Rocha Brava Village Resort

I must admit I was a little worried about going to Rocha Brava after reading some of the reviews on here, thankfully we were delighted with our apartment and our stay overall. The apartment we stayed in was lovely, it was decorated in traditional Portugese style and was very clean and comfortable. The shower was nice and hot and powerful and the beds super comfie. Only complaint was the pillows were lumpy and we were situated right beside the road in and out of the resort which could be busy at times, but we didn't really mind this too much as we were close to the pool and shop etc... The pool (we only used the big pool) and the grounds are just beautiful, the plants and flowers around the resort are amazing. I loved walking around the resort admiring the gorgeous grounds. The staff were super friendly right from when we arrived at reception. The shop is very expensive, but we didn't find the nearby Spar much cheaper, the pool bar was expensive too, but we noticed a huge jump in prices across the Algarve in general. We didn't eat at the restaurant so cannot comment. The proximity to the hiking trails was great, there are some lovely hikes to do in the area. It is also very easy to get to Carvoiero via the shuttle bus or an Uber. We did a day trip to Silves and Ferraguada and highly recommend both.

The location was about an hour from Faro Airport, and a 10-15 minute drive to the main town, they provide a shuttle bus down to the main town at different times. The atmosphere was very peaceful and calm. The rooms were clean and get cleaned every other day. The value of this place is very good and worth it. There are many services and amenities such as a supermarket, a coffee bar, shuttle services and a restaurant. The service was very good and positive.

We booked to stay 48 nights at the resort on the extended holidays packages Jet 2 Holidays offer. Initially we were allocated apartment 266. The front door did not open. It was rotten and split and swollen so opening it scratched the floors. The apartment had not had any updates at all likely since it was first built over 30 years ago. The tiles in kitchen and bathrooms all had small cracks in them and there was a rank smell in the apartment. We soon discovered what it was. the walls under the sink in the kitchen were black with mould. The U bend in the bathroom sink had degraded so water from the sink went straight onto the floor and there was no cover over the waste in the shower. So after first shower there was a constant smell of raw sewerage. The electric heater in the second bathroom was a rusty radiant heater which looked unsafe to use. Black mould is a killer. A properly run place would have basic standards of cleanliness and health and safety.. Apartment 266 appears to have had no oversight for years. On day three we were upgraded to a villa which was set in the most beautiful grounds. It was a lot better, and no mould in the kitchen.. but the cream tiled floors were filthy. We asked for it to be cleaned and a deep clean was offered so we went out for the day, returning to find the floors as filthy as when we left. So we cleaned one of the bathroom floors ourselves leaving one tile dirty as a comparison. The covers on the sofas were dirty too.. We had sheets on our bed with holes in them and towels that were grey and threadbare. We had to ask for new sheets and towels.. As the weather changed towards the end of our stay, we noticed more and more black mould appearing on the walls in the bedrooms and bathrooms and the shower curtain had developed thick black mould on it. It is so sad that management has no passion for health and safety and cleanliness within the accommodation. The resort is 4 star, but the accommodation is far below that.. The grounds of the resort are beautiful and the swimming pools were clean. The gardens and planting and lawns are stunning and the walks around the reserve and out onto the cliff tops quite breath taking. There is so much potential for excellent accommodation, but it appears not to be the focus of management at this time.