Apartment smelled of drains

Advantages: Nice pool, pleasanr helpful staff, appartment very clean
Disadvantages: Bathroom stunk of drains, kitchen antiquated, no kettle, toaster or hairdryer

...WHERE IS THIS RESORT: The Jardim 1 is an older resort in Albufiera near the old part of town in the Algarve in Portugal. A BIT OF HISTORY BEHIND OUR HOLIDAY: We booked this break through a ?bargain? special arrangement through a company called Resort point Services and had had a few problems with the so this was a sort of ? Let?s do this or lose our money? sort of decision. We had no choice of accommodation and we going to go where they put us. Two days before our departure they phoned to say our accommodation was being changed from the Bahia Plaza to the Jardim 1 in Albufiera. I looked up Jardim 1 and there were mixed comments but that is often the case so I packed extra shampoo, conditioner, soap etc and I gathered there would not be freebies. We also put in our beach towels and we suspected that there would not be pool towels. (I did...

catsholiday 28.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Albufeira Jardim Apartments, Algarve

Sunshine, sardines and spoilt fishing villages in the Algarve

Advantages: Sunshine, beaches and scenic rocky coves, interesting inner towns
Disadvantages: Irish bars, fast food and tacky tourist shops

...Just in case there is anyone who doesn't know, the Algarve is on the coast in Southern Portugal. Most tourists get there by flying to Faro and many of the cheaper airlines fly into Faro. Therre are about a dozen options for hire cars at the Airport so you can select your favourite comapany and then drive off to find your accomodation in the Algarve. Driving seems safe and with the help of our Tomtom we found our way around easily rememberring of course to drive on the right side of the road. The Algarve; Having been unimpressed with our accommodation (Albufiera Jardim 1) and stayed in for an appointment with our representative from Resort Point Services or Resort Promotions ( another long tale of woe) we decided that we were not going to be put off the area by this and decided we would explore. ALBUFIRA: On Sunday after our abortive...

catsholiday 16.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Algarve (Portugal)

  MOOSES GUIDE TO THE ALGARVE

Advantages: Loads to do/see, reasonably priced, great for seafood lovers
Disadvantages: Many places will rip you off, bull fighting

...towns and harbours. The Algarve is known as one of the most expensive regions of the Mediterranean to visit (but its actually on the Atlantic anyway!) and this is true if you stay in one of the major towns ~ they will rip you off something rotten (although its still not as much of a rip off as the UK!), but visit smaller resorts and you will find some very good value eating and drinking. Now onto a few of the areas I visited: OLHOS D’AGUA ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This is the fishing village that our apartment was located in and as I mentioned it was First Choice who chose our location as we went on one of those (sometimes dodgy!) “Sundeals” but I honestly have no complaints whatsoever, and that’s pretty unusual for me (!) ~ although it did have some touristy features (the shops selling tat etc!) it was on small scale...

moose 31.07.2002 (01.08.2002) · Read review
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Review of Algarve (Portugal)

Family fun in the Algarve.

Advantages: Water parks, weather and accomodation.
Disadvantages: Three tired kids this morning!

...I went on holiday with my partner and my three step childen (ages 4, 8 and 10) so this is basically a run down of our family holiday in the Algarve. So where should I begin? With the price I suppose. About six months ago we rang up a travel agent and asked them for the cheapest holiday they had any time in September (the prices in August are that ridiculous we couldn?t afford to go). We didn?t really want a ?package? holiday as we were quite happy to hire a car so we could be mobile. A few days later they came back to us with a price of 800 pounds (my pound sign on my keyboard doesn?t work by the way!), considering there is five of us two adults and three children, I thought this very reasonable. For 800 pounds we got flights from Manchester to Faro and a weeks stay in ?Quitas das palmerias? apartments self catering. We had never...

carminator 19.09.2003 · Read review
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Review of Algarve (Portugal)

TAVIRA A QUIET TOWN ON THE ALGARVE

Advantages: Small and friendly
Disadvantages: None for us.

...TAVIRA a small town on the Algarve, this is a very quiet place so if looking for Night Life , look elsewhere. If you are looking for Peace and Quiet and the Beauty of Nature then come to Tavira. Fly into FARO Airport, usually at the time of year we go, Early January for a pickmeup after the Xmas and New Year, I am disappointed if we have to pay more than £50 return on Easyjet from either East Midlands or Stansted. The flight times are good for us From East Mids normally 06:30 departure. Arrives FARO about 09:15. Tavira is located about 24 Kilometers towards the Spanish Boarder. We book our Transfer thru WWW.AUTO-FARO.COM They charge 40 Euros each way for the 4 of us. No extra charges that is what you pay even if flight late. They are very good and friendly, the Taxi driver will give you a little tour of Tavira...

poshtroika 21.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Tavira, Algarve, Portugal

Excellent Algarve

Advantages: Great for familys, nice beaches, very cheap
Disadvantages: touts on the beach, Albuferias old town.

...Looking for a cheap but nice family holiday for myself, partner and seven year old son was proving to be difficult but then the travel agent suggested Portugal, I was not sure at first as I usually go abroad on recommendation from friends and family, but the price was right so we headed off for sunny Portugal! After only a two hour 30 minute flight we got in a cab to our apartments, first impression coming from the airport was that is was going to be a nightmare all I could see was dirty, shabby looking (should have been white washed) villas and apartments. Good for us we were 45 minutes from the airport in Praia Da Oura, just outside Albuferia. It was totally different to the area around the airport, this is what I came on holiday the great scenery and the smell of the sea! We stayed in the Altaoura apartments, in a block of 32...

tmullen3 11.09.2002 · Read review
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Review of Algarve (Portugal)

Algarve - Al Be Back Soon I Hope

Advantages: Good summer climate, nice people, good food, need I go on?
Disadvantages: Had to come home

...?t actually stop them being OPEN, as we found the hard and stony way! As in Greece, your hire car insurance does not cover the tyres or the exhaust ? you?ve been warned. Typically the two things most likely to get broken, what a surprise! Buses seem pretty good, and there is a ?Littoral? bus, or ?Coastliner? dropping off at all principal towns. THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO SEE Apart from the obvious like getting plastered every night (Moose) and sleeping it off by the pool or on the beach, the Algarve has many other attractions. Firstly bird-watchers will love the salt marshes that stretch from the Spanish border west past Faro. Despite not being an expert, in the space of 30 minutes, I saw an Osprey, Great Flamingos both in flight and wading, Stilts and all kinds of sea birds - as they say, ?One Good Tern Deserves Another?. These...

BNibbles 14.08.2002 (08.09.2002) · Read review
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Review of Algarve (Portugal)

BEAUTIFUL ALGARVE

Advantages: Beautiful Scenery
Disadvantages: Hard to park

...I went to the Algarve in 1995. It was our honeymoon present off my mum and dad. We booked through a company called Something Special,who specialise in holiday villas. When we arrived at the airport the reps were there to assist us in the car hire (which was included in the price).There were directions to the villa which were sent to us about two weeks before. All we had to do was pick up the key for the villa at a designated site. The lady there was lovely, she was called Linda, she manages Something Special villas and spoke very good english.Good job really as I don't know any portuguese. Once we got to the Villa we parked our car in the car port situated next to our villa and entered the villa. It was absolutely brilliant.We had two bedrooms,two bathrooms,a private swimming pool just for the two of us. The resort we stayed...

belinda9 19.02.2001 · Read review
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Review of Algarve (Portugal)

Holidaying in The Algarve

Advantages: It's hot in the summer with great beaches
Disadvantages: The tourists- it gets absolutely packed with them!!

...The Algarve has been my holiday destination for the past 9 years. Each time I have stayed in a self catered villa inland. Although you do not get the luxury of a hotel you get the peace and quiet after a day in the main tourist attractions. I personally think that the best way to experience the Algarve is to hire a car and split your holiday into beach and inland. The Algarve has got large stretches of beaches with a variety of sandy and rocky beaches. This is great for sunbathing or rock pooling which can be really interesting for the adults and the kids alike. I know people who have been out fishing, surfing, jetbiking and swimming, and if you have kids hiring a pedalo with a slide can provide endless entertainment. The ocean is the Atlantic so swimming in the sea can be very cold, not advisable at Christmas. An alternative...

sleyley1 19.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Algarve (Portugal)

Estella Hotel and Apartments Did NOT Disappoint!

Advantages: Excellent location, superb customer service levels and lovely rooms
Disadvantages: No real facilities for the disabled

...Estella Hotel Apartments is based in Limassol in Southern Cyprus where I stayed for 6 nights in late April/early May of 2009 with my cousin. The booking was made via Expedia.co.uk and worked out at approximately £200 for 2 of us sharing a twin apartment (just £100 each basically). Before I confirmed the booking through Expedia I went off and did a bit of research on the hotel to make sure I wasn?t getting something that was cockroach infested. The hotel?s website, although fairly basic in appearance, made the hotel look pleasant enough and I sent an email to the hotel asking what amenities were included in the rooms/apartments. I received a reply in very clear English very promptly and then started a chain of emails between myself and the very helpful contact at Estella, a lovely lady called Helen (who was away in Australia during...

anonymili 12.05.2009 (02.06.2009) · Read review
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Review of Estella Hotel Apartments, Limassol