Torre Velha Hotel

My boyfriend and I (21 and 20 years of age) have just returned from a fabulous holiday, staying at the Torre Velha Hotel. After reading some of the reviews, I have to admit I was a little concerned about the hotel but when we arrived I was pleasantly surprised and realised that there was no need to worry.

The staff at the hotel are some of the most friendly people I have ever met and they will go out of their way to do anything for you. I cannot fault one member of staff in any way, they made us feel very welcome and helped us out in every way.

The rooms are very clean and although they are basic, they were perfect for us. Ignore the comments about, they're only being single beds in the rooms, we asked for a double bed when we booked and that's exactly what we got.

The pool area is beautiful and was very quiet whilst we were there, which was lovely and meant we had the pool to ourselves practically every day! Although the pool is only 1.2m deep, it is perfect to help you cool down in the boiling hot weather.

The beach is only 5 minutes down the road and is really pretty. There is a bar on the beach side where you can get drinks and food to take on the beach or eat in the bar.

There is a cash machine and a small supermarket a couple of minutes down the road at the Hapimag hotel, which is open to anyone.

The food in the Torre Velha is gorgeous, with a wide range of meals for very cheap prices.

Although we were booked in under bed and breakfast, we never actually made breakfast! From what we heard the breakfast was basic but after reading reviews for other hotels in the Algarve, this seems to be the case throughout the area.

If you fancy something a bit more substantial then we would definitely recommend Scooby's pool bar, which is about 5 minutes walk away from the hotel. You can get a full English and plenty of other meals and snacks that are all at reasonable prices. You can also use their pool, sun beds and play crazy golf!

The hotel is in a quiet location and although I wouldn't advise it for families, it is absolutely perfect for couples or anyone else who wants a place to take it easy and not be surrounded by noise 24/7.

At night you can get a taxi either to the Old Town, where there are some amazing restaurants and really trendy bars, or to the Strip where there are also restaurants but is more popular with big groups and in a my opinion a little bit like Blackpool but warmer! We preferred the Old Town and would recommend the Bravissimo Steak House and the Alibaba Chinese, although every meal we had whilst in Albufeira was fantastic and cheap! Taxis to and from the Old town cost about 6 Euros each way but it is definitely worth the money.

It can sometimes be difficult to get a taxi both to and from the hotel, so I would advise you to speak to the hotel staff about the most appropriate times and also to the local taxi drivers who are all really friendly.

The hotel serves food until 10.30pm and the bar is open daily from 11.00am until 1.00am and you can get pretty much any drink you want, including cocktails. Pints of 6.2% lager are only 2.50 Euros!

There is no real entertainment in the hotel but they do have karaoke on a few nights a week and bingo, which may sound a bit boring but after a few drinks it is a proper laugh and all the staff get involved.

I would definitely recommend this hotel to couples, small groups or people travelling on their own. We had a brilliant time and are planning on going back next year, so that just shows how impressed we were. If you have any questions about the hotel or the area then leave a comment below and I will be happy to help.

We are going to stay there again.