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HOTEL STYLE
Modern
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish, Portuguese
Location
Caminho das Sesmarias, Evaristo, Albufeira 8200-613 Portugal
Positive points: Extremely quiet for those who want to rest. The location, relatively close to everything, even you can walk to the beach. Suite large but simple, basic furniture. Parking facility. There are always sun loungers available in the pools regardless of the time of day.
Negative points: Without virtually any kind of entertainment/activity be it day or night, it ends up being boring and compels guests to look to do outside the hotel. The pool water is cold. Very repetitive food, but very well prepared. Constant queues to eat, especially at dinner, it is notorious that many guests spend the day out and only come back at the end of the day, the waiting time is short. In an all-inclusive hotel it is unacceptable that we cover the drinks after 23:00, the reason is more than obvious €€€, the hotel has a lot of English customers. Getting drinks during meals is almost always complicated, never a staff available and moreover in the hotel most are not Portuguese, but the problem is that some have difficulty understanding Portuguese. The only bar available at night is small for all guests despite the hotel having few guests currently. The cleanliness in general was reasonable, in the room was a peanut on the floor for a week, sometimes did not change the dirty glasses, did not repack the toilet paper several times, we only had two bath towels despite being more people.
Clearly the hotel is not focused on families with children but rather on other types of customers looking to spend a quiet day or golfers (foreigners), the hotel is small does not offer anything special to sell as a luxurious holiday destination, taking into account all points would only advise this hotel depending on the type of customer, yet there are better options, the Nau SĂŁo Rafael Suites having what it has to offer is not a 5-star hotel at all!
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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.
We stayed at NAU São Rafael Suites for five nights, and while the experience was okay overall, there were several issues that affected our stay. On the positive side, we were upgraded to a suite, which was a lovely gesture. The room itself was spacious, with bedroom including a sitting room and , two balconies, and a beautiful layout. However, the bed in the suite was extremely uncomfortable, causing back pain after just one night. As a result, we had to sleep on the sofa bed for the rest of our stay. We reported the issue to reception, and although one of the staff members said they would address it by adding something to the mattress, no action was taken. After multiple requests, I finally spoke to the manager—three days after my initial request. This delay was frustrating, as I was repeatedly told that the manager was unavailable until after 3 p.m. It’s unusual for a hotel of this caliber not to have a duty manager or supervisor available to address guest concerns promptly. When we finally spoke to the manager, we were offered a room change. However, since we only had two nights left, we decided to stay in the same room and continue using the sofa bed to avoid the hassle of moving our belongings. Unfortunately, the service issues continued. On our last night, housekeeping failed / forgot to clean our bedroom and the bathroom or replace the towels, leaving it in a dirty state. After a long day out, we returned to find no fresh towels and an unclean bathroom. We called reception, and while towels were eventually brought to us, the staff member seemed annoyed and did not apologize. When we later requested water, the same staff member returned with a noticeably irritated demeanor, which we found very unprofessional. Additionally, the bed sheets were not changed during our entire stay, which is surprising for a five-star hotel. On a positive note, the restaurant was excellent, offering a wide variety of delicious food. Most of the restaurant staff were friendly and accommodating. However, the lack of evening entertainment, even on weekends, was disappointing. Guests were left to entertain themselves, with no live music or activities provided. Overall, while the hotel itself is in a beautiful location with a great environment, it falls short of the standards expected of a five-star property. The lack of attention to customer satisfaction and inconsistent service left us feeling underwhelmed. I hope this review helps others in planning their holiday and provides feedback for the hotel to improve.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Check the Bed Comfort: If you have specific preferences, consider requesting a mattress topper or...
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 ventured here for a last-minute holiday and overall the experience was good.
Would we go back again.....
Location 5 - Was great being near the beach, within walking distance to the Marina and far enough out of the centre to avoid the late nights/chaos which does with that, when on a family holiday
Rooms 3.5 - Good size and always kept very clean, however, our experience here was not great, we were originally placed in 206 (over the pool bar) which wasn't the best with young children, however, the hotel did move us to another much better room! We stayed in a 1 bedroom suite in which the lounge/living room should have been made up to increase the number of beds......we asked 4 times for this to happen and in the end gave up, and made the beds up ourselves.
Cleanliness 4 - Overall throughout the hotel was good, however, the pool area toilets need to be cleaned more regularly as more often than not the toilets were in a pretty disgusting mess!
Amenities 4 - All pools were excellent and never felt busy, even in peak season. It was also easy to get a sunlounger, although I would suggest about 50% are broken and need replacing.
Atmosphere 5 - It felt quiet even in the peak season, which for us was perfect, however there could have been more things to do during the day/evening
Value 3 - Based on the food and drink alone; the food was very much rinse and repeat every day with a slight change in the fish/meat available. Didn't feel like 5-star food. Drinks were ok, and always readily available however the cocktail selection was limited at times due to missing ingredients.... mint for example
Service 4 - Some excellent customer service at times, and sometimes some indifferent service. Overall it was good and the team did everything they could when dealing with our request to move rooms.
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Date of stay: August 2024
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.
Just back from a stay here with my family. We had 6 adults and 2 children staying for 5 nights and this hotel was fantastic for us.
We were staying to celebrate my Mother’s 70th Birthday and the hotel staff made sure we had a perfect stay. We arrived in quite late on the first night and they arranged for food parcels in our rooms which was a lovely touch. We had a drink before bed in the bar and found the bar to be a very comfortable and clean space. The bar staff were very friendly and they used premium spirits which is rare for an all inclusive.
The rooms were spacious with very comfortable beds and high end soap, shampoo etc provided. Also no charge for using the safe which again many hotels charge for now.
One of the best parts of our stay was the food. The dining room has a premium feel and the range of food was plentiful so there was always something for all tastes. All the food tasted fresh and very high quality. Salads and desserts were delicious too.
I used the spa facilities twice and on both occasions I went after the “family time” slot as I fancied some peace and relaxation. It is however nice that they offer times where children are allowed in as it means that families are also able to enjoy the experience.
The hotel is close by to a small local beach and they provide a shuttle service to Albufeira which I used a couple of times. An Uber to and from the town was around £5 each way if you don’t want to wait for the shuttle bus.
Thank you to all the staff who made our stay so enjoyable, and especially to the restaurant staff for taking the time to come to the table to congratulate my Mother on her special day. Would love to come back and stay again.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Uber is a cheap and efficient way to travel in this area
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.
I sit writing this very sadly waiting for our transfer home! What a stay!!! Despite some troubles with the door to our room (the frame fell off) the hotel duty management dealt with it very professionally reviewing CCTV to confirm it was an accident etc and even offering us alternative accommodation - ignore other reviews about charging damages for anything this is clearly NOT the case. The rooms are HUGE and have double sinks and all the modcons you could need. The pools are amazing! Plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas everyday with towels available whenever you require them. The pool bar has an excellent selection of drinks (including cocktails) all made with named spirits and the staff couldn’t be more friendly. The Buffet restaurant is incredible with varied selection daily and the lobby bar is always full with entertainment most evenings. The hotel is in a perfect location <10min walk from a secluded beach (with beach bar) and a 5/10min Uber to the main town (less than €5). We honestly couldn’t recommend this hotel more and we will definitely be returning!!!
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Date of stay: May 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 NAU Hotels, Guest Services / Front Office at NAU Sao Rafael Suites
Responded Jun 3, 2024
Dear Explore53560295305, We would like to thank you for taking time to share your opinion with us. We really value the opinion of our guests and are continually working to improve the quality of our service. We are pleased to hear that, overall, the Nau SĂŁo Rafael Suites Team provided you a pleasant stay. On behalf of the whole team, we would like to thank you for your kind feedback. Once again, thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future and provide you an unforgettable experience. Best regards Nau SĂŁo Rafael Suites
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We visited the hotel to celebrate my birthday. The hotel was spotlessly clean and the staff very welcoming. We were shown to our room by Mohammed who was very friendly and showed us how things worked in our room. We had been upgraded to a suite which had a separate lounge and TV, possibly as it was my birthday? The hotel also left a bottle of Sparkling wine in an ice bucket and a lovely birthday cake too. They’d even left champagne glasses, plates, napkins and knife & forks. They had thought of everything. Such a wonderful surprise. The toiletries in the bathroom were also high end ( L’Occitane) which smelt wonderful. We had booked all inclusive and had the best food I have experienced in an all inclusive hotel. The quality and choice was amazing. The waiting staff were excellent and were quick at bringing drinks to our table and Richard the dining room manager was friendly and very helpful. The drinks available on AI were great too ( I was delighted that Sparkling wine was included!) the gin was Gordon’s which was better than I’d had before in all inclusive hotels. My only disappointments were the lack of tea & coffee making facilities in our room. I had requested a kettle but after reading other reviews decided to bring my own which I’m glad I did. I’m sure if I had gone to reception and asked for one, I’m sure they would have obliged. The other disappointment was the fee for using the indoor pool which was €15 per person for up to 3 hours. For an all inclusive hotel I would have expected that to be included especially as the outdoor pools were too cold to use. All in all I loved the hotel and would happily stay there again.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip 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.
The hotel claims to be a five star suite hotel but the truth is that most rooms are not suites and are actually moderate sized with a very small bathroom - literally only one person can be inside at a time. The rooms lack any amenities - no shampoo and conditioner??? One water bottle the whole stay? Clogged sink… Really bare bones and not very modern. Definitely not five stars. The food was quite good and was the better part of our stay but here too there’s quirks like the fact that the a la carte restaurant is only available if you book five nights otherwise you’re only able to eat at the buffet or the fact that hotel bars only make certain drinks in certain days. Missed pina colada day? Too bad… Service was pleasant and the staff try to be accommodating but there’s only so much they can do to make up for the flaws. Another bright spot was the spa team who were lovely. Location is not on the beach - the beach is a roughly 10 minute walk so not too bad. However you’ll need to pay quite a bit for chairs and an umbrella. Overall I’m not sure i would stay here again and if you do, be aware of the pros and cons.
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Date of stay: July 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.
Just to put everyone’s mind at ease. Like everyone else, we read the reviews before we went and were slightly concerned with the comments on the staff, cleanliness and their experiences. As soon as we arrived until we left, the staff were amazing. They were welcoming and friendly. Dining staff were attentive and helpful. Reception staff were approachable and happy to help with all our queries. People mentioned about not having their rooms made daily. We certainly had ours done daily. Tip: There’s a door hanging to leave out to request for rooms to be made. Another comment was that you don’t get your all inclusive wrist band if you arrive early before you can check-in. We’d arrived early afternoon and was told that we could sub our last day lunchtime meal for the meal on our arrival. This worked out perfect for us as we had a lunchtime flight home. So, we were able to eat on arrival and on our last day, we could still have breakfast. Food was plentiful and varied. Something for everyone, even separate soup with reduced salt for children.
Overall, we were very pleased with our stay. The beach is 10 mins walk away and was beautiful, the location was quiet and out of the way of the craziness of party goers. We took Ubers and we did not have to wait any more than a few mins for any of them. Only slight negative point. The hotel itself is slightly tired and could do with some TLC but is clean. Would we go back? Probably not because we never stay in the same place twice. Were we happy we stayed? Definitely!!!
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Date of stay: December 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.
We were a family with 2 teenagers and overall we had an excellent stay. Our suite and bathrooms were clean and functional, alebit with a couple of minor manitenance issues such as a slightly loose toilet seat , but that's no biggy. Main reception and our welcome were excellent, and I totally understand them being strict on the check-in time. We noticed a huge number of people constantly trying to check-in far too early (mostly golfers), so a rule has to be set and kept to. That said, when like us you have already informed the hotel that you will be leaving on check out day very early before breakfast, perhaps the ability to have lunch on arrival would be a wise step in client relations!
The hotel is well away from the bucket and spade brigade strip, but close enough for those that seek it to get their fix without too much effort (which was not us for sure). For us, the delight was that the lovely beach with its gorgeous coastline was only a brief stroll from the hotel, but long enough to stretch the legs too!
Everywhere was well maintained and the outdoor pools were pleasent without being huge. We thoroughly enjoyed the other facilities such as the tennis, small gym and the spa where the massages were excellent. One important point on the spa though is that guests not having treatments could pay to use the indoor pool and sauna. We had treatments on a bad weather day and the pool was rammed with such guests and none of the rules were enforced. We saw most rules abused, but the worst of which for us was seeing folk strolling around the pool in their outdoor shoes which is utterly unacceptable. Also, numbers really need to be regulated rather than just constantly allowing people in beyond a sensible capacity.
Food was massively better than some reviews state. There is indeed some repetition here and there, but generally very decent variety, hot and most importantly good quality, freshly cooked and frequently replensished at all mealtimes. As with staff throughout the hotel, those in the restaurant were very friendly and polite, but one of the restaurant managers (middle-aged lady) who despite being polite, seemed more interested in chatting with one or two of her favourite clients at their tables (for over half an hour on average each time) than making sure that the place was running smoothly. I say this, because getting drink brought to your table (no self service for alcohol) was very hit and miss and depended on certain waiters and being able to flag them down. On a similar theme, our biggest bugbear was the indoor bar. Polite, overworked staff who did their best, but the serving area substanially too small (I suspect intentionally) to cope with demand, and although the bar lounge and terrace were very nice, it would be incredibly cramped in summer - seating was at a premium in October!
All in all we had a great stay and would consider returning and happy to reccommend. Certainly great value for money, but unless they upgrade the bar and service capacity, I would be reluctant to return in the height of summer!
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Date of stay: October 2024
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.
Don't worry about the negative reviews,you will enjoy your holiday. A holiday is what you make it. Fantastic location to visit new town, old town, the beach, the marina etc. Beautiful reception area. Food was decent and rooms were huge. Hotel was spotless. I did see a tile lifted and management fixed it straight away. Here's the negatives. Lack of evening entertainment, which really let's this hotel down. They could do with hiring an entertainment team. The other negative is we arrived at 10am, after travelling since 2am, to be told we couldn't check in until 4pm! We were not allowed all inclusive wrist bands and were told to change in toilets if we wanted to use the pool. I have stayed at many all inclusive hotels and never not given a wrist band straight away. I understand rooms are not available straight away but considering we checked out at 6am so did not eat, I would of thought they would give wrist band. Really we got 6 days all Inclusive, when we paid for 7. This being said, we did have a lovely holiday.
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Date of stay: July 2024
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.
Hi there, they are serving beer in the standard glasses, and no, we never saw any entertainment in the hotel. I’m sure you will find it the same. We were very bored—most of the guests were just sitting there having drinks, using their own mobile phones, talking, or playing card games. Very disappointed.
There are more places to choose from in the Evaristo area.
PRICE RANGE
C$202 - C$548 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
cs sao rafael hotel albufeira, sao rafael, cs sao rafael suite hotel
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
SĂŁo Rafael Suite Hotel
LOCATION
PortugalAlgarveFaro DistrictAlbufeiraEvaristo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
105
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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