I can’t imagine working anywhere for 16 years. The idea of being at one place for a working lifetime has become a relic of the past in many industries, but thankfully not in hospitality where the tenure of the staff is a valuable barometer of how good a hotel is going to be. My drive from the airport to the Pine Cliffs Hotel, Resort & Spa in Portugal’s Algarve region, proved to be a promising one with Joseph at the wheel, who has worked happily at the resort for the past 16 years.
I recently visited Pine Cliffs at the invitation of Gentlemen’s Tonic, the British luxury mens’ grooming brand, available exclusively in Portugal at the resort’s Serenity Spa, where I enjoyed one of the best massages I’ve had in recent years.
The Pine Cliffs resort curls around the cliff tops, encompassing a fabulously scenic golf course. Guests descend to Falesia Beach via the hotel’s lift or a footpath that cuts through the distinctive orange-red cliffs. Only a 30-minute drive from Faro airport, the hotel is an essay in understated luxury and the use of the striking Portuguese tiles throughout evokes an authentic Algarve vibe. The hotel’s 217 rooms have been fully renovated, but retain their local character, including terracotta floors and tiled headboards.
After a multi-million pound refurbishment the sleek Serenity (The Art of Well Being) Spa opened to offer a range of luxury treatments, the Gentleman’s Tonic Barbershop and a Kerastase hair salon. After a sharp, stylish shave with the Gentleman’s Tonic Barber Service, myself and my fellow bloggers were treated to a couple of hours in the spa’s Aurum Suite with its gold lined walls, spectacular tropical shower (with sound effects) and colour changing Jacuzzi. A little P Diddy for my taste but fun nonetheless and accompanied by a suitably decadent bottle of bubbly and chocolate coated strawberries.
The resort also has a dizzying array of restaurants, including a piri-piri steakhouse, O Pescador for fish dishese, Japanese cuisine by the beach, the Mirador Champagne bar and Zest for healthy options.
Patrick travelled to Portugal with luxury villa holiday specialists Olivers Travels