Pine Cliffs Ocean Suites, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Algarve

Perfeito

We relocated to Ocean Suites for part of our trip, hoping for a better experience. Unfortunately, the hospitality was similar to that of Pine Cliffs Resort. Upgrading to a different side of the resort didn't translate to improved service. The included spa access was a nice perk, but the spa itself fell short of five-star standards. The jacuzzi was very dirty, with hair floating around, and there was a peculiar lack of towels in the spa, which was a first for us.

I’m currently staying at the Pine cliffs Ocean suites. Just wanted to share my experience at breakfast this morning. And I hope that others won’t experience the same hospitality and treatment in the future. We went to breakfast this morning and wanted to sit outside in the shade. We asked the hostess if we could sit in the shade and she said no. Instead she gave us a table in direct sun even though there were half a dozen tables available. No problem. Within seconds she seats other guests down at those exact tables in the shade. No problem perhaps she thinks we don’t deserve those tables. So about ten minutes in, I’ve picked up a few items from the buffet and my coffee. I still see other tables empty so I decided to move to a table in the shade. As it is breakfast buffet and it’s low season on a Tuesday morning, occupancy is rather low and breakfast isn’t as busy. The hostess then comes over splits the table for 4 into twos and tells me she will clean the table. I said okay sure thinking she will clean the other table she just separated (even though both tables were clean). She then comes over with a bottle of disinfectant( even though I’ve watched her clean the other tables with nothing but a piece of tissue). Begins to spray my table with disinfectant. It’s all over our food. Our drinks. Our clothes. Our phones. My wife’s handbag. So my wife hurries to move the food and coffee to the table next to us. She then turns around and sprays our food again with DISINFECTANT! My wife ask her what she is doing. She replies by screaming “I NEED TO CLEAN TABLE”. My wife asked her why she’s spraying our food with disinfectant and her response was “YOU WANT TO CHANGE TABLE YOU NEED TO ASK ME” and then sprays the disinfectant directly into our coffees. So at this point we understood she was doing this intentionally simply because we didn’t want to sit in the direct hot sun for the entirety of our breakfast. So naturally the entire restaurant is now observing the situation. Our response was that we’d like to speak to a manager. She replied “You want manager? No manager now. You have to wait for manager. You want to complain? Here is my name (shows us her name tag). Complain”. As former ambassador and current titanium elite. My wife was shocked and shaken by the situation. Never in the 15 years of us traveling around the world and staying over 600 nights at Marriott have we ever experienced something like this. We have never met or spoken to this women. We have never had any interaction with her. We have no idea why she did what she did. But I do believe under no circumstances should you ever spray disinfectant at your guests and their food.

Been holidaying at Pine Cliffs for over 25 years and most often twice a year! Our first holidays at the Resort were in the original hotel which we loved but nowadays we really enjoy the Ocean Suites which are fabulous. We like having an apartment which suits our needs better when we stay for longer periods. The staff are so helpful and we have got to know many of them over the years and when we return it is like catching up with old friends. The Resort is immaculate with beautiful grounds and great facilities to suit everyone. We particularly enjoy the 9 hole golf course! The stunning Mirador cliff top bar is a great place for pre dinner drinks with amazing sunsets. Can’t wait to visit again in May.