Albufeira Hotels and Apartments A - C
|
Hotel Aldeia - Albufeira Operator and Date: Self booked - June 2006 Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Jayne - 35,47 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: When we arrived at the Aldeia we weren't sure we had the correct hotel for what we had paid. It was too nice! Staff were helpful, room was lovely, clean and spacious. Breakfast was good with plenty of choice.Hotel was right in the centre of the strip so plenty to do.Can't believe some people were moaning about the noise. If you wanted a peaceful holiday you wouldn't pick a hotel right in the strip. We are planning to visit again next year. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel Aldeia - Albufeira Operator and Date: June 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Lynn & Michael, Glasgow (37 & 47) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We stayed in the Aldeia for 10 nights and found it to be very good. The hotel is slightly dated but all areas were cleaned daily and the staff were helpfull. Our room looked over the street which I was quite happy about as I like to watch the world go by. The music from the bars across the road didn't bother us and we slept well each night but I can imagine it might disturb others. The pool area was very large and not very busy so it was nice & relaxing. The hotel sent a car to meet us at the airport for 30e which was a lot less than the airport taxi's. There were lots of lovely restaurants and bars within 30 seconds of the hotel entrance and a fabulous little bakery rond the corner. I have stayed in lots of hotels and apartments in the albufeira area and I would go back to this one in a minute, you can't beat it for location and facilities suited us perfectly. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel: Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice - August 2007 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : (John K - Luton (51,47, 11, 8)): Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: Arriving at the Alfagar at 11:30 am, we were looking forward to getting into the apartment.We were up at 3am to catch our early morning flight only to encounter our first disappointment. Like other people on our transfer coach , we were amazed to be told by the reception staff that the apartments would be ready some time between 14.00:16.00 !!! - First Choice Rep failed to mention this on the coach. There was then the un-dignifying spectacle of families, opening suitacases in reception trying to find swimming costumes - among underwear etc. This is the 6th year running I have travelled with First Choice to various resorts and this has never happened before, the last 2 years with the same time flight from the UK to Faro - some warning would have been appreciated, so a seperate bag could have been packed. At this time we tried to book a late check out room for the date on departure (not a option when booking holiday), to be told this could only be done at 10am on the morning of departure - as you had to be out of the apartment by 11am, this meant you would have to pack anyway as the late check out was not guaranteed - come the morning we were told that we could not have a late check out. Why they are unable to tell you this, say 48 hours before your departure day, is beyond me!! Our apartment was quite spacious and clean. There were some minor complaints, no washing up bowl, plug missing in the kitchen sink,hardly any cups and a bathroom light not working.The swimming pools were excellent, but you would be lucky to find a sunbed after 9:30am. The next morning we had our meeting with the First Choice Reps, whose main mission seemed to me ,was to convince everyone that we should pay extra to sit together on the return flight. Most people I met didn't fall for this and like us we had no problems sitting together, as in previous years.I mentioned to the Rep that we had to wait for 4 hours to get into the apartment, she dismissed this by saying that a 14.00 check in was now becoming standard on the Algarve and anyhow that was printed in the terms and conditions of our holiday booking. Like most people we like to eat out, and usually take a taxi. This was a nightmare, apparently there are only 70 plus taxis to cover our resort.Everynight there was a long queue at reception waiting for a taxi,you could wait up to 1 hour.Reception charged 0.50 euros to book a taxi, which they done via the Internet - previous holidays at other locations in the Algarve this was free. About a mile you came to the strip, which was very tacky, neon lights.Places like the Old English Chippy and Lord Nelson etc, didn't visit myself as we like to eat at traditional Portguese restaurants. We went to Albuferia Old town(15 mins taxi), where there is a mixture of new and old.We found a number of good restaurants and were able to buy presents and gifts from the numerous shops in Albufeira.The other nights we dined near the apartments as we couldn't be bothered to queue for a taxi.We found some nice restaurants, but unlike the Old Town, there was nowhere to wander around afterwards.We would wander back to the apartments for the entertainment !! - another disapointment.Obviously entertainment does not feature highly on the Alfagar budget - mainly solo singers/karoke/Irish Night. There were a number of wild/hotel dogs running around the grounds every day - who we saw being fed by the staff.Quite often you would see them come to the edge of the pool for a drink.One morning I encountered 5 of them running around together as a pack, who were fighting among themselves.They surrounded a woman who was putting her towels on a sunbed, she was very frightened as a pack they seemed very aggressive.One of the dogs attempted to tug one of the towels she was carrying, it seemed to me that the wrong reaction from her could have triggered some sort of response from the dogs, luckily they were distracted and moved away.One can only guess what could have happened if a young child found him/her self in the same situation. Needless to say I will not be returning to these Apartments or Resort. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel: alfagar apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: airtours august 07 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Mark, Tracy, Darryl, Ryan 43, 44, 15, 13 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: this complex is in a lovely location ,very good for young families. has all you need ,no air con though,so windows open when warm at night. however if you are a light sleeper and get a room away from the sea /cliff side you will be woken up by dustbin men at about 2am and builders on alfagar 2 at 8am good luck! also you can wait up to 1 hour after 7 pm for a cab to town centers or walk about 25 to 30 mins which can get a bit tiring.on the whole none of this spoilt our holiday, it is a lovely place. old town is best to eat quality food bye the sea, fish can be cheapest meal & freshist try cataplana! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: My Travel - July 2007 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Cathy McKeague - Co Antrim (35,31,16,15,6) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We are only home from a 2 week holiday staying at the Alfagar Apartments. On arrival at our apartment we were overwhelmed with the views overlooking the sea and pool from one of our 2 balconies. The apartment was clean and spacious and within close proximity to the supermarket, bar and restaurant. The weather was very hot which made the 20 minute walk to the strip exhausting. We took a taxi most of the time which can be up to about 5 euros. We enjoyed walking around the strip but the Old Town was wonderful with a square in the middle with entertainment and restuarants and side streets all around it. I have to recommend The Bank restaurant at the Old Town, staff were very friendly and the food was delicious. El Rancho at the strip is another good restaurant. I got sea bass one night with the head and tail still on it. It had to go back and get decapitated before I could eat it! Zoo Marine is worth a visit. Its a great day out with dolphin and seal lion shows. There is an aquariam which holds 2 10ft long sharks. Bit scary being so close to them. Slide and Splash is also a good day out although make sure you put on plenty of sun cream! At around 10pm we would have returned to the outside bar at our complex which had pool tables, air hockey, and a park for the kids. There was also a games room below the inside bar. Entertainment would have consisted of Portugese dancing, a Buddy Holly lookalike trying to sing 60s songs with a Portugese accent. There were also karaoke nights where the host would have said after every song 'You have a future!', I don't think that was the case for most of us. The complex is family friendly, entertainment finished around 12am. We will definitely be returning to the Alfagar Apartments. Need to start saving! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: My Travel - July 07 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Karen & Jeff, 44 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: This was our first time to the Algarve and booked this holiday through My Travel and were told it was 4 star - but in fact it was 3 star accommodation - that is the only complaint (and the cockroaches!!). Everyone from the cleaners to reception are friendly and helpful. The complex is gorgeous - with 3 pools and some apartments with sea views - we were lucky and had a sea view. The rooms are spacious enough with plenty of storage space and even an iron and ironing board - but who wants to iron when on holiday! The complex was quiet at night which is great if you have young children. The bar snacks were great if you wanted breakfast or a light lunch. They have entertainment at night - but you would be better off going to the Strip or Old Town for entertainment!! There are two lots of steps (but not ideal for people with walking difficulties or drunk - as there is only a rope stopping people from falling over the cliff!) but once down the steps you face the fantastic beaches which were not jam packed with sun worshippers and there are plenty of coves to choose from or the long sandy beach - but be warned the sea is freezing! On our first night we decided to go to the strip which you can either take a 20 minute walk or order a taxi from reception (.80 cents) and usually costs 3 Euros. We didn't think much of the Strip (livens up more after 11pm) but did have a really nice meal and found a music bar that played really good music.
The Old Town was the best - the taxi costing 5 Euros or an hour's walk from the apartments - with something going on every night in the square for all ages - Peruvian musicians, puppeteers, Portuguese singers and musicians but the best were a Norwegian band who entertained with a mixture of songs and brass instruments. There are some really nice restaurants around the square too - Bravissimo, Pampas, the Bank and also Oceano on the sea front. The food in all of these restaurants was fantastic - and not all served chips which was great! There are plenty of lively music bars and some do amazing cocktails -and served with fireworks and 3ft straws! The only trip we did was to the Zoomarine - which is great for all ages, with shows of dolphins, seals and birds of prey - there is also a swimming pool and fairground rides for kids. The resort caters for all nationalities and would definitely go back again and more than likely stay at the Alfagar even though it's a distance from the Strip and Old Town but not enough to put anyone off when you can either walk or catch a taxi. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel / Airtours March 2007 Opinion submitted in April 2007 by : Norma 61 ; Robert 59 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Weather was variable but cold during the evenings. Accommodation was excellent, very clean and the maid came in every day to sweep floors and remove rubbish.A small portable heater was available which was needed as evenings were chilly with a cold wind.Plenty of extra bedding was at hand. Bar area, meals and entertainment were all good and suited us fine especially as it is a bus or taxi ride into Albufeira and after a full day it was just what we wanted. Beach was easy access down some steps and was excellent, clean and quiet. Mini- market was well stocked with various requirements. Excursions with tour reps were very good and would recommend "West is best tour" it was very interesting and rep was informative. Would recommend to all ages and will definately return. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: first choice - 2007 Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : 30,24,2,1 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Poor My/Our Holiday Review: This is the worst hotel i have ever been to.on arriving at the alfagar we checked into our rooms.2 lights werent working,one was hanging off the wall.we went and reported these to the reception.these are big spacious apartments but are dirty,mouldy out of date,and have paint chips off the walls.The bathroom is absolutely discusting,there was mould on the roof,the bath,the tiles,the bath leaked,the tiles are cracked, it really is discusting.the maid came the day after we arrived and that was it until the day before we went and only because we complained they hadnt been.we ended up sweeping and mopping ourselves. the sheets never got changed the whole week we were there and the towels only once.on the door in the apartment it says the cleaner would come 5 days a week,and when i quieried this i got told that this was only for certain tour operators.do not go here,ive taken photos and am complauining.ive got to complain now home as aparanly we had two reps but we didnt see either of them,we got a card through our door to inform us of our pick up time before we left and even this said the wrong time,by 2 hours. the only good thing about this apartment is its grounds and kids play area,apart from that it should be rated as a 1 star apartment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice - October 2006 Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Joanne and Lynda (31,61) LANCASHIRE Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We are a mother and daughter who holiday together. This holiday was booked after using this site as we had never seen a bad review. We can only agree with most of the remarks previously made,however when we arrived at the apartment we were not told the door had four! deadlocks to be opened, it took quite a lot of sorting on our part, also we were not aware that the electricity comes on only when the key fob is inserted into the flashing box by the door.We have only experienced this in Crete where it was explained. We had requested a room with sea view which we got but the balcony was very small, hardly enough room for two of us to be on there together! However the holiday was very enjoyable with the old town being our favourite. We went on a few trips, Zoomarine being very good and the Best of the West also a good day, out from 8.30am to 6.30pm. Be warned if you are given a free trip to Algarve Shopping..very small shopping mall with rather exclusive shops after you have sat through a demonstration of...an ORTHOPAEDIC BED!!! All in all the ALFAGAR apartments are well recommended, the supermarket was adequate, the pool bar food was very good and the gardens and pool areas very clean. One more thing to mention.. It is illegal for anyone to flag a TAXI down on the street. Taxi's must be either booked from your hotel reception (usually at a cost of 80 cents for the call) or picked up at a designated Taxi rank. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice - Sept 2006 Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Sinclair - 57, 53 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: This is our 2nd visit to the Alfagar Apartments. The apartments are in a beautiful location although quiet and a little out of the way they have lovely sea views and direct access to the beach. The St Eulalia beach is lovely and clean where you will find the Atlantico Bar which serves tasty lunches and is in a beautiful setting. The apartments are location between the resorts of Praia Da Oura and Olhos D'Agua.Praia Da Oura (and the 'strip')are about 20 minutes walk away but only 4 euros in a taxi. Old town Abuferia (Fishermans Beach)is about 1 hours walk away but costs less that 5 euros in a taxi. You have to book the taxi from the reception when going out but can easily 'flag' one down to come home. Olhos D'Agua takes about 30 minutes to walk to but is worth a visit. It is only small but again has lovely beach views and little snack bars where you can sit for a drink. The Alfagar complex is very well kept and always clean. It has 3 swimming pools, 2 near the snack bar and one overlooking the sea. There seemed to be quite a few small children when we were ther which was late Septmeber. Our last visit was early March but was very quiet then. The apartments themselves are very clean but only basic, not made for comfort though plenty of room. The weather was between 25 to 28 degrees all week with a little cloud and a couple of small showers but nothing to spoil the holiday. The Alfagar snack bar is not very good and quite boring in the evenings. The evening restaurant which is seperate looks quite nice and was busy but we never ate there. It depends what you are looking for. There are plenty of bars and restaurants to visit if you like to walk into the towns. We found the best bar was Wild & Co at the bottom of the strip which usually had live bands on about 10pm. They had a happy hour before 8pm but after that the prices doubled but it was still worth it. The best food was in El Rancho which was just opposite. If you are thinkig are visiting the world famous Linekar's Bar on the strip then don't bother - it is rubbish, old and tatty. We were surprised and disappointed! In Albuferia old town the best restaurants were O Tunel which is on the steps just by the tunnel which leads down to the beach. The staff, owner, service and food were all excellent. They serve Cataplana for 1 person which is absolutely delicious. Well worth a visit. A really 'cool' bar is The Bank. The bar top is made of ice and really does keep your drinks cool! Another nice restaurant is the Caves one, just off the main square. It is an old wine cellar with hundreds of old bottles of wine still stored there. The food is surprisingly good but nothing too elaborate. There is usually some entertainment in the suqare each night - Peruvian Band, Puppets, Live Music etc. The square has changed in the last couple of years and looks quite upmarket now with new bars and restaurants. There are door staff on all the bars so definately no trouble at all and everyone was very well behaved, a good family atmosphere. If you are thinking of going to the Alfagar then look on first choice website as the proices are quite good, especially if you are booking quite late. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - August 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Keith Angela Ashleigh Lucy (45, 42, 11, 8) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Just arrived back from a great 2 week holiday, wanted to add our bit following a read up of some negative comments from earlier holidaymakers. We have nothing but praise for the Alfagar apartments, fab setting (much bigger grounds than we'd pictured), 3 pools to choose from,ideal/safe for kids, plenty of sunbeds, space around the site, apartment and the grounds well looked after, clean tidy etc. Bar/food on site good, great staff, however nite time entertainment pretty dodgy (so bad it's funny.)We headed for other areas most nights - it wasn't that funny!). Heard very little on site after midnight/1am or so. Very family orientated. From Alfagar it's about 20 min walk to "the Strip", plenty of great bars/restaurants/shops, loads of activity.(Taxi back 5 euros, includes tip!). From the Strip you can take train ride (runs every 20 mins, pick up situated about halfway up the Strip) through to the Old Town, even more impressive with its busy streets, loads of live music, great buzz about the place. Great contrast and choices to the holiday, quiet apartment/site setting, but plenty of activity within easy reach if you prefer it. Nearby beach is superb. Alfagar is situated on cliff tops (beautiful setting). 90 or so steps down to the beach if you use access right next to the Alfagar, however there is an easier way to get there if you follow the route you would take to get to the Strip, but take a left turn about half way (it's signposted). This was our first holiday in Portugal. We've loved every minute of it. Beautiful country, great people, family friendly apartments/resort, too many good restaurants to name, can't praise it enough!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice - August 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Helen - Sheffield (46, 40, 13, 11) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Spacious apartments, well equipped, good 3 star. British were main culprits at sunbed reservation (towels there by 9.00am - not used until after lunch) WHY? enough sunbeds around. Lovely beach, steps tricky if you have any walking difficulties. Strip (main area) about 20 mins walk - fine for us but a bit far there and back for younger children. Plenty of restaurants, strip gets quite busy but that is to be expected in August and the Portugese holiday starts 2nd week in August. Zoo marine worth a visit - again bit of queuing and waiting for shows (check the timetable for each show and go about 30 mins before show starts) - not a problem for our kids but not so sure about little ones.We took food and water but it wasn't a rip-off there (ice creams cheaper than hotel 1.60 euro) There is the chance to swim with dolphins - you will need to book this well in advance over the internet (135 euro I think). Caught the bus to the market (Albufeira first and last Tuesday each month) - busy and it seems everything was 5 euro!! walked to old town for lunch - tried to get taxi back - impossible! You can't flag taxis down you have to go to the taxi rank. 14 families in front of us, 3 taxis in 40 minutes in 38 degree heat - not funny! We decided to see if there was a bus and found the crazy train which took us back to the strip. We really enjoyed our time here, entertainment was verging on hysterical it was soooo bad! It was safe for our children who had the freedom to wander off and make friends as the complex was big enough but not massive. I would recommend these apartments to families or couples wanting a relaxing peaceful holiday who don't mind being away from the bustle but like to know it's there if you want it! The First Choice rep tried to get us to pay to book our seats together on the return flight stating that we would avoid the queue etc etc - Utter Rubbish! Of course you have to queue with everyone else to check your luggage in before you get your boarding cards! We did not pay, arrived with everyone else and sat together - don't fall for it! Happy Holidays! - Don't forget yer sunscreen! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice July 2006 Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Becky Proctor Huddersfield (18,18,18,18,18,17 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: This was the first time i had been abroad with only my friends and therefore was really looking forward to it. We had booked the holiday via the internet as we found it cheaper by doing this. When we arrived we found the complex to be very big and bigger than what was expected. As we had arrived early, the apartment was not yet ready so therefore had to go for a wander. We found the complex to be very nice with landscaped gardens and a lovly veiw from the back of the complex which was situated on the top of the cliffe. Once in the aprtment i was quite impressed as it had a well equiped kitchen with cooker, hob, kettle and fridge. The only problem was that the fridge wasn't working at first although once reported was fixed within a short space of time. As there was six of us we all shared one aptment but there was still plenty of room, there was two balconies and plenty of seating areas. The aprtments were also very clean and of a good standard, although some aspects were slightly run down as the bath was abit tarnished although this didn't bother any of us! The aprtments are situated about 25mins walk from the strip so we used to get a taxi into the resort on a night and then just walk back. Taxi's were easy to access as they would order you one from reception, they cost about 4 euros but somtimes there was a big queue so that meant you were waiting around somtimes. The strip is nice and has plenty of places to eat and drink. There is a good night life if you are not majorily into clubbing and just out for abit of dancing and drinking in a bar. We enjoyed going to a place called linekars, which had some very good looking men outside taking you in to give free shots and chat you, so no complaints there. There was also another little bar called paradise which was also reasonable and did good cocktails with sparklers. There is also an old town which is more of a quiet town althopugh there are nice restaurants and souvenir shops to look at. The beach is situated near to the aprtments as the complex has it own private access down some steps, although they are very steep when walking back up!!! All in all this was a brilliant holiday and i would recomend any group of young people or families or couples to go because there is somthing for every one and the accomodation is good value for money! I would definatly love to go back again! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice - June 2006 Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Karen & Jason (29, 29) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: This was our first time in Portugal and booked the Alfagar using this site and the reviews, which were somewhat mixed but the majority being very accurate. The complex is great - a real village feel with wonderful grounds and the views from the cliff walk are fantastic. The apartments themselves are spacious and clean, however I do think they could do with a bit of an overhaul on the colour front - yellow and orange walls with blue and white pot wall lights was quite an eyeopener! The kitchen was fantastic - new, very clean and very well stocked. The only thing I would say which I did mention to the people in reception was that the lighting was very poor apart from in the bathroom - but this was a very minor concern and I must say only bothered me (being the female and wanting to put on makeup in some kind of light!), my husband had no problem with it at all!!! One really good thing is that they had an iron and ironing board in the apartment and therefore we didn't need to buy one of those useless travel irons that take an age to heat up and then seem to crease clothes more than they were to start! The shop on site is really good - really well stocked and not overly priced at all. The supermarket however is just over the road if you can't find what you want there - which would amaze me if you couldn't. There are three pools one which overlooks the sea, one 'main' pool with a kiddies section and a pool for the children where there are games etc.. The pools are lovely and clean and there are plenty of sunbeds especially around the main pool. I must say however that the sunbeds around the smaller 'slightly quieter' pool were always 'towel booked!' by about 8:30 which is really annoying as some people didn't arrive there until way past 11am. On a personal note I think that people shouldn't be able to put towels down until they are ready to lie there - I find it extremely selfish and unnecessary. Anyway enough of my rant about something which is rife everywhere and is actually not about the Alfagar itself! The downside to the resort, which if you don't venture out much could be a big deciding factor is the bar and entertainment. As mentioned in a review earlier "it's so bad it's good" is about spot on. The entertainment is appalling although they do try! I actually have to disagree with a number of the comments below and say that the food was awful - cold and the majority of it cooked in an awful fat that tasted like it had been around for days - like the old deep fat fryers that were about. There was little or no Portuguese offerings and most of the food was very 'British', so must have been annoying to the Dutch and German contingent! The drinks as well are double the price as they are in the bars about 10 minutes down the road. This didn't affect us too much though as we love to eat out in different restaurants and drink in different bars. The following which I would recommend. For friendly Portuguese bar staff I would recommend Eddy's Bar and the 'Rock Bar' on the corner (out of the complex, turn left and they are on the first roundabout you come to on the left hand side). For English food (if this is what you are after) - Annabels is great for breakfasts and so is the Country Cockerel Kitchen - the pies are all home made and are beautiful - this place also has no TV's which is extremely rare in Albufeira - especially with the World Cup going on!!! The 'Royal' Chinese - just along from the Alfagar is one of the nicest Chinese's I have had in a long time. For Portuguese food the Sardine Pate and crispy rolls are a must and are completely divine - the steaks are lovely and the fish in the majority of Portuguese restaurants (the ones we ate in anyway) was delicious. The steps to the beach were fine - might be a bit tricky if you have pushchairs or are slightly immobile but if you walk out of the resort and turn left there is a turning on the left signposted St. Eulalia Beach and this would be alot easier (about 5 minutes walk). The beaches were lovely, especially liked the one by the resort as it was clean and very undercrowded. The sea was freezing but warmed up once your body temperature adjusted to the shock! Montechoro or the 'new town' is about a 30 minute stroll away (4/5 euros in a taxi) - not at all like Ayanapa, Maguluf or Las Americas in Tenerife so if you are after this kind of nightlife it wouldn't appeal. Loads of bars and restaurants - but be careful in the 'club' type places as the prices are quite steep. The Old Town is beautiful and even with the building works, (not small by any stretch of the imagination)the charm is undeniable and well worth the 1hr walk from the apartments. I would recommend getting up and walking down in the morning and catching the 'train' back (2 euros pp) or the bus. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to the Algarve again, we might next time venture to somewhere less 'British' (i.e. didn't feel the need to have to watch Eastenders/Emmerdale or Big Brother everyday), but this is personal choice. If we did go back to Albufeira then I would definitely stay at the Alfagar again. The majority of people in Portugal were wonderful - really made you feel that they welcomed you there rather than just put up with the tourists!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - May 2006 Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : John Brown - Mirfield (39,38,8,3) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Great apartments not too far from the old and new town.Good food at the bar and located a short walk form a great beach. Went to Zoomarine for the day well worth a visit, interesting coach trip on the way there getting to see the hotels/appartments others were stopping in ???. Dont belive everything they say about the strip, we went twice and found it quiet up to about 9pm. Good food eating out, try the Sizzling stone(new town) for great steaks and Riccardos(pizza)in the old town. Going again next year but making it two weeks as everyone was sad to come away after only a week. If its your first time to Albuferia then dont go anywhere else but the Alfagar (as used by all the staff at the travel agent we used). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: firstchoice april 2006 Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : helen,robertson,coatbridge 43, 36, 16 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: alfagar apartments were the best ive been to in portugal and only got back this morning and trying to book up again,the staff were very friendly and the barman MANUEL was really nice with everyone,the surrounds were beautiful and we went into the strip a few times for just 4 euros in a taxi,but there wasnt any need to go out the complex cause they had entertainment everynight and it was very good and not that expensive to eat or drink in the complex and really good view of the beaches from the cliffs.we ate a few times in coyote ugly bar just minutes from our apartments and it was 2euros and fifty cents for your english breakfast and just accross the road was very good chinese and the meals were beautiful and very reasonable priced for example 6 of us ate and it was 55euros, but we also bought sausages out of the supermarket and ate them a few days. i would advise people to buy a fone card for just 5euros and its well worth it, i will be back hopefully in sept,but definetly april next year,lots of golfers stay in they apartments and have been goin there for years --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: Late Holiday Booking - March 2006 Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : David & Eileen - 60, 59 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: The Alfagar apartments are set in lovely well-kept gardens. Our apartment was very nice - ground floor with a huge living/dining room, large kitchen with everything you could need, nice bedroom with plenty of storage space, large bathroom - with lots of hot water, and a patio with sunbeds, 4 chairs and a table. Going in March meant that it was a bit cooler at night, but there were plenty of blankets, and we also had a small radiator which we moved into the bedroom at night. There are tennis courts and two pools. There is also a children's playground and pool. I think I would be very wary at taking very young children, especially if your apartment is near the cliff - there isn't a fence, and the drop is sheer in places. You'd have to have eyes in the back of your head! If you walked out of our patio doors and across the lawn, you come to the Alfagar's path around the cliff - lovely views, and a couple of different ways of getting down to a very nice beach. It's not too bad getting down to the beach - there are good steps and paths - with a seat half way if you really needed a rest! We were told that you can walk along the beach to the Fisherman's village at low tide, but the tide never seemed low enough while we were there. (Get a tide table from reception.) The Alfagar restaurant had a small menu, but the food was excellent. You could also get snacks - burgers, etc. The mini-market was well stocked with a fair range of food, and the prices were reasonable. There is a large supermarket just a few minutes up the road from the Alfagar (towards Vilamoura). It takes about 20 minutes to walk into Albufeira. There are some nice restaurants, but we were not keen on such a busy commercial resort. The Chinese restaurant just as you get into Albufeira is excellent, and good value for money. The old town was better - that's another 30 minutes walk, but you could get a taxi, or catch the "Wally Trolley" which goes around the resort. Unfortunately we did not see the old town at it's best. They were renewing the sewers (EC regs!) and the old cobbled street were being dug up, but not just a street at a time - they just seemed to have dug up the whole lot at once! It's easy to catch a bus (timetable from reception) to Lagos - we stayed near there about 9 years ago), or Faro. Buses are really very comfortable coaches. Faro is worth going to see. The old town is next to the Marina, and has lots of lovely buildings. If you go to the Tourist Office next to the old Town Arch, they will give you a free map of Faro (old and new towns) and a walking tour guide. There's a Wally Trolley here too which will take you around many of the old buildings - it stops for a few minutes at each place to let you take photos, etc. Beware of the time share people who tell you are not time share - don't believe them. You will always win the star prize when they give you a ticket - they pretend to be amazed that you've won! We would go back to the Alfagar again. It was well run by a family who were very helpful. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - Feb 2006 Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : Mark Kemp - Sheffield (32,34) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Me & my wife spent a week in the Alfagar Apartments in balaia (Albuferia). The site was great as it was set on the cliff top and the steps down to the beach certainly keep you fit. The apartments are very clean, but slightly dated decoration. The problem we had at this time of year (end Feb) was the apartments were really cold and all they had was an oil fired radiator to heat the place. You also need a jacket, as when the wind blows and at night it does drop colder. The Alfagar run a bus service into old albuferia at 50 cents each either way, which was a great way to get around. Taxis are fair on there prices aswell. You can walk into Albuferia from the Alfagar and it takes about 20-30 mins and is about 3-5 kms I think. There are bigger supermarkets in and around Albuferia which are allot cheaper. We tended to eat in as we found the meals fairly expensive and not that much choice.Overall a really nice week and would think about going back to the Alfagar for a quick break again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice - 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Michelle Leeds (42,36,15) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: When we booked the Alfragar Apartments I was worried we would be away from everything because of the ariel view shown in the brochure. However we were pleasantly surprised how good its location was. We enjoyed the benefit of our own beach during the day where we could relax, swim, snorkle and play on the dingy and then go up to the complex and sit by 1 of the 3 pools for the remainder of the day. We never had a problem with sun lounger, space etc. The strip was a 15 min walk away or a 5 minute taxi journey for 4 euro. It has lively bars and great restaurants, Cafe Med is well worth a visit, just look for the pop corn man who does a little dance in between sales. I would highly recommend the Alfragar its a wonderful place with lovely staff and amenities. The resort is lovely, clean and well worth a visit. We will definately go back. Highly recommended for people with children as on site entertainment is available, its that bad its enjoyable. As a couple with a 15 year old we all loved it.... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice Oct 05 Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Christine (40, 43, 69, 70) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: Very nice complex of apartments, very good beach access and nice pool area's, only problem was ants in the apartments, but sprayed as soon as we reported this, and the rainy weather at that time probably did not help. Staff at the alfagar friendy and entertainment fairly good, depending on the crowd in the bar, as the strip is very quiet at the end of Oct. Other people we met at the complex very friendly, and all had visited the Alfagar on a number of occasions, Will go back again in January for a few days as the Alfagar appears to be open year round, and can be booked direct and separate from your flight. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours-October23-30 2005 Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Alan Coates - Mossley =, Lancashire 56, 54 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Good situation on the cliff top, pretty gardens. Nice swimming pools. Apartment very spacious, clean and sufficiently well equipped.Beautiful beach at the bottom of the cliff steps - well worth the walk down (and back up!). Satisfacory restaurant (other very good restaurants in walking distance on the road in teh direction of Vilamoura) and bar and reaonably well stocked shop. Staff friendly and helpful, Budget car rental on site provide good cars at reasonable prices but do take out the full insurance option (no excess payable in the case of an accident!) All in all a very enjoyable firat trip to Portugal. We will definitely go back (probably at the same time of year (don't fancy the crouds in high season). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Peter,46 Jane,41 Emma, 13 Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: We have recently returned from Portugal, We stayed in Portugal for a week and the weather was rubbish, we didnt expect glorious sunshine all week but we only got about 2 days of sunshine.Where the hotel is situated is quite poor, it is a about a twenty to thirty minute walk to the strip where you will find bars and restraunts, but we didnt really like the strip, there wasnt too much to do there and we personally didnt think any of the restraunts looked that good, so we got a taxi into the old town nearly every night, well worth a visit and bout 4 to 5 euros in a taxi. There they were more nicer restraunts to choose from and more entertainment all round. Would recommend if you like Indian to try the Indian nights tondoori restraunt, it was lovely and we went there twice. That is in the old town up the a little side street. If you ask someone for directions it is quite easy to find. The apartments themselves we found were quite basic not the nicest ones we have been in.The apartments were ideal for those that stay in all day aand night and cook every meal in there because there was a lot of self catering kitchen equipment. The maid service was quite good and the grounds were beautiful.The place was full of Germans and the entertainment was very poor. We had brakfast one morning in the bar area and it was disgusting, the bacon was all fat and undercooked and the sausage was german sausage, there were 3 swimming pools, adults, childs and another one that we didnt look at, we didnt go in any of them as they were too cold. The steps down to the beach were very steep and tiring no good for young children as it isnt very safe. But ounce you are down there the beach is lovely, alougth while we were there the sea was very very rough for the first few days, the red flag was up and the under current was very bad. Altogether the holiday was OK but there was some downs to it and we deffinately wouldnt go back to that resort. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - September 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Ronnie & Frances Curran (51, 45) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: This was our first time in Portugal and we were not disappointed. The complex is well laid out and kept spotlessly clean. The staff are all extremely friendly and if you acknowledge them with a small attempt at Portuguese, they really appreciate the effort. Found people all over resort to be very friendly and more accommodating than Spanish and the English speaking from bar staff & waiters to shop assistants and taxi drivers was brilliant. Maid service was good and apartments, although basic were sufficient - you even get an iron and ironing board. Our only gripe was that the couch in the lounge was very uncomfortable, but the beds were OK and rooms had plenty cupboard space - there was even a power shower and no danger of being caught out with water running cold!! New Town about 20-30 mins stroll. Taxis cost 4.25 Euros there and 3.95 back before tip. Same price to Old Town. The 'Strip' is great with choices to suit everyone but the 'Old Town' has a wonderful atmosphere. Our favourites for eating were Portofino in the strip and Casa Nova in the old town. The bread rolls and sardine pate everywhere you go is to die for. Other must haves are Portuguese steaks and 'Cataplana'. Entertainment in complex was so bad it was good!!! They really do try hard. The beach was absolutely superb, scenery breathtaking although the waves can be a a bit rough, drawing the sand from under your feet. We have had a brilliant holiday and cannot recommend this highly enough. We will definitely be back. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: august 2005 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : 45,42,15,15,6 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: would strongly recommend this hotel.. never been to portugal before but will be sure to go back again. hotel staff were lovely,even though there was one cleaner who was rather moody the rest were friendly. all the pool's were alway's cleaned even though it was a rush to get a sunbed which you can understand as it was August.hotel food was a great value for money serving quality food. i would strongly recommend not to have a hena tattoo as a number of people had serious problem's with them. the shop was fantasic everything u need was in there and all at good price's. games room was good for the children but they soon got board. evening entertainment was good apart from the country singer OH SO BORING.as our room looked out to the beach the clif was right near us but there is a safety rope ...but as every parent's worry that isn't good enough. old town is short walk away which has great selction of resturant's. depending what type of holiday your going for will depend how much you enjoy it. people who enjoy a relaxing holiday this is the place to be. people who enjoy there night life this isn't the place for them. great holiday will !!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - August 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Karen Lunnon - West London (55, 48, 44, 13, 13, 8.) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: The Alfagar is in a lovely location, on a cliff top overlooking the beach.There are 90 steps to the beach, not much fun coming back up, but do-able! The on site shop has everything you would need, and not too dear. Fresh bread and rolls are delivered each morning, delicious. We ate dinner in the bar most nights, the meals are lovely. The bar staff are polite, friendly and a right laugh. The entertainment was'nt up to much, but it gave us a laugh. Reception will call you a taxi for 80 cents, you can go into town for 5 euros. the strip is like any sea front, but the old town is lovely, so atmospheric. Unless you don't mind being crushed, give the gypsy market a miss. The apartment was well equipped, we had a huge terrace with a sea view. The sofa bed was so uncomfortable for two, we bought a lilo for smallest chhild to sleep on. The apartments are not air conditioned but you can hire fans for 10 euros a week, well worth it. Portugese people are very polite and friendly, we had a lovely holiday and can't wait to go back. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice- July 2005 Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Rosie - West Yorks (40,40,15,15,13,12) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: The hotel was very good they had a bar and 3 swimming pools and nightly entertainment and good services. There was an arcade, the games were good but the walls were battered with where people had stuck there pool sticks in the wall!!! The entertainment was great except from the country singer on Tuesdays I think. The bar staff were very helpful and nice. The nearby bars and restaurants were nice . The Old Town had bars and it came alive on a night with street entertainers and music and things. In the daytime that was nice with little gift shops and hair braiding things. The strip was another place which was nearer to out hotel and it lots and lots and lots of bars!!! It had nice restaurants and its a very long road!!! I would recommend you to go there and all ages woulf really enjoy it!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - July 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Lorraine Pennycook - Midlothian (44,41,16,13,11) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: The Alfagar is set in beautiful gardens, we had a spacious two bedroom apartment, (with en-suite) with the most fantastic sea view, fold out bed in lounge was very comfortable, everything was spotlessly clean. The three swimming pools were gorgeous and very clean, though had to be up very early to be sure of a sunbed being July. On site bar/restauraunt was ok - food was fine but service was slow at times - kids waited one hour and ten minutes for a pizza one night! The Strip is a half hour walk but you are spoilt for choice once you are there, Coyote Bar (opposite chinese royal at beginning of mini strip) was a favourite, good food, cheap drinks, lovely ice creams and the most friendly staff. For a great 'Scottish' breakfast try the Kilt n Celt, half way down strip, also fantastic steaks. We would definately recommend Alfagar to everyone , but, would like to point out that at the top of the complex runs the path to the beach. It runs the entire length of the apartments from the top pool to the steps down to the beach. The path is so close to the edge of the cliffs with only a single length of rope between you and a sheer drop! We would have been very nervous had our children been younger. So a word of warning to anyone with a young family! Was surprised no one had already mentioned this on this website. The Alfagar is a fantastic complex, beautiful , clean, spacious and we would not hesitate in going back again. Lovely place. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 2005 Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : N, D, J and A (38, 36, 6 and 3 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Average My/Our Holiday Review: We were very excited to be going to this resort having read the reviews on here - whilst agreeing with a lot of it I do have to disagree with some of the things said. The resort itself is nicely laid out, the pools are good and as one of the two kids doesn't swim, having a childs' pool was invaluable. The bar and restaurant are pretty poor, with no variety and everything is very catered towards the English. I know this is to be expected, but it would be nice to sample Portugese food if you wanted to. The entertainment was non-existent however we were told that we had come too early for a lot of it. The strip is no better - it really is home from home! The grounds are very well looked after and the gardening staff, cleaners etc are very nice. However, the staff in the shop are something else - we went with another family and the joke between us was whether the staff there wanted to kiss us or kill us each morning! The accommodation itself was very good on first sight - spacious and clean - however, it wasn't long before the ants and the cockroaches moved in! Again, not uncommon wherever you go. Having said all that, we really enjoyed ourselves, great for families, the kids really loved it, and because of that they weren't on our backs all the time. As you can tell from this, real mixed feelings. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice june 2005 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : 62 37 36 24 21 11 7 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: excellent beach down steps,at the end of beach on the right great beach bar,also close to ocha with lovely beach and clear water,albuferia beach is lovely to,but the best beach is quataria just past vilomoura marina about nearly 20 euro in a cab but well worth a visit great bars on the front and a great gypsy market. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 05 Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Titch and Glen, Zoe and Wayne (23&24 ,26&24) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Accomodation is low rise and is set out really well, everything is close by. The complex is spotlessly clean and appartments are cleaned daily (but not on the weekends) There is also an iron and ironing board!!! The onsite shop isn't overpriced either for emergency supplies and other little goodies. Pools are clean and beds are available most of the day. Perfect location to the strip 5 euros in a taxi (and that includes a tip) Definately recommend this place to everyone, families, couples, young people. The on site bar is o.k, nothing amazing, but thats what the strip is all about. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel - April 2005 Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Alec, Becky, James & Jessie Oldroyd - S.Yorks 48,28,8,5 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We booked Alfagar as an attempt at "something different from Spain." SOME reviews we read about Alfagar and Albufeira in general caused us some concern... but how wrong they were! The complex is absolutely wonderful. A sort of Portuguese version of "the village" from the 60s show "The Prisoner" if you like, but thankfully minus the psycopathic beachballs! Accomodation is low rise blocks, on varied levels aroun two magnificent swimming pools.(of which more anon..) The apartments themselves are spacious, clean, and have nice touches like typically Portuguese pot wall lights and unusual pictures. The only gripe we had was that (we being good Mummys and Daddys) let the kids sleep on the beds, while we had the fold out sofa bed in the lounge. These things are not the comfiest of things at the best of times, but these ARE a tad on the hard side. The kitchen is equipped with the usual pots and pans, plus a toaster, kettle and coffee maker. Also you'll find an iron and board in the cupboard, so leave the travel iron at home and use the saved weight for more junk on the way home! HINT! To make the OVEN WORK, you need to set the timer going. It took me about 10 minutes to fathom this out, but as I said to the kids, I was just seeing if they could solve the puzzle first! The shop on site is superb. We were fortunate in having the apartment above it, so in a morning it was an easy task to send 8 year old James down for fresh (and we saw it being delivered!) bread. Yes, of course it's a bit dearer than the "Marachinos" supermarkets in the town, but not that much, and of course you don't waste time or energy getting there! The girls who crew the place (from 07:30 to 21:00) are typical of the Alfagar staff - friendly, helpful and cheerful. Incidentally, nearly all the Portuguese people we came in contact with spoke very good English.. we always feel very ignorant in foreign lands if they can make the effort! If you remember that "OBRIGADO!" means "thank you", you will earn that glance from the locals which means that their faith in the English is being restored after the horrors they endured at the hands of our so called football fans last year. Anyway, back to the complex! The pools are clean, safe and well supplied with sunbeds and parasols. The top pool is for swimmers only, the middle one has a kiddies section (suits non swimming me), and the lower pool is for kids, adjacent as it is to the wonderful play area which itself can be overlooked by parents from the Bar terrace if desired. The bar itself... coffee to die for, excellent food (try a "Bitoque" - steak with egg and a salad), and, at the risk of getting boring, superb staff. (Hi Viktor, I said I'd get your name on the Internet!) Drinks at the bar - neither me or my Wife drink that much, so I'm sorry to say we did not sample the offerings, but others there said the drinks on offer were OK by them. There ARE English beers on sale, but the local "Super Bock" does the trick! We also failed (due to kids bedtimes etc.) to sample any of the entertainment, but I can honestly say that we were never kept awake or woken by noise! I'd loved to have seen the Portuguese Elvis though... There is a restaurant in the complex, but again we did not get a chance to sample this. A short walk on the clifftop takes you to the (quote from another review)"horrendous steps to the beach". Unquote. OK, there ARE a fair few of them, and yes, one or two could do with replacing, but anyone in a reasonable state of fitness will have no problems. Carrying a buggy up them MAY be a bit taxing, but come on, you're on holiday, what's the rush???????? There is an alternative route - out of the gates, down the road to the "dip", then down a road, but if you're going to complain about steps, then you'll probably moan about the half-mile walk as well! The beach itself is magnificent, with coves, caves and sand the texture of Demerara sugar. One slight warning!! This is NOT the Med., the Atlantic waves can cause quite a serious undertow which scours the sand from under your feet which can be a bit disturbing if you're used to the compacted stuff of the Costa del Sol. Also, Atlantic water is quite a few degrees colder than Med water, especially in April! On the other hand, you don't get the litter, groups of 18-30s sleeping off hangovers on the sunbeds, or find yourself in the midst of 3 conflicting impromptu volleyball matches. The "new" town is abut 20-30 minutes walk away depending on how many young 'uns you have in tow, and what mood they're in. The Strip was a revelation to me, I was expecting a sort of dual-carriageway boulevard full of drunks and fights afterwhat I'd read elsewhere, but it's basically a mile long one-way street with all kinds of shops, bars, restaurants and cafes along its length, catering for just about any taste you can think of, and a few more besides! We ate there a couple of times, and recommend the "Restaurante Doris"(kids in stiches at the name!) for excellent food. (Try a Portuguese Steak - just do!) Other establishments that leap out include the Rovers Return on the "other" main road parallel to the Strip, (superb breakfast, signed photos of the cast of Corrie and as much paper and crayons as the kids can handle) and the American Diner at the top end of the strip where the milkshakes and a lifesize Elvis statue take you back to "Happy Days" and "Grease"! My little girl loves these films, and was chuffed to bits when she had her photo taken with the pink-clad waitresses! In typical local style, they stopped rushing around just to be in the photo with her. Portuguese people ignorant and rude????? Not in a million years. Just before I end, a quick mention about a couple of trips out we did. Quateria market is worth a look, plenty of rip off designer goods if you want it, but also good local leather, pots and clothing. Just watch out for the "Flash Harry" types, trying to flog you 200 fags - usually 20 fags, and 9 boxes of sand to make the weight up! Secondly, kids or no kids, go to Zoomarine. If you've got about £100 to spare you can swim with dolphins, but if you havn't, just pay your tenner or so, and have a day watching seals, dolphins, parrots and hawks in shows, and wander around the Aquarium, gardens and shops. Superb place, with no hint of the embarrasing animal exploitation feeling you get at some of these places... the seals especially seemed to be having as much fun as the trainers and spectators! Whew! I think thats all I need to get off my chest. If you go, and agree with me, tell the world. If you don't agree, tell the management while you're there, or at least your rep. they really are the most approachable and friendly people. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagar Apartments - Albufeira Operator and Date: (Unijet Discounts) Unijet (first choice) March 2005 Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : Leeds (47,41,15,11) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We have just returned from the Alfagar appartments which where great. Very clean and the grounds are very well looked after.The 3 swimming pools are also very clean. The appartments have everything you need. The shop on site is well stocked,with fresh bread and milk every day. The views from the cliff top are fantastic.nb.if you want a sea view you have to pay extra. The local beaches are super with lovely beach cafes for lunch or coffee. The Alfagar minibus will take you into Albuferia town for 50 cents and pick you up later. We all had a great time very relaxing.Would go back again sometime. These appartments are also suitable for people in a wheelchair as long as you request the groung floor. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Al Garhb - Gale, Albufeira Operator and Date: Jamesvillas April2005 Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Shirley Cousins-Cornwall(49, 35,32, 26,7, 4,4) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Although a little out of the way,Gale is a pleasant village.The beaches,10 mins by car, are wonderfull.Local supermarket very good.Welcome pack from Jamesvillas exceptionally good, included bread,soft drinks,wine,beer,cheese cereals, milk etc. However,we were burgaled on the second night as we slept, all money and possessions on the ground floor stolen.Despite extra bolts put on already very secure LOOKING doors and windows, we suffered another attempted break in on the 5th night.Rep. very helpful,took us to report break-in arranged temp. security measures until maintainance men arrived(it was a bank holiday).This however, ruined totally what should have been a great break.Jamesvillas reps and villas are wonderful, but I would warn everyone to stay away from this area.Sorry!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apartments Almar - Albufeira Operator and Date: Palmair - September 2005 Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Andy Carman and Gill Smith - Poole (45) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We had read good reviews of these appts and we weren't disappointed when we arrived. We booked a one bed appt and it was massive, it even had a luggage room! It was on the third floor with a lovely view of the old town. The maid changed the sheets and towels every day and the reception staff were very polite and helpful. The 'strip' was very tacky, but the old town was nice, although we were bothered by a few timeshare touts. We went to Faro but there isn't much to do or see. Wish we had visited Silves instead. We really recommend the O Veleiro restaurant in the old town. It's about 200 metres back from the 'tunnel'; excellent food and very reasonable prices. The weather was lovely for late Sept; we didn't see a cloud in the sky all week. All in all we had an excellent holiday and we wouldn't hesitate to go back to Albufeira and the Almar appts. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel: Alpinus Apartments - Acoteis Operator and Date: Independent - Aug 2007 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Tony, Val & Josh 48, 46, 13 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Had a five night break at the Alpinus. Beautiful apartments, spacious, clean and bright. Excellent facilities. Requested an upper floor pool view and got it. Booked half board. Breakfast was really good, with english sausage and bacon, lovely bread and a toast machine which worked quickly - unusual! Evening meal o.k., barbeque very good. Staff really lovely and friendly. Pool a little bit small but quite adequate and no problems getting sunbeds even in August. Mixture of English, Portuguese and Dutch guests, nice family atmosphere. Evening entertainment - well we don't usually bother but it was really amazing with professional acts most evenings, and very reasonable bar prices, we found it hard to drag ourselves out to the local bars! We would definitely return to the Alpinus. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alpinus Apartment Hotel - Albufieira Operator and Date: Monique - July 2007 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Tiammi Morris - Lincoln (39, 37, 15, 13, 6, 3, 1) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We have not long been back from our holiday in Portugal and it was absouloutley brilliant. Our room was big and so clean. The maids came in every day of the week. We had all the kitchen utensils that we had at home, a stereo and a tv with some english chanels (which included BBC1), but luckily we didnt have time to watch the tele as it was so hot and there was too much to do. We had a balcony that over looked the swimming pool and pool bar. The pool is a bit smaller than we expected but you can still swim or spash about with the kids. every other day the seasons team do activities and competitions. On a tuesday they had a FREE massage for women by the pool and they did pool competitions and water arobics etc. My kids went to the kids club for the first week and they made tons of friends and had loads of fun! There is a courtesy bus to the beach. The beach is beautiful. Lovely sand, cheap sunbeds etc. The waves were quite big and rapid but they were brilliant to jump in and my 6 year old son loved going through them on his body board. My husband and 15 year old son went on the jet skis and pedloes. Across the road there is a bar called the hollywood bar. My 15 year old son loved that and he found some other teenagers from Leeds and went with them every night. It does kareoke etc. There is not many English bars round there but about 5 minutes down the road from the hotel we found this bar called The Trotters bar. They had only been open a week when we went there and were from Peckhem, Essex. So look out fot the Only Fools and Horses van outside it. The entertainment in the hotel is good for adults and kids. Some nights they had it for adults such as singers, dancers and quiz , and some nights it was magicians and seasons did kids entertainent. My kids especially loved the zoo marine (and my 13 year old daughter swam with dolphins!), the waterslide park, safari adventure, the theme park and the boat trip. There is so much to do! I would just love to go back one more time especially to say hello to Jorge (a receptionist) and the bar staff Bruno John Powleo and the chef Del Monte!!! Highly recomended and a brill 4 star! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alpinus Apartment Hotel - Albufieira Operator and Date: Somewhere to stay - 2007 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Cordon family, Nottingham 12, 12, 14, 34, 36, 38, 40, 66 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Had a really lovely time. reasonably quiet resort with selection of restaurants within walking distance, a short walk to gorgeous beach, but hotel runs a brilliant shuttle bus several times a day if you don't want the walk. Apartments were very spacious - we had 2 bed ones with 2 balconies and a big terrace too. Cleanest that I have ever stayed in. Pool a bit small, but ok, sunbeds available if you wait a few minutes on all days except changeover days. The only people reseving beds and then not using them were british - what can you say?! Entertainment a bit hit and miss, but something every night and overall better than usual for this kind of hotel. Bar service a bit slow at busy times, but recommend that you tip the bar guy on first day and he will look after you when it is your turn! A few days with a car wil get you out to some busier places if thats what you want, but this resort was much nicer than most that we visited in that it wasn't as commercially developed as others - it's not hotel-land geared to holiday makers only and there were only one or two british pubs around the resort. recommend for families with not old enough to go clubbing teenagers - they congregated around the pool table and spend good evenings just chatting. Drive out to Lagos is worth it, really lovely town. Every single one of us had a great time. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alpinus Apartment Hotel - Albufieira Operator and Date: Self booked, Seasons owner - 2005 Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Robert,Susan,Lynsey,Fiona Keith,Leven, 48,44,18,16 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: This was our first time in Portugal and we could not have chosen a better place to stay, the level of service was way above what you would normally expect, Entertainment every night, good pool bar, serving snacks, reasonably priced, Excellent restaurants within easy walking distance, Courtesy bus to beach, and tours available from the hotel. Rooftop terrace if you want to escape the children at the pool. All in all a first class holiday. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hotel: Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice August 2007 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Steve Ciavucco Stoke on Trent (52, 47, 10) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We have just had two weeks at the Colina, and as a wheelchair user I am very impressed with these apartments. They are huge, with double sliding doors leading to the bedroom, giving easy access all around the bed and through patio doors onto the massive balcony. The views`from our 4th floor room were fabulous. We were able to see the sea as soon as we woke - absolute heaven! There are disabled toilets in the foyer and in the indoor pool area, and ramps are provided to give access to the outdoor (very cold)pool area. At the time the ramps were makeshift wooden planks, but the building is being upgraded with a new block next door, opening next year. The cleaners worked very hard keeping all areas of the complex clean, all the staff were extrenely friendly and helpful, and the food available was at the pool was reasonably priced. A ramp (carer needed) leads to another pool and splash area at the front of the hotel, and this was just as lovely to sunbathe and watch the world go by. My 10 year old loved the Wavelength club, and they are very strict on child/adult ratios and signing in and out. We did the Jeep safari day which was fantastic, and we did taxis to the old town and Villamoura - both easily negotiated with a wheelchair. Overall, a fantastic holiday with a superb seaview, but the freezing pool meant we spent much of our time in the indoor pool and jacuzzi. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice - August 2007 Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : 64,63,42,39,12,9 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We visited the Alto da Colina for the last 2 weeks of August. As we had booked over a year ago was a little concerned about previous reviews concerning building works. A new block has been built for next year when it becomes a holiday village and they are now in the stages of furnishing it. It is virtually out of site and we never experienced and noise or disturbance. You can see 3 cranes from your sunbeds from other nearby sites but did't affect holiday in anyway. Apartments, pool and sports facilities are excellent with fantastic sea views. We had a 4th floor room on the opposite side of the pool and had lovely views towards Vilamoura. We didn't have any problems getting sunbeds, could do with a few more umbrellas though. A good tip from a previous review is to take something like a Tesco Clubcard to keep in the slot at all times so the Air Con will remain on at all times. The complex is too far to walk into town every night, we had a hire car for 11 days from Avis (used Tesco Clubcard vouchers - recommend). Even so we only ventured into The Strip or Old Town 4 times. Old Town is much preferred to Strip. Wouldn't like to have been staying in the town anyway as for too busy. If you turn right out of hotel entrance and then left onto main road and walk for 10-15mins there are half a dozen restaurants. Our favourite was the 3 Marias where you could have a choice of 3 starters with bread, a choice of 10 main & 5 desserts with a beer or half bottle of wine all for 9.75 euros (just under £7).Excellent service and very quick. Evening entertainment got a bit monotonous. The 3 reps worked very hard but involved singing & dancing on a different theme each night. In the 2 weeks we were there they brought in 4 acts but these were singing/dancing too. Kids enjoyed most of wavelength activities. Overall a very relaxing holiday and would definately recommend. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: eclipse july 2007 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Stev Daykin Nottingham 46, 43, 16 and 13 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Good My/Our Holiday Review: A sunny hot climate and cooling breeze added to a very relaxing holiday around the pool of the Alto De Colina. Two of the most lazy weeks of our life. The hotel is modern, clean and functional to a very high standard. The rooms are clean, spacious, and both the fridge and the air conditioning do actually get things cold. Balconies and living space are abnormally generous giving plenty of space, any british channels are available on the satelite TV to amuse the kids. You will need a refundable deposit of 30 Euro to get the remote for the aiircon and telly though. You are told not to reserve the sunbeds because your towels will be moved, but we never saw any evidence of this. The smaller pool to the North of the site did always have some beds left, but the main pool was more often than not, all towelled out before 9.00AM. We used the smaller pool throughout, which was popular with the kids, but there is no lifeguard. We didn't bother wth the entertainments and went out every night. The walk to the Oura strip is a healthy 20 minutes where there is a wide range of bars and restraunts serving a wide range of food. Mind the kids on the walk as the footpaths are of poor quality with local un-guarded falls, and the road is very busy. A lot of people took a taxi from the hotel but at the busy period, the wait was excessive. Better to walk and build up an appetite!! The best secret of the Algarve is up a side street off the strip, a restraunt called the Cockrel,where Dave has the best food we have ever had abroad. His steaks are huge, and cooked to absolute perfection, and although slightly more expensive than all of the local " and chips" restraunts, its well worth a vist, ( or six visits in our case). On site facilities are so good I could not get my lot down to the beach, but I did explore the area myself. You are given a map by the rep which shows two beaches. Turn right at the end of the road and then left down through the Alfegar apartments to access a beach down a lot of steps. These were safe but it was a good climb back and would be a sttruggle with young kids and buggies. The other beach identified is further along the same road and down a steep slope to get to the Santa Eulalia beach. This has facilities, but if truth be known, its a good hike in the sun to get here ( 15 minutes or so.) Not mentioned is if you go to the road and turn left, then turn right past the petrol station to go down through the Club Med complex. The path leads down a slope to the Maria Luisa beach, a fully manned and flagged beach with sunbeds, lifeguard, water sports etc. It is possible from here to walk all the way along the Falesia beach to reach Viallmoura, although we did not make it as it was too hot and we werre too lazy. The on complex supermarket has a wide range of food to suit many tastes, but we found it very expensive. Watch the complex currency exchange rate as they gave 7 cents in the pound less than open facilities on the strip. If you were to change £1000 over the two weeks of self catering the hotel would cost you £50 that you dont need to spend. The tennis courts were 18 Euro for an hour, which is why the remained largely empty. The soccer school was well used, and there was a regular adults football priced at 5 euro which was very popular In general, very good new facilities and a choice of whether you bothered to join in activities or not. There was no hassle if you didn't want to join in, which was just fine. One grumble was the building site next door, of which this years brochures make no mention. The new build is to create a new First Choice holiday village, and it is actually already being marketed in the 2008 brochure. This year, it was a half built monstrosity with a crane, lots of drilling and digger activity. We didnt let this spoil things though. In summary, a great holiday in a very nice complex. As lazy a time as we have ever had and some cracking good food. I would readilly recommend this facility to freinds. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice - Jun/Jul 2007 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : 59, 53, 22, 19, 19, 17 Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: After reading all the reports on this hotel we should have been well aware of what to expect! The hotel is very nice and the staff very helpful. The rooms are spacious and well decorated. The fridge had an ice-box (minus door) which proved to be very handy. Ample cooking equipment was available. The television/airconditioning controls were were 60 euros - refundable on return. The 'third bed' was a single bed that collapsed and fitted under the sofa (which could also be used as another bed). The rooms were kept clean and towels/sheets changed regulary. We had a balcony with a great view over the pool and you could just see the sea. What was refreshing was the sun beds - no getting up at the crack of dawn to get a sun bed. Because there was a total of nine of us (two families) we were slightly guilty of putting our towels on the sun beds early. We could quite comfortably go down to the pool and put our towels out at 8 AM so we could all be together. Quite often sun beds could be had throughout the day. The hotel shop was quite reasonably priced - you're always going to see prices a bit higher in these places. But to be honest there wasn't much of a difference in price from shop to shop. We ate in the hotel only a couple of times and the food was quite reasonable. The main swimming pool is large - but unfortunately was cold!! It seemed to be getting slightly warmer as we were leaving on the 12/07/07 - but I doubt if it gets much warmer!! Another hotel is being built very close (200 metres away) but don't worry there was never any noise at all and no dust, etc. Entertainment was very good - both during the day and evening. The First Choice entertainers were very good, friendly, talentd, and nothing was too difficult. Our kids (2x19 & 1x22) thoroughly enjoyed themselves and if their happy - then everyone's happy. We even took part in some of the more relaxed activities. My kids enjoy football, but it was costing them 5 euros each to play for each hour session - which didn't see much value for money and it was on 3 times a week. The beach was about 10 minutes away from the hotel and there are lots of steps (60 ish) down to the beach, but still well worth a visit. The only down side to this hotel is it's position. The hotel is about a mile away from the main resort of Albufeira and consists of a long walk up and down hill. I would not recommend this walk with young children or anyone who is not too good on their feet for long periods - especialy in the heat. (The walk is paved, well lit and I never heard of any problems) It costs 1 euro to telephone for a taxi from the hotel and it costs about 5/6 euros for the trip into town. As most people want to go out in the evening at about 7-8 PM this often resulted in long waits for the taxi. There was a total of nine of us in our party so we did lots of walking during our stay. The bottom line is that we enjoyed our stay at the hotel, but due to the long hike into town we wouldn't go there again. We want/need somewhere closer to resaurants/night life/shopping as most people including ourselves are self catering. Maybe if the hotel put on a courtesy bus things would be different. I hope this has been of use. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: Eclipse -June 2007 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Suzy (40, 38, 11) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: This is a nice place to stay but the 'entertainment' is APPALLING! It ruined the week really, we thought it would be quiet but the racket was on all night...singing the theme tune to home and away one night (I kid you not!). This would be a good place if it wasn't for that. The rooms and balconies are huge and well kept, there are three pools and all were not too busy. There were enough sunbeds but not umbrellas, can imagine this may be a problem in summer although the reps did say they had ordered some. The reps were available all day virtually. Last warning: Don't buy a phonecard from the reps as we arrived to witness an almighty row due to the reps giving poor advice, they only work on one phone and the people we witnessed had run up a £147.00 phone bill. Really bad! Oh...and lastly......this is in the middle of nowhere really....the old town is horrible, not at all 'quaint' but tacky. If you go out of the hotel turn right then left onto the main road you come to a small supermarket which is cheaper than the hotel and if you keep walking then you come to a few restaurants.... 3 marias lovely family run business. Recommend! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice - October 2006 Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Fifers (36 , 35 , 9 , 8, 6, ) Resort Rating: Average Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We have just returned from a two week holiday in the Alto da Colina, and are now ready to offer our opinion of the resort and apartments! Having read all the reviews before we left, we realised that these apartments would probably be lovely, and indeed they were! We were on the second floor and had a fantastic 2 bedroom apartment with a huge balcony, excellent kitchen area, spacious living area and bedrooms. The hotel is very modern in its decor and the outdoor pools are brilliant. There is also a children's splash pool area beside a smaller outdoor pool and a playpark, which are well maintained and spotless. In addition, there is a decent sized indoor pool and jacuzzi, which were great for us because there were a few rainy days. Despite the lovely hotel and pools, we were actually disappointed with parts of our holiday, because this hotel is SO cut off from the rest of the resort, and involves a 30 minute walk to find decent restaurants in the area known as "The Strip". There is a restaurant in the hotel, but we only ate there once because the food was nothing special, especially for the high prices! Had we been a couple on our own, then walking everywhere would have been no big deal, but taking our 3 kids back and forward was just too much of a hassle, especially because the road you have to follow to get to "The Strip" is hilly and not that safe, as cars go speeding past. We ended up getting taxis and then hired a car for a week, which gave us the chance to explore ourselves, and to go and find a supermarket that did not rip you off like the one at the hotel. Be warned....the shop at the Colina is really expensive and the staff are really unfriendly. The old town is lovely, and there are lots of pretty little streets and restaurants down there which are worth a visit, but again, you need to drive there, because it's even further away than "The Strip". Our children enjoyed goint to the Kids' Club and there seemed to be a wide range of activities on offer for them. The entertainment in the evening was a mini disco at 8.30, followed by bingo at 9 and then either an outside act(Portugese dancers,mime artist etc.) or something organised by the entertainment reps Ant and Nat, who were lovely people, very easy going and full of fun. Our kids loved their antics and we found them incredibly kind. The hotel reception staff were also very helpful when we asked about timetables etc. and the bar staff were efficient and helpful. There is also the usual games arcade type thing, with pool tables, too, and I lost count of how many times I heard "Can I get a Euro please?" from all the kids there, including ours! All in all, we firmly believe that the Alto da Colina would be a much better place if it switched to "All Inclusive" as it is simply too isolated from restaurants and shops. We certainly recommend hiring a car, because it is so separate from the rest of the resort. This was our first trip to Portugal, and although we always try to make the best of any holiday we go on, we probably would not go again, because we saw all we wanted to see. If you don't mind being a bit away from everything, then you will enjoy the Alto da Colina! Thanks for reading our review, and we wish you a happy holiday! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: first choice- september 2006 Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : emma paul andy emma 25,30,25,25 Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We got moved to this proprty after having our villa with first choice broken into. Apartments were lovely very modern very clean. Lots of childrens activities entertainment on an evening was average. Would definately go back here especially with children it was superb. Only downside no courtesy bus to centre but if you dont mind spending a few euros on a taxi it was only about 10 mins drive to the strip. Never stayed in apartments so modern and decorated so nice would definately recommend these supermarket stocks everything and is great reps really friendly too hotel reception very nice. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice - Aug 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Garren Edwards - Kenilworth (41,40, 9, 5) Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: We had apartment 401, which was very spacious. Quality of the apartments are very good, TV receives BBC1, CNN, Cbeebies and ITV3. Sometimes you can get other channels like channel 4 if they have it switched on in the bar.(can be found on channel 14) Cleaners come virtually every day and change towels and sheets, but they did not clean the balconies which did get dirty. You have to pay a 30 euro deposit for the TV and air con remote controls, which is fair enough, but pity it was not mentioned before we got there, same for the beach towels which require a 20 euro deposit for each towel. However you do get this back and you can change the towels as often as you like. There are 2 lifts, problem is kids mess about with them and they end up breaking down. This is very frustating for guests and hotel management, why parents cannot control their kids better is beyond me. The pools are great, sunbed availability not bad as the rep comes round at 10.30am to remove any towels if the sunbeds are unoccupied, very sensible ! Kids clubs are great, the reps cannot do enough for them. I highly recommend the swimming lessons, Steve 'swim kid' is fantastic. We went on another first choice holiday last year in Majorca and the swimming teacher was not great. Both our girls are good swimmers so we did not bother booking lessons this time. However we kept seeing Steve around and he recommended a great restaurant (see below). My youngest kept following Steve around and the other kids really loved him. In the end my wife booked a 1 to 1 lesson for our youngest to improve her front crawl and he was very good. I regret not booking more lessons with Steve, he really is passionate about his job and when he presents the certificates to the kids he really knows them all by name and how they have improved, a true professional. The food is average, breakfast was always good, but lunch and dinner the usual stuff like hamburger and chips. Food sevice is a bit up and down. On our first day there they forgot our order, they did rush it thru but by then we had waited nearly 30 mins. The on site mini market is very expensive eg you pay 1 euro for a big bottle of water, we found a supermarket which sold the same size bottle for 35 cents ! A word of warning - the bar/restaurant area is mostly outside on a paved area. It can be quite windy, the parasols fall over causing all the glass to smash on the floor. This happened on our first day and how my wife did not get covered in glass was pure luck. The problem is the glass never gets cleared up properly, there are always small pieces of glass on the floor. As this area is next to the pool area people tend to walk on it bare foot, particularly children. There were many reported incidents of cut feet, we made sure our 2 always wore something on their feet. I think the reps and hotel could do a lot more to raise the profile of this, or just stop serving drinks outside in glass. To be fair there are signs around the pool saying no glass and the bar does serve drinks in plastic cups but you do have to ask for this. If you like seafood you must go to the Lagosteira restaurant, which is a 5-10 min car/cab journey towards Villamoura. We went twice and it is fantastic, the service is really good as well. They have lobsters, crabs etc in the tanks fresh, my 9 year old picked up one of the lobsters which she thought was hilarious. They cater for children and there is a chldrens play area as well. There are only about 80 cabs serving the whole of Albufeira, and they do get very busy, so plan in advance, you can request one at the hotel reception but you can wait 30 mins before it arrives (this was 6.30pm at night which is probably the busiest time). We hired a car, we booked this thru first choice before hand and it was much cheaper than booking once you are there. The strip is OK if you like lots of bars and restaurants, mixed in with tourist souvenir shops. From what we heard the restaurants were OK but the service was pretty dire. We never ate there so I am only passing on comments. Don't get me wrong this is a nice place, designed for families and we did enjoy our holiday. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: first choice - july - august 2006 Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Caroline, Nigel, Hannah and Robert (46,47,13,12) - Portsmouth Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We went to the alto da colina and it was one of the best holidays i have ever been on. I reccomend it to any family!!! The hotel was great. So so clean and spacious, great pool, bar, restuarnt and activities day after day. We didnt see much of the entertainment because we went out every night.(ANT, NAT AND CAT!!) We didnt go the the strip many times, we found THE BEST restaurant, the 3 marias, i reccomend it - super food and good value. [go down the road when you come out of the hotel. at the main road at the bottom go LEFT and keep going until you find a few restaurants and cafes where 3 marias is. The lunch is good value aswell. In our holiday we went there 7 times.] The beach, throught alfagar hotel, was lovely, pure golden sand!! and clear blue sea. Overall the holiday was great... i would say hotel - 10/10 location - 8/10 pool + activities - 9/10 (pool was in the sun all day- super) overall holiday 10/10 !!!! i cant fault this holiday , i definitly reccomened it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice July/August 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Louise, Andy, Danny & Katies (37,44,7,6) Resort Rating: Excellent Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: Just come back from a lovely holiday at the Alto da Colina. The apartments are gorgeous some of the best we have stayed in. If you have any children who are into football I would highly recommend the soccer school. My son aged 7 had a whale of a time there and made loads of friends who he played football with nearly all day every day!!!! the kids clubs are great too both my children enjoyed the activities they provided. Only ate at the restaurant at the complex once as the meal we had there wasn't up to much. We used to head into the old town most of the time where we never found a bad restaurant, we had some lovely meals. Other nights we went down to the Strip but stayed down at the bottom end as this seemed to be the nicest part. Thought it was OK down at the strip and again found some lovely restaurants. Our favourite was a restaurant opposite Matts bar (the one with the bucking bronco) as the food was always good and if you got in before 7.30 you got free drinks with your meal which was good!!! Even though it was the busiest time of year we never had a real problem getting a taxi and if there was a problem the hotel put on a little mini bus (1 euro each). We all really had a fantastic time and didn't want to come home would definatly go again!!!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: first choice - july 2006 Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : wiganers 45,43,41,40,40,40,17,16,15,13,12,8 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: arrived at the alto reception very quick in booking us in rooms -we were on the ground floor with pool view, large and very spacious,main bedroom has its own patio doors that lead onto grass area and straight to pool, living room also has its own patio doors that lead out to the pool. kitchen very clean,microwave,hob,kettle toaster,coffee maker,pots,pans,utensils,fridge, very well equipped. bathroom clean and spacious. pool was clean and large but very very cold never got warm, there is another pool area that looked nice but we never used it.lots of sunbeds didn,t need to rush or get up very early. bar not very big inside but outside area not bad. we ate in the bar twice nice food. didn,t try resturant. waiters are nice but not very quick especially if you go to order your own drinks at the bar entertainment your usual reps doing shows and kids disco, the reps try their best but when people don't join in this makes it very hard for them (hi to nat,cat,ant) location - you will have to walk about 20mins to get to the start of the strip then another ten minutes to the main part were you will find lots of shops,bars,resturants and discos. if you don't want to walk you can order taxis from reception but you could be waiting quite a bit at certain times , we foud the best time to go out was 7 o clock but we did need to order 3 taxis (cost of taxis to strip about 3 euros) we walked to the strip in the day time which is alright when you have flat shoes and shorts on but hard work at night when dressed to go out . beach - if you go down to the main road cross over you can go down the path and steps or if you turn left at the main road carry on walking you will come to a petrol station go down the road at the side and follow it and you will eventually come to another section of beach which is better than the other one only thing is when you are comming back the hill that you went down seems hard work comming back but well worth it. there is a supermarket on site which is not bad , there is also another one that sells fresh cooked food and a bit more choice ,which is on the main road . there are 2 large supermarkets at the strip. would go back again but would ask for the ground floor apartment agin .one more thing very windy and went cool at night this might be because the complex is high up and in an open area. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: First Choice July 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : wiganers 45,43,41.40.40.40,17,16,15,13,12,8 Resort Rating: Good Accommodation Rating: Very Good My/Our Holiday Review: Just come back from a lovely holiday at the alto da colina. Apartments- we were on the ground floor with a great pool view. Very spacious with patio doors to both the lounge area and bedroom. Clean with nice modern kitchen. Pool-large pool but very cold, spacious grass area for sunbathing with plenty of sunbeds,no rush for sunbeds. Bar area- not very big inside but room outside to sit and eat. We ate in the bar a couple of times food good. Waiters are not very quick at serving if you go to the bar yourself, better to get them to come to you but they are pleasent enough. Reception area clean but nowhere to sit when waiting for taxis. Speaking of taxis you need to get taxis to go to the strip as this is to far to walk at night(only cost about 4 euros )It takes about 20 mins to get to the start of the strip but to carry on to the end of it it would take about another 15 mins.We use to walk to the strip in the morning which is not that bad when wearing trainers and shorts. we found there was a lot of people wanting taxis at about 7.30pm so we started to go out at 7.00pm but towards the end of our 2nd week more people were doing the same(but we did need three taxis) The beach- when you come out of reception go down to the main road, you can either go across the road and cut through hotels towards steep steps that take you down to a nice cove area, or when you get to the main road turn left and when you come to a petrol staion on the other side go down the street at the side and follow the road and you will go down a hill(which will seem steep on your way back )and you will come to a larger beach which we found a lot nicer. There is a small hut that sells drinks. there is a supermarket on site that sells a varitey of things but if you go to the main road and turn left you will find a small supermarket that has more choice. There are two large supermarkets at the strip that is cheaper than the other two small ones (but dont buy lots unless you are going to get a taxi back it is along walk especially carrying shopping). The strip has lots of shops, bars, resturant, serving all different variety of food. we found a nice one called the cottage (near the top of the strip )which served fresh homecooked meals).If you like steak there is a good one called the steak house. There are plenty of discos for the youger age group which our 17 year old loved We went into the old town, which cost about 5 euros in a taxi,lots of resturants and shops . The entertainment was the usual thing reps show,(profesional acts not very good) but the reps nat,ant,cat tried their best but had their work cut out as not many people would join in with games and activities (which made their job a lot harder) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: first choice - july 2006 Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : peters family - horndean (47,46,13,12) Resort Rating: Very Good Accommodation Rating: Excellent My/Our Holiday Review: We had an excellent holiday at the alto da colina in portugal and one of the best we have been on. The hotel was super. Spacious, clean, comfortable and all round great. the rooms were great and good facilities in the room . Our balcony was big and we had a fab view of the sea and the pool. The pool as great and most of the time we were there it was deserted so me and my brother nearly had the pool to ourselves. The entertainment wasnt very good but we went out every evening to eat anyway and when we got back just went to our room and you can hear the music from your balcony anyway. The resort was nice and the restaurants but we didnt even go to the strip. It was a bit of a walk but only about 15 - 20 mins at the most. if you go right at the roundabout theres a few nice restaurants. Agapito was good. Also if you turn left at the end of the road you find a few. The Three Marias is the best up there and we went there 7 times. It was super food and super value. You dont need to go to the strip. the local beach through the alfagar hotel is a great beach. I enjoyed it because it was quite shallow and it was pure sand on the beach and in the sea. Great waves at high tide and its a good local beach. We had the car for 5 days and had a look around the Algarve a bit. my best two days out were at zoo marine and slide and splash. zoo marine is definitly worth going to and you can see super dolphin shows and seal shows. Its great. Also there is the 4D cinema which really makes you jump! and all the pools and attractions. It was one of the best days. if you have children they will enjoy it alot slide and splash was also an excellent day and its worth going to aswell. when you arrive you may think there are long queues but we thought that and it isnt bad at all. The slides are great and they are all so fun. I could of spent 3 days there going on the slides again and again. Overall our holiday was great and the resort and hotel are great. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alto Da Colina - Albufeira Operator and Date: Eclipse July 2006 Opinion |