Albufeira-the nitty gritty (Albufeira)

Member Name: plzen

Product:	Albufeira
Date:	19/08/02 (2026 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: weather, plenty of bars & restaurants

Disadvantages: crowded and touristy, no local interest

This was the first time my family had been abroad. We looked long and hard through travel brochures, TV and Internet ads before deciding the Algarve was suitable for us.
We were badly misled! The weather was fantastic, there were loads of beaches and the town was full of bars and restaurants. So what was wrong?
The town itself has no inherent interest. It exists in its present form simply to service the tourists. The Strip epitomises this, full of glitzy memorabilia shops, bars and food outlets. It is simply The Golden Mile with sun! Fantastic if that is what you want. We didn't. We would have preferred even a little bit of genuine culture, pleasant countryside, and less 'See the real Algarve' bus trips...
Albufeira provides a haven for those seeking sun sand and much else beginning with an 's'. It is not a holiday centre for those who dont want to spend all day on the beach and all night in a bar.
Accommodation wise we were also messed up. We were self catering. The apartment was not equipped to cook so much as an egg. The alleged swimpool area closed at 7pm so if you spent a day out and came back for a meal there was literally nothing to do, no bar, cafe or restaurant on the entire complex (Villa Alba). The apartments were set in a run down area of Montechoro surrounded by derelict plots of land, tenements and dogs. We were supposed to be in Albufeira, we ended up in Montechoro, the hill at the top of New Town. A short walk to the beach? 40 minutes down hill, over an hour back. Check carefully in which part of town your accommodation is situated.
We had several run ins with the hotel over the lack of facilities and poor maintenance. This did not help us enjoy the 'holiday'. The rep was next to useless and did not get back to us regarding the obvious problems we had with cooking.
Albufeira? Stay in Old Town, explore the quiet beaches to the East, find a decent restaurant away from the front and next time go to Gr
eece. They do it much better!

Summary: