Algarve - Albufeira or Alvor??

angeline

Hi. Going to the Algarve Sept or early October and undecided between Albufeira and Alvor. Thinking that Albufeira might be that bit too busy. Looking for a relaxing break near to the sea but lots of good restaurants nearby. Would Alvor be reasonably lively but peaceful at the same time? Any opinions appreciated.

bungaro79

alvor is fantastic, got married there a few years ago. its pretty quiet, it has a main street with most of the bars and restaurants, praia de rocha is a 5 min cab ride if you're looking for more of a traditional strip with bars and clubs

angeline

Sounds like what we're looking for alright. Hearing good things about Vilamoura as well.

abff

Depends on what you're looking for. Vilamoura is a manufactured resort based around a marina and several golf courses, with lots of high end restaurants. It tends to be significantly more expensive than either Albufeira or Alvor.

Alvor has loads of great restaurants and is quite compact as a resort, so you are likely to be staying within easy walking distance of the village. Albufeira is more spread out and there's a big difference in feel between the 'Strip' and the 'Old Town'.

You'll probably get a lot more information on both resorts if you post your query on TripAdvisor.

abff

Not sure why, but just resurrected this post. Angeline, where did you end up going and how was it?

uck51js9zml2yt

abff wrote: »

Not sure why, but just resurrected this post. Angeline, where did you end up going and how was it?

If you're looking for a place to go. We are just back from Olhao.
Its about a 15 minute drive from Faro on the Spanish side.
Would definitely go back as it didnt have the "millions" of english speaking tourists the other resorts to the west get.

Stacksey

abff wrote: »

Not sure why, but just resurrected this post. Angeline, where did you end up going and how was it?

Albufeira New town and Praia Da Rocha are not great, much more geared towards 21 year olds whereas Albufeira Old town and Alvor are great spots which lots of great restaurants

_kookie

Diana Dead Economist wrote: »

If you're looking for a place to go. We are just back from Olhao.
Its about a 15 minute drive from Faro on the Spanish side.
Would definitely go back as it didnt have the "millions" of english speaking tourists the other resorts to the west get.

How do you pronounce that?

I looked it up and it looks lovely.
Looks like there is a bit of a trek to the beach though.
I like to have no more than 10 mins walk to the beach

uck51js9zml2yt

_kookie wrote: »

How do you pronounce that?

I looked it up and it looks lovely.
Looks like there is a bit of a trek to the beach though.
I like to have no more than 10 mins walk to the beach

Oll -e- ou ( as in ouch)

We stayed in the real marine apartments. Really nice. Hotel also has baby sitters available.

Boats from the marina in front of the hotel to the islands.
We also drove to pedras del Rei and took the little train to the beach.
It's an adventure for the kids.
Has some good restaurants on the coast road, about 10- 15 minutes walk.

It's not inundated with English speaking tourists. Mainly Portuguese.

_kookie

Diana Dead Economist wrote: »

Oll -e- ou ( as in ouch)

We stayed in the real marine apartments. Really nice. Hotel also has baby sitters available.

Boats from the marina in front of the hotel to the islands.
We also drove to pedras del Rei and took the little train to the beach.
It's an adventure for the kids.
Has some good restaurants on the coast road, about 10- 15 minutes walk.

It's not inundated with English speaking tourists. Mainly Portuguese.

Sounds delightful.
Im looking for somewhere different to go for a week at the beginning of October.
Warm but not too warm. I think roundabout there fits the bill nicely.

uck51js9zml2yt

_kookie wrote: »

Sounds delightful.
Im looking for somewhere different to go for a week at the beginning of October.
Warm but not too warm. I think roundabout there fits the bill nicely.

If you're getting a car ( its worth it) try drive4fun.info. they were half the price of everyone else when i booked.

We drove over to benigil to see the caves. its 60 minutes by boat and you'd need to book ahead. really worth doing.

We had planned on visiting Tavira towards the spanish border after pedras del rei and Praia de Barril ( the beach with the train) but a wave took my glasses (dont ask) and driving in a town was impossible for me!

The Islands in the Rio de Formosso are worth doing . Culatra is the better one.There are restaurants when you get to the beach on the far side. Ferries run from the marina beside the hotel.

We only had 6 days before heading north to lisbon....it was too short.
it was really relaxing, had some great fish restaurants and our treat was a daily glass of fresh orange juice which was really sweet.


If youve any questions PM me.

abff

Agree about Drive4Fun. Been using them for years with no problems. Competitive prices, great service, no hidden extras and no funny business.