We were excited to be spending some time in Albufeira down in the Algarve region of southern Portugal.  Our first week would be at this apartment style hotel situated right in the middle of New Town (the strip) and Old Town.

Address

Rua Do Municipio, Lote 1-5A, Cerro Da Alagoa, Albufeira, 8200-161, Portugal

Date stayed

Monday 2nd May for seven nights

Room Type

I bedroom apartment with pool views

We were allocated a room on level two (217) of three levels

Price

We paid $724.43 AUD (€485) for 7 nights through Hotels.com averaging $103.49 AUD (€69.29) per night.  This rate did not allow for cancellations.

Location

Situated 650 metres from the beach, the Paladim and Alagoamar hotel is conveniently located halfway between Old Town and New Town (the Strip).  Next door is a shopping centre which is currently closed for renovations however the large supermarket on the bottom floor is still currently open.  It is 42km from Portimao airport, 44.5km from Faro International airport and 4.3km from the Albufeira train station.  There are a few tourist shops, coffee shops and restaurants either side of the hotel.

Check-in/Check-out

• Check-in is from 3pm
• Check-out is before 11am
• 24 hour front desk
• Minimum check-in age is 18
• Government issued photo ID required
• A cash breakage deposit of €20 is required for guests under 25

Parking

Private parking is available onsite subject to availability and costs €10 a day.

Internet

Free high speed internet is available in rooms and public areas of the hotel.  The connection is fast however the signal level is very weak inside the room and often drops out.  This is the case down by the pool as well.  In the corridor it’s much better but it’s annoying having to leave your room for reliable internet.  It doesn’t seem to work at all out on the balcony.

Room Features

Our apartment 217 included:

• Two twin beds in a 592 sq foot (55 sq m) wheelchair accessible apartment room
• Two bedside tables, one with a phone
• Two bedside lights on the wall (one not working)
• A European power socket on each side of the bed behind the bedside tables
• A long narrow desk and stool with smaller storage table beside it and mirror on wall
• Tiled floors throughout
• A wardrobe containing shelves with pillows and bedding for sofa bed, hanging space, 12 coat hangers, a full sized mirror and a safe that you can’t lock
• Mitsubishi self adjustable inverter for heating/cooling
• Ironing board but no iron
• Floor to ceiling tiled bathroom with shower with shower curtain in bath , bidet, good sized marble vanity unit, makeup mirror, hairdryer, bar soap, soap dispenser in shower and shower caps.
• Large airy room containing a lounge area with a sofa couch that converts to a two person bed once the trundle is pulled out, two lounge chairs, a TV cabinet, a Grundig LCD flatscreen TV, floor lamp, ceiling lights, pictures on the wall, four person dining table and mostly fully equipped kitchen.  There is a stove, fridge, toaster, kettle and a microwave/oven but no dishwasher, washing machine, detergent or dish brush.
• A good sized balcony with chairs, small table and clothes rack that can be accessed from the living area and the bedroom.

Hotel Facilities

The facilities at the Paladim and Alagoamar hotel include:

• Luggage storage
• Airport transfers for a fee (€37.50 at time of stay for two people)
• Restaurant (open 0800-2350)
• Entertainment each night 
• 2 large outdoor pools and 2 baby pools with pool bar, beach chairs and umbrellas
• Hairdresser
• Spa services
• Currency exchange
• Laundry service
• Downstairs bar

Breakfast

Breakfast is served from 0800 to 1030 in the Paladim Alagoa Mar Restaurant downstairs costing €9 per person.  The buffet breakfast provides a range of hot and cold foods and whilst the range isn’t enormous, it did us just fine for the one morning we ate there.  We had breakfast from the cafe next door on at least one occasion and the supermarket next door also sells a range of suitable breakfast items.  We liked the pastries from the Continente supermarket as they were always fresh and tasty.

Things to do in the Area

Some of the things we did whilst staying at this hotel were:

• Enjoy a nice cheap Portuguese meal at the Marinela Pastelaria snack bar next door to the apartment.
• Spot the different sculptures in Old Town made from steel washers
• Stroll along the beach (Praia do Tunel), laze on one of the sun chairs or go for a swim
• Check out Albufeira’s funky roundabouts
• Try gelato from one of so many gelato shops
• Walk down to the marina to check out the colourful buildings and the boats on the water.
• Check out the Portas Da Vila bar and house decorated with shells by the owner
• Walk through the tunnel and listen to one of the live musicians who is often playing
• Enjoy a romantic dinner on the rooftop at Pizzaria Ricardo’s
• Satisfy my sweet tooth with a crepe and/or milkshake from Sapori di Gelato
• Watch the reptile show in the bar area of the hotel

For other ideas of things to do in Albufeira please see my review on Tucha Apartmentos where we stayed for three weeks.

Pros

• The first young lady we met when we arrived was friendly and happily stored our luggage until our room was ready.
• The apartments are nice and spacious with a large balcony that was nice to sit on
• Kitchen came in handy when we prepared a couple of meals
• The tiled floors are easier to keep clean and don’t harbour smells, dust or dirt so easily.
• Although it was a little cool yet to use the pool, it looked nice and was relaxing to sit around on the sun chairs which were plentiful.
• The apartment was close to a large supermarket, eateries and halfway between Old Town and New Town.

Cons

• The bath/shower arrangement was very ugly and needed regrouting.  It appears they attempted to regroup over the old mould without removing it.
• It was very noisy with the construction going on next door until way past midnight as well as the entertainment on site and other guests talking loudly and slamming doors in the hallway.
• The bed arrangement was two singles pushed together which was very uncomfortable for a couple sharing the bed.
• There was no washing machine which seems pretty typical for apartments here
• No iron in the room – had to pay a €20 deposit to borrow one from Reception
• No shampoo or conditioner despite free bathroom amenities being advertised
• The kitchen had no washing up detergent or dish brush/sponge so you will need to purchase these items or bring your own.
• The furniture was very dated with broken parts replaced with poor quality plywood
• Despite the place being nearly empty and confirmation that no one was booking into our room the day we were leaving, the staff wanted to charge us to extend our check-out by two hours.  This was after staying a week with them!

Summary

Once upon a time this place would have been quite beautiful.  The workmanship that’s gone into the tiling, the marble staircase and the well appointed room was top class.  However time has passed and although the ceramic tiled floors and marble staircases still remain, the upkeep has been poor and the rooms are looking tired.  But probably the worst thing was the noise.  Although it’s not the fault of the hotel that construction of the supermarket next door is going on, better insulation could reduce the noise not only from outside when entertainment is playing late at night but in the hallways from other guests.  We found staff on the whole weren’t that friendly or accommodating.  The place is conveniently located to the supermarket and a nice cake shop and cafe but as we spent most of our time in Old Town we found our next accommodation more conveniently situated.  I wouldn’t choose to stay here again.