I recently spent a week at the Algarve in Albufeira. Based on my previous experiences in Portugal (I had been twice to Cascais, which is located 30 minutes from Lisbon, and loved it each time), I was pretty excited about this vacation. First impression upon landing was an airport under construction (this would be following us the entire holiday: “under construction”). Otherwise, the area around Faro looked nice, although nature was rather scarce.
Accommodation
After a 45 minutes drive we arrived at our hotel in Albufeira: Salgados Dunas Suites Hotel. This hotel belongs to the chain NAU Hotels. Our driver had explained that a real estate investor had built several buildings around the area in the early 2000 years, but had to sell them only shortly after when the financial crisis hit the country and that different hotels had bought the buidlings, thus many different hotels had the same style. The Salgados Dunas Suites Hotel spans over 6 buildings and the reception area as well as the breakfast room is in building 1. It was advertised as a 5 star hotel, but from what we experienced this week I’d rather rate it a 4 star hotel. We had a suite with three bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms as well as a living area. When checking in, the receptionist gave us plastic wristbands which we were supposed to wear constantly. She explained this was necessary as strangers otherwise would try to enter the pool area. However, all entrances to the pool area could only be accessed with the room key card, thus this didn’t make sense to us. We had only booked a room with breakfast. Such a wristband would only make sense for all inclusive stays in my view.
When we first entered our room, half of the lights didn’t work. It was fixed quickly, but I had expected something like this to be tested before our arrival. Also, in the kitchen area was a Nespresso machine and capsules with a sign stating that a coffee would cost EUR 2. Coffee and tea in the room is in most hotels included. And considering that an espresso in surrounding restaurants cost between EUR 1-2, it was not cheap either. The kitchenette had a fridge, a freezer, microwave and dishwasher, but aside from glasses no cutlery, dishes, or other kitchen utensils. I assume the building was originally planned as condos and was converted into a hotel later. A nice feature was that every building had its own parking garage, free to use for hotel guests. As we had rented a car, this came in very handy. The hotel has a total of nine pools (3 small ones for kids, 3 medium sized and 3 large pools), which are all heated. Over a wooden walkway, one can access the beach and the ocean. Unfortunately, deckchairs or umbrellas at the beach are not provided by the hotel; hotel guests only get a 20% discount at the rental station. Also the hotel does not have a private beach; so we went there only twice briefly and kept our valuables at the hotel.
Sights / Activities
During our stay we visited Albufeira, Vilamoura, Loulé and Sagres and Cabo de São Vicente. Albufeira is a true tourist place, with tons of souvenir shops and not much atmosphere. Vilamoura is supposed to be the St. Tropez of the Algarve, but didn’t excite us much either (unless you want to buy stuff in a boutique of Christiano Ronaldo – good thing he wears his tricot most of the time…). Loulé on the other hand was a true surprise with a cute old town core and a market. Just be aware that most shops close on Saturday at 1pm, so try to visit it during the week. Sagres and the lighthouse was a rather long drive from our hotel (1.5hrs), but worth it. The view there is truly spectacular.
What was less beautiful were all the abandoned buildings under construction along the way. It seems that they take good care of all places at the beach front, but as soon as you get a bit inside the countryside, you see all the victims from the financial crisis in ’08.
Other things to do are golfing, but be aware that green fees can be outrageous expensive and rank as high as EUR 200 – golf cart not included. Usually, hotels offer discounts for their guests on their golf courses; take advantage of it. Golf courses around Vilamoura are very picturesque, but some of them are amongst the outrageous expensive mentioned above. The Oceanico Victoria Golf course was designed by recently deceased Arnold Palmer. And then of course you can get tanned at the beach or at the pool.
While the weather is very stable at the Algarve until early October, the ocean is then already cold as it is the Atlantic and not the Mediterranean sea.
There is also a shopping mall close to Albufeira, which is an option during a rainy day. You’ll find lots of Inditex shops, but also other stores, mostly in the low to mid price section.
Cuisine
Please refer to this post and this article. In sum, we didn’t have one bad meal and I am a great fan of the Portuguese cuisine.
Airport
As mentioned above, the airport was under construction. During our arrival, this didn’t bother us much. When departing, it became an issue. First, note that only holiday/low-cost airlines operate this airport. This means that the AirBerlin check-in counter only opens 2 hours before departure. So we had to spend an hour in one of the only two cafes at the airport. The other airlines seem to handle it the same way, so the café was very crowded. The line at check-in started forming shortly before the announced opening and then didn’t move for 30-45minutes it seemed. This was one of they most inefficient check-ins I had ever experienced. Once this line was over, the real nightmare began: security check. The line there was even longer and formed like a labyrinth. After 20 minutes we realized that there were two ways leading to the security scanners, our line only had two open scanners, while the other had 6! Other tourists also noticed this and were trying to speak to the security personnel, but were ignored. The highlight or low point was when a women two lines behind us fainted. The security guy who was very close to her didn’t do shit. We then screamed for help, so that the staff in front of us would notice and call for a doctor. They finally did and led her to a chair, but the reaction time was dangerously slow. I do not want to know what they would have done if she had had a heart attack or another serious health issue. She seemed to recover after a few minutes and we finally made it through security as well. NEVER AGAIN! I have seldom seen such a badly organized airport and being under construction is no excuse for this.
Conclusion
Next time I’ll plan a holiday in Portugal, it will be again in the area of Lisbon (Cascais, Estoril, Sintra). This area is just more to my liking: Less huge hotel resorts, more sights and culture. And last but not least; the airport has regular flights and thus is way better organized. That being said, if you are a surfer or looking for summer vacation in late September / early October in Portugal, then the Algarve is for you.
Travel Tips
- Rent a car.
- When booking a hotel, only take a room with breakfast. Unless you love buffets, then go for full board. There are tons of good and reasonably priced restaurants everywhere at the Algarve.
- Visit Loulé during a weekday.
- If you are not bound to the school holidays, travel in September / early October.
- If you are a golfer, do some research on the green fees / golf courses beforehand.
- This goes without saying: get a room with ocean view
