EPIC SANA Algarve Hotel

Overall, I loved this property and the people who make it go. Beautiful setting, nice rooms, good food, well kept pools, an amazing spa area, and a spectacular beach make it a must visit again for me. Understand that it is southern Portugal so access to the beach is a challenge due to the sheer beauty and magnitude of the cliffs leading to the ocean. It is worth the effort to get there and, at night, with the lighting and walkway, it feels otherworldly even. The property does an excellent job of hiring truly genuine, nice, and service oriented associates. You really got the feeling they were happy to assist you rather than viewing you as a burden. The only minor irritants that others may have pointed out are a disorganized valet process and a strangely burdensome process of closing out every pool / restaurant tab every time. It seems strange that you may set out for a day at the pool and end up signing 10 different charge tabs rather than telling your server to keep it open to your room. Maybe they've had problems with this in the past, but it was very annoying to pay by the drink no matter where you were. Again, minor stuff as I love this hotel and will definitely make plans to visit again.

We returned from our 6 night break at the Epic 2 weeks ago. I like to try and write a review as I always read reviews before we book anywhere so I hope you find my review helpful. We got a taxi from Faro airport to the hotel a smooth transition and cost was 45 euros - the check in was easy and I was given a lovely flower, nice touch for me but my husband (and me for that matter) was hoping for a nice glass of cold bubbles which would have ticked the box properly - we were given the card to our ocean view room very swiftly and luggage arrived within a couple of minutes - the rooms were exactly as the website portrayed, lovely bedding, comfy twin mattresses, and everything else as you would expect - we personally liked the bathroom area with its retracting doors and the half frosted glass doors weren't an issue at all, however I do understand if it is for some - the toiletries were plentiful and the daily water and chocolate at night time turn down very welcome. Our room was located very close to the elevators which was sometimes a little annoying when other guests would be returning to their room, however I am sure the hotel would have moved us if we had requested but it wasn't an issue during the night so we didn't need to ask. The hotel is spotless wherever you go, inside and out apart from the indoor pool which is a lovely free addition to the spa along with the gym - the indoor pool is clearly in need of some upgrading but that didn't detract from our early evening swim in it with the retractable roof open - the reason we used this pool was the adult pool wasn't heated and to be perfectly honest was painfully freezing - the family pool was heated which we did use in a morning and that was lovely. It's a shame the adult pool isn't heated and I'm not quite sure why - the pool areas were lovely, all wooden boarding, easy to get a sun bed and some excellent staff working pool side ensuring the area was constantly monitored for any litter, clearing tables and unused towels efficiently. Breakfast was a joy, the outside tables against the water feature was so relaxing and the choice and quality of breakfast was lovely - breakfast staff would gladly bring any sort of coffee (lattes etc) rather than the standard tin coffee pot variety. We had a fairly early breakfast which suited us, we did notice that the area was very full around 9.30-10 especially with children but overall an excellent experience - the grounds are beautiful for a lovely walk around and the wooden walkway to the beach was a pleasure resulting in the most magnificent red sand cliffs and beautiful long beaches - we walked along the beaches daily - go left and it is about 1.5 hours gentle walk to Vilamoura harbour with a couple of nice beach bars along the way to quench your thirst - go right and it is about 20 mins walk to the Pine Cliffs beach bar/restaurant which we went to daily for a lovely jug of sparkling white Sangria - well worth the stroll. Although it looks busy just at the entrance to the beach where everyone seems to gather you only have to walk 5 minutes either way and the crowds disappear. We didn't eat in the hotel other than breakfast so I can't comment on the restaurants but none of them looked very busy so I think it would be easy enough to get a table - however we walked out of the front of the hotel over the road to the 'square' where we found 3 or 4 eateries and little bars where you could have a very nice meal, including wine for around 30 euros for 2 people - we went into the Bluum bar on our last evening for a cocktail which was very nice but 32 euros for 2 very standard drinks is perhaps a little excessive - yes we do usually stay in 5 star hotels and expect to pay more but the prices are silly and to attract more people to stay within the resort in the evenings needs to be looked at - all in all I always sum a hotel up by would I go back there again and the answer is simple, yes - it has everything you need, great accommodation, lovely pools (just one very chilly one!), beautiful beach walks and a lovely area to visit in the evenings - happy holidays!!!!

Our rooms were fantastic and the resort seemed very peaceful for quite a large place - it has lots of different pools and areas so people are spread out. The staff couldn't have been more helpful. The facilities are top notch - pools, spa, gym, buffet looked amazing etc. There's a little village outside the front too with a supermarket, little bars and restaurants. The path down to the beach and outskirts of the resort have been left beautifully unspoilt and offer some romantic 4-poster sunlounging spots. We did the yoga and fitness programmes without realising they include a massively restricted calorie controlled diet (I just wanted to do yoga!). The food was great though but I wouldn't recommend it in this location as you are surrounded by 'normal' holidaymakers which makes it a lot tougher! They run a great programme of fitness and cultural activities you can dip in and out of anyway! It's not cheap but you are certainly well looked after!