Hi there,
After all the misfortunes and a thousand problems since we came to live in Porto, we needed to go somewhere to rest and disconnect.
As we always come back from our vacations even more tired, we decided to go to an all-inclusive resort where we had nothing to do but relax.
In general, I don’t like resorts because from what I had seen, it was just obese people who were going to spend their days eating crap and sweltering on a sun lounger.
So, the search for a place that would fit our profile began:
- No children
- With healthy food and vegan options
- Focused on wellness/sports
- Not too far away
- With good weather, preferably a beach destination
The first thing we were very clear about was that we didn’t want to see or hear any children.
Then, as January is one of the worst months in Porto, we wanted to go to a place with summer weather and beaches to disconnect from the cold.
We found a German hotel chain called Robinson that has several “adults only” hotels. The closest one to us (and it was a new place) was Robinson Cape Verde.
The rooms did not seem to be bad, it had vegan options and lots of sports activities.
We originally planned to go for two weeks and then dropped it to one week because it was so expensive and because we thought we would get bored if we stayed longer than a week.
We booked through the hotel website and asked them to book the cab to meet us at the airport.
When we arrived at the hotel, they gave us drinks and took our bags to our room, luxuries that we have not had for a long time.
Downsides
- Room too simple for a 5-star resort
- Precarious amenities
- Vegan options could be improved
- No wristband, so you have to carry your card at all times.
The good things
- Good fitness classes
- Healthy food of excellent quality
- Attentive staff who went out of their way to speak our language
- All the towels you need
- Prompt attention from front desk staff
- Super comfortable pillows and mattress
- Room well insulated from outside noise
- Large closet with plenty of hangers
- Clothesline on the terrace
- Free laundry facilities
- Cleanliness was acceptable
- Excellent shower with good water pressure
- Hotel facilities clean and in perfect condition
- There are refrigerators in a couple of places in the hotel with bottles of water
- Breakfast started early: 7AM
- Good atmosphere of polite and healthy people
The first and only disappointment with this hotel was the room and the lack of amenities. For the price we paid and for a 5-star resort, the room seemed too basic.
In addition, the only amenities were hand soap and shower soap, nothing else. I expected amenities of all kinds.
Still, I must tell you that the negative shock of the first day in this regard was overshadowed by the good things about the hotel.
Although the room was basic, the pillows were wonderful even though they were not viscoelastic, and the mattress was firm as I like it.
The cleanliness of the room when we walked in had points for improvement, but it is the best hotel cleanliness I have seen so far. The curtains and chair cushions were spotless, and this is the first time I have encountered this in a hotel.
Also, we called the front desk a couple of times, and they solved the problem immediately.
In the spa and gym, you had towels for working out, going to the beach and for the sauna.
We didn’t use the pools much, but they were spotless.
The food at the buffet was of excellent quality and generally very healthy.
As for the vegan food, there was only one choice of dessert and almost none of them were very good. The only dessert that was excellent was the brownie.
There was always ginger water and a hot drink made with turmeric and cardamom. At every meal I had a glass of each.
Although the vegan dishes were all excellent, I found the nutritional balance of the dishes lacking as there was almost never a complete protein value in a single dish. Still, with everything on the buffet, I was able to put together a full meal.
The staff working at the buffet most of the time had no idea if certain foods were vegan or not and would go around asking each other.
As for the staff, at the beginning it was a bit confusing the language issue. The staff that is local only spoke Portuguese and the staff coming from Germany spoke English or German; in several cases they didn’t even speak English.
For the fitness classes, the instructors spoke in English and German.
The fitness instructors were super nice, and the ladies were adorable. There was one who always tried to speak to us in Spanish.
We had low expectations for the classes and were pleasantly surprised. We were so happy that almost every day we did 3 classes. Plus, you did all the classes with a wonderful view of the ocean.
I thought it was super nice that the instructors almost always told us to take some time to realize how lucky we were to be on vacation and to be able to afford to be in a place like this.
Unlike other resorts, here you don’t get a wristband and before going out to the beach there is a security check. To re-enter the hotel from the beach, you had to show your card, which was not very practical.
Now let’s talk about the vibe and culture of the hotel.
Most of the hotel guests were German and the rest were from Northern Europe. This was wonderful because besides the fact that there were no children, the guests were the politest thing imaginable.
In that respect I could not have been happier in that bubble of politeness, cordiality, and peace.
It was amazing how no one raised their voice at any time.
In the restaurant you couldn’t hear anyone talking, it was unbelievably wonderful.
There were fitness classes from 8AM until 7PM and all the classes were full. Besides the fact that the vast majority were people doing sports and staying active, you didn’t see anyone at the buffet eating junk.
After my stay in this hotel, I wanted to move to Northern Europe even more.
Although we were going to relax and do nothing, in the end we spent the whole day between fitness classes, swimming in the sea, walking on the beach, sauna, photo shoots, videos, reading, etc. It was 10 pm and we would fall into bed dead tired. In fact, we came back with muscle pain from the training sessions.
What I can tell you is that we were able to disconnect and rest mentally.
Overall, the hotel was excellent. Of course, there are points to improve, but the hotel is very close to perfection for those who are looking for peace and quiet and still lead an active life and healthy eating.
Although it is very expensive, I feel that the quality/price ratio in almost all aspects is excellent.
Price x 7 nights for 2 persons: 2442 euros
Here is the link to my YouTube video: