Stylish holiday for a good price (Falesia Hotel (Portugal))

Member Name: Nickycool

Product:	Falesia Hotel (Portugal)
Date:	23/04/08 (172 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: the food, staff, the pools

Disadvantages: might be a bit too quiet for some people

Falesia Hotel

The hotel isn't actually in Albufeira but in Acoteias, which is about 15 minutes from the city of Albufeira, 20 minutes from Villamoura and 30-40 minutes from Faro Airport. We booked the holiday through Thomson. This is classed as a Thompson Gold holiday as the hotel is a 4 star. We paid £330 per person for 7 nights half board in the month of April. So was it worth it? Let's see.

When we arrived at the hotel, we had to queue up for our rooms to get allocated. The people on the desk were friendly and helpful.

...The Room...

The hotels has 170 rooms. I think because I had requested a double bed, our options were limited. We were given a room on the second floor but unlike the rest of the rooms that had keycards, we given keys.

Room 211A. The room was nice but seemed to be a lot smaller than the other rooms that I had peered into as I walked passed when the maids were cleaning them. My boyfriend had stayed here the year before and had a TV, a fridge/mini bar, a kettle, fruit basket, a bottle of water everyday and free slippers.
This time, there was a TV, a fridge/mini bar, a bottle of water everyday but no kettle, no fruit basket, no slippers. Was little disappointed about that as my boyfriend holiday was last minute so he had paid about £150 less than what we had this time per person. We had quite a big balcony but we overlooked the front of the hotel so every morning when a bus load of people came, we could see and hear it if we had left our door open at night.

Other than that, the room was quiet, clean and well kept. The bathroom had a bath/shower, toilet, bidet and a big mirror. The bathroom was clean on arrival and the maids came every day (even Sunday) to clean the room.


...Meals...

Because we were half board, we had breakfast and dinner included in the price. Breakfast is from 7 in the morning until 10 and dinner from 6.30 in the evening to 9.
At breakfast, there was a big selection. Your traditional English breakfast, cold meats, toast, a selection of cakes, croissants and danishes.

At dinner, they had themes nights. While we were there, we had Portuguese and Chinese nights. There's loads to choose from. Salad bar, soup, at least 5 different main meals. Some English meals, some not so. For example, Paella, Duck with Orange, Chicken with Peppercorn, Roasted Lamb, Roasted Beef etc. Also there was Cheese and Biscuits or a sweet dessert like Ice Cream, Cakes, Profiteroles, Cheesecake, etc.

Everything was lovely. Of course, there's new things that you try and don't like but everything was presented nicely and there was enough choice for everyone.


...Leisure...

There are 2 pools, indoor and outdoor pool. Also there's a Jacuzzi and steam room. Beware that the outdoor pool is not heated and if it has been cold or raining, well it's freezing. Indoor is heated so it's a nice temperature. Around the outdoor pool, there are loads of sun loungers around the pool and the gardens. The gardens are beautiful. It's lovely just to take a stroll through it.

There are two bars. One inside and one outside (which is only open in high season). We didn't really spend much time at either bars. I know that it cost my boyfriend 6Euro for a bottle of Magners. There's a pool table and ping pong table outside so you can have some fun if you're bored of just sitting in the sun.

Each night we were there, there was a football match on in the TV room, where happily watch the Man U match and the Liverpool match as it rained all the first three days of our holidays.

Also there was entertainment by the Thomson reps but we happily missed that as I'm not one for that kind of thing.

The beach is about 15 minutes walk away if you use the lift in the Sheraton Hotel next door. It's a beautiful beach and clean too. We had many evenings strolling along the beach.
If you want to stay in your room a bit (or if you're forced to by the weather), there's Satellite TV in every room. There's some Portugese Channels, one french one, many news channels like CNN, Sky News etc and BBC1, BBC2 and ITV1. Also one radio station which plays all kind of music.

There's also a gift shop, which sells all kind of different items and also magazines and newspapers. Some of the items are a bit pricey but what do you expect? It's a gift shop in a hotel.

...The Resort...

The hotel complex is nice. Like I said before, it has a big garden and the area around it is quiet and peaceful. There are 2 supermarkets nearby. There's a wonderful Chinese restaurant as you come down the steps from the hotel. There's a few clothes shops, a chemist and transfer/trip organiser place. There's many bars, restaurants and cafes down the road from the hotel but if you want a busy night life, you need to go to Albufeira or Villamoura.
We went to the Piri Piri Restaurant that is owned by the Sheraton Hotel. It's lovely but expensive but I would recommend it to anyone for a change from the Falesia Hotel food.


...Trips from the Hotel to various places...

Of course, there are trips from the hotel organised by Thomson themselves but my god are they expensive. Here's a little tip. Go to the Bar called Trotters (it has a Del Boy Van parked outside). Next door to there, there is a place that does autographs but they only do trips for a fraction of the price of the Thomson. We went to Loule Market on the Saturday for 10Euro per person when the hotel wanted 18Europp. A day trip (4 hours) to Albufeira or Villamoura for Euro5pp. A taxi ride to Albufeira cost about 7-8Euro each way and a taxi to Villamoura cost about 10Euro each way. The great things about these trips are that they even pick you up from the hotel.

...Staff...

Everyone is really friendly and helpful. On the first day of arrival, I already managed to get some blisters, I asked at the reception desk where they had any plasters, they asked me what size I would like and if I need anymore just to come and ask. They also provide paraceptamols free of charge if you need them which is great to know when the shops are open in the evening. Maids that cleaned our room were really nice. Because my boyfriend had stayed there before, the desk manager sent us up a small bottle of wine and few biscuits, which I thought was a lovely gesture. Honestly, you can't fault them. Need extra pillows or blankets, just ask reception and they will sort it for you. The staff in the restaurant are just as helpful. If there's any dietary requirements, just let one of them know and they are happy to help or find someone that can help you.


...Overall thoughts...

It's a beautiful hotel with really helpful staff and great food. Yes, the food can get a bit same especially if you stayed for 14 days. The hotel is for only 16s and over, which rules this hotel out for a few people but not to sound mean or anything like that but it was lovely have no kids around for once on holiday. The hotel is situated in a really quiet location. It does really depend on what kind of person you are on whether you would like it or not. If you're a party person, I do not recommend you stay here as you're too far away from the main cities of Villamoura and Albufeira. If you want a quiet relaxing holiday, it is definitely the place.

For more info, check out their website http://www.falesia.com/ or go onto the Thomson Website http://www.thomson.co.uk/ and type in Falesia

Summary: Stylish holiday for a good price and fun