Back at the end of September Danny and I decided to book a trip to the Algarve. I had never visited the Algarve before, never mind Portugal but we wanted somewhere with guaranteed sunshine, that also would be relaxing. That is when I stumbled upon the Epic Sana Algarve Hotel. When I came across it, I instantly fell in love with it online and knew we had to visit.
Where is Epic Sana Algarve Hotel?
Epic Sana Algarve is a five-star hotel located in the city of Albufeira in the Algarve, Portugal and from reviews online it sounded exactly what we were looking for. I was pretty exhausted after my trip to New York in summer and Danny and I just wanted some time to ourselves to recoup and relax. I wasn’t planning to blog about this trip so I didn’t take loads of photos, as of course I was trying to relax.
I say trying, as I find it very hard to switch off from emails and social media. It takes me about a week and then I need another week to enjoy my holiday, but nonetheless I was relaxed at Epic Sana Algarve.
The hotel is based on a massive space of land, with beautiful gardens and has five swimming pools, yes five. As well as a spa, fitness areas and multiple restaurants and bars. You have everything you need on your doorstep for a relaxing break. When we arrived to Faro airport, the taxi driver was waiting on us outside of the arrivals gate, we had pre-booked a taxi as it worked out cheaper online and also just a lot easier, this was the start of a de-stressing holiday after all. The journey from the airport was about 20-25 minutes I think, so it wasn’t far at all. We pulled up to the big gates of the hotel and I could tell this was exactly as it looked in the pictures.
Rooms
The lobby was huge, one of the biggest I’ve ever seen in a hotel. The hotel staff were lovely on arrival and the receptionist actually showed us to our room, something that I’ve never experienced before at a hotel. She took us into our room and showed us how everything worked and what was available which was really helpful.
The room was lovely and spacious, had a giant kingsize bed, a balcony, bathroom with a large tub, shower and amenities and a TV/sound system that could be hooked up to bluetooth. Everything was set up to relax and enjoy, there were movies, 24 hour room service and nothing was too much trouble at all, you just had to ask. I particularly liked the turn down service which included chocolates left on our pillows. I never actually took any pictures of the room, so head to their site to get a glimpse. Which is one thing I liked about when choosing this hotel, their website was very informative, well designed and just made me feel at ease when booking as it provided me with everything I needed to know.
Surroundings
Epic Sana Algarve has a private connection to the neighbouring beach with its own walkway which you require your room key to use. I really liked this as it made the beach so accessible and had such an amazing view. The beaches were absolutely stunning, which is one thing I will always remember about the Algarve. The hotel gardens are kept to a high standard with pretty flowers and also a love tree. The tree is covered in hanging hearts, where couples can attach heir own heart and messages, a really lovely idea.
Sayanna Wellness Spa
We visited the Sayanna Wellness Spa for a couple’s massage. After getting changed, we had a lovely surprise and we were told we had been upgraded to the outdoor pavilion for our treatments. The pavilion was located up as set of secluded stairs and gave a bird’s eye view over the hotel grounds. The pavilion has a lounge area, massage area, bathroom, showers and hot tub outside to enjoy. They also use Aromatherapy Associates products, which is what you will also find in your own rooms as the toiletries. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
Food
For the first night we had the buffet dinner in the hotel restaurant, there was plenty choice and each night the buffet has a theme and on our first night it was French. The buffet dinner is 39 euros each, which doesn’t include drinks on top. Unless you love a buffet and plan to eat a lot, then I thought it was quite expensive, but I guess you are in a five-star hotel and you can eat as much as you want, plus the food was of a very high quality and there was always lots to choose from. There is also a higher end restaurant which we never visited, an Italian and a sushi bar/restaurant. I’m not a big fan of sushi so we gave that one a miss.
For breakfast we had the buffet breakfast included and then for dinner, we ventured to local spots nearby and also enjoyed room service. We also tried out the bars in the hotel, which had some fantastic cocktails. One thing to note is that the main pool has an open bar/restaurant open throughout pool hours, which served lovely detox juices. frozen cocktails and plenty to choose from to eat, such as toasted sandwiches and larger main dishes.
One of my favourite restaurants outside of the hotel to visit was a fairly new restaurant, Manzo Steakhouse in the neighbouring town. It can get busy, so be sure to book a table. On the last night however we ventured to Albufeira old town, which was just not for me. If Maguluf type strips and old people singing karaoke, very loudly, are your bag then you’ll love it, but I actually felt pretty uneasy in this town and couldn’t wait to go back to the hotel.
It wasn’t far to get back, probably about 30 mins drive. The hotel is situated in a much nicer part of Albufeira and away from all the hustle and bustle of the Old Town. A safe haven as such.
We both really enjoyed our stay at the Epic Sana Algarve Hotel and it was just the relaxing break we needed. They do offer retreat packages too, so maybe a yoga package is something I would look into doing in the future. If you’re looking for a relaxing spa break abroad in the New Year or somewhere simply to de-stress, I would definitely recommend this hotel.
For more details or to book visit Epic Sana Algarve.
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1 Comment
JoinMeinMiami
December 28, 2016 at 13:50This looks sooo relaxing and serene! I wanna go:)
http://www.joinmein.miami