AP Maria Nova Lounge - Adults Friendly

Room was good, we were in standard room, with a balcony overlooking the street. I deliberately chose that as my husband can’t sit in the sun, the balcony was shady, so he could sit outside but not be in the sun. Breakfast was good, lots of variety, plenty of fruit. Coffee was self serve from a machine, I prefer it served to the table but it was good coffee. Pool and surrounding areas were great, plenty of beds, with canopies and shady trees. The walk into town for plenty of bars and restaurants was about 2 mins down a steep hill, I’m not great going up hills, I am 68 and have arthritis in my feet and knees, however, the first day took us 3 mins to get back up to the hotel, by the end of 10 days it was taking 1.5 mins. The certainly not a problem unless you need walking sticks. The fourth floor bar was brilliant, open until 1.00am, with great views over the city. Music most nights, sometimes live other nights a DJ. The live music was sometimes a bit loud for us (still good) DJ was fine just background music really. They also do tapas boards, we tried them one evening they were very cheap and large. The staff were all lovely, exceptionally helpful. I think I read in another review you had to pay for the safe, that’s not the case. They tell you at check in you can only connect 3 items to wi-fi, we asked for additional tokens no problem. Internet connection was good in all areas of hotel. The spa area looked good but we didn’t use it so I can’t comment. Also the hotel wine was from the owners vineyard and it was delicious and cheaper than some of the bars in town. 3€ for a large glass.

Nothing

The location of the hotel is brilliant a short walk into the town, all the hotel staff were friendly, polite and helpful. The breakfast choice was amazing, with the added bonus of live piano music. We enjoyed the rooftop bar and restaurant with entertainment each night lovely for a nightcap.

The only minor niggle was they were changing the umbrellas round the pool and there wasn’t enough during our stay but it didn’t spoil our holiday.

The bed, the bedlinen, the darkness of the room, the balcony. The quietness at the poolside was so special. I enjoyed many long swims here, but most guests just sat around the lounges. There was no annoying piped music which was terrific for me. The pool is in a garden setting, and you have plenty of sunshine, very little shadow. I stayed in Tavira for 14 days, and I only got to visit the indoor pool on my day of departure. It is a spa pool. Then there was the lovely old town. Such fabulous restaurants- O Patio, O Manel, Brisca do Rio, Casa Simoe, No de Gusesto Azul Sul, Mira, etc. The coffee shops are over the bridge, Favour is my favourite. After 9 days we started to revisit. Altogether, it was a gastronomic experience, not forgetting the breakfasts in the AP Maria Nuova.

Climbing up the hilly street after dinner !

Location. Car park.

Pool area had not enough sun umbrellas for the guests, it was really bad. The few umbrellas were reserved really really early by guetsts that left the towels there and dissappear. The hotel must address this lack of citizenship.

The pool and bar outside is lovely, great to have lunch by the pool. The rooftop bar is brilliant for the evenings. We had a fabulous view of the fireworks happening in Tavira at midnight. The breakfast is fabulous, great range of options and a pianist as well. The room had twin beds as requested, a balcony and kettle. Small fridge in cupboard kept the milk cold enough for some tea. Brilliant location to the city centre. Tavira is beautiful and often has things going on, we got to see a festival celebration in the town on the first night, with hand made crafts for sale, fireworks etc. There was a band the second night but we didn't go in. Santa Luzia is a nearby fishing village and well worth a trip (by taxi or bus) to have a meal on the waters edge.

The shower tray did not drain very quickly, however my fault for not reporting it until I left. Minor things like dusty skirting boards could have been better. The pool bar seats are way too far from the bar, very difficult to sit on. A few loose tiles around the pool require some fixing, but nothing major.

We only stayed for one night so didn’t have time to enjoy all the facilities. The room was good, comfortable beds, good bathroom. The buffets at dinner and breakfast has good variety and the food was tasty. The swimming pool was very nice and there were sun beds for everyone. As Adult friendly, it was quiet enough at the facilities.

Our room was facing the road and we could hear all the traffic and trains. Overnight was ok but started to be a bit noisier early in the morning for a light sleeper like me. My partner didn’t hear a thing. There were duvets in the beds and no sheets as alternative. It was too hot for duvets and we don’t like to have A/C all night so it would be nice to have options to take the duvet and have just a sheet.

Nice hotel with a lot of potential, in a nice place of the city. Rooms are very confortable, beds are nice. Good bathroom, a lot of space. Front desk are 99% nice, except for the lady at our check out this morning. It looks like she hates her job. But in general, nice people.

1. Be aware that they will limit the free wifi to 3 devices per room which in our case, as digital nomads is a real inconvenience. We complained and they fixed but, still... 2. The menu of the Rooftop bar is very limited. It is sad for this spectacular place with such a wonderful view. Service is good tho. 3. There is no way you can find a bottle of water in the middle of the night. As soon as the bar closes, there is nothing around where you can buy water (not even at the hotel, is what they told us). We asked the front desk at 1035 pm for water, we were lucky the bar was still open and they sent us upstair to buy it. They offer 1 bottle per room for free at check in, so if you need water late at night be aware to provision yourself.

Overall, our stay at Maria Nova was great! The hotel itself comes with fantastic facilities, including a lovely outdoor swimming pool, pool bar, free-entry spa (which also included an indoor swimming pool), small yet very functional gym, and, inclusive buffet breakfast. The room we had (Standard) was small and simple, but, featured almost everything you would like for a week-long stay, such as ours. There was even a charming balcony with a built-in drying rack. The staff at the hotel were above all extremely friendly, and always willing to help. Upon arrival we were treated to a welcome drink (choice of red/white wine or juice), as well as a short informational on the city of Tavira, as well as the hotel.

By far our largest problem throughout the stay was WiFi connectivity. In our room, WiFi was barely functional across all our devices. Despite help from the reception, we unfortunately had to rely on 5G for most of our stay. Other areas of of the hotel also had spotty connection, including the breakfast buffet area and the swimming pool.

Lovely adults only hotel in great location, beautiful pool and comfortable spacious room with great air con and decent bathroom. The views from the rooftop bar were absolutely amazing.

Cocktails on the rooftop bar and by the pool were not great. Tried several cocktails that ended up not being what they said on the tin and the Pina Colada was like sour milk. This was a shame as we would have liked to stay put and use the rooftop bar most nights during our stay as it was beautiful but we had to venture out more than expected for better drinks. The usual bagging of sunbeds at 7am in the morning was a shame but many people felt they had to do this as there wasnt enough sunbeds and umbrellas to go around and this was only in June. Not sure how much more busy it gets in July/Aug but more were needed.

The pool area and bar were lovely, was the rooftop bar. The staff in both were very friendly and efficient, less so in reception. The breakfast was good and service also. The room had a good-sized balcony with clothes dryer to hang towels.

The room, and especially the bathroom, were small. There were no drawers in the wardrobe, which was strange. We had a problem with the water not draining properly from the wash basin. The issue was not resolved during the 5 days we were there despite reception saying they would send maintenance. The toilet was also not cleaned during our stay and floor was only cleaned on occasion. For the price we paid, this was not good enough.