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Pool

Good points very clean hotel & rooms. Rooms dated.
Pool area small  & packed with sun beds. Pictures make it seem much larger.
Bar service slow , only allowed 2 drinks at a time. Hotel should review there use of Small disposable plastic cups  small drink & not great for the environment the amount they use.
Food average. Little variation
All inclusive it is not. Pay a large deposit, deposit for pool towels. Pay for your safe non refundable.  If you want to use the gym you pay for this each time poor selection of equipment.

Disappointing Hotel

Please don't scroll down and read any negative reviews.  Our stay was excellent! The hotel is perfectly located. Down a quiet road, within an easy 5 -10 min walk to the main strip.. with a few restaurants and shops along the way
.aldi a 5 min walk. The hotel was exceptionally clean, staff were constantly cleaning: lobby, poolside, bar areas, garden etc..all staff polite, helpful and friendly. The room , a 1 bed apt had a lovely pool view, spacious bedroom and sitting room.. large balcony and kitchenette.. towels changed , bin emptied when necessary.  Plenty of sun beds when we stayed . Fuly agree with the 100 euro deposit on room. The all inclusive package was fantastic..yes you can only get 2 drinks at a time, even soft drinks, but so what..just go twice...there were 3 of us, no problem just to pop back to the table and back to the bar. Quick service, rarely a queue.. poolside bar good. The food, wow! Soon much choice ... massive selection at breakfast, everything could think of. Fresh and tasty...at lunch , again  you didn't know what to choose first.  Huge selection of fresh salads, and a lovely choice of meats, fish etc... soup, breads, chef cooking and kids section with fresh  pizza cooking, chips etc.  Wine and beer on tap along with soft drinks.. evening meal was the same! Superb! The entertainment team work hard all day...so friendly with a wide range of activities throughout the day and evening for kids and adults: quizzes, dance, craft etc..we watched 2 great piano acts in the evening,  a cabaret show, traditional folk dancing..and a karaoke night . The cabaret and karaoke were in a separate room if guests didn't want to watch. This is a wonderful hotel, and can't believe any of  these negative reviews. Would love to come back again..

Excellent!

I went last week and I fell in love with the entertainers, Leo, Pedro and Joana, They were all amazing and sweet and made our trip 100% better and I do miss them a lot and would go back again and see them all over again.
I'd give this place more than 5 stars ;)

Fun at the hotel

I'll start by saying this review is long, but it is realistic. There are some "issues" but nothing worthy of less than 5 stars. 

Skip to the end for a pros and cons summary.

The hotel is spotless. Rooms clean and furnished nicely. Pool area hosed down daily and skimmed throughout the day when the wind blows leaves in. Plates and glasses cleared quickly in the restaurant and bar - the staff are so attentive but you never feel like they're rushing you. If you're in the restaurant at the end of meal times, someone will approach you to ask if you'd like to grab anything else before they remove the food - such a simple touch, yet most hotels are too eager to kick you out. 

All the staff are so friendly and it never seems insincere. The animation team work tirelessly day and night, encouraging you to join in but also giving you space when you need it. They even offer to help you move your sun lounger. We were there at a quieter time of year it seemed. I would be concerned about the amount of sun loungers during school holidays; the pool area is quite small. We managed to find beds whatever time we arrived, but there is definitely a problem with people reserving them - we lay down at 1:30pm and the beds next to us weren't occupied until 4:30pm, despite having towels on them. I did witness guests removing towels and there wasn't any confrontation, but staff should really be monitoring this. The main problem with the pool area is the giant parasols: they cover 80% of the sun loungers, and one side of the pool doesn't see sun til early afternoon, so if you want to catch some rays, you'll need fight for them.

We always found something to eat, but I will admit they had some odd salads - kiwi and pineapple often found their way in - but this is obviously to reduce waste a repurpose foods, and they do have a salad bar where you can choose your own ingredients. If you are vegetarian, you will struggle. If you are vegan, maybe avoid. We are lucky to have no dietary restrictions, and always had full plates of delicious food. Despite the hotel having a kids club and an excellent animation team, if you have a fussy eater, it might be a struggle at meal times: no usual "kids station" with nuggets, but there was pizza and chips every lunch and dinner, so you could definitely get by. There was another station that wasn't in operation when we were there mid June, so that could present other options. 

All inclusive snacks were fine - burgers, chips, ham, cheese, fruit salad, yoghurt, pastries. They were self serve and I feel they were not refilled as often as they could have been, especially the pastries. On the topic of self serve: all drinks outside of meal times are bar service only (except water). Most all inclusive hotels have beer and soft drinks for guests to help themselves, so that's a shame.

Standard selection of all inclusive drinks: local spirits, beer, soft drinks, knock off baileys. Cocktails from a machine were just okay. 

The hotel could benefit from introducing reusable cups. All drinks outside of the restaurant are served in disposable cups. Even when you take them back to the bar for a refill, fresh cups are given. Personally I don't mind not being given glass in the evenings; I would just rather they were reusable. 

All inclusive finishes at 11pm but that didn't bother us, as we headed out afterwards. The new town is a 5-10 minute stroll from the hotel. We took the side street directly across the main road - it brings you out halfway down the strip. Be warned: it is a bit mad. We weren't there to party hard, so Ancora and Wild & Co were our preferred bars. If you have children and want to venture out at night, head to old town instead. 

Oura beach is a 15 minute walk, but I'd recommend Oura beach east for a more relaxing day out. You can walk between the two when the tide isn't up to the rocks, or follow google maps for a direct route from the hotel. Old town was a 40 minute power walk, but the hotel do offer a free shuttle. The beach there is busy so if you're solely visiting for that, stick to Oura east. 

Transfer with Jet2 was 90 minutes arriving, due to multiple drop offs. Return was 45 minutes direct, so I would recommend a private transfer, although the 90 minutes flew by.

If I visited Albufeira again, I would definitely stay here, for great access to new town and the beach. 

PROS
Squeaky clean throughout
Amazing, friendly staff 
Fresh, tasty food 
Great animation team
Good selection of all inclusive drinks  
Close to new town with free shuttle to old town during the day
Very walkable location close to beach, shops, restaurants, bars

CONS
Small pool area with too many parasols and sunbed hogging 
Not for vegans. Picker eaters get pizza and chips 
No self serve drinks outside meal times 
Disposable cups even at the main bar 
All inclusive finishes at 11pm 
Far to walk to old town 
90 minute transfer but 40-45 direct

An honest, detailed review.

Staff very friendly and helpful. Room huge, with sitting area, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Room modern and bright with plenty of wardrobe and drawer space. Room kept clean and towels/bedding changed regularly.
Great choice of food and quality good. Food always hot enough.
Pool area nice with plenty of sunbeds but floors and sunbed tables need a good clean.
Animation staff very friendly without being pushy. They really seem to enjoy their jobs.
Evening entertainment very poor. They could benefit from regular shows and live singers etc 
Drinks are also poor and served in tiny plastic cups.
I agree with paper/plastic cups during the day in the pool area but feel you should get a glass during the evenings. Often lobg queues at the bar as only obe member of staff serving. Same at pool bar which strangely closes at lunchtime when restaurant opens. Not good for those still round the pool.
There are not many members if staff so the move from waiter service in restaurant to bar tending in bar or pool area. They work so hard.
Cocktails pre made in a machine so not the best and no sparkling wine.
All inclusive but went to local Aldi to buy my own prosecco and cider.
Good proximity to the strip and Oura beach and free shuttle bus to old town and beach an added bonus. Only 7 euro in taxi to old town area which is a nice place for food and drinks.
All in all, not perfect but cant grumble for what we paid.
Its a good base for a cheap holiday.

Good value for money

Surrounded by delightful gardens, this modern hotel is situated in a great setting, only a 10-minute walk from the beaches of Praia da Oura and Praia da Santa Eulália, two of the most beautiful beaches of the area. The famous Albufeira strip with its countless restaurants, bars, pubs, shops and nightclubs is only minutes away, the historic old town of Albufeira can be easily reached.

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Albufeira Sol Hotel and Spa