Pestana Palm Gardens

We had an awesome stay at the Pestana Palm Gardens in February 2026 for 6 nights. It's located about 20 - 30 minute walk from town and about 20 minutes from the beach. We're slow walkers and in much of Portugal, the slopes are pretty steep. Needless to say, we drove to most places.
1. We stayed in room 28 so we have the upgraded 2 bedroom with premium view. I wish the weather was better so we could have used the upstairs balcony with a wonderful view of the ocean. We did get to enjoy it for a couple of days that were sunny during our stay.
2. I definitely recommend getting a massage with Carla Sophia, the onsite massage therapist. She was absolutely wonderful! After walking around the steep terrain, a foot massage is definitely in order.
3. Everyone we encountered were very helpful. Housekeeping came every day to empty the garbage. They change the towels about every other day. They were clear that the sheets would get changed once a week. I'm okay with that as long as it was clean when I got there. We did not set up the couch bed properly and without being asked, Housekeeping fixed it for us and made the bed. I liked the initiative.
4. At night, it was super quiet but I do not know if this is because we were there during off-season or if the apartments are super insulated. Either way, we slept peacefully.
5. We added breakfast to our reservation. It included egg, ham, cereal, etc. Unfortunately, it was not a very good value nor did it vary by day. If I had to do it again, I may just do the hotel breakfast once or twice for convenience then go into town for breakfast for variety.
6. On multiple nights, we had dinner at the on-site restaurant, Sal and Tal, so we didn't have to drive at night. They were some of the best meals we had! Every dinner we had here was good. Definitely recommend the seared tuna and any of the pasta dishes.

Overall, we got to enjoy the natural beauty of the cliffs and got the rest we needed. We would absolutely stay here again!

We’ve stayed at the Palm Gardens before and found it to be good again. We’d booked a one bedroom but we’re given a two bedroom for the same price - a nice touch. The beds were fine, it also was quiet. On the very short list of complaints, the maid service was a bit unpredictable, there was no doormat outside and the kitchen window could use curtains or a shade for privacy. Otherwise, we heartily recommend it.

We had a lovely stay at Pestana Palm Gardens, Elsa and her team did everything they could to make our stay a memorable experience. Thank you!

The staff are very helpful, friendly and full of smiles, they always try their best to help us when we request something. It is a very clam relaxing hotel suitable for people who want a peaceful time. What a warm welcome from Graca when we arrived.

over all outstanding service. The location is beautiful for beach holidays. Lots of sandy beaches and activities near the resort.

Worst beds ever!! Mattresses should have been replaced years ago 😔
Terrible chicken burger at the restaurant. There are many great restaurants in town.

We had a great stay, staff were very friendly and helpful, gardens,swimming pool and accommodation was all immaculate. 10 min walk to nearest restaurants and bars, a further 10 mins into town, all well lit with pavements, lots of places to eat and drink. We would definitely stay again.

The type of hotel villa complex chosen was just right. Low level and intimate, with Mediterranean architecture and well maintained gardens.

The ‘Studio 1’ apartment would have been ideal apart from being allocated adjacent to the construction of another hotel. Having pointed out that was not part of the booking arrangement, we were subsequently upgraded to a 2-level apartment which was fine with a glimpse of the ocean some 10 minutes walking distance away. The nearest town is Carvoeiro some 15 minutes walking distance away.

The rooms were cleaned daily, and the service and management of the Sal & Tal restaurant were excellent. Very good value for money.

Old property. The kitchen door handle was broken. The bathroom tap kept dripping, no soap in kitchen. Frayed old towels. Baed room AC started dripping water on day 2 and had to shut it off.
Lady at the reception unhelpful and made comments about too many tourists.
Overall, not recommended.

Villa was fantastic. Staff were amazing, efficient, and super friendly.

Unfortunately you need to be quite fit to walk to the shops, restaurants, beach or anywhere. It’s about 30 minutes each way. We walked down and got a cab back. Nothing is local enough otherwise sadly.

The pool needs an attendant. Too many unruly adults with their kids. Kids will have fun, we have a child, but throwing water everywhere, screaming and shouting, and the inflatables make it difficult to swim, kids constantly diving in soaking beds, and the smoking and vaping were constant and spoilt the relax around the pool. We all deserve a holiday! Going away in the kids holidays is unavoidable for us, I feel an attendant might calm things down a bit, so we can all enjoy.

Overall it was lovely.

Resort consists mainly of holiday villas, however site lacked that holiday feel, just rows of villas with few people other than staff around. We stayed in one near the entrance a two bedroom 6 berth apartment overlooking the tennis courts which wasn't in great condition. The villa was impeccably clean , spacious and well equipped, however it had obviously been well used and seemed tired and really was in need of a refurb . There was also a lot of cockroaches in the kitchen . Outside we had a plastic table and chairs to seat six people that was situated on a small piece of sloping block paving, making it impractical to use, and two sun loungers on a piece of artificial grass . The outside area was totally impractical and useless . we were really disappointed with the location , but apparently they were full, so had nothing else to offer, so we made the best of it.
The site itself is kept really clean , thou basic maintenance with regards to tennis courts, road near the entrance, kids playpark seemed lacking, also down the far end the recycling point was ,rubbish everywhere . Pool is reasonably small, with sunbeds around which is a a lovely well maintained area , a pool bar off the main area where you can buy food and drinks, thou the day we did , the bar person was far from friendly , even reluctant to allow us to have a tray to carry our drinks back . They also have a restaurant area , a nice small gym and a sauna, but they lack a small shop to get supplies, which is surprising as there are no shops nearby outside the site , a trip in the car every time we needed something.
Overall it's an ok place to stay if your looking for quiet relaxing place away from it all and don't require any really facilities .

We had a hassle on check in based on number in our party even though the room could easily accommodate us. The beds were hard and we didn’t get our queen bed. Towels weren’t the cleanest. Pool area was nice. Villa space was great as was the view

Excelente lugar para estar uno o varios dias.

My Wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our nine nights stay at the complex on a bed and breakfast basis. Our villa was comfortable, very clean, well equipped and spacious. All the staff we met were friendly and helpful. Dining in the evening was a pleasure, with good food and service.

This place was wonderful! It’s a little piece of paradise in the Algarve. The units are large and very beautiful. The staff is amazing and goes out of their way to make your stay as great as possible. I will be back! Amazing!

The properly is run down. Aunts everywhere. Staff is not friendly at all and is a bit rude. Will not recommend to stay here.

We love the property and the friendly staff. The restaurant Sal & Tal was excellent.

I ended my stay at the Pestana Palm Gardens in Carvoeiro in the worst possible way. I was in my last days at the hotel and was walking past the pools with my husband, and I heard a heated argument between two women, these women were workers there because they were in uniform. One of them was treating another colleague badly, it seemed to me that they were cleaning the houses and one of them was the boss of the other. The one who seemed to be the boss was shouting at the girl with curly hair and with her arms in the air pointing her finger in her face, I found it despicable and very ugly and even worse because the customers saw everything. I hope that the hotel takes measures against the cleaning manager and that the same humiliation does not happen again.

10 minute walk to an amazing beach. Quiet patio for morning coffee. Allowed late checkout.

The washing machine was half filled with dirty water that smelled horrible. The entire room and hallway smelled. We got over this issue and the inability to wash our clothes midway through our trip but then the roaches started running around our room and we were done. The front desk did move use to a new unit at 1130pm for which we were thankful.