CS Sao Rafael Suite Hotel

Top Class!!

We have just spent 4 fantastic days at CS Sao Rafael Suite Hotel and I can’t praise it enough. We were given a free upgrade from a double room to a suite which was elegant and spacious. The staff were wonderful they could not do enough for us. The pools were clean and well kept as were the gardens and surrounding areas. The food was spot on with everything you could want for. We left feeling relaxed and pampered. Can’t wait to return.

Traveller's tip on dining

Across the road there is a Chinese restaurant where the food is fantastic and not too expensive. Also just up the road there is a small but very friendly restaurant where the food is great but the sangria is even better!!

Will definately go back again...

We have just returned from a weeks stay & I can honestly say we were spoilt! The only critiscism of the room was the small wardrobe, but the staff were all extremely friendly & couldn’t do enough for us. The food was superb & we really had no reason to leave the hotel complex, leaving once to visit the beach & one evening into old town Albufeira. If you want pure relaxation with not too many children, this is an ideal hotel. No fighting in the morning for sun-beds which by the way were so so comfortable...Definately go here again

Fantastic Hotel for Families!

Amazing hotel. Such friendly staff, very large rooms, great location, brand new. Great to have breakfast and dinner included, especially with kids. Hotel was full but felt very calm, serene, did not feel crowded at all. Absolutely beautiful beach a 5 min walk and 2 large pools plus kids pool. Really great place.

Excellent.

We could not fault the room, staff, service and food.

Very friendly for a large hotel.

Very comfortable room with plenty space. Also the hotel itself had a great sense of space with a very relaxed atmosphere. Within walking distance of a typical Algarve beach with safe swimming. Will need either a hire car or taxis to go out for the evening or to the waterparks. Would love to go back again.

Beautiful hotel with a very friendly staff!

My husband and I spent half of our Portugal honeymoon in the Algarve at the CS Sao Rafael hotel. The hotel (or resort, really) was beautiful-- modern, clean, immaculate gardens, pools, etc. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The Sao Rafael beach is a short walk away, and it is absolutely beautiful. There is a beach restaurant, as well as a bar/snack bar to have lunch. if you don’t feel like walking, take advantage of the two inviting pools right on the property! There is also a tennis court, small soccer field and putting green. The drive to downtown Albufeira is about 10-15 minutes, but the new Albufeira marina, with some shops and a few restaurants, is walking distance from the hotel. For a relaxing, enjoyable vacation, this is a great hotel to try!

Stunning algarve hotel

Very pleasant hotel. Rooms a little on the small size for 5 star, but grounds and rooms very well presented. Buffet breakfast good, with good choice of european delights. A little out of town, so own transport recommended. Staff extremely friendly and helpful.

Hotel Good - Food Awful

The hotel is very clean, well maintained, pools clean and the beach very pretty. Staff were polite and welcoming. The hot food at breakfast was luke warm. Dinner at night took an hour and half to arrive and that was also luke warm! Don’t eat here just stay here.

Beautiful and Peaceful Location

This hotel is located in a stunning and peaceful area and just a ten minute walk to gorgeous Sao Rafael beach! Unlike other parts of Albufueira, this did not feel like a holiday resort! The beach was great but it was also lovely to hang around in the hotel pool areas. Staff here are attentive but not pushy and always asssited with queries effectively and politely. My only concern is that, had it not been for the wonderful weather we had, I would have spent lots on taxis going to places, since the disadvantage of the beautiful location is that there is not much to do! If you are looking for a peaceful break though, then this hotel is perfect!

Traveller's tip on saving a few bucks

Book tours through the tour company in the old town (free bus shuttle from the hotel)as it is nearly half the price of the hotel one!

Fantastic hotel! Far exceeded our expectations!

This was a fantastic hotel. Myself, my wife, son and sis-in-law stayed at this hotel for a short break and we had the Deluxe family suite, which was exceptionally high quality. Leather sofas, walnut furnishings and designer bathrooms...it exceeded our expectations! The hotel staff were extremely friendly and made a special effort with our son. With a spa, 4 swimming pools and bar with sky sports, pool table etc. it met all our requirements. Beach was only about 5-10min walk. Perfectly located as well in a small quiet area. One of the best hotels we have stayed in...

Hire a car as taxi costs can build up quickly...

Perfect weekend break

We arrived feeling tired and in need of some TLC... we left feeling relaxed and pampered and with memories of delicious meals, friendly staff and a desire to return as soon as possible.

Traveller's tip on dining

Ask the staff for their combined dining and spa deals which we found excellent value for money- it will save you pounds and leave you feeling fully satisfied.

CS Hotels impress again

Nothing to fault at all about the hotel and service. A very pleasant and relaxing short break. The staff are non intrusive but very helpful when required. Room clean, food excellent, what more can I say?

Absolute Bliss!

A really clean and modern hotel, our only let down was the weather never seen rain and lightening sooo bad and it made the hotel leak! Breakfast gave a great choice and the spa area was bliss enjoyed a weekend of pampering. Would love to go back.

Make sure you organise transport from the airport we got totally ripped off cost 60 euro to get to the hotel, booked a transfer back for 2 people and only paid 22,50 Euro.

Third time and still cant wait to go back!

This was our third visit to the hotel, we love it. If you want to relax and forget about work and stress of life back home this is the place to go. Pure relaxation. The pool area is fantastic, the hotel offer a towel service round the pool and the beach, saves packing your own and you can change as many times as you like throughout the day. The pool snack bar is also a favourite, lots of delish food to choose from. All the staff are very friendly and more than happy to help. The hotel bar can be quite in the evening but it depends on what you are looking for. We hope to visit again next year.

Traveller's tip on dining

If you dont want to eat in the hotel one evening try the Chinese over the road. It’s a little quiet in there but seems to fill up if looks like there are other diners.

Absolutely fantastic, can’t wait to go back soon!

The staff at the hotel couldn’t be more helpful. The provision for child care was second to none, they bent over backwards to help in every way possible. I can’t say enough about the hotel!!!

comfortable and friendly but not quite 5* grade.

Hotel, very friendly and pleaseant staff, Immaculate throughout. There are 19 rooms & 86 suites. We got upgraded to a suite as the hotel was full. Suite was massive. Negative points - no tissues (just loo rolls),just a kettle, sugar and 2 green tea bags! No coffee / milk /breakfast teabags. You have to pay to use the internet. Good breakfast selection although the hot food was tepid to cold every day. Dinner was below average and pricey. Hotels beach restaurants food was better but service average and atmosphere spoiled by television on constant showing Sky news! how romantic! 3 pools are nice. Plenty of sunbeds. Towel tokens required though. Hotel is quite remote great if you want peace and quite and not the noise of Albefuria. Beach is not attached to the hotel. Theres a free bus to take you there or 10mins walk. Beach gets busy with locals especially weekends. Found a better little beach 20min walk from hotel. Left out of hotel until you see ’Praia da coelha’ (rabbit beach). Has a cafe and clean toilets. Limited eateries nearby to hotel. A car would be useful but not essential if you dont mind a 35mins stroll. Chinese restaurant opposite hotel awful! Underneath is a useful supermarket. Majority of restaurants/bars are in Albefuria town. 35mins walk but plenty to see on the way. You pass the new Marina (15mins walk from hotel) with restaurants. Not all places accept credit cards inc Visa. Theres a Barclays Bank at the Marina with an ATM.

Traveller's tip on recreational activities

Theres plenty to see and do and the hotel has a list of tour companies in foyer. also one company will shuttle you back to Faro airport for 32Euros which is far cheaper than taxi.There is a resaurant well worth a visit near to the ’hotel’ beach near to beach carpark called ’Praia Grande restaurante and bar’. Fantastic service, excellent food and a beautiful view from the balcony looking across to the ocean. Overall we enjoyed our stay but its not quite upto the 5* mark but a very good 4*.

quite hotel for relaxation

Over all this hotel does deserve its 5 star rateing, the service was impecable, friendly and quick. The location is very secluded and great for relaxation but its only a short taxi ride away from all the main attractions of the town and that suited us fine because there is always a taxi available both outside the hotel or around the main town and other attractions.

Excellent hotel

Second visit with family. Excellent place to visit. Could do with heating outdoor pools - even in summer and buffets/dinner is very expensive. Otherwise service, cleanliness and faciltities are excellent...well deserved five star hotel

Great hotel

This is a really lovely hotel with large and well-equipped suites. The service and general ocndition of the hotel was excellent. There is not a huge amount to do in the surrounding area, so we would recommend hiring a car.

Traveller's tip on dining

The hotel recommended the Evaristo restaurant in Evaristo which was excellent. Ask for a table outside overlooking the beach. They also recommended the A Ruina restaurant in Albufeira which was very expensive and not particularly good food - we paid 98 euros for seabass for three people and this didn’t even include the wine, starters or desserts!

Very impressive and child friendly

We stayed here for the Easter holidays with 2 kids and the apartment was perfect and spaciuos and we had a lovely view form our rooms. Also, there was a lot of activities for the kids and the breakfast was good. All in all, I will surely stay here again.

make sure you hire a car and visit the water parks. Great shows there.

Excellent Hotel will be going back again..

A very nice and clean hotel. Bit far from the Albuferia main city. You will need a car to truly enjoy and explore the area.

top class hotel!!!

this hotel is lovely and a pleasure to stay in only 5mins from the beach! across the road you have a chinese ,bar & shop. Theres also few places to eat jus mins walk from the hotel! id say get a car to explore if u realy wanna see albufeira. Hotel is very easy to locate. We would really love to stay here again...........only bad thing breakfast was a little cold, but still very enjoyable with great variety.

Traveller's tip on shopping

albufeira shopping centre is a nice place to eat and shop. Old town is nice, pretty and quiet. The new town has many bars and restaurants but may be for the younger crowd. Really nice place to eat with great steaks and fish, cant remember the name but its quite popular and is a grill place with brown wooden decor. Also lovely fish restaurant 5 min drive from the hotel on the left.

Average

The hotel is ok. With a 5* rating I was expecting a lot more luxury for my money, though the price was reasonable. The hotel is neat, the furniture not particularly bad but the hotel is nothing compared to other 5* hotels I have stayed in the US, Asia and Europe. The hotel is however good for families with kids. My minor complaints were the outdoor pools were never heated which is not ideal for kids and the hotel room cleaners were at best average. Would I stay there again ? Possibly if it cheap.

Traveller's tip on dining

Btw, the chinese restruant 2 mins walk from the hotel is very good. Dinner and lunch when not pre-paid is expensive as are drinks.

Quiet and not touristy...

Great little off the main touristy track hotel. Very friendly and accomidating, great views of the ocean, hearty breakfast and short walk to a private beach. Excellent if you’re looking to get away for a few days--not great if you’re young and single and looking for lots of nightlife (there’s next to none!)

Absolutely cannot wait to go back.

This hotel was probably one of the best around the world that we have stayed in. That is also comparing it with the Ritz Carlton (6 star) in Singapore. Absolutely fabulous. We are hopeful that we can acquire a 10 day booking over Christmas.

Traveller's tip on dining

First class food in both restaurants in the hotel