ria plaza hotel was ok for money paid. we went bed and breakfast, rooms tidied everyday despite if you hang a 'do not disturb' sign out. breakfast was ample, decent choice, only thing missing for me from the ham and cheese counter was boiled eggs, to which i asked and got refused. evening meal was expensive for the choice you got, but halfway into the holiday i began to realise just how little they get paid. 15 euro each for a choice of piece of fish or meat, fish full of bones and i mean full, i picked thru half and couldnt do any more, the meat looked like a cut id never eaten before, if it was meant to be pork it was well disguised, edible but not enjoyable, and to go with our meal we ordered a bottle of sparkling rose, to which they charged 16 euro, discovered it was lambrusco and the supermarket sold it for 1.99. talking to the barman he informed us that just up the road was the area of millionaires and that we were probably in the most expensive part of europe, i did believe him at the time, baring in mind im a 'last minit deal' person. an hour walk to the left of the hotel was definatley worth the walk as you come to a golden soft sandy beach with clear blue sea, altho the sea was very strong. and 2 hour walk to the right of the hotel you come to quartiera, a cheaper part where i believe if we had been put in a hotel there we would hav had a much better holiday without the worry of walking or finding buses. the difference in price in this next town is unbelievable, a bottle of particular body cream i was looking at in our part cost 25 euro, in quartiera the same bottle was 5.49. just to give you idea. we lashed out one night and found a irish bar near us, got a meal, disapointed again, 13 euro for a tough steak sandwich, that tough even for that price we couldnt finish it. and we can eat mostly anything. iv been to turkey a few times and i would still say thats a better place to go. the hotel has a free van to take you to almancil where you catch the bus to quartiera, which is good, but you hav to agree a time to come back before 6pm or find your own way, we got a taxi and it cost us 18 euro . i didnt have a bad holiday but i wouldnt go there again, if worst come to the worst and portugal was our destination again i would head more for albufiera way then at least your close to all the well known places. i only opted for this hotel as i needed a rest from work and it boasted the spa facilities, the sauna and steam room were good, the gym was decent enough too but didnt get to go in the long awaited jacuzzi as it wasnt working. we went mid september, was nice and quiet, almost too quiet, one night there were 4 people for dinner, which is understandable why they dont have a big buffet selection, but at the same time, they shouldnt charge the same. this destination really is for those that arnt sticking to a budget, not that mine was low, i went to have a good time. cocktails were good, sun was hot, hotel itself was ok too, just the shock of the prices from one town to the next hit us bad.

Stayed in twin room from 8th - 15th Sept. Very clean and basic - ok for price paid. Breakfast on first 4 days had burnt scrambled egg and bacon that you could have soled your shoes with. As several people complained regarding buffet breakfast, the chef must have taken the criticisum on board as the bacon and scrambled egg suddenly became edible. No menu available for evening dinner - discovered that it was portugeuse buffet every night. Service at bar was very slow due to lack of staff.. No problems getting sunbed at pool. Hotel advertised a gym and beauty salon, neither of these were open, when questioned on this reception informed us that it need to be pre booked. Hotel within easy wallking distance to shopping mall where there is plenty of restaurants.

Ria Plaza Resort is in a great location as it is not far from the airport and a short taxi ride (Algarve Taxis arranged on request by hotel) to Vilamoura should you wish to visit the superb Marina or beach (Praia da Marina). The Marina is surrounded by wonderful shops and restaurants (spoilt for choice on where to eat). The resort is ideal for relaxing break and has a regular shuttle bus to Quinta do Lago beach which is excellent (pedlos, water activities available, restaurant beachside, selection of shops). Our twin room (comfy beds) and cleanliness was of a high standard with balcony. Stayed in August for 6 nights. Ria Plaza is a five minute walk to Quinta do Lago Shopping Centre where we either ate at San Marco excellent Pizerria, otherwise we ate at the Ria Plaza Restaurant where the food is excellent and reasonably priced. In fact all food and drinks very reasonably priced. Staff wonderful. Tennis facilities, pool area, small gym, breakfast good. (Would have given five stars except jacuzzi was not in operation during our stay). Would definitely return.

It was clean and the room was a nice size. The staff was pleasant. The bed was a bit hard but served the purpose. There was plenty of hot water and good water pressure. There was a blow regular strength dryer in the bath room. The hotel had an iron and ironing board to borrow. It was walking distance to a mall which offered a variety of restaurants and shops.