Lti Pestana Viking Beach and Spa Resort

“ really enjoyed our second vist to the hotel staff very helpful and freindly hotel spotless food excellent good location hotel towels had seen better days would recommend hotel will vist again sean and pauline

“ Hotel good, food could be better, but not disasterous

“ The Pestana Viking is a well-appointed hotel; the foyer and restaurant areas are well-designed, airy and spacious. It used to be a 5 star hotel before it was owned by Pestana and most of the furniture and fittings reflect this. The rooms which have a kitchen, living area and separate bedroom are also very airy and comfortable, with a large balcony. The pool area is well maintained with attractive landscaping and relaxing views of cliffs and beaches on either side. There are comfortable loungers and fixed umbrellas. There is a steep walk down to the beaches, and a steep walk any direction from the hotel so it is unsuitable for people with walking difficulties unless they are happy to stay in the hotel area or have access to a car. There are also six stairs down to the hotel restaurant and pool area; there is a rather cumbersome lift for wheelchairs and pushchairs. It would be better if the owners did away with those inconvenient stairs, as the rest of the hotel is easily accessible. I found the indoor pool acoustically a bit challenging as there was no adult only designated time. The music blaring out in the gym was also a bit of an assault on the ears.

If you are a party of three adults, beware. The third bed is a sofa bed, not a high quality sofa bed - a lumpy poor quality one. When I found it very uncomfortable on my first night, they gave me a foldaway bed. The mattress was slightly better, but narrow and not good quality. This was very disappointing as I am used to a decent bed, and did not come on holiday to a 4 star hotel to sleep badly on a fold-up bed for 10 days. I asked for a proper single bed and was told it wasn't possible, which was very annoying, but I persisted - after 4 polite, but firm requests, a proper single bed was 'located' and put in the room, and I did sleep well for the rest of the holiday! I think Pestana have a bit of a cheek not giving a decent bed to full-paying adult guests. Teenagers and older children would possibly also find those sofa and foldaway beds very uncomfortable. The staff are pleasant and helpful, and a couple of them did solve my bed issue, but this was probably also down to my polite persistence.

There is a great choice of cocktails at the bar and at happy hour they are happily very affordable and you can have a very pleasant sundowner before dinner. The buffet food was so so - not 4 star - some of the soups and salads were ok, but a lot of tinned and pre-prepared fruit and veg; the mains - unusual (possibly cost-saving) choices - especially dogfish and ray, the latter practically all little bones. Some of the ingredients seemed decent enough, but the flavours were amiss, overcooked veg, a lot of recycling of leftovers. Menu food was overpriced and unspectacular. The choice of bread at breakfast was very good, the local oranges are juicy and lovely. The bacon and sausages were... well, someone needs to show them what decent bacon and sausages look like.

The evening entertainment was generally fade-into-the-background singers, but it did actually come to life twice - with a parrot show and a magic show. If Pestana cared to liven the hotel up, a Latin-American dance teacher employed to give an evening dance lesson for an hour a couple of nights a week would do wonders for the atmosphere and the takings in the bar area and dance floor. There were many families with children in the hotel - the children were well-behaved and seemed to be enjoying themselves, they certainly helped to liven the place up.

Overall, a good hotel in which to relax, read, sunbathe and enjoy the views.

“ Top Tip: Lovely hidden beach down many steps off the footpath going up the hill when you exit the hotel.

“ Had a really enjoyable stay at the Pestana Viking (March 2012). Was amazed to see how much it looks like the publicity shots. Lovely location, if a little out of the way and very close to two beaches, even if the sea was too cold to swim in.

Food was...different. Not impressed by breakfast (mini hot dog sausages?!) but dinner tended to be pretty good but you had to try things you wouldn't normally. Some combinations seemed not to work and may have been for non-british tastes, such as the odd egg mayo, sprout and carrot salad. However, the fish dishes tended to be the best.

There is a small beachside restaurant nearby that served fantastic fish at pretty reasonable prices. Completely worth heading there.

The shop in the hotel could do with a review, as it lacked much in the way of snack food and didn't even have cold drinks. This would be useful. Also, some items seemed expensive although I did get a selection of local ports at a good price.

The outdoor pool was also far too cold to use while we were there, although the indoor one was fine, if a little shallow.

We went for a two-bedroom apartment and the room was clean and lovely, except for the fact you could hear a heavy door opening and closing which pretty much caused one bedroom to shake! It was also noisy on our final night due to the music in the bar.

However, the overall stay was enjoyable and staff helpful. Was well worth a visit and booking through travel republic was easy, with all transfers and flights exactly as planned.

“ Top Tip: Beachside fish restaurant excellent and very close to hotel.