Monica Isabel Beach Club

We’ve just finished our stay at Mónica Isabel Beach Club. Although the location is fantastic and there are certainly some positives, there are quite a few areas where we feel the hotel could do much better.

The food was very basic and the choice was quite limited. Chicken was hardly ever available, and we found the overall selection disappointing. Breakfast was also quite naff, with no proper sausages and very fatty bacon. There definitely needs to be more variety and better-quality food.

The biggest issue for us was the lack of sunbeds and umbrellas. Guests regularly reserve them and leave them unattended, despite the hotel having rules saying that sunbeds shouldn’t be reserved. Unfortunately, these rules don’t seem to be enforced.

What makes the situation even worse is that when you try to use an umbrella that has clearly been left unattended for a long period, you can get confronted by other guests who have apparently claimed it. This creates unnecessary arguments and an uncomfortable atmosphere around the pool. There simply aren’t enough umbrellas, so if you don’t get one early, you can end up cooking like an egg and getting burnt.

There are also very few chairs and tables outside in the evening. You often have to hunt around just to find a chair, and getting a table can be almost impossible unless you’re lucky. We ended up having to put our drinks on the floor, which isn’t ideal. We also unfortunately saw cockroaches in our room during our stay, which obviously wasn’t pleasant.

The adult entertainment is very limited, with only around an hour of entertainment in the evening. The karaoke itself was good fun, but the TV was so small and positioned in such a way that hardly anyone could see the words. Better equipment and a more varied entertainment programme would make a big difference.

We also found that some of the bar staff could be quite unfriendly and unhelpful. Not all of them, as there were some lovely members of staff, but unfortunately a few interactions left us feeling that the customer service could have been much better.

The location is definitely the hotel’s biggest positive — right by the beach and within easy reach of Albufeira, with plenty to do nearby.

Overall, we enjoyed our holiday and made some lovely memories, but we feel the hotel has a lot of room for improvement, particularly when it comes to the food, pool facilities, enforcement of the sunbed rules, outdoor seating, customer service and evening entertainment.

We had a wonderful stay at Monica Isabel in Portugal. The property is basic and a little dated, but it is exceptionally clean and perfectly maintained. The rooms are very spacious and comfortable, and our balcony had amazing views – perfect for morning coffee or an evening drink. The location is outstanding: literally about 10 seconds from the beach and surrounded by beautiful scenery. What really made the trip was the staff: friendly, attentive and genuinely helpful from check‑in to check‑out. For the price we paid, the value was outstanding. We’d happily stay here again and would recommend it to anyone who cares more about cleanliness, space, comfort, location and service than modern décor.

I’ve seen some negative reviews and can only say our experience was the opposite – perhaps expectations were set for a luxury resort, whereas this is a simple, well‑run hotel that delivers exactly what it promises.

Location good.. 5/10min walk down beach and right into the old town Rooms weren’t cleaned daily! We were there 5 days and not cleaned once! Only had towels changed once in the whole time there! We had 3 staying in the room and only had 2 of everything like cups, plates etc… Food very basic… Some staff were spot on and friendly others not so much… We paid about £800 for all inclusive and only had breakfast there twice and lunch on the day of arrival ended up eating out all the time….