ROBINSON Club Quinta da Ria

Let me start by saying that we had a very good holiday here. But the question is, if it is up to Robinson standards. I will get around to that later. Before the the negative comments, let me note that staff here is working very, very hard. From Luis at F&B, to Chin in cooking, to Christopher in massage (this guy has magic hands!), Valter at the bar, the ladies at housekeeping, and the young German students Robinson has at reception. I see all the hard work, I really do. Do not take these comments personally. There are also many others I did not mention that work hard, and did a great job to give us a great holiday. Thank you all. First, I do need to mention that the Covid-19 measures at this facility are below par. Even though signs to keep distance are all around, it is not lived up to. Neither by staff, nor by guests. As for staff, we have commented to senior staff members when 40+ guests were watching Bayern-Barcelona, where no masks were worn, and these guests were confined to a space of 25m2. When addressing senior staff to this, the reply was to wear my mask. I have pics and details from other guests that will testify to this. This also applies to other events organized, such as the JamStreet food market, the theater shows, the line in restaurant, and the night events around the pool area. Even though staff for 90% wears masks, distance is not adhered, nor are guests made aware of their own responsibilities. When addressing senior staff in the hotel, comments usually refer to the guest’s own responsibility. What also made this a non-typical Robinson experience, is the mediocre food served. Breakfast is groundhog day, with undercooked eggs and waffels. At dinner we have had overcooked tuna, overcooked roast beef, and burnt hamburgers. There is a total lack of local dishes. The most constant and best food is the Asian food. As for the freshness, we have literally seen that the beetroot and parted fruits come from canned producers. Something to be expected at the average all-inclusive resorts, but does not meet our previous Robinson experiences, which were all beyond perfect. So in all of this, which is basically price to quality ratio being below par, we also noticed that at excusions booked, Covid-19 measures were not up to par. The catamaran cruise we booked had 20 out of 40 people not wearing masks at all, nor keeping any form of social distance. At the quad experience (recommended!) and any private transfer booked, this was all a-okay. Another thing is, that issues we had with the room (and which we reported on the day of arrival) were not dealt with in our 2 week stay. The issues were lighting failure, a rattling air conditioning, and a broken fly screen. The latter I ended up fixing myself, as it was a minor issue. Then to the positives. The layout, the landscape architecture, is superb. Even though the buildings appear somewhat outdated, all comfort is there. Rooms are small but great, beds are comfortable (apart from the sofa bed), and amenities in the room are up to standard. The sporting facilities are awesome, with yoga and spinning/fitness being very well guided. Given the Covid-19 restrictions, this is organized very nicely. Also tennis classes (for kids) are well managed. The real virtue of this Robinson is its layout. With an excellent golf course (not for beginners) that has little par-3 holes, and a very serene landscaping in place, it is awesome to the eye. Also the beach here, which is not easily accessible with little children, is amazing. A very serene river crossing (watch the tide) leads to one of the most amazing beaches you have ever seen. The beach is accessible by the hotel transfer (golf cart) or by walking through the serene golf course in under 10 minutes. There is a beach bar close to the river beach, which is already located perfectly at the serene river side beach. One can lounge here, or choose to cross the river at low tide to reach the gorgeous beach at the Atlantic. Landscaping is not something this resort did not invest in. But even if one chooses to stay poolside, you will experience a very relaxing holidays. The poolside area has been perfectly designed, and even though the pool is cool in the mornings, it is lushly warm at the end of the day. There are plenty of beds to accomodate everyone, so there is no need to ‘lay the towel’ to claim your spot early in the morning. In fact, spaces further from the pool offer more shade and better landscaping views. But then again, hiring one of the poolside day beds (especially after an Ayurveda massage) is highly recommended. You will find your relaxation there. The last point is the German-ness of the facility. It is very German oriented, more so than other Robinson resorts we have seen, so especially for kids it is recommended that they speak either English or German. Announcements are often made in German only, as are speciality menu’s and so on. The local staff all speak very good English, and they are mostly more polite and more courteous than the senior German staff. The junior German staff are corteous without exception. Concluding, I would state that the feel of this is a very good resort, but the Robinson pricing is not justified. For us, it is a reminder of how great our previous Robinson experiences were, but we are doubting to go for Robinson again. Having said this: this is an experience in very exceptional times. Who knows what this resort would rate without Covid-19 measures?

We are enjoying our stay The relation cost/ quality is very fair The food presented in the buffet is well done and has quality, but the options are few, more alternatives should be considered About the rooms what I would suggest is to stay in one facing South and the golf course and to be on the ground floor The service is good and the cleanliness is throughout, but it’s disproportionate the large number of employees in the restaurant in comparison with the ones taking care of the rooms For example in my building apartment with about 50 rooms there was only one housekeeper.There were days that she only could do the room after lunch, when I was considering to take a nap There are other Issues that should be adressed like the car parking, it’s small and I think that there will be days that won’t be possible to park; there is another one near but the security is poorer Another situation that should be adressed are the tv chanels, there are only generalists and few, if you want to see a movie is impossible . This is incomprehensible, at least in this kind of resort ( with golf courses) at least the offer of sport channels should existe