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The Hotel includes Monica Isabel Beach Club 4 Stars (Aparthotel) and Monica Isabel Beach Club 3 Stars ( Tourist Apartments). It has a privileged location in Albufeira, on Albufeira beach and only 500 meters from “Avenida Sá Carneiro “a popular avenue (better known as The Strip to foreign visitors) which is filled with cafes, bars, restaurants and a wide variety of shops. The Albufeira Resort is central to traditional shopping areas, restaurants and bars from throughout the region and only 1.5 km from the Historic and Cultural Centre of Albufeira, the Mónica Isabel Beach Club offers a variety of services that allow your holiday or short week-end break to be unforgettable.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Bay View
Ocean View
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Location
Forte De S. Joao, Apartado 2331, Albufeira 8200-325 Portugal
Name/address in local language
Monica Isabel Beach Club
3 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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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The Monica Isabel Beach Club hotel offers spacious rooms that are, according to some travelers, in need of modernization and more consistent upkeep. While the hotel's cleanliness receives general praise, guests have called out the limited towel changes and occasional maintenance lapses. The value proposition is met with criticism for hidden costs and underwhelming services, despite its all-inclusive claims.
Amenities often come with additional charges, leading to guest dissatisfaction. Service quality varies, with commendable staff offset by slow bar and reception services. The hotel's prime location is a highlight, yet noise levels have been a significant concern for guests seeking tranquility.
Location
Beachfront
Atmosphere
Outdated
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Underwhelming
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A rather quirky hotel on many levels. It is built on steep ground, our 2nd floor room facing the sea, was 4 floors below ground floor at the reception side of the hotel, so lots of stairs or lift use required. our room had a full kitchen, including cooker, microwave and fridge, but no kettle or tea making stuff. Also some things you expect these days, like a hair dryer, are first come first served via reception, also safe is a 15 euro no refund extra. I didnt use the TV but was told by another guest that there were no English channels. The pool is quite small with loud music most of the day, we just went to the beach. the beach bar seems to be owned by the hotel, but is not included in the all inclusive. Vodka and coke 8 euros. The main bar on the terrace was a lovely place to sit in the sun overlooking the sea, Francisco the barman really took pride in his work and made everyone welcome, and kept the area spotless. The dining room has spectacular views over the sea and beach. The food is what I expect from all inclusive, and never struggled to find what I like. The Old town is only a 20 min walk along the beach, and is lovely to wander around. In the opposite direction a lovely cliff walk is only 5 mins away. We had a great holiday, the place is a little tired, but it is kept clean and tidy, read the small print and check what you get as information on site is not very well broadcast.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:The brochures exaggerate the facilities.
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.
It's a tired hotel that could do with a little updating. Saying that rooms are clean with towels changed as requested. All inclusive doesn't extend to the beach, which was disappointing with a daily charge of €15 for a sunbed. The sea is particularly challenging to get into, so much so that we gave up and stayed around the pool area. There were plenty of sunbeds and didn't appear to be the usual mad dash to secure a spot in the mornings. Beach towels required a €10 deposit per towel paid in cash with an additional €20 for use of the safe. There's a tourist tax payable on arrival at the hotel, so ensure you've plenty of money. It seemed that everything cost money despite bein all inclusive. The weather was great so that made the holiday for me. Short beach walk along into old town where there are plenty places to eat. Was my first visit to Portugal, and the jury is out as to whether I'd go again.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
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 Auramar Beach Resort, Serviços ao cliente/atendimento at Monica Isabel Beach Club
Responded Nov 13, 2024
Dear Alison, Thank you for your comment and we sincerely regret that your experience did not meet your expectations. At our hotel, we continually strive to offer a quality service, and your feedback is extremely important for us to be able to identify areas where we can improve. We would like to assure you that the issues mentioned will be analysed by our team and that we are committed to implementing improvements. We hope that you will give us the opportunity to receive you again, so that we can provide you with a more pleasant stay. Best regards, Magda Ribeiro - Customer Support, Barata Hotels
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The hotel is very clean, the going tours also on the other hand it would be high time to renovate it, the buildings are much too big and very far away the swimming pool is very small and very noisy a lot of English more poorly educated beer food hanging around the along the deckchairs we had to leave the swimming pool because a couple was arguing quite heatedly a manager was there but apart from saying sorry… on the other hand this one was always served in beer Deckchairs at the beaches are chargeable even for hotel guests so to be calm there is no choice but to pay
You don't have much around except the old town (very beautiful and lively in the evening) where you can access it by walking along the beach.
The buffet was varied and very good.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Pour 2/3 jours c’est pas mal mais je ne passerais pas 10 jours
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.
Hotel is in a lovely location right by the beach, really pretty views all day looking out at the beach (no view from our room though). Other than that we were so disappointed in the hotel itself, our room was in awful condition, literally nothing like the photos advertised. The bathroom was a state with cracked tiles, shoddy repair work (wire tray in shower practically falling off the wall, double sided tape holding up the shower curtain pole, shower flying off the wall as not in the right holder to name a few issues). We had no signal or WiFi in our room so we were unable to use our room much to relax and watch a film after a long day. Maids took all towels after 2 days without replacing, it took 3 occasions to get them replaced! Staff were mostly rude, liked to make fun of you if they didn't understand something you were asking for such as drinks. When we brought to them being unhappy with our room & it's quality the staff memeber we spoke to couldn't care less. Food was absolutely disgusting, such weird options that you'd be scared to try in case it made you ill. Weird "turns" to have food, we never once made our lunch slot as it was only for 1 hour and pretty pointless by the time you'd gotten down and settled by the pool. Pool bar has sandwiches, Wraps & pizza but often most options not available, when asking for food it seemed like a huge inconvenience to the staff, tiny portions so constantly up and down asking for another half of a tiny wrap or sandwich. Sunbeds & beach bar must be paid for, hotel neglects to tell you this upon check-in. Shuttle bus into the old town was handy but always late and then weird return times so we ended up rushing one day & got a taxi back on the 2nd day. Entertainment was a bit hit and miss, mostly the bits by the pool were quite funny, evening was a bit poor. Facilities such as toilets in the main hotel area were shocking, hardly ever checked and cleaned. Most occasions that we tried to use them there was no toilet paper, loads of random towels and people's stuff everywhere and some questiononable items. Even though they state no stag/hens there were certainly large groups of both. Plus loads of groups of youngsters who got quite rowdy around the pool which is unattended (no lifeguard).
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Date of stay: June 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Just avoid, unless you don't plan on being at the hotel much or go all inclusive.
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.
Booked this hotel and nearer the time some family members (group of 8) travelling were a little concerned regarding some reviews.
However they couldn’t have been more wrong. We found the hotel, the staff, the facilities and the food fantastic. It is a large complex spread over a number of floors but easy to get around once familiarised. The restaurant on the 8th floor has stunning views across the beach and looking to the old town. Food is varied with a fantastic range of local traditional and many other normal European dishes. There is an Italian restaurant separate from the main but on booking can be used instead, hidden gem!!
All inclusive drinks and snacks were great, no flat sodas!! The location of the hotel means a 2 min walk onto the beach, direct access from the complex and a 20 stroll along the beach to the old town. The hotel lay on a free shuttle bus to and from the old town throughout the day with the last bus returning to the hotel at 22:40 hrs from the old town.
Stunning views from various spots around the hotel!
As for the rooms, we had huge rooms with sitting rooms, kitchen area and massive balconies looking over the sea with fantastic views!
So impressed, will return!
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Ask for a room with a sea view so worth it!
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 Auramar Beach Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at Monica Isabel Beach Club
Responded Jul 8, 2024
Dear guest, Thank you for choosing the Monica Isabel Beach Club for your stay. We appreciate your praise for our hotel, staff, facilities and food as well as the score you have given us. Your feedback is very valuable to us and will be shared with our team. We really value feedback from our guests. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again and provide you with an even better experience. We hope to welcome you back to our hotel soon. Best regards from the whole team. Magda Ribeiro, Customer Support Barata Hotels
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I hereby express my displeasure and disappointment with the Monica Isabel Beach Club hotel.
Starting with the first episode where we went to enjoy our dinner and the buffet reception employee who barely knew how to speak Portuguese didn't even greet us and questioned what clothes we were wearing and pointed to it, without realizing it we said our hotel room which at the moment was the 613 and we went to eat. During dinner, the same man and another employee just kept looking at our table, making us uncomfortable the entire dinner and we wondered if it was the clothes, remembering that the clothes were a normal top and a long skirt that reached past the knee. So, we decided to leave and go eat at another restaurant at a loss since I paid for the all-inclusive hotel to relax during the holidays. We sincerely thought about talking to the hotel but let it go to avoid confusion.
The second episode was during the night where in all all-inclusive hotels there is no option to just choose coffee, water, sparkling drinks and the cocktail of the day but you can choose pina colada, mojito and other drinks other than bottles or champagne , we respect the issue that after 11pm we have to pay but if I pay all inclusive it means I can drink whatever I want. Already saying that I'm allergic to strawberries and that day the cocktail was strawberry, how do I feel? Am I harmed?
The third episode occurred at breakfast, when I went to enjoy my breakfast, around 10:30, when it was already finishing, the hotel reception employee came to our table and told us “If you want any more thing is now, we're done! “ we thanked him and continued to eat what we had on the table. Not even 5 minutes had passed and I was eating a yogurt and the same employee started taking everything away and telling us to leave, remembering that I was still eating! And there was still a table of English women and they didn't approach the ladies and waited for them to leave to collect their plates.
The fourth episode started at check-out where the colleague at the reception told us that you couldn't use the all-inclusive and that you could only use the pool. This doesn't happen in any all-inclusive hotel here in Portugal or elsewhere, another loss that I will have in lunch, snack and dinner since my flight is only at 8pm, because the hotel doesn't let me take advantage of the all-inclusive I paid for, so it's not worth it book an all-inclusive hotel since during my 3 days at the hotel I only enjoyed 1 dinner, 2 breakfasts, no lunch and no snacks!
We talked about everything that happened and the girl gave me a voucher for a snack where I can eat a snack from 12pm until 8pm? At least lunch, right?
We spoke to the superior, but she didn't want to understand the situation and left the conversation there.
Having booked at the Monica Isabel Beach Club hotel was the worst disappointment as they don't solve any problems and have no respect for their guests.
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
We have just come back from a family holiday at the Monica Beach Club and had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday dispute some of the negative reviews that have been posted. We had three rooms, all nice and spacious, exceptionally clean and everything as stated, had to ask reception for a kettle which they supplied no bother. Towels and bed linen changed regularly, yes a bit dated but everything was fine and worked, double USB chargers either side of the double bed, brilliant. The food was 3 star food and it is what you expect from a 3 star hotel, always found something nice to eat, started to repeat a bit after the first week, always a selection of fish and meat to eat, kids always found something that they liked. Main pool had enough beds and chairs for everybody and you could always fins somewhere to site, pool side bar was OK, the Sargres was nice and there was a descent selection of spirits, you will have to wait in a queue at peak times but only 5 minutes. Selection of snack was good, Tuna wrap was my go to snack. The beach was a 3 minute walk from the pool and we enjoyed going down in the afternoon after lunch for an hour. We used the big hotel towels for this, you put a 10 euro deposit at reception and can change them everyday if you want. Night time entertainment was basic with a lot of Portuges songs and a lot participation from the Portuguese, nothing wrong with that. Only down side was the queue for the bar, over 10 minutes every time at peak times, I spent too much time in the queue. Location is excellent, in the middle of the Old Town and Strip, we used to walk to either and get a Taxi or a Tuk Tuk back, Taxis are cheaper but harder to get. Tuk Tuk was 10 Euro for 3 people and 20 Euro for 6 people, one price anywhere, Taxis are metered and generally cheaper. It is located at the bottom of a hill so be prepared to walk up a bit of little hill to get on the main road, there are a few nice bars just outside the hotel which are good, 3 euro a pint of local beer. If you have booked a holiday here you will enjoy it if you are a reasonable & have sensible exceptions of a 3 star hotel, enjoy, we certainly did.
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Date of stay: July 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.
We had a lovely and quiet stay at the hotel for ten days. The room (studio) in one of the outbuildings was functionally furnished, although the furniture is rather out of date. The restaurant and the beautiful long sandy beach are about 250 meters away, Albufeira can be easily reached either on foot on the beach (20-30minutes) or with a free bus. The food offer was very versatile and good. Various excursions are offered in the vicinity and to Lisbon. Also very positive are the numerous animations offered (darts, archery, boules etc.) during the day and an evening program. The dedicated animator 'Jonathas' is also to be highlighted positively.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Zimmer werden in der Regel erst am Nachmittag bezugsfertig.
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.
Well here goes ,My wife booked a family holiday for 14 of us ages from 5months, 1year old,3year old ,4year old ,11 year old,and 14 years old plus Mum's, Dad's, Granny and Gramps. We stayed for 10 nights all inclusive. All our rooms had sea views in main building ours was 206,others were 501,503,and 601. All spacious with kitchen area,and tables and chairs for all.The food was a good standard plenty of choice breakfast cooked or continental, fruits ,bottomless hot drinks the restaurant has stunning views of the beach and pool area. The lunch menu plenty of choice in restaurant or if you only wanted lite bites the pool bar provides a good choice aswell.Evening meals again plenty of choices,from salads,to good main dishes ,Porksteak,fish dishes,Tuna,swordfish, Marlin ,first time I tried this awesome,steaks etc ,cheeseboard ice cream, loads of desert and yes potato new,sauté ,boiled, CHIPS!!. I could go on but to please everyone that's just a sample of what's on the menu.As I said there were 14 on this hols and we all had a fantastic time. Location is spot on the swimming pool looks directly over the beach from sunbed to shoreline about 3mins ,tip barter parasol price or save your self 15 euro a day for hire 2beds and parasol by buying one from shop . The hotel was kept clean at all times considering its peak season they had a hard job but did a great one.The bar staff were very good ,yes you might have to queue up for a drink but with such a lot of guests that was expected. The evening entertainment was for me personally a bit hit and miss but my grandaugters 3,and 4 enjoyed themselves but it was late 9pm ishfor them. The pool table could do with a couple more for company,you lost money too long to wait.
A big shout out goes to all staff ,Reception thanks for organising packed lunches for us all to take to waterpark(14). Pool bar for yummy toasties and drinks with a smile. Restaurant team,for getting us all tables for 14,and taking the time to speak to our grandchildren while working your socks off,sorry I didn't catch name's. Lastly to the activity team and a special mention to the leader around pool ,a young man who done an excellent job to provide entertainment for all .If you wanted it thank you We made fantastic memories Thankyou All
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
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 holiday was all about location against the fairly basic ‘beach club’ which in itself most guests would find a confusing set up. Love Holidays description of what is here in hindsight is not the best having looked back on it. The main body of the building is a supposed 4 star hotel (it might have been once but not now) and the surrounding apartment blocks. These are all away from the body of the hotel, some more than others. This must be a consideration if on all inclusive as we were. Lots of walking is required to get to the inclusive facilities which won’t suit all age groups. The reception staff were helpful but the leader of the animation team ‘Jonathas’ was a particular highlight (he gets a five star review) and we involved ourselves with many poolside activities with him. The restaurant staff are really hard working too. However, some of the bar and pool bar staff were pretty blunt and in no rush to serve quickly. The main bar could have had more staff but this is often a problem with other all inclusives we ve had elsewhere. We were originally given two rooms in C block (we were a family of four with 19 & 18 year old lads) but we were not happy with location/outlook and switched to two ground floor rooms in A block which were much better located. There were a few teething problems with air con and lack of hangers but all resolved very quickly by helpful staff. We went out most evenings so can’t comment too much on entertainment. What we saw was mixed but it’s really aimed for kids or older couples. If you are young people of families with older kids you’ll be out anyway. Food with all inclusive is generally great for breakfast, ok for lunch and after 10 nights can be a struggle in the evenings but we always eat out around four times anyway so it’s fine. The beaches, sea, Old Town (only 10 minutes walk away via the beach) and nearby area are all worth coming for. We also witnessed the best sun sets ever. We will definitely come back to Portugal again as the place, people, climate and food are fantastic.Boat trips for dolphins and the Benagil caves is a must do. Albufeira is a really vibrant and also charming resort.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Pool would be small in high season
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 Auramar Beach Resort, Guest Services / Front Office at Monica Isabel Beach Club
Responded Sep 23, 2024
Dear Robert, We greatly appreciate your positive feedback. It brings us great satisfaction to receive your praise, and we are thrilled to hear that your experience with us was so positive. We are always committed to providing excellent service, and your comments serve as an additional motivation for us to continually improve. If you need any further assistance or have any more suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are at your disposal. Best regards, Magda Ribeiro - Customer Support Barata Hotels
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Good Morning,
The main building has studios and one-bedroom apartaments. Sea views are not guaranteed, but most of them have sea views.
Best Regards,
Magda Ribeiro - Customer Suppot, Barata Hotels
There are more places to choose from in the Albufeira area.
PRICE RANGE
C$83 - C$292 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
monica isabel hotel albufeira, monica isabel aparthotel albufeira, monica isabel aparthotel hotel albufeira
LOCATION
PortugalAlgarveFaro DistrictAlbufeira
NUMBER OF ROOMS
260
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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