Muthu Oura Praia Hotel

Firstly my star rating is based on my view that the hotel should only have a 3-star rating.

Primarily because of my other experiences with proper 4 star hotels but also because of the very tired decor, very tired rooms, very odd ‘toilets’ but I will get to that later and also the lack of services and amenities.

The hotel is in a very good location at the Oura end of Albufeira and has a prime location for bars and restaurants. Nice walk downhill to the beach but up steep hill back. No issues for myself.

The hotel now has a bar called the hangover bar which is very good for sport and a night listening to entertainment but when your put in the room right above it, there is no possibility of a quiet night, which of course we were! In an almost empty hotel may I add.

The rooms had air con, fridge, and basic cooking facilities, the beds were two singles pushed together.

Room was cleaned 3 times in a 7-night stay, think the cleaner missed us one day though.
The toilet was a bath with a shower overhead, toilet and bide.

The toilet bowl, however, is anything but aesthetically pleasing and anyone who has stayed or is going to will know exactly what I mean! The shape of the system does keep things In ‘view’!

Food I think you had to walk to the Clube Praia da Oura, just because of the season I think, somewhere I have stayed before also but we always ate out.

Busy road on one side of hotel and pool area at the side, not sure of the back, probably another road.

Staff seemed friendly but because it was quiet I think they seemed a bit bored and unoccupied to go ou oft their way to do anything.

Parking is available I think.

Wifi is good in the hotel.

You know I probably would stay again but only if it were a great price and I know not to expect a 4star that I normally stay in, simply and purely for the location of the hotel.

Having been coming to CPO for 15 years, we (2 couples) were bitterly disappointed with our week in the MGM Oura Praia hotel. It’s part of the Infiniti family and when Petchy owned the complexes, the overall standard was much higher. We upgraded to Infiniti 2 years ago and have actually seen a slump in standards, not an increase. This was also the first time we’ve been all-inclusive.

We had no benchmark so although we thought that the food choice was limited, we had nothing to compare it with. We did encounter a number of very unhappy customers who informed us just how poor the food choice and standards were…. the worst they’ve ever had was the most used phrase.

The rooms are in need of maintenance and some renovation.

Our bath was losing its enamel and the slip mat was mouldy. The gym equipment needs maintenance. The reception staff know all of this… so is anything being passed on? It’s a shame because it’s in a prime location.

The pool wasn’t cleaned until the morning which meant the evening winds sent litter everywhere making cleaning properly in the morning, impossible. Back to the food and drink…. there was minimal selection for soft drinks if you didn’t want anything fizzy…. in fact, water was the result.

If you didn’t like spicy food, you were scuppered as the predominately Indian cuisine took centre stage.

The menu for people coming to the restaurant was good, however, and well received by those paying for an Indian meal. The all-inclusive buffet was much less popular. Many all inclusive customers ate away from the venue.

The 4 waiters were nice chaps… but it’s difficult to maintain happiness in customers with service alone. Management needs to take a seriously long look at their all-inclusive package otherwise they will lose a lot of long-term customers… or is that their intention???

We spent a week at Oura Praia hotel last week as a family of four, kids ages 12 and 17, and as with most of the other reviews, the main area of concern regards the all-inclusive package.

Plus points:
The hotel is well positioned near to the strip, and there are plenty of bars and restaurants close to the hotel to meet your needs, particularly if you like a lively
the atmosphere, which we generally do.

We booked a superior room, which was spacious and well equipped, probably one of the best we have stayed in particularly at the price. The room and the hotel were spotless and if you wanted your room serviced every day, this was not a problem.

We found the staff amenable and friendly in both restaurant/bar, although they seemed a little world-weary on reception, which I would imagine was mainly due to the complaints about the food.

The free return open top bus to the old town which ran regularly was a nice touch and appreciated.

Negative points:

As stated the hotel uses an Indian restaurant which is on the hotel grounds to cater for all-inclusive guests. I presume they pay a set amount for each guest.
The breakfast was continental, of a sort, a toaster, a tray of ham, croissants, cheese, cereal, coffee/tea, juice, a bit of fruit, and not much else.

To be fair the lunch was better, there was usually a choice of meat, pasta, chips, salad etc.

The evening meal always had a curry dish, and maybe one other choice, and if you only like hot curries you were usually struggling, ie butter chicken seemed to be their dish of choice.

To be fair though I got to know one of the waiters who would spice up the curry a bit for me though, free of charge, but no lamb!! only chicken for all-inclusive guests.

My main point about the restaurant is that in general, the all-inclusive guests seemed to be a bit of a hindrance to the staff, in the evening, they would be trying to attract guests from the street and they would be fussed over, while we would be largely ignored, so it didn’t,t really work.

We ended up eating out most of the week.

We were naively under the impression that we could use the facilities in the Club sister hotel, where my daughter was staying, but this amounted to being able to watch the entertainment, you cannot get free drinks or food there. In fact, the bar manager there embarrassed us when I went up with cash in hand to buy drinks, when
he loudly explained this.

Anyway, we had a good time, we usually stay in the old town, and we will probably return there next time.

The garish grey and maroon paint job isn’t the only thing that makes this property stand out sadly.

It is ex-timeshare and very tired looking.

Broken and chipped tiles, cracks in plastering, faded varnished woodwork, worn furniture, weeds around the pool area. sun loungers splattered with bird poop.

Charged a deposit on arrival in case we broke anything, charged for pool towels, charged for use of safe upon check out though never used it.

Very noisy room overlooking the roundabout.

Had to ask for room clean and fresh sheets/towels.

Interior of the property is like a botanical garden.

Would go self-catering again just not here.

Had l been aware before booking this hotel it was part of a Timeshare Complex l would have definitely booked somewhere else.

Although l found the overall cleanliness very good l thought the decor and furniture in the Apartment extremely dated and in no way resembled the photo’s on the Petchey Website. I paid less for a 2 Bed Apartment in Tenerife last year which was Ultra-Modern and newly refurbished with a massive Terrace…so to say l was disappointed is an understatement!

We had also booked a 1xBedroom Apt for my Mum but due to some health issues, she felt unable to make the journey. Despite being inside the allowed ‘Cancellation Time’ she was refunded the insulting amount of £81 from the £400 she had paid in full at the time of booking and for that reason alone l would not stay at a Petchey Resort again.

As for Clube Praia da Oura which is also part of the complex, all l can say is Thank God l didn’t stay there! Far too many people packed around the Pool area, and if you want a decent meal with good service then avoid JAC’S. Lacklustre service and not great food! Perhaps we visited on a bad day or week… but this Hotel & Complex is Not For Me!