Martinhal Sagres Resort Review
We first heard about the Martinhal Family Resort, in Sagres Portugal, from some friends who’d been there three years in a row!
They went over New Year for a week and told us it was amazing and relaxing - a balmy 18-20 degrees, and designed so that kids and grown-ups could all enjoy themselves!!
I remember at the time thinking - hmm, sounds a bit too good to be true and… the same place for three years in a row… really? Not sure I’d like that… Anyway, fast forward to Jan 25 - our second year in a row (and yes, we are planning to go back next Dec/January).
The whole resort is geared toward families, from parks adjacent to restaurants to a spa that offers adult and child massages.
There’s also mini golf, cycle hire and a shop on site - to name just a few of the things that make it a wonderful and easy proper holiday for tired parents and energetic children alike.
Departure and arrival
We flew from Gatwick to Faro - a nice short flight and arranged a private transfer via the hotel.
Upon arrival at the hotel, we were given a yummy box of cheese and bread and the kids each got a backpack and Martinhal fox teddy bear. It’s a thoughtful touch that immediately made us all feel welcome and at ease.
The taxi drivers both times were super friendly and helpful and picked us up from our accommodation on the way home, which made the early departure less of a shock to the system.
We also treated ourselves to valet parking at Gatwick, which I can’t imagine ever not doing now! It made our departure and return journeys much smoother and easier with three kids in tow.
Bluey-style accommodation
As a family of five, we can find it tricky staying in hotels as, at the time of writing this, our kids are 11, 8 and 5 and often hotels will only give us the option of booking two separate rooms, which we’ve avoided due to the cost. Plus, we know that two separate rooms would mean my husband and I sleeping separately all week.
So, for both our trips we selected Martinhal - the 2-bedroom Bay House. For us, it combines the best elements of self-catering and half-board accommodation - plus the kids’ bedroom actually caters for 3 children.
The Bay House consists of two bedrooms, one with 3 single beds ( a bunk bed and single bed) and the other with a double bed. The bedrooms, bathroom and en-suite are all downstairs - which the kids loved - cue, ‘Wow, it’s just like Bluey Mummy!’
Upstairs there’s a gorgeous open-plan living room and kitchen with two balconies on either side.
The upstairs space is light, and open and makes the most of the stunning view of the ocean. You can watch the sunrise (albeit it bleary-eyed after being woken up by the kids), and sunset whilst snuggling on the sofa.
A lovely added touch is that - as well as providing dishwasher tablets and washing-up liquid for the self-catering option - you can opt to have the house cleaned every day, which definitely makes the holiday feel even more relaxing.
Best brekkie buffet ever!
There are several options for food - but for this most recent trip, we treated ourselves to half-board. As we went in their off-season (January 6 - 13th) the only restaurant open was As Dunas- but as that’s our favourite one anyway we were happy.
The restaurant overlooks the beach and ocean and has floor-to-ceiling windows to make the most of the views - there’s also a park just next to it so the kids can play while you finish your cuppa.
The breakfast buffet was one of the highlights of the whole trip. Seriously. It was just the nicest, most relaxing way to start the day.
I have very fond memories of drinking the best chai latte I’ve ever had, whilst overlooking the stunning views of the sea, the warmth of the sun shining through the windows, the kids happily munching on jam-filled croissants, beans on toast, pancakes and other pastries.
Every morning we would stroll down for breakfast - the service was amazing and it helped that the restaurant was really quiet, so we always got a window table (you can book a table in advance but not a specific table).
We would order hot drinks - a Chai Latte for me, a Latte for my husband and hot chocolates for the kids. There’s a good selection of juices and a different flavoured water every day (grapefruit, lemon and lime were my favourites, closely followed by apple and cinnamon). There’s also the option to make it a bottomless brunch by helping yourself to the orange juice and prosecco.
You can order eggs cooked-to-order or help yourself to the array of pastries - the Pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) were delicious and our favourites.
There was also a range of fruit and yoghurt, cheeses and cold meats, cereal, and bread to choose from. Plus hot food - scrambled egg, hash browns, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes for the veggies and sausages and bacon for the meat eaters.
We managed quite easily to spend almost two hours at the breakfast buffet - eating and savouring our lattes while the kids coloured in or played card games.
Picnic lunches
For lunch, we headed to the shop - O Mercado on-site - cleverly situated next to the park in the square. Here we would grab baguettes, fresh fruit and veg, and cooled bottled water. Then we could enjoy easy-breezy picnics in the comfy beachside booths or on the sun loungers poolside.
The shop was also great for a mid-afternoon snack and had a great selection of ice lollies, fizzy drinks crisps and Milka bars. It was also stocked up with pasta and sauces, pizzas, fish fingers and chicken nuggets. Plus - it’s room charge only which makes it feel even easier.
It also had handy items, such as hairbands, suncream, buckets and spades and souvenirs.
Dinner
For our evening meal - we opted for dinner most days as our half board option, rather than lunch - we would walk back down to As Dunas and choose from the menu (it is the same for lunch and dinner).
The kids would opt for bread and olives to start and pasta with Pomodoro sauce or fish fingers for mains and loved the fact that the dessert menu was the same for adults and children. They enjoyed the range of ice cream and sorbets and the chocolate and raspberry cake the best.
There is a nice mix of food - my highlights were the onion bhajis to start, the fresh fish fillets for mains and the creme brulee tartlet.
There isn’t that much choice for vegetarians, plus for pescetarians, a lot of the fish or seafood dishes are an additional cost. Nevertheless, the service is amazing, the cocktails are super strong and the food is tasty - plus in their high season there are several more options for food including a restaurant that offers fresh pizzas.
Activities
There are loads of activities on-site to choose from - lots of which we didn’t make use of, such as tennis, kids club, gym, exercise classes and more.
There are also excursions and trips that run in the high season and can be arranged via the hotel.
Below are the ones we did make the most of
Mini-Golf
Both times we’ve been we’ve made the most of the mini golf on site on windier or more overcast days. It’s a considerable course and we spent over an hour easily playing crazy/mini-golf.
Cycling
You can hire bikes for the whole family and cycle around the resort and out further, plus there’s a great pump track on site which the kids had a lot of fun using.
Parks
There are several parks dotted around the resort at convenient places - outside As Dunas restaurant and the shop in the village square. The park by the shop had a ping pong table too, which our elder two kids loved.
Pools
The first year we went, during the Christmas holidays and over New Year, the gorgeous outdoor pool by the restaurant was open.
It’s a lovely large pool surrounded by sunbeds and with stunning views over the sea from the poolside and inside the pool (if you duck down in the water the vista is the pool and then the sea).
You can also order food and drink to have on your sunlounger as you dry off in the sun.
This time - as we went out of the holidays and the hotel was so much quieter, this pool was closed (which did take us a little while to get over).
However the Village Pool - behind the shop - was open. Here there are two pools - one indoor and one outdoor, changing rooms, a sauna and steam room.
The kids loved the indoor pool and we preferred the outdoor pool, but it was lovely to have access to both. Alongside the outdoor pool are loungers and booths, where we ate our picnic lunch. There’s also a little cafe bar where you can order ice cream and smoothies.
Behind the outdoor pool, there’s a little park too, which the kids enjoyed playing in while we read by the pool.
Finisterra Spa
On top of the fabulous beach, pool, activities and generally chilled vibe of this resort there’s a spa.
My favourite thing about this spa is that it offers parent and child massages (over 5s can join their mum or dad and have a 30-minute back and shoulder massage) so my 11-year-old and I had a lovely 30-minute massage each in the same room at the same time, she loved it, I loved it - it was a lovely treat. And the products used are 100% organic.
The spa itself is lovely (although my 11-year-old did have a good giggle at the arty black and white, tasteful, nude photos lining the corridor) - with its own grounds and a garden complete with swing seats to relax in. There’s even underfloor heating in the changing rooms too! The whole experience was super-relaxing and amazing that I could enjoy it with my eldest daughter.
Repeat visits
It was lovely to go to a place that was so highly recommended by friends and now be able to recommend it ourselves - when there’s so much choice out there it’s amazing to know that family friends have enjoyed it. We loved both our visits, and hope to go again soon.