After spending a week in a noisy apartment we moved closer to Old Town to this delightful traditional Portuguese apartment, attractively renovated with all the mod cons and delightful views of the sea and the beach.

Address

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

Date stayed

Monday 9th May for 21 nights (3 weeks)

Room Type

I bedroom apartment 

We were allocated a room on the top level with views across the beach and the water to the left and the white Mediterranean style buildings on the right.

Price

We paid a lower rate for the first week compared with the second and third weeks.  We booked through Hotels.com for a non-refundable booking. Prices were as follows:

Week 1 (7 nights): A$730.59 AUD (€483) or A$104.37 AUD (€69) per night

Weeks 2 and 3 (14 nights): A$,2078.58 AUD (€1,374) or A$148.47 (€98) per night

Location

Set right in the centre of Albufeira’s historical Old Town, Apartamentos Tucha is an easy walk to Pescadores Beach, shops, and hundreds of eateries.  Just 50 metres from a bus stop, tourist train and taxi pickup point, everything is in easy reach.  Faro International airport is a 37 minute drive and the train station is only 4.8km away.

Check-in/Check-out

• Check-in is from 1500 (3pm) to 2359 (11:59pm) although we were able to check in earlier which was helpful
• Check-out is before 11:30am
• This property does not accommodate groups here for parties 
• A cash damage deposit of €150 is required according to the Tucha website however we were never asked to pay this
• No pets allowed
• Someone will meet you at the property at a prearranged time to hand over the keys and explain a few things about the property

Parking

There is no onsite parking although there is some free parking within a few hundred metres out on the street subject to availability.

Internet

Free high speed internet is available in all areas of the apartment.  We found it to be fast and reliable.

Room Features

Our apartment 6 included:

• A newly renovated (2019) modern air-conditioned space with ceramic tiled flooring throughout
• Opening windows in different parts of the room to let fresh air and the lovely sea breeze through.  There is a picturesque view out to the beach and sea.
• A lounge/dining area with wall mounted TV, cabinet, lamp, coffee table, coasters, double sofa couch with cushions,  two armchairs, round dining table with four chairs and shoe rack.
• A shared verandah facing the street
• A fully contained kitchen with ceramic cooktop, microwave, fridge, coffee machine, toaster, cooking pots & utensils, crockery, cutlery, mixing bowls, stick blender, etc.
• A cupboard in the kitchen containing Ironing board and iron, portable clothes line & pegs, first aid kit, mop & bucket, dustpan & brush and two beach umbrellas.
• A bedroom with two single beds which we pushed together to make one large bed, TV, cabinet with drawers, wardrobe containing hanging space and hangers plus bedding for the sofa bed if required.  There is also one bedside table and lamp, a dresser with drawers and an arm chair.
• An ensuite bathroom with rain shower and hand held washer, liquid soap, towels, floor mats and hand towels, clothes rack and unit containing extra toilet paper and hair dryer.

                                       

Hotel Facilities

In this small development there were not many facilities as each apartment was self contained, the beach was in site and you are surrounded by hundreds of eating places.  It would have been handy to have a washing machine but there are laundromats around and a clothes rack, hanger and pegs.  Services available are:

• Housekeeping twice a week to clean the apartment, wash and vacuum the floors and change the towels, hand towels and tea towels.  Bed linen is changed once a week.
• A shuttle to the airport can be arranged for a fee

Breakfast

The apartment does not have or need it’s own restaurant serving breakfast but with the fully equipped kitchen we were able to prepare our own with groceries bought from the supermarket.  And on occasion we would eat out or pick up a pastry from the bakery section of the supermarket.

Things to do in the Area

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

• Walked down to the Marina where our boat left to take us parasailing.  This was an amazing experience and I highly recommend it.  Followed up with an enjoyable meal from one of the restaurants at the Marina.
• Sampled some of the traditional Portuguese food and International food from various restaurants
• Spotted the various sculptures throughout Old Town
• Indulged in a piece of cake or two at the Pastelaria Riviera cake shop
• Watched the sun set over the water
• Hired a car and drove to Slide & Splash waterpark and Sand City 
• Walked along the beach and went for a swim
• Enjoyed a drink at the Portas Da Vila bar where the lovely owner has decorated inside and out with shells he collected from down on the beach here.  You can check out the outside of his home where he’s done the same thing.
• Walked along the cliff tops admiring the different rock formations and beaches
• Tried our luck at ten pin bowling down at the Marina

For other ideas of things to do in Albufeira please see my review on Paladim and Alagoamar Hotel where we stayed for seven nights.

Pros

• We were able to check in hours early which proved very helpful
• Good communication from the owner
• Renovated and modern apartment that’s been nicely furnished
• A fully equipped kitchen for preparing and cooking food
• Perfect location in Old Town close to the beach, restaurants, shops and some attractions
• Plenty of windows to allow cross ventilation making the most of the sea breeze
• Views of the sea and the beach from the window
• The cleaners did a really good job cleaning our room each time

Cons

• Single beds instead of one double or queen
• For someone who has a lot of luggage or has mobility issues the rooms on the top floor may be a bit of a problem as there is no lift however there are a few rooms on the ground level.
• Although there was a good range of kitchen utensils we missed not having an egg flip (which we just ended up buying) and a set of tongs.

Summary

We loved our stay at Apartamentos Tucha.  I loved that it was newly renovated, in a suburb location, had views of the sea and the beach and had a fully equipped kitchen with which to prepare and cook food in.  The cleaners did a really great job cleaning the place and the double sofa bed came in handy when my brother came to stay with us one weekend.  Would definitely recommend this place and would happily stay here again.