Hotel Pantai di Praia, Tanjung Verde

The people in the room upstairs were running around. The people in the next room were noisy. The room itself was great but noise insulation should be better. There were no elevators or ramps to get heavy bags up and down. Breakfast was great. All around the food was great. Local grilled fish for lunch was fantastic. Hotel staff were pretty good though sometimes did not give their full attention. The pool area was a feature. Very handy location.

Of the four hotels I stayed at during my time in Cape Verde, this is the closest to offering a 4-star experience, and providing everything advertised on this platform. The staff is courteous, friendly, and always on hand to offer a relaxing experience. Due to the convex shape of the structure, the rooms come in a variety of configurations, offering some variety even with repeat stays like mine. The breakfast buffet is pretty decent, with a good offering of options from cold to warm, sweet to savory. Every window offers a breathtaking view of the Atlantic and the rest of the island, and its well-maintained outdoor pool offers a welcome tease if you don't feel ready to brave the beach just yet. That said, there are a few limitations: while the varying layouts offer good variety for multiple stays, you may find yourself feeling shortchanged if you pay the same amount for a smaller room than the traveler a couple doors down. Also, the massage treatment I wanted wasn't available as the specialized therapist was only onsite certain days of the week. Luxury or not, Barcelo wasn't immune to the nationwide fly problem, meaning the luxury escape of a breakfast on their stunning restaurant terrace could easily get interrupted by the buzzing of insects trying to share your meal. The gym, though the best-equipped of the four hotels I stayed at in CV, is a bit under-equipped for a property with four-star aspirations. Also, it criminally underuses the property's prime location by shoving the gym into a small, windowless box. All in all, a relaxing stay. Would absolutely recommend and rebook.

Great location in a safe area. The outdoor seating area at the front was an added bonus. On the surface, the room was cleaned well. However, I dropped my bank card under the bed one day and when I went to retrieve it, I found nail clippings under the bed. There were mix ups with towels - one day they were taken and we weren't left with new ones. We went to reception to ask for more, and the receptionist could only find one large and one small, which wasn't really enough for two people. One night, I woke up to see water coming from the air con unit. I mopped it up (with my one big towel!) and reported it the next day, but I don't think anything was done about it. Judging from the warped wood on the wardrobe which was below the unit, I think this problem had been happening for a while. The breakfast wasn't stocked up very well - the fruit was always a bit dry and one day, I asked twice for some butter and I never got it. I would recommend this place, because the location was great and there were lots of good things about it, I just think that the management need to tighten things up a bit.