Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve

The rooms are nice and big and very well appointed
It’s a bit of a strange set up having the toilet and bathroom in the same room as the bed.

Der Aufenthalt war von Beginn bis zum Ende sehr entspannt und erholsam. Das Personal war jederzeit sehr freundlich und hilfsbereit. Service und Ausstattung waren auf einem hohen Niveau. Auch die Atmosphäre rund um das Frühstück war sehr entspannt. Der Strand war fußläufig erreichbar. Uns persönlich hat der untere Pool besonders gefallen, da er zwischen Palmen und im Grünem lag und es dadurch bei der Hitze erträglicher war.

General:
Overall I would recommend the hotel and you will have a lovely time there. I’ve given it a 5/5 rating because of the things that matter most to us were very good, although there are elements that could be better.
We loved the wristband which had your key (chip) embedded in it. Not had this before but it was so useful. This chip was also what you used to pay for anything.
The hotel is very modern, clean and lots of large spaces.
Use the app whilst you are there too. You can message reception etc, see the activities for the day, menus and again something I’ve not seen before is you get an automated message when your room has been cleaned!

Location:
For me it was perfectly located. 3-4mins by taxi to Lagos town centre. It was in a quiet location. 5-7 minute walk (2 songs on my iPhone!) to a small supermarket (crisps, drinks, snacks, ice cream). We didn’t go to the beach but it’s across the road and sand dunes. Looked lovely though. There are a couple of restaurants/bars between the hotel and the beach.

Getting about:
Use Uber or Bolt. Loads of taxis available all the time. Extremely good value. Our taxi fares varied from 4 euros up to 7 euros to get from the hotel to Lagos town centre. Typical wait time was 5 minutes.

Service:
All the employees were friendly and pleasant. Service was always there when you needed it (eg drinks whilst at the pool). I get the feeling the staff don’t feel empowered to make decisions that are right thing even if they may not be from the text book. For example - the conference room was used for all the World Cup matches (which was brilliant). I asked if the Wimbledon tennis quarter final could be shown (in the afternoon - no clash with the football) but the reception staff member just said a point blank “no” it’s was for the football only. This definitely fell into the “won’t” not “can’t” territory. There was a couple of other smaller examples too.
Be careful when they come to fill your room minibar - half the time they knocked but then walked straight in, not waiting for you to answer.

Staff to call out:
Nuno who supported us on arrival was excellent.
Katrina - part of the entertainment team.

Rooms:
We had a Priority Location Sea View Double. This was on the 6th floor of the main part of the building (above reception and the restaurant/lobby bar). The view was great. The room was a good size, even with our 10 year old on a pull out type bed. In terms of other room types, as you may have seen on other reviews, the private pool suites (6 of them all on the 5th floor) are overlooked by the rooms we were in on the 6th floor, as their balcony/veranda extends out. The pool suites looked nice (very large veranda with tables/chairs and sunbeds with a canopy) if you don’t mind being over looked. I enquired about a Junior Suite when we arrived and had a look at one but there’s no point as it is literally just the same as the normal room but 1 metre longer - everything else is the same.

Pools:
There are 3 pools (plus a small kids pool). We spent most of our time in the upper pool (near the restaurants). It had a bit more of a vibe and was closer to our room. If you have kids and want to play with anything like balls etc, you have to go to the lower pool.
Sunbeds were great. Very comfortable. There were always beds available. Only one time when we came down at lunch time did we have to go to the lower pool as they were all taken by the top pool.

Restaurants:
We stayed on a B&B basis. The buffet restaurant for breakfast was great. It had everything we wanted. Large selection of everything you’d want. It had sparkling wine as part of it if you wanted.
We had the dinner buffet one evening. Not price competitive with eating out (buffet was 47 euros per adult and 23.50 euros per child - plus drinks) - although water was included. This was a very good buffet. Lots of choice and very good quality. Good for kids too. We ate out in the local town for all other nights (see below for tips).
The snack restaurant was fine. Could do with a better selection.

Entertainment:
There was something on pretty much every night. Mainly music. Had a magic show one night. All pretty good. They had various other activities during the week eg wine tasting, liquor tasting, soap making, bingo etc.

Lagos town centre:
I would highly recommend going to Lagos for the back streets with lots of small restaurants. There are also lots of shops and bars. We ate there all bar one night trying a different restaurant each night. Our bills for 2 adults and 1 child(10) came to about 80-90 euros each time (including a 10% tip). We ate on the marina side one evening (Quay Restaurant) which was good but you must venture over to the other side of the water for far more choice etc. There’s a foot bridge (also a drawbridge) to get to the other side or just get the taxi to the other side anyway. The best restaurants we ate at were Kisa, Tanninos, Scaruccio, Quay. Don’t go to Bahia - food and value is not as good as the town centre restaurants.

Other:
We went to Slide and Splash - a water park about 30 mins way (20 euros by Bolt). It was excellent. Would highly recommend.

Everything was perfect. Our room was spotless and absolutely quiet. Breakfast had a wide variety to choose from and had different things each day. The real highlight here is the staff, all are very friendly and ready to help you. A special mention goes to Nuno at Reception, who was a real assist to us with great recommendations. Also, a shout out to Erick from the Snack Bar and Txeco and Daniel from the pool area. Thank you for your hospitality, we had a great time!

only the location

A truly wonderful hotel with plenty of staff and amazing facilities. The food was delicious, live cooking stations were really good. The staff were incredibly welcoming and helpful, with no exceptions. The location is brilliant only a short 5-minute stroll to a beautiful, long sandy beach. It is the perfect spot for a peaceful getaway. Will be back.

The hotel is lovely and the lobby bar staff are fabulous. It’s a 25 min walk to Lagos along the gangway - parallel to the sea/beach or a cheap uber ride €4 each way. The hotel food and facilities are well catered for. Entertainment on an evening is varied (standard lobby entertainment) the Motown was the best while we were here.
Lobby bar staff are attentive and generally friendly for us Claudia, Lucas and Uday were fantastic and deserve a bonus - they work so hard.
Our room was clean and spacious. Mini bar replenished daily. The personal pool on balcony was maintained daily. Literally can’t complain about the accommodation other than our room was overlooked by the above level (disappointing given the room we had with own private balcony and pool).
Generally the staff are all new (so always in training) given the hotel closes nov to March and staff are on 6 month contracts in the main, the hotel runs as smooth as you’d expect. What’s nice to observe is there is 3-4 managers around every day to ensure smooth running of the hotel (and are very approachable to for guests).
IF you are an Iberostar club member, it’s not recognised here which is disappointing but not a deal breaker. We were given a voucher for a complimentary meal at the al a’carte (which we didn’t enjoy) and free (usually €25 for an hour) hour exclusive in their small spa - again, other than jacuzzi we didn’t enjoy the steam room or sauna (not given the outside heat).
I would recommend - overall but wouldn’t rush back.

We had a fantastic time at the Iberostar again. This was our second time and we enjoyed our stay so much that we have already booked for next year.
On arrival we were welcomed with a glass of champagne and taken to our room. We booked a room with a Balinese bed this year which I really enjoyed. I am always early up and enjoyed the calmness in the morning with a cup of coffee and the views over the Atlantic Ocean.
We booked breakfast only because we like to go out in the evening for a meal in Lagos which is a 40 minute walk. We also had dinner in the hotel at the à la carte restaurant, which was delicious and very friendly staff.
Breakfast is amazing: so much choice, and all very fresh. I enjoyed pasteis de nata very much (we also joined the cooking class for pasteis de nata at the hotel, my favourite cake now!).
The beach is directly at the opposite of the hotel, which we visited most days.
Looking forward to visit again in 2027.

Having visited Algarve for 25 years and solely to Iberostar Lagos since 2019 we have seen everything Algarve has to offer. That's why my title says what it does.

During these 7 years Iberostar Lagos even helped is to get married in Lagos and surprise thoughtful gifts made it really special.

This year our arrival was greeted, by Anna, as though old friends were meeting again. I cant believe she instantly recognised us 12 months later. This carried on throughout the hotel in the bar and restaurant staff recognised us instantly and welcomed us, again, like old friends. Special recognition must go to Stefan.

I had a minor criticism last year.

This year the food had gone back to its usual fantastic quality. Hot meat dishes with distinctive Portugues/Algarvian tastes were delicious particularly what was described as pork cheeks - fantastic. Breakfast was, as usual, delicious with lots of tasty choices.

Sadly it seems we won't be returning next year. We aren't ones to sit by the beach/pool all day and have covered probably everything there is to see in Algarve.

We will however take with us fond memories of Iberostar Lagos. More importantly our memories of the top class staff and service will serve as a standard against which all others will be measured. We will genuinely miss you all.

If anyone reads this review in my opinion if you are visiting Lagos you should go here - there is nowhere better.

I hope my Portuguese is up to standard so....

Muito obrigado por tudo o que fizeram por nós durante as nossas estadias. Sentiremos muita falta de toda a equipe e do hotel.

We spent a week at Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve with our son on an All Inclusive package in one of the sea-facing rooms.

The hotel enjoys a beautiful location with stunning views over the beach, and throughout our stay we found it to be spotlessly clean. The housekeeping team clearly takes great pride in maintaining both the rooms and the public areas.

One of the highlights of our holiday was the food and beverage experience. The staff were consistently friendly, attentive and genuinely helpful, and the buffet chefs frequently offered to prepare special dishes for us, which was a lovely touch.

Breakfast offered everything you would expect from a high-quality buffet—freshly cooked eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, an extensive selection of breads, cold meats, cheeses, cereals and fresh fruit. What really stood out, however, was the impressive range of healthy “superfoods” available, including turmeric, ginger, chia seeds, moringa and psyllium husk. It was an unexpected feature that we really appreciated.

Lunch and dinner were equally impressive, with an excellent variety of fresh seafood and meats each day. During our stay we enjoyed lobster, octopus, large prawns, langoustines and many other beautifully prepared dishes. The food was consistently fresh, varied and of a very high standard.

As part of the All Inclusive package we also dined in the à la carte restaurant. The prawn starter was outstanding—fresh, generous in size and absolutely delicious.

There was also plenty happening around the hotel throughout the day and evening, with a good programme of activities and entertainment.

During the World Cup, the hotel made a real effort by screening the matches in one of the conference rooms, with waiters serving drinks and snacks throughout. Watching football in a dark conference room via projector felt a little unusual, but the effort the hotel made to create a viewing experience for guests was genuinely appreciated.

Overall, we had a wonderful holiday. However, there were a few areas where we felt a hotel carrying the Iberostar brand could improve.

Firstly, on arrival after a hot summer journey from the airport, we were welcomed with the choice of either wine or water. As we were beginning our All Inclusive holiday, we politely asked if we could have both a glass of wine and some water, only to be told it had to be one or the other. It felt unnecessarily mean-spirited and wasn’t the warm first impression you would expect from a five-star hotel.

Secondly, the reception area felt rather neglected. Many of the plants looked dry and drooping throughout our stay, and I even found myself mentioning to reception that they could do with watering. It is a small detail, but first impressions matter, and it gave the entrance a slightly unloved feel.

Finally, our room change experience was disappointing. On arrival we asked whether there might be another room available within the same category but with a better sea view. Reception kindly agreed to check the following day and advised us not to unpack, asking us to return after breakfast.

When we returned the next morning, we were told that a room would be allocated at 2 pm, but despite asking several times whether they could simply tell us which room it would be, we were told this wasn’t possible. At 2 pm we were offered a room with a noticeably poorer sea view than the one we already occupied. We therefore chose to remain in our original room. Had the room number simply been shared earlier, we could have made an informed decision, unpacked and enjoyed our holiday without spending the day waiting. It felt like an unnecessary inconvenience.

These criticisms are relatively minor in the context of what was otherwise a very enjoyable stay. The location is superb, the food is among the best we have experienced at an All Inclusive resort, the hotel is immaculately clean and the staff—particularly those in the restaurants and bars—were excellent. With a little more attention to guest experience at reception, this hotel could easily become truly exceptional.

We would happily return.

Cortesia e disponibilità

Breakfast options very good. Cleanliness including room cleaning and pool areas quiet and peaceful.

Having visited this hotel 7 times over the years, we know its a great choice.
We have visited many other countries and hotels, but we keep coming back to the Iberostar in Lagos given its fantastic location, great beaches, super staff, vibrant town and modern hotel.
The bedrooms are spacious - and there is a great choice - from sea views, pool views, Bali bed rooms and rooms with private pools.
The choice of food is amazing and overall great quality - with themed meal nights there really is something for eveyone - including a special kids corner.
Other benefits are the indoor pool and gym, spa, 2 outdoor pools, plenty of sun loungers, and great pool bars x 2.
Staff are very helpful and friendly - special mentions to Kamrin and Uda - who have become firm family favourites for their warm welcome, and Anna on reception.
Highly recommend this hotel - my whole family love the place - we will be back next year!

This was our third stay at this hotel, and once again it exceeded all our expectations. We can’t speak highly enough of it. The staff are exceptional, the rooms are spotless and comfortable, and the entertainment is fantastic. Everything about our stay was perfect.

A special mention goes to Francesco, the AGM, who made our stay even more memorable with his professionalism, kindness, and attention to detail. He truly went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful experience.

We can’t recommend this hotel highly enough and are already looking forward to our next visit!