Albufeira Portugal

We spent two weeks at a timeshare in Albufeira, a town in the central Algarve. We arrived in the last week of January 2003. The weather was perfect. It was sunny every day with temperatures of between 60 and 70 degrees F. Being there in January, there were relatively few tourists (and traffic was light). It was an ideal location as we were never very far from anywhere in the Algarve. You could go anyplace in a couple of hours. The beaches in the Algarve are very scenic and at this time of year deserted. We took a day trip to Gibraltor, which definitely should be on the to do list for anyone visiting the area.

Quick Tips:

The restaurants offer an abundance of seafood. It is fairly expensive though. Seafood is charged by the pound on the menu. When you order your fish the proprietor wieghs it and then tells you the cost. Most fish will serve two people. Bring along a small pair of binoculars if you have them, you won't be sorry.

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around is by car, except in Lisbon where the Metro is best. There are many hiking trails along the coast. These trails will take you to spectacular views and secluded beaches.

Driving in Portugal is no different than driving in North America. The roads are a little narrower and usually in good shape. The roads through the small villages off the beaten track are a different story. The roads are extremely narrow and twisting. The drivers for the most part are not any worse than driving in some of our major North American cities. Montreal comes to mind.

The Sesimbra Park is a four star hotel situated in a small fishing village about 20 to 30 minutes south of Lisbon. The hotel definitely deserves a rating of four stars. The rooms are immaculate and well-appointed. There is a choice of a double bed or two singles only. The room has satellite TV and a small bar fridge in the room. There is a choice of ocean view or non-ocean view room. The price difference is 10 Euros more for the ocean view. We chose the ocean view. There is a small balcony overlooking the main streeet and ocean. The balcony has a table and chairs. We could relax with a drink and enjoy watching the activities taking place on the beach and main streetr below.

The price of the room includes a buffet breakfast. The buffet is quite large and consists of fresh fruit, breads, pastries, pure juices, scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausages.

The hotel has its own underground parking, which is good because there is very few places to park around the hotel.

The hotel also has a pool on the top floor. It is indoor/outdoor (the pool has a retractable roof). Outside the pool and higher on the roof is a whirlpool. The views from here are magnificent, especially at night. There is also a sauna, a steam bath, and an exercise room. It also has its own restaurant, which serves excellent seafood.

The hotel was a good place to serve as a central location from which we could pursue several easy day trips to the sights around the area, including Lisbon.

The room prices vary by season. We were there in January (low season). Go to the web site to determine the rooms rates for the time you want. You can find it here.

The Radisson SAS is a four star hotel, situated five minutes from the Lisbon airport and within a five minute walk to the Metro station (subway).

The hotel is definitely four star. The room was large, clean, and well appointed. The bathroom was spotless and shiny with all the amenities, i.e. hair dryer, 120/240v plug for a razor or hair dryer/curler, and a good supply of shampoo, etc.

The room had a queen size bed (almost unheard of in Portugal), a couch, table and two side chairs, as well as a bar fridge and satellite TV.

The service in the hotel was exceptional - everyone was friendly and very very helpful. They even offered to follow me to the airport to drop off my rental car and then drive me back to the hotel.

The stated room price was 140 to 150 Euros per night ($150 to $160 US, $230 to $250 CAD), but we got the room for 80 Euros.

The Metro was only a five minute walk from the hotel. The Metro was a 15 minute ride to downtown Lisbon.

There is no swimming pool, sauna, or whirlpool at this hotel.

Best Things Nearby:
Club Albufeira is situated mid-Algarve, almost equal distance between the Spanish border and the eastern most point of Cape St. Vincent. Driving distances to anywhere in the Algarve are as a result very short. The resort is about a mile from the Ocean beaches. You can shop in the old town at the small shops and market, or go to the large supermarkets in the new part of town. All shopping is only minutes away. To the north is the main east-west highway, which goes right into Spain.

Best Things About the Resort:
The Club Albufeira is located in a complex of timeshare units. There are two separate pools as well as two whirpools. The grounds are beautifully green, with mature palm trees in abundance. The unit itself is clean but spartenly furnished. All the amentities are present - full kitchen, bathroom, satellite TV. The bedroom has two twin beds pushed together, a set of sliding glass doors overlooking the grounds and pool area. The unit is not air-conditioned, however we were there in the winter and this was not a big drawback as the temperatures were in the mid 60's most of the time. The kitchen had ample pots, pans, dishes, and silverware. Maid service came every day unless we specified otherwise.

Resort Experience:
The unit was definitely not up to Gold Crown standards. There were many little things which irked us. They did not have a dish cloth in the unit, nor did they have any in the resort. There was only one drying towel per unit. There was a dishwasher, so I suppose we were supposed to use it (no detergent supplied for either the dishwasher or sink). I guess we were expected to leave everything dirty and let the maid service clean up. We used a wash cloth as a dish cloth. There were no garbage bags supplied. There were no condiments at all (i.e. salt and pepper). I suppose if most of the residents are European they bring what they need with them. However, if you fly in this becomes impossible. You have to buy every little thing there.

The bedroom has two twin beds pushed together. One bed was longer than the other as well as higher, so you can imagine what that was like. The beds were also hard as a rock, which took some getting used to.

The unit had definitely seen better days, and the attention to detail when cleaning was lacking. There were hair/dust balls around the edges of the rooms.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Fair
• Unit Satisfaction: Fair
• Family Friendliness: Fair
• Service: Good

I explored all the rental possibilities before I left Canada. Most car rental companies give you an price that does not include the mandatory extras such as collision damage waiver, personal liability, and theft. These extras can add up to more than the price of the basic rental. Also, a lot of rental companies in Europe do not accept the Gold Card Collision damage waiver inherent in the card.

I ended up getting a car from a compay called carjet.com. This is a web only based company specializing in Spain and Portugal. One of their companies called All-Inclusive-Car-Hire.com rents cars where the rental price includes all the liabilities.

I rented a car for 18 days at a total cost of 300 Euros. The car comes with a gas tank almost empty and when you return it they expect it will be almost empty. The company representative will meet you at your destination with the car any time of the day or night. The car can be returned any time of day or night. When returning, there are no papers to sign, nothing. You pay up front for the total cost of the rental.

I had no problems whatsoever with the company or the rental car.