Alvor, Alvorferias Apartments

We only paid £59 for a week self catering in the winter months, so we had value for money, but I was very annoyed with the receptionist at the Alvirferias Apartments (I was only 22 at the time). It can be boring in the evenings as there is nothing to do, unless you want to walk a few minutes in to town. It is a pretty little fishing village with traditional Portuguese people living there. February is a good month to visit, as Alvor smells of Almonds and citrus fruit due to the growing season. My best memory was of sneaking into the pool area late at night with my friends. We all laid on the sunbeds and talked for hours staring at the stars. We saw a shooting star which was lovely.

I wouldn't visit Alvorferias during the summer months as there are better hotels in the Algarve for the same price as this one.

Alvor Alvorferias Apartments: Why have I said that a split site is a good thing AND a bad thing?

Well in my opinion the Alvorferias apartments benefit from a split site position but it can also catch people out. As long as you realise before you go that you could be on the other side of the road from friends and family. Having said that I went to Alvorferias after booking through an independent travel agency and they knew the site was split so requested 2 rooms on the same side. But some people already there were unhappy as it wasn't clear beforehand and also the road that splits the site is busy, not what we would think of as busy but busy for Portugal!! To be honest I wouldn't say that the site was suitable for disabled guests simply because of the bridge between the two halves and the distance to the town. Having said that you don't NEED to use the bridge if your apartment is on the reception side and you don't mind taking the short taxi ride into town (about 3-6 euros).

The site itself is in a reasonable location with a foot bridge which links both parts of the site. There is a bar, restaurant, mini-market, paper/souvenir shop and pool on both parts of the site. There are tennis courts and a five-a-side football court on the main side.

The swimming pools are reasonable size, certainly big enough for the amount of people on each side. There isn't a great deal of loungers but they are free, along with some umbrellas and small side tables. If you can't be bothered to get up early and start sunbathing before they all go then just make sure you take an inflatable lilo to lie on as the grass is hard and reedy (It reminded me of Florida grass - nothing like our soft lush stuff!!) The mini-market shop is well stocked (on both sides) and the bar/restaurants are good value and the staff quite happily bring snacks and drinks to the poolside for you. If you want to take the 15-20 minute walk to the beach then make sure you get a map from reception or take the courtesy bus but beware, it doesn't run that often and the last bus back is about 4pm.

The apartments are well-sized (we had a 1 bedroom and a 2 bedroom). The 2 bedroom apartment was more generous on lounge space and had a much bigger kitchen but that's not to say the 1 bed was small. The kitchen was typical Mediterranean - tiled floor, small fridge, electric cooker, and not a great deal of cooking gear. But when you have amazing restaurants nearby who wants to be cooking after a hard day round the pool????

There is an on-site kids club for two age ranges, one for teens and one for the younger kids. From what I saw of them - the reps were always willing to play games. There were all sorts of people at Alvorferias whilst we were there - older people, families with younger children and families with older children. A few groups of 18 - 25 yr olds but as these apartments aren't in the centre of town or in one of the busier resorts I think the bigger groups will stay away.

Alvorferias apartments aren't in the town centre but there are a good number of restaurants within easy walking distance, or a short taxi ride away. If you are willing to walk to the town centre there are a huge variety of restaurants shops, cafes and bars. The restaurants by the quayside are some of the best I've been to abroad for fresh fish and seafood. And if you haven't been to a Nandos restaurant in the UK and tasted Peri-Peri chicken; then do so before you go to the Algarve - the chicken in peri-peri (or piri-piri) sauce is FANTASTIC! And the peri-peri chicken and fish (especially sardines) that is served in Alvor is even better.

The range of trips available in the region is good and I would recommend the water park/animal park combination of Zoo Marine - very good value. Make sure you time your visit around the dolphin/sealion/parrot shows. There are a number of trips around the coast which are all reasonable value - they tend to all be fairly similar - 1-2hr cruise, short stop to view caves and have a swim, lunch and then head back. Take a look in Alvor for the full range of trips, the reps tend to have a very limited range available. There are also some great trips up to the mountains and even ones going as far up as Madrid!

Overall I love the region, the people, the food and the drink. I'm not sure the Alvorferias is particularly suited to large groups of younger people but if it takes all sorts.

Oh and one last thing .the Algarve has one of the best range of Golf courses in the world for such a small region.