Hilton Vilamoura As Cascatas Golf Resort & Spa Review

The Hilton Vilamoura 7 Seven Spa is located in a separate building across from the hotel's main reception. I had high hopes for this as it looks great on the website, but it was a disappointment in several ways.

Hilton Honors Gold & Diamond guests can access the spa facilities free of charge; however, for all other guests, it's €25 for 3 hours of access.

I booked a massage as a birthday treat to myself. Their spa menu is rather odd, with vague, unclear names for the massage options and no descriptions offered other than "Like a dance around the body, the power of touch needs no words" or similar waffle. "Tranquility Massage", "Therapeutic Massage", and "Relax Massage" are examples—all of which mean essentially nothing without a description. Even after emailing them for more information, I was still largely left in the dark.

I went with the Tranquility massage, which was €140 for 1 hour—up there with the most I've ever paid. The masseur was lovely; however, the massage was not much more than fine. It was also closer to a deep-tissue massage than I expected for something called "Tranquility". I was sore for days afterward in the areas he worked on and honestly wished I had gone to a Thai place in town for half the price for a likely better experience.

We attempted to access the spa's wet facilities on one day of our 5-night stay and didn't bother in the end due to broken facilities and bizarre rules:

What an absolute farce for something meant to be a relaxing experience. I avoided it for the rest of our stay.

• Out of Service: The spa pool (the main event) was out of service for at least 2 days. Staff didn't know when it might be fixed. This appears to be a recurring issue based on other reviews.
• Swim Caps Required: In order to use the wet facilities, you need to wear a swim cap. I've not encountered this at any other spa I've visited. They don't provide them free of charge either—you need to pay €5 for the privilege!
• No Towels: They don't provide towels for hotel guests. When I asked why, I was told, "There is a dressing gown in your room." I'm still unclear what that has to do with towels.
• No Storage: They have no lockers or storage, so you need to turn up already changed carrying only your towel (since they don't provide them), and there is nowhere to store anything else.
• Atmosphere: The staff here, unlike the rest of the hotel, were slightly standoffish and not particularly welcoming.

This spa really lets down what otherwise seems to be a well-run hotel. I dare say whoever is managing the spa needs to spend time at a few others elsewhere to get a feel for how they are run, as this place is abnormal to say the least. Don't book your stay expecting much, if anything, from this facility.