.

We celebrated by husband’s 40th at Villa Florida. I have to say that the villa was amazing and the customer service from the algarve vacation team (especially Olivia) has been brilliant!
The price was reasonable for the amenities and we had a really great time with friends. Location was very central and we used Uber to carry shopping back from the local Aldi (which was only 10 mins walk away). Can’t wait to return!!