I know the area very well and the location was where we wanted to be. I had looked along to the hotel on many occasions and saw the sign on the front "Hotel Pedra Dos Bicos". When we booked for an apartment, nothing was flagged up to say the apartments were not part of the hotel building, we assumed they were. Had we known, we would probably have used the Oura Praia. On booking sites I had seen Aqua Pedra Dos Bicos and assumed it was a seperate location. We were not made aware if we could use the hotel facilities, such as the bar or restaurant, so we assumed we couldn't. However the apartments are, although pretty basic, adequate. BUT - over Christmas the living area in the apartments are cold! We had to ask several times for a small heater for the living room and eventually were given one. Then the problems started. When the heater was in use and you tried to boil a kettle, the electricity in the apartment tripped. The hotel staff were very helpful as far as they could, unlike the hotel manager who hasn't a clue about customer relations. Eventually with the electricity tripping even when the kitchen area was not being used, we packed our cases went to reception and demanded a change of room. After a lot of argueing, another apartment was given in the same block as the original one. You've guessed it - the electricity continued to trip when the heater was in use. I tried to explain that the circuit breaker in use was too small, but we were told by the head of housekeeping that this is common all over Portugal - you have to switch some appliances off if you want to use a heater, or a kettle or a hair drier. On about our 4th day an electrician appeared at the apartment door, inspected the fuse box and confirmed that a higher circuit breaker was required! He fitted one, and we had no further problems. My belief is that the circuit breakers are set low to ensure that as little electricity as possible is used, to save costs. In the summer it is not an issue as a heater would not be required, so the story that it is the same all over Portugal was untrue! There was no sign of the return of our deposit when we left as the reception had just opened - I wonder if it will ever be returned? So next time, if there is one, we will use the main hotel, or one elsewhere as the staff for the apartments are in need of a lot of training in customer relations and facility knowledge. I can't comment on the Aqua Hotel, but the apartments are probably only worth 2 stars on a good day If you're booking here, be aware of what you're booking into and keep the time of year in mind.
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