This is not a 5 star hotel, the service and staff are very nice but they do not make up for the run down look of this hotel. The rooms are in need of some work and we had to moved from our first room due to cockroaches. Vale do Lobo is a nice area and I would expect the hotel to be up to scratch. The Grill restaurant is very nice. Overall the hotel is over priced and I would not return.

The DF is a superb hotel - luxury with a capital L ! Food was great and they really made us feel special. Pool was a little cold when we went in October. Rooms are a little sparce but its a minor point - this really is a quality resort as long as you dont mind putting up with golfers ! Tip - use the hotel resturants rather then the slightly cheaper ones down at the beach - the food is much much better and not much more expensive. Try the seafood restaurant about 1 mile walk along the beach

Here is where we stay 15 days in march and then in Oct , and this since 3 years . i am a golfer but not my wife - but she like Golf . We know a lot of Golf resorts in France , Andalousia and Algarve , and the best Hotel/Golf is le Meridien Dona Filipa and its own golf course - the San Lorenzo -regularly rated in the top ten courses in Europe . The Hotel Dona Filipa is located in Vale Do Lobo a secure area near (less than 100 meters) a big beach with a lots of shops , bars restaurants all around . the main best golf courses are within 15 minutes drive or 10 Km . The Hotel is a 5 stars in spite of some criticisms . -The entrence and the lobby are great and nicely furnished . -the rooms are different , some of them are very nice , clean and well equiped , of course some are not at 5 stars standard but they are very clean and well equiped and not expensive at all . -when in the morning you go to the breakfast ... it is a pleasure for your eyes to see all this BLUE -the sky , the pool and the sea - and a very good buffet . -dont forget for diner the wonderfull Buffets (Fisherman and Champagne) -The staff (the same since years) is friendly and welcoming . -the managment is always at your disposal and ready to help . - For the golfers it is the best place where to stay and play golf at San Lorenzo , and of course you can play in other courses with a discount . -Have never found a better deal for hotel/golf /price/weather for winter period (Oct to March ) Hope to see you next year in March08 . .

Good location, near the beach, and friendly staff. That's all the positives. Rooms look like they were furnished in the 70s and never got updated. It's a very noisy place with children running and screaming all over the place. The pool is a joke: small, cold (despite advertised as heated) and over crowded. Pool chairs were very dirty. Breakfast is like a school canteen - noisy & crowded,...Don't expect any peace&quiet in this place. It's not up to the standards of LeMeridien chain: a 3 star hotel advertised as 5. If you find a rate lower than 100eur/room it's a fair deal. Otherwise, go to the Sheraton Algarve.

This was one of those 5* hotels where there is a great lobby area - but nothing else! Once you get to the corridors it all starts to get shabby and the rooms are dated to say the least. We had a fairly big room ( were upgraded and didn't know till after!) but it was not too nice. The bathroom was dirty and we had to get housekeeping to clean the toilet. They didn't do it v. well and my husband cleaned it again with me knowing - or I would have been furious! The front of house and concierge were awful - no customer skills - no information about the local area. Each time we booked a taxi, it arrived without a child seat despite us requesting one each time - so we would have to wait another 1/2 hour. Messages weren't given to us even when we asked if anything had been left. Restaurant staff were great on the other hand and really looked after us. They claim to have a creche attached to the hotel - but its really for the town - wouldn't ever leave my child there. We went in with our little boy ( you could use if for free if you stayed with your child) and there were 2 other children being looked after ( or not). They were wandering around, crying and the staff did nothing except lounge around. I felt really sorry for the kids. Good facility to use though if you stay in there with your children as lots of toys, bit outside area and kiddie pool. Beach was a 5 min walk from the hotel. Buy water from town as you walk though as the price from the hotel kiosk on the sand is five times as much! Dont' think i will be going back!