Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Da Balaia stands on an ochre cliff in southern Portugal, overlooking a magnificent white sand beach. The Resort allies sports and well-being in an outstanding setting. It's a world to unwind in, perfumed by the woody scents of parasol pines, olive trees and eucalyptus. Comfort and cosiness are to be found everywhere, even in the reception area where marble floors and deep red walls set the tone. This is a Club Med Resort where families, golfers and Spa enthusiasts live together in harmony.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled in a picturesque setting, Club Med Da Balaia in Portugal is celebrated for its stunning location near the beach and scenic views. Guests have commended the hotel for its modern amenities, including a serene Zen pool and quality dining options, though some suggest there's room to enhance certain facilities like pool temperature. While the staff is lauded for their dedication and friendliness, a few travelers have noted minor inconsistencies in service.
Accommodations offer comfort but vary, with some guests facing issues related to room size and noise. Additionally, the vibrant atmosphere can sometimes give way to a quieter ambiance, and guests should be aware that extra services may carry steep fees.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Mixed
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Comprehensive
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Detailed Reviews
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We have just returned from two weeks at Club Med de Da Balaia and we are just delighted! Just want to go back!
What we particularly liked: - Food: super good main restaurant lots of choices and Portuguese dishes as well as very good gourmet restaurant - Bar: great waiters both at the top bar and bottom! During the rush they are very effective! In addition they make cocktails created on request!!! Special thanks to Thymoty at the main bar and to the two sisters Marine and Julie at the upstairs bar - Atmosphere: super village chief Gianni who sets the mood well as his deputy and his musician who follows him in the villages (big crush for the musician: the best of all clubs Med!!!) Special mention also for Eric of the reception and Thomas of the gourmet who are the first to share a moment with you. - Setting: just exceptional with the sea view!!! The rooms with sea view (Belem) are truly exceptional. Nearby beach just beautiful: when the tide is low absolutely go on foot on the Praia de Falesia it is worth the detour. -Hygiene: everything is really very clean whether it is the shared toilet, the restaurant, the rooms is frankly nickel and it is particularly nice! The waiters at the bar and restaurant are particularly fast and friendly. - Region: Club Med very well positioned to visit the Algarve: there are really many things to see not far, it is super nice (ria formosa, ponta da piedade, benagil caves, walk of loulé,...) Level temperature we went the last two weeks of September and it was really hot enough to swim and not too hot to do Things to do
What could be improved: - Double glazing in the rooms (Belem) for noise nuisance and insulation - More efficient air conditioning in the rooms (Belem) Too bad to book the best part of the restaurant for people paying for extra services (wines or dishes): it seems to me that this goes against the all in? - Turn the music down: at the Zen pool we wait for all the sports class that goes outside as well as all the music from the main bar it’s a bit of a shame
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Superb stay at Club Med Da Balaia! Located on a very beautiful location, and offering quality and varied catering, the added value of the club comes from a top-notch and always smiling GO team masterfully orchestrated by the very present village chef Gianni.
Special mention to the leisure manager, Enes, caring and caring for all of his GM’s.
If you are sporty, do not hesitate to attend the classes of the sparkling Lucie with her communicative energy.
In terms of care, the SPA team is very welcoming and will know how to take care of you, thanks to Asia, in particular.
It is this whole cocktail that makes Club Med Da Balaia a successful stay and one that makes you want to come back.
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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A perfect family stay the club is very beautiful the beach is very beautiful and well maintained when in the swimming pool the water is at the perfect temperature. Regarding the service in the club, a very good team of G.O and the G.O small club and mini club, adorable with children. ROSY the small club manager is a fantastic person, a big thank you to her for her professionalism but one person in particular contributed to the success of this stay and it is in the person of Thomas from reception a wonderful person who does everything possible so that we are satisfied takes care of the G.E and who listens to the slightest request from our arrival until our arrival he knew how to make himself available A LUCK to have such a G.O in a club! Kind regards Ninos
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The +: -The food is good There is food provided for small children - The kitchen team is very friendly - The team of clothing shops is very nice - The reception team is nice, although overwhelmed at certain times - Access to the beach is very easy, and the beach is not overcrowded - Separate swimming pool and paddling pool - The sea view is pleasant in the superior rooms - The bed is comfortable - Requests made at reception or by the application are quickly and well satisfied
The -: - Many people and little organization On other Med clubs we talked regularly with GOs, here we only had contact with people who were in key positions (shop, reception, excursions) – The tour service seems surprised that we want to make cultural visits and tries to discourage ourselves, we should go “boating like everyone else”, impossible to participate in one of the cultural tours offered on the catalogue, and the à la carte tours are overpriced Outdoor parties are very frequent and noisy, even for a room on the 8th floor. Fortunately our baby has a heavy sleep, because it lasts until 10.30pm The room is partially clean upon arrival, the interventions we request at the reception are not always made. There are big cobwebs on the ceiling and the armchair sticks. Sometimes the cleaning team doesn’t make the room without express request at the reception (perhaps because we had the last room on the top floor, but we always vacated it between 9am and 2pm) The daily program advertised on the app changes regularly and is sometimes difficult to follow. We wanted to follow the suggested dress code, but it changed during our week there and we finally chose to drop it – In the end, the quality/Award ratio does not seem satisfactory to us because the only Things to do without paying extra are the beach and the pool.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Organisez des excursions culturelles autrement qu’avec le service du club.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I never quite get the amazing reviews of this hotel, we stayed last year and couldn’t wait to leave. We also complained to the hotel after the visit & offered compensation however this was to spend on another club med holiday and we definitely wouldn’t go again. Our hotel room had an awful view & a balcony that you wouldn’t sit on, curtains were ripped etc. The food is average, the chef on the burgers handed my daughter a bread cake with the same gloved hands he was wearing handling raw meat, the outside snacks are sat in the sun & the sea gulls are always eating them, all staff do is bat them away & leave the food for guests to eat. On arrival at the hotel at mid day we were told to leave or pay an additional figure to use the facilities / food for 3 hours, we obviously paid as we had two tired children who were excited for there holiday. Our room was ready, which made the situation more disappointing and even though we were leaving early on our last day and therefore not useing the facilities we still had to pay. The air conditioning didn’t work but staff failed to acknowledge this was the case though the whole panel was covered in tape so you couldn’t use it. Worse of all the hotel is infested with cockroaches, they were in our room, in the dining room, we saw one under our table, running across the dining area & another around the pizza area, this was denied though we know what cockroaches are and following seeing so many we decided to stick with hot fresh food. The entertainment is really poor and the French shouting how ‘incredible’ is all the time gets annoying. My final thing to complain about is that the staff sit with you, I find this so strange as the guest has obviously spent a small fortune to be there yet the staff pile there plates up before dashing off or enjoying a leisurely lunch. One of the staff drained the water machine filling all his bottles for the day which left the machine empty for guests. Additionally the water bottles on the tables are never cleaned they just get topped up by the staff! Would we would return, not if someone paid us!
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Date of stay: May 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Club Med, Propriétaire at Club Med Da Balaia
Responded May 3, 2024
Dear Hyde-de-boo, We have taken your comments into account and would like to thank you for sharing your experience with us. However, we are sorry to hear that your stay did not meet your expectations and would like to apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. First of all, we understand your disappointment regarding the view from your room and the balcony which was not usable. We are aware of the importance of a pleasant view and a functional balcony to fully enjoy your stay. We take note of your comments and will do our utmost to improve these aspects. Regarding the food, we are sorry to hear that you encountered problems with your meal. The situation you describe with the burger chef is not acceptable and we sincerely apologize for this incident. We will ensure that our team follows the highest standards of hygiene and that such situations do not recur in the future. Concerning the outdoor snacks, we are aware of the inconvenience caused by seagulls. Our team does its utmost to keep them at bay, but we will take extra measures to ensure that snacks are always fresh and protected from birds. We also regret any problems you may have experienced on arrival at the hotel. It is important to us to provide you with quality service from the very first moment. We will take steps to improve communication with our guests and avoid any confusion regarding additional charges. Regarding the air conditioning, we are sorry that the problem was not resolved during your stay. We will investigate this incident and take the necessary steps to ensure that all equipment functions correctly in the future. We also understand your concern about cockroaches. Cleanliness and hygiene are top priorities for us. We have already taken steps to address this issue and will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure a pest-free environment. As far as entertainment is concerned, we're sorry you weren't fully satisfied. Our entertainment team works hard to provide an entertaining and varied experience for all our guests. We will take your comments into account to improve our activities and meet the expectations of all our guests. Finally, we regret that you found our staff inattentive at times. Friendliness and respect for our customers are fundamental values for us. We will be taking steps to remind our staff of the importance of their attentive presence and professionalism during meals. We hope you will understand that these problems are not representative of our usual standard of service. We invite you to contact us directly to discuss your experience in more detail and find a satisfactory solution. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future and providing you with an experience that meets your expectations. Yours sincerely The Club Med Da Balaia team
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We will not be returning to this resort. Unless you are French speaking you will struggle. The serving staff in particular Niccu in the pool bar area, were brilliant! but other staff including GO's did not have the patience to explain or have a conversation in English. Our children didn't join the the children and teenagers clubs due to the language barrier so we ended paying separately for tennis lessons which our children really enjoyed and the coach Eilan was brilliant. The resort was clean, safe and a lovely location. The spa facilities were excellent. The music was very loud of an evening but this was because our room was facing in the same direction, people with young children would struggle with these rooms. The menu in the the A La Carte restaurant did not change and only offered the same choice of three dishes each night, you paid separately in this restaurant for the steak and lobster which was very expensive, however the setting was lovely and the serving staff in this restaurant and cooking staff very happy and polite especially David. The main restaurant offered lots of different food selections, was very clean and fresh with and lots on offer for small children and babies as well. The resort manager was very happy and visible all the time. We would have preferred an arrivals meeting because we were just told to use the App on the phone so lacked lots of knowledge about the resort. The themed nights were slightly different to the ones on the web page so this needs to be checked upon arrival.
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Review collected in partnership with Club Med
Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Club Med Arcs Panorama, Propriétaire at Club Med Da Balaia
Responded Aug 5, 2023
Hello 457louise, Thank you for choosing Club Med Da Balaia for your vacation in Portugal. From reading your comment, you have greatly appreciated the structures of the village as well as our spa. We are also delighted to read that you were able to meet some of the members of our GO, GE and sports teams. We will pass on your comment to them, which will make them extremely happy. You tell us that the language barrier was a hindrance to exchanges with the teams. Although most of our GOs and GEs speak English, your point has been passed on to our teams to ensure that all activities are accessible, regardless of the language spoken. We're sorry that you felt a lack of information. Every day at 10am, we offer a village information tour to introduce you to the different activities and their locations. Every Sunday at 7 pm., you can meet the people in charge of services, as well as an information point with sports, excursions and the spa. Our team is also on hand during your stay to help you make the most of your vacation. We thank you once again for sharing your experience and hope to see you again in one of our villages. Louise, Club Med Team
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We were greeted by a guard of honor but were immediately taken to the restaurant. No visit or any information was given to us, except that relating to the change of village chief. The feeling of being in a herd was complete. Perhaps it was because most of the GMs present were regulars. We didn't know what building our room was in or how the restaurant worked. After getting our bearings, we discovered a terribly outdated room considering the price paid (Belém building). The room overlooked the mini golf course which is very quiet without any noise pollution. We chose Club Med to have the possibility of benefiting from the baby club. But on our arrival, we learned that for a day or half day reception (and not for a full week), there was a waiting list on which we registered. We were never called. Thus, our only activities with a 20 month old baby were limited to the swimming pool where the practice of reserving deckchairs seems to be a habit, and to the beach where there is very little space. The catering is very good and varied. The bar is nice but there are too many waits for snacks and aperitifs. We came in September, a little out of season, and it was sometimes very difficult to find 2 deckchairs at the swimming pool at 4 p.m., or a table spaced sufficiently apart on the restaurant terrace to put a baby chair. I can't imagine what it's like in peak season. Finally, our room was not cleaned on three occasions. I will be told that it is due to my daughter's nap from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., but on two occasions I drew the attention of the maintenance staff to the possibility of cleaning our room as soon as we left the room. I find it unacceptable given the price paid. As Club Med wants to be family-friendly, not having your room cleaned three times due to nap time is not suitable.
Positives: GOs seem nice but we haven't had any contact beyond daily greetings. The setting is beautiful and well maintained.
Negative points: reception not adapted to new customers. Really outdated room for the price paid. No à la carte baby club so no possibility of participating in sporting activities. The hotel service is not up to par.
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Review collected in partnership with Club Med
Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
10 days in the middle of August, full club and yet no atmosphere. There are many families with babies, the rooms are poorly insulated and "you must not disturb them, avoid complaints". Result: The bar is no longer serving at 11 p.m.! We send you back to a dismal discotheque (the theater cut in two, where the teenagers meet), no thank you. No lights on the tables, we use cell phones! No GO to dance, some don't say hello, sulk, we pick up conversations "what time do you finish, pfff midnight", we don't feel they are motivated (some more motivated to find themselves on rue de la soif in the town next door). There were exceptions that saved our stay. A huge thank you to the mini-club: Emma, Maud, Lucille, Anthony, Camille, El Patrone, Mathilde, Arthur.. (It's a shame that the children don't have a small diploma at the end of the stay, this is however done at the CM) . Fortunately, the region is magnificent, the beach is very beautiful (we don't understand the lack of water activities, there are plenty of them for a fee on the beach). Fortunately there are morning walks, extra (the best done at Club Med), thank you Tom, Julien, Matthieu. Fortunately there is the Zen swimming pool, disconcerting at first with its green color and its fish, it is a real relaxing bubble. And then there are Diego's delicious smoothies. At the bar, the very good cocktails from Marine, Valentina, the kindness of Max. But at the restaurant, we once again endure the sadness of the GE, the antipathy of the restaurant manager incapable of saying hello in 10 days (that's the basis of the job, right?), the cuisine is bland, sometimes without seasoning like in the restaurant. Gourmet where we bring you a salad without sauce, a Burger also without sauce! Disappointment also with the Junior Club, your 11 year old child finds himself alone for a large part of the day because the GO does activities from 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. then from 2:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. The rest of the time, we leave them on the cell phone, saddening. In Da Balaia, there are no more photographers, what a shame. On a white evening, you have to buy a bottle if you don't want to be in the canteen room with screaming children. No champagne fountain, no night under the stars, lights out at 11 p.m. So-so. The white party is the one that blows your mind, not this time. All this, we said it to the Cdv, Theo who is very attentive, very pleasant. We will be happy to see him again elsewhere, in another club. Because in Da Balaia we don't know why, is it due to a lack of staff? a lack of motivation of GO/GE? To tired GMs? But we don't party and we don't find the Club Med that we love so much. We won't come back.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hello with my wife we spent 12 days. Nice room on the 3rd floor with sea view.
Improvement: -Electric outlets at bedside tables. -Unpleasant pipe odors when air conditioning works. -Despite the premium wifi, the service is very weak in room. the alternative solution was to offer me a closed room but at the agreed time, the keys were impossible to find. Congratulations to Anna (reception) for her perseverance which made it possible to find a solution at the last minute. -GOs do not mix very much at the table during meals. -Ask GMs to come with reusable cups (as in thalasso) in order to phase out cardboard cups. -At Da Balaia restaurant, desserts are too sweet (pasteis de nata, molotov, ice cream...) -Possibility of having sharper knives for meat. Missing a soda fountain. Weight room, missing running mats. Excursion, no effort to try to hang on to an excursion where places were vacated 2 hours before. Too bad. The response was average for a Club Med. -Zen pool closed on Sunday, not normal. -White tables at the Falaisa bar, too sunny for lunch. Provide umbrellas.
Very good to maintain: -Treatment, massage and spa welcome (Asia and Klara) Sport: very good for archery with Peter and Sacha and sports walking, pétanque tournaments with Sam, the dynamism of Lucie, thanks also to Pierrick. A downside regarding Maxence for the sport, if he wants to make a career at Club Med he needs to change his behavior. -Good quality deckchairs for all pools. -Sense of service Lisa (shop) --Very good food, varied, great choice of vegetables. Congratulations to Mussa, Thibalut, Alberto and Marcelo. On the other hand some waiters clear the plates without asking anything. Twice I didn't even finish my dish. Bartender Ewen and Timothy.
Laurent
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
total disappointment, we were between going to the club med punta cana or balaia, we chose balaia because it was a club med with many recommendations from other friends gms, but we were extremely disappointed with the g.os and services, no one even made an effort to communicate with us, only you speak French in the village, not even English, the information about the village very scarce, from arrival to departure, nor were we received on arrival we had to spend a few minutes walking through the reception until we were caught, since we had not spoken French, changed the attention completely, we were discriminated Because we only spoke English, Portuguese and asked us a phone number to let us know when the room was ready and if we had not returned to the reception we would also have waited much longer. The resort showed our interest in prolonging our stay and never gave us an answer, at the bar the g.os were completely unprepared for the service, did not know how to recommend drinks, only what was in the menu, if we requested something different was prepared unwillingly, at the time of dinner another disappointment, there was no one at the door of the restaurant to guide the gergeral, the buffet was completely parco and disorganized, there were no red meat options besides the estrogonofe, for the price of today the club left a lot to be desired, both in terms of service and variety, we have already visited the med club several times, it was our first and last time at the dining room, but it was also practically an excellent resort, and there were no exciting explanations. I went to celebrate my birthday and ended up being completely disappointed.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Chatham, United Kingdom4 contributions7 helpful votes
The main restaurant has a number of covered outside areas but proper alfresco dining is available on the grass area or terraces where a bottle of wine needs to be bought. There are quite a few steps to the beach but there is also a road that leads to the beach which has a gentler slope.
There are more places to choose from in the Albufeira area.
PRICE RANGE
C$568 - C$829 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
club med da balaia hotel albufeira, da balaia club med, club med albufeira, albufeira club med
LOCATION
PortugalAlgarveFaro DistrictAlbufeira
NUMBER OF ROOMS
372
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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