Zenit Olhao Bed & Breakfast

I never stayed, to be clear. I had a reservation, I arrived after a long flight and wondering around some confusing streets, ready to get to my room and relax but I was treated like dirt from the moment I approached the entrance. I was blocked from entering, told the hotel was full and I was 'confused' if I believed I had a booking. I was then made to wait outside, the door locked so I couldn't get in I guess! and then the smug man eventually sauntered back at which point I was in contact with *******, with whom I made the booking, and walked away. ******* later told me the hotel cancelled the booking the day before I arrived but I had no notifications. Whilst I'm sorting things out with *******, the man followed me a few streets away from the hotel and told me I needed to 'change my attitude to travel' and that I did not have a reservation. I really wanted to tell him to f--- off but I held my tongue and just focused on getting ******* to sort out the mess. Any smug, hostile, and sloppy admin - that's my experience of this guest house. Super disappointed as it looked lovely and I was looking forward to my break.

Best hosts and place ever…….once you went there you need to come back! Also Olhão is a wonderful small city……we fell in love immediately! Very charming place! Rosie, Lourenço and Gino…..I hope we’ll see and hug each other this year once more! I do miss you! ♥️♥️

We never actually got to stay at this property, on 18th September, which we booked back in May. 2 days before our stay I received an email from ***********, saying that Zenit said that the CVC number was missing from the credit card I’d booked with – this is the card that I’d booked all of our 3 week holiday with and which was in daily use, with no issues. I replied and updated using my wife’s card details, which was confirmed as accepted, by ***********. I then got exactly the same warning message from them, around an hour later. At this point I began to think that this was an internet scan and emailed Zenit directly, explaining my concerns and suggesting that I pay them cash on arrival. They replied the next day to say that this can be a software issue, saying that they looked forward to seeing me soon. The following afternoon I received yet another message from ***********, repeating the process of yesterday. Again, I updated it and they confirmed that this was successful. That evening, a Sunday, whilst preparing to go out for a meal, yet another, same, email and a following one, asking me to rate the *********** booking management service!!! Shortly afterwards, I got another message from Zenit, via ***********. Zenit suggested that their system now showed my booking as cancelled and advising me to check this carefully as there was another booking made for my room. At this point, frustrated and very angry, I emailed *********** and explained that I thought, as I was only staying with Zenit for one night, they had had a better offer and were trying to get out of their commitment to me. I didn’t receive a reply, so I then phoned ***********, in Holland and spoke to a helpful guy who said that he could see the huge number of emails over the past couple of days. He sympathised with our plight and said that he would sort something out and if the booking was cancelled, he would find us something else. He even said that if this more expensive, *********** would pay the difference. This was good news, but I’m afraid that I never heard from him again! I then called Zenit directly, on the Sunday evening and spoke to the owner. He sounded like he was concerned and promised to look into this and call me back – he didn’t! With nowhere to stay on the next/last day of our holiday, I cancelled the Zenit booking and managed to find a room elsewhere in Olhao, but this all left me feeling very bitter, very frustrated and ruined the last couple of days of our holiday. I certainly wouldn’t recommend Zenit, or ***********, for that matter.

This amazing guest house is a fabulous home away from home! Not only are the rooms extremely clean, they have all the facilities you require for a very comfortable stay. The location of the guest house is absolutely perfect, with everything right on your doorstep or a couple minutes walk away. The breakfast served each morning on the stunning roof terrace is absolutely delicious, 11/10! All fresh local produce and the serving very generous. The best part of this guest house are the amazing hosts, Gino and Rose. From the moment I was picked up from the airport I was given a very welcome by Gino and Rose was extremely helpful in providing me with recommendations for things to do and places to eat. They truly make you feel right at home and are so willing to give you their time to ensure you have the best stay possible. I've travelled the world solo and not often do I become so attached to a place in such a short period of time but I truly feel that Zenit Guest House is my Portugese home. Thank you for everything Gino and Rose, I already look forward to my next stay with you!